Elle used a keycard to get into the building. Once inside, a man at the security desk smiled at her and tabbed a button on his small computer. The elevator opened and she and Ryan went in. She fed her card again into a small reader on the wall, and hit the button for the ninth floor. The lift hummed as it went up. Ryan looked around the elevator, scanning over the floor numbers as they passed. “Only ten? Must have a lot of room in your place.”
Elle gave him a playful smile. “A lot of room. For a lot of things.” She slipped the card into her small purse. “Privacy’s a big thing in this complex. That’s why I moved here. You could do practically anything, and no one could hear it.”
Ryan repeated, “Practically anything. I like the sound of that.” She slipped her hand into his and squeezed a little.
Elle bit her lower lip slightly, slipping her hand into his. “So do I. So do I.” The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. They stepped out into Elle’s apartment. It was sparely decorated. Some fashionable art prints on the walls and some furniture, but otherwise not much else to see. There was a huge picture window with drapes on the other side of the room, and a large pair of double doors off to the side. Ryan felt her hand release his, moving up to the back of his neck, teasing with her nails. Her eyes took on a hued, passionate tone. “Have a seat. I’ll go to the bedroom, and change into something more – “
“—more practically anything?”
A throaty laugh passed her lips. “I’ll be back.” She smiled a toothy smile at him and crossed the room. She slid open the double doors and stepped into the darkness on the other side, closing them behind her.
Ryan walked over the carpet, scanning the living room. Amazing. He knew she’d had at least nine victims, and yet there wasn’t a spot of blood, a mere hint of a struggle in the vicinity. She played the game very well, better than anyone else he’d seen in a long time. The more excited the heart got, the faster the blood pumped. It was as true for vampires as it was for humans. And she knew what to do to get the heart pumping…
Elle’s voice filtered through the doors. “Ryan? I’m ready.” He looked over at the doors, smiling. Gritting his teeth, he went over to them and pulled them open. The bedroom on the other side was still unlit, and inky blackness blurred what was before him. He went into the bedroom. He looked about for Elle, when he heard her voice from the right. “Close the doors, baby.” He turned about, taking the handles and pulling the doors closed.
He heard the noise instantly: the cool hiss of movement through the air. Instinctively he brought his arm up to the level of the sound, and felt a hard impact against his forearm. He could sense the feeling of warm skin nearby. His hand shot out and grabbed a wrist, squeezing hard. There was the brief yelp of pain from Elle, and the sound of something hitting the floor. He took her wrist, twisted and sent her flying along the carpet.
Elle tumbled along the floor. She was still wearing the same outfit as before, sans the leather skirt. Her blouse hung down past her waist, the brief glimpse of her underwear as she crawled to her feet. She glared at Ryan. Ryan’s eyes focused in the darkness and he was able to get a better look at the surroundings. Indeed it was her bedroom. A large bed to the center of the room, and some bedside tables. And on the walls: weapons. Axes, spears, stakes, crossbows. This was the room she made her kills in. He advanced on her. Elle’s eyes widened, and she reached to the wall, grabbing a small throwing star. Hooking her finger around it, she sent it flying towards him.
Ryan had been prepared for the sensation of it hitting him. But he wasn’t ready for the searing agony as it dug into his leg. He groaned and sank to the floor, his fingers digging at it. It was half-buried in his thigh, and the edges sank into his fingertips painfully. Elle ran over, grabbing the stake that had fallen from her fingers moments before, and leapt onto him, raising her hand to strike.
Ryan released his leg and fought with her. He normally would have broken her arm in an instant, but the pain from the star in his leg was draining him, somehow. He saw the tip of the sharpened wood shaking over his eyes, and slowly pushing down towards his chest. Teeth gritted; one of his hands released her and went down to his jacket, fighting to enter one of the pockets. Now defending himself one-handed, the stake was hovering even closer. Elle’s breathing was rapid, hate in her eyes as she brought her other hand to take hold of the stake, pushing down with her weight.
Finally, Ryan’s fingers closed over what he was looking for in his pocket, and he pulled it out, angling it at Elle and pressing the trigger. A stream of fluid shot from the small cylinder onto her face, and Elle screamed out in pain. Her hands were at her eyes, the stake falling helplessly onto Ryan’s chest and back onto the floor. She fell off of him, clawing at her eyes and crying out. Ryan slowly sat up, pushing the spray into his pocket again. He turned his attention back to his leg. With a grunt, he took hold of the throwing star and pulled it out. It cut through his flesh and was freed. Ryan looked at it: small crucifixes had been etched onto the surface of it. “Real cute… “ He tossed it near the stake, and felt his wound beginning to slowly heal itself. He crawled over to where Elle was huddled, crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, fingers rubbing at them.
She sobbed, “What… what kind of vampire are you? Using pepper spray… ”
Ryan took her shoulders and shoved her onto her back, laying on her. She tried to struggle against him, but his strength was returning and was unmovable. With a move, he tore open the top of her blouse, exposing her china white throat. Her crying was stronger now, chest heaving with each breath. “You’re a vampire killer, right?” Elle’s shaking head nodded slowly.
Ryan smiled, moving close. She felt his cold breath on her throat. “Well, I kill vampire killers…”
NOT THE END