Download App
1.52% THE FUGITIVE / Chapter 3: Helping a leech

Chapter 3: Helping a leech

Seriously, why the frick did she have to be curious and get involved. The hunters probably knew this was a city infested with the vampires, yet they were arrogant enough to openly attack one where any vampire could smell the blood. Or maybe that was what they wanted, to lure others over. How stupid, there were only two of them.. Weren't there?

Esme glanced up at the rooftops and searched the surrounding area in case she missed any other hunters. Now, she couldn't possibly back down and let them have their fun. She may not like vampires, but she despises hunters. They didn't want any creature to live, vampire, werewolf, shapeshifter it didn't matter, they hunted them down to get rid of the 'evil' in the world.

With a sigh, she sprinted over to the vampire's location and crouched down beside him, hidden behind the wheelie bins.

"Hey, is that another one!?" She heard them speak loudly, their steps now pausing as they were probably figuring out what their next course of action was.

Esme looked at the vampire on the ground, quickly inspecting his wound. He was bleeding out and not healing. But he seemed unfazed if it weren't for the occasional grimace shown on his sharp features until he stared at her in surprise. The she-wolf didn't bother explaining herself; instead, she dropped her bag, unzipped her jacket, pulled off her boots and threw her blouse in a pile next to him. She hated revealing her body in front of anyone, but she couldn't afford to shred all her clothes into pieces.

"Look away, leech," She growled under her breath, knowing too well that he'd hear her.

Esme reached behind her for her knife staring through the small gap between the two wheelies. She waited a moment before scooting to the side and throwing the knife in their direction. It stabbed one hunter in the shoulder, flinging him backwards, who groaned in pain.

Esme didn't wait any longer and pulled her jeans down as her eyes glowed a brilliant amber, and her bones began to snap and twist. The skin on her back started to rip as dark brown fur sprouted from underneath. Within seconds she shifted into a dark brown wolf with a little white patch on her chest. Esme was not the biggest wolf out there, which wasn't surprising considering her size, but that didn't mean she wasn't lethal.

She leapt out of her position, instantly ducking from an arrow shot in her direction. She growled and raced forwards, making the hunter flustered as he scrambled to place another arrow in the crossbow. But it was too late as the dark wolf jumped on him, going straight for his jugular and locking down her jaw, drawing blood. His scream failed, and his body went slack beneath her.

Esme turned her head to the side, her eyes blazing, blood dripping down from her sharp teeth as she stalked towards the other hunter. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it back at her; she flinched as it grazed the top of her ear. Her blade was made from pure silver, an element that weakened a werewolf. Which was precisely the reason why she had it.

"What a shitty hunter. His aim is terrible," Isana remarked. She enjoyed watching the crazy humans being taken out.

"It's better than his aim being good. I don't fancy getting stabbed," Esme commented as she sprung towards this last hunter knocking the crossbow out of his hands and using her jaw to jerk his head to the side, causing his neck to snap. The hunter's body slumped to the ground. Esme wasn't always violent, but she preferred to get it over and done with quickly when it was called for.

Esme jogged up and down a couple of alleys, assessing her surroundings, satisfied there was no more danger and no humans to see a huge wolf pacing up and down the back alleys of Chester. She returned to stand in front of the wheelie bins and shifted on the spot. Leaning over the side, Esme extended her hand towards the vampire while keeping her naked body out of his line of sight. "Clothes," She commanded, then wiped away the blood drying on her mouth.

After a few moments of listening to his laboured breathing, she felt her clothes placed in her hand. Esme quickly redressed and returned to the vampire on the ground; she crouched down and put her backpack on her shoulders, watching him with furrowed brows. He was in a sorry state; she leaned closer and went to check his wound but jumped back after he hissed his fangs at her.

"You know when someone saves your sorry ass, you're meant to say thank you. Not hiss at them," Esme snapped back before asking through clenched teeth. "Let me see your injury."

"No," He breathed, somewhat begrudgingly. It seemed the vampire wasn't happy with a werewolf, a rogue of all creatures, to save him.

Esme tilted her head to the side, "Really? I'm offering you my help." She stood up with her hands raised, backing away. "But by all means, stay here until the sun comes up," She continued sarcastically and started to turn away, wiping her hands as though she was getting rid of dust.

"Wait," He called out to her. Esme stopped and refrained from sighing.

Why couldn't she just let the damn vampire sort himself out? She just risked her life for him, exposing herself more to whoever she just helped. At least the hunters wouldn't be a problem; they couldn't know about a rogue residing in Chester. Lone wolves were targeted more than a pack; they were 'easy prey' to the hunters.

Esme returned to the vampire's side, lowering herself down again, and looked at his chest. The wound was deep. "They tried to stake you?" She questioned for him to nod his head. She stared back at him, wondering how the hell they jumped a vampire.

"They managed to drug me. It's why my healing is slow," He said through gritted teeth, answering Esme's questioning gaze.

"I didn't think leeches could be drugged," Isana murmured Esme's thoughts.

"Hmm, I don't expect vampires to go blabbing about their weak points. I wouldn't. It's not like we know a lot about them anyway. But I do wonder what the drug is though, it might come in handy surviving in a vampire run city.." Esme replied thoughtfully to her wolf as she nodded her head in response to the vampire's comment.

"Okay, well, we need to get out of here first. We are sitting near two dead bodies," Esme stated as she leaned towards him, about to help him up, but he held his hand up to stop her. The vampire sighed and pushed himself off the ground, his attire of shirt and trousers now looking bloodied with his brown hair dishevelled. He leaned back against the brick wall, gasping. "Hold on," She murmured as she reached into her bag and pulled her blanket out, handing it over to him.

The brown-haired vampire looked at the blanket questionably. "To cover up all of this.." She waved her hands in front of his chest. "Do you have a phone?"

He put the blanket around his shoulders and stared at her like she was an imbecile. "If I had my phone, I wouldn't rely on a werewolf to help me," He snapped back. Esme glared at him but bit her tongue before reaching in her pocket for her phone, then cursed under her breath. It ran out of battery. She hardly ever used it, but now that she needed it, it was dead.

"Where to then?" She asked with a shrug before walking over to collect her dagger. She sheathed it behind her ignoring the burning sensation on her hand.

"Follow me," He replied, taking a step forward and almost collapsing into the bins; he steadied himself, leaning his hand on the bin's surface. Esme grabbed him and let him lean on her, feeling his full weight almost making them both fall.

After a bit of bickering between the pair, the vampire finally relented and let her help him. He was at least a foot taller than her, making the whole scenario look ridiculous. At least if anyone asked, she could pretend that he was drunk and just needed help home. They walked past the bodies and paused after hearing the crackling noise of a radio.

"Diego, John, where are you?"

"Diego, John, do you copy?!"

Esme and the vampire looked at one another before picking up their pace and escaping the alleyway. They needed to get out of the area quickly; they couldn't stay there whether the hunters found the bodies or police. The pair moved down the street, crossed over the road, and took more than enough turns in and out of back alleys to stay clear of curious eyes.

Although his wounds were covered, and they looked nothing more than a couple of friends drunkenly walking around the city, they didn't want to take any risks.

"Don't worry. My men will sort out the bodies," The man murmured quietly. Esme glanced at him and looked away. This vampire had men to sort out such things for him. He must be someone high up in the vampire hierarchy. From what she knew of the creatures, they were arrogant, but they had a system in place that made the younger vampires and lower-ranked vampires fall in line. Esme didn't know the specifics about the system, but how could she? She didn't really need to know until now.

"May I ask.. what your name is?" He questioned, interrupting her thoughts and the comfortable silence that seemed to have settled on them. His voice was now somewhat polite, and Esme was a little taken back. The vampire's personality seemed to have done a 180-degree turn.

Seeing her reluctance to respond, the man continued, "My name is Niko. I'm sorry about earlier, but.. any other werewolf would have taken advantage of the situation."

"Well, Niko. Who says I won't?" She replied with a smirk as they hobbled their way down yet another alleyway. She had no idea where they were going, but Niko seemed to be more at ease. Maybe they were getting closer to where he lived. But considering he was just as wary about her as she was to him, Esme was sure Niko was leading her to the safe spot he could rest before returning to his usual residence.

Niko chuckled at her response. "I meant.. violently," He muttered.

Esme nodded; she understood why he thought that way, but she wanted to lighten the mood. Even if he was a vampire, she didn't want to keep bickering with him; it was too much hassle on top of helping the guy.

They rounded a corner and were once again on the main road. But this time, the buildings and the area they were in seemed to be on the richer side of the city. Esme was about to ask the vampire if they were in the right place, but then she remembered the expensive clothes he wore and that he was a vampire.

Unless the vampires were new, most were on the more decadent side of life. But that's what happens when you're bloody immortal. Esme's features then hardened as they approached a nightclub on the corner of the street, its car park on view first. She looked up at the tall building, admiring how stylish and sophisticated looking it was.

"Is this your place?" Esme blurted out as she read the name "ONYX" on the building.

"A friend's, but I work here," Niko grinned, momentarily taking Esme's breath away. She cleared her throat and looked at the bouncers by the door.

"It looks dead," She murmured, earning an eye roll from Niko.

"It's still early. Only VIP.. Why am I explaining this to you?" He stared down at her in disbelief that he was sharing such information with her.

"Boss?"

"Boss!"

The two security guards standing in front of the entrance rushed over, but Niko held his hand up, "Stop," He said in a low voice, "Don't leave your posts."

They nodded their heads once then looked at the she-wolf by his side, their eyes subtly widening before they composed themselves once more. They opened the glass doors behind them, and Niko began to lean away from her as he started to make his way to a door away from the main floor's double doors. He was still severely injured, and after swinging the door open, he nearly lost his balance as he stepped towards the stairs leading down to another floor.

Esme rushed forwards and caught him as he gripped onto the railing. "You don't need to go any further," He said through gritted teeth.

"I'll help you down the stairs at least," She murmured, taking his arm over her shoulder once more.

What in the hell was wrong with her? From the smell of blood mixed with alcohol, she already knew it was a vampire club. She needed to leave, but something was telling her that this was quite the opportunity she should take advantage of.

They made it down the stairs, leading to a long bar, its décor dark and stylish, and looking all the more expensive, the longer Esme stared at everything. Even the floor looked to be made out of marble. She was afraid to touch anything, let alone feel out of place with not only by her clothes but because she was a werewolf. A werewolf without a pack entering the vampire's lair.

Although it wasn't busy, there were still vampires looking in their direction. Most likely because the scene looked misplaced, a small she-wolf helping an injured vampire. Even though she felt very anxious and threatened by entering such a dangerous place, she didn't let it show on her face. If anything, she walked in there confidently because why should she be fearful.

The pair walked through a small archway leading to a deserted dancefloor, and on the far end was a golden, smart, 1920's looking elevator. Its doors were of a golden cage. Once they stopped in front of it, Niko pulled out a key that let the doors open. He turned to her and pulled the blanket off his shoulders, handing it back to her. "Thank you."

Esme nodded her head once and started to shove the blanket in her bag before turning around to leave.

"What is the name of my rescuer?" Niko's low voice reached her ears from behind her. He said the word rescuer a little louder than the others, and she could see why. It was to help her leave without getting into any trouble with the other vampires.

Esme turned her head to look at him, "Esme, oh, and you owe me one." She smirked, watching Niko's eyes narrow subtly before one side of his lips curled up. She turned and started walking away like she owned the place, her head held up high as vampires gathered around her, giving her enough space to walk without being touched. They glared at her, and she stared back at them, unblinking, challenging them to make a move.

Nobody did.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Kelly_Starrz Kelly_Starrz

Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.

XOXO

Chapter 4: A bundle of nerves

Esme escaped the luxurious nightclub and turned to walk down the road, pulling her hood over her face before placing her hands in her pockets nonchalantly. She could tell the security guards, along with other curious eyes, were still watching her. But she kept her composure and continued to walk down the street of designer shops and expensive-looking restaurants and bars.

It wasn't until she walked for another ten minutes that she heaved a sigh of relief. Esme's clenched hands relaxed in her pockets, revealing how sweaty they had become; she gulped and sat down on a bench, momentarily covering her face as she stared down at the pavement through the gaps of her fingers.

"What in the.. Esme!? What were you thinking? You could have just dropped him off outside!" Isana finally spoke; she was almost hyperventilating. Esme knew Isana had been very close to 'taking the reins' to her body and getting them the hell out of that nightclub. But Esme was grateful her wolf placed her trust in her handling the situation.

It was probably the riskiest thing they'd done in a while, but as soon as Esme saw the nightclub, a plan formed in her mind. She helped a vampire who seemed to be quite high up in the vampire hierarchy and now, on closer inspection, was a boss to a swanky bar/ nightclub, and Esme was in need of a job.

"Nope! Absolutely not!" Her wolf instantly disagreed.

"I think it's a great plan-"

"I think you've finally lost it. How would it work?! They hate you; we hate them!" Isana exclaimed her disagreement.

"It's probably the safest place to be. Who would ever think to search for a werewolf at a vampire bar?" Esme smiled mischievously as she stood back up again, her chest felt light, and her footsteps almost danced across the pavement to a happy tune only she could hear.

It was the perfect cover, and even if she was found, which she thought was highly unlikely, then there were buses and trains she could take. Everything would be fine, she could keep her backpack safely with her, and if she needed a quick escape, nobody would miss her. Niko probably guessed she was a rogue and wouldn't care if she suddenly stopped showing up.

"You.. you have a death wish! You literally just faked all that bravado! I mean, yeah, we could take a few of them on but come on! You know what, I don't think he will let you work there anyway, it's not good for business. It's not good for …" Isana continued to ramble on and on, listing all the reasons why working at ONYX would be a bad idea. All the while, Esme ignored it and let her voice become background noise as she continued to head home.

The whole time she walked down the streets of Chester, Esme had been on high alert for hunters roaming the city. She felt uneasy but then reminded herself they'd be looking for vampires, not a lone wolf. Isana had slowly begun to go quiet, and her distress by working at ONYX became a minuscule issue compared to the humans who hunted beings like her.

But Esme returned to her apartment without any more issues. She closed the door behind her, bolting it shut aggressively. The four locks on the door made her feel a little better, though they wouldn't do much against a werewolf's strength. At that thought, Esme stole a glance through the peephole, her paranoia rising again, but after some time, she released her breath and turned away.

Esme placed her keys on the kitchen counter along with the knife hidden under her coat. Even with the lights off, she could clearly see her apartment in the darkness; it was one of the many highlights of being a werewolf. Isana smirked arrogantly at this, making Esme roll her eyes and relax her tense body further.

She stopped by the side of the bath staring at her new couch in the corner of the room near the patio doors. It was an L shaped leather sofa in white without so much as a scratch on it. It looked brand new and odd in her dank apartment. Esme kept looking between the couch and the bathtub along with the rest of the apartment, shaking her head in disbelief.

She pulled her phone out, ready to message Lenny but rolled her eyes at the dead battery. She plugged her charger in at the kitchen wall and left her phone on the countertop, charging before making her way to the sofa and undressing. She sighed, remembering her underwear and bra were ripped to pieces from shifting earlier.

Putting her thoughts aside about buying another bra, Esme pulled the bloodied blanket out of her backpack with a frown. She dropped it onto the tiled floors before grabbing her pyjamas and changing into them. They weren't anything special, an old t-shirt and some pink chequered trousers. She started getting ready for bed, cleaning her face and teeth in the small bathroom before returning and placing everything back in the bag.

Now that her blanket was sullied with vampire blood, Esme put a hoodie and woolly hat on for warmth and grabbed her coat before rechecking her phone. After holding down the power button, it was on, revealing the time to be 12:05am. Esme opened her messages and texted Lenny a quick thank you before tapping down the arrow key on her contacts list.

Her thumb hovered over the green phone button as she leaned onto the countertop staring at the contact name: Mum. "I don't think that's a good idea. You can never sleep after," Isana whispered in her mind.

At her wolf's words, Esme flipped the phone shut and left it on the counter before collapsing on the sofa, pulling the coat over her as she leaned her head on the comfy armrest, staring outside the glass patio doors and the glimmering city lights beyond it. "It's not like we sleep that well anyway," Esme murmured through a yawn. She may be sleepy, but she feared what the night would bring, her mind was a chaotic battlefield, and when it finally caved to her body's need to rest, she would be pulled into nightmares of her repressed memories.

Esme swallowed past a lump forming in her throat, and she subconsciously reached for the rubber band on her wrist, pulling it back and letting it slap her skin. Esme took a long, deep breath in then let her mind wander to something much nicer. For a moment, she stared at the tall buildings in the distance and daydreamed about living in one of those fancy apartments, her life utterly normal, working a 9-5 job with nobody after her. Esme would return and make a meal not made from noodles or meat from hunting. Then after a bubble bath with a glass of wine and a book, she'd relax on a sofa similar to the one she was lying on now, curled up next to a lovely man and watching Webflix before making love.

Esme sighed at her little fantasy.

"Nah, who needs all that? It sounds boring," Isana joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Esme scoffed. "Yeah.. boring indeed." She sighed and placed her right arm over her eyes, "I'm just.. tired."

Tired of this life.

She was no longer suicidal; in fact, even thinking of that day made her angry. Angry at herself and resentful for being pushed to that point. No, she was tired of being on the run.

Esme pulled her arm away from her face and stared at her burnt, repulsive skin. Her lips twisted, and her eyes hardened from the sight as her chest burned in hatred and betrayal. The mark on her chest began to throb, and she hissed at the sharp, burning sensation. A sensation she was all too familiar with now.

Esme ignored it and rolled onto her side, staring back at the cold, dark apartment. She blinked slowly, letting the darkness call to her. She breathed deeply, letting her heart calm and become a steady rhythm she could listen to before sleep.

Esme's breath caught in her throat, her eyes bulged, and she buckled her hips, flailing her hands, panic creeping into her being. She struggled against the weight holding her hips down, his large hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed.

An intruder was in her room. How did they find her?!

She tried to pry away his hands, her claws cutting into his skin.

"You dirty whore!"

That voice..

Esme bolted upright, her body stiff as she gasped and clasped at her neck, staring ahead of her as tears fell down her cheeks. The loud, chaotic, thumping sound of her heart drowned out any noise around her.

"Esme."

She couldn't remember her night full of terrors, but she could still feel his large hands squeezing her neck. No matter where she went, he still followed her.

"Esme!"

And those cruel green eyes stared down at her as she went blue in the face.

"Esme! We are safe!"

Safe..

Esme swallowed loudly, relaxing her hands by her sides as she took slow deep breaths and dared to look at her surroundings. Her gaze automatically went to the patio doors, then to the front door that was still bolted shut, the windows shut, the curtains hiding away the shabby flats across from her. The warmth of the sunlight streaming through the patio doors kissed the side of her face, and she closed her eyes, relishing it and the serenity it cocooned her in.

"Thank you, Isana," Her whisper was barely audible, her voice hoarse as she pulled her coat away from her body. She looked back to staring outside, taking note of how early it still was.

"Early bird catches the worm!" Isana tried and failed at sounding joyful.

Although she was up early, Esme didn't laze about. It wasn't in her nature; her mind would never allow her to relax. She always felt the need to do something. Esme returned to her usual routine, a routine she never stopped lest she went mad. She changed into her leggings and a long-sleeved baggy top and started to do her morning workout.

500 push-ups, 500 sit-ups, and a 30 mile run later, and Esme returned in her apartment sweaty, refreshed, and the city mapped out and cemented in her mind now. She pulled out the blue water bottle and a small collapsible measuring cup.

Esme poured 100ml of the clear liquid into the cup, mentally bracing herself before downing it in one. Her lips, tongue and throat burned; she could feel the liquid pour down to her stomach and spread like wildfire through her body. But within seconds, it simmered and died down. She swallowed and was thankful for still feeling her tongue.

"Isana?"

"Still here."

Good. Esme had a high resistance to wolfsbane, the clear liquid she just downed like a shot of vodka. It was toxic to werewolves, making them weak, blocking the link to their wolf and the ability to shift and heal. Many werewolves were not aware that drinking the contents daily over the course of a month onwards started to build one's resistance up. It burned like a bitch, and nobody would be willing to do such a thing even if it was well known.

Her mother passed on the little trick to her when she first started to train with her wolf. But her choice not to partake in 'resistance training' to wolfsbane was something she deeply regretted later. Now, Esme had been drinking it daily for two years, increasing the dose gradually.

After quickly washing and changing into her cargo pants, a long-sleeved top and trainers again, she pulled her hair back into a half-up hairstyle held together with a clip, leaving two strands of hair, one each side of her face falling down to her chin. Throwing on her rain jacket, she pulled the hood up and left the apartment with her backpack.

For the rest of the day, she shopped for parts needed for her apartment, little things like a shower curtain, a side lamp, a kettle, a new blanket, and household items like washing powder, toilet roll, the usual shit. Esme also returned to the coffee shop with the kind old lady from the previous night, finding comfort in her smile and chatty persona before doing a mini food shop and returning to the apartment. By the time she sorted her new belongings out, ate some potted noodles and read a newspaper, the sky had fallen dark, and she was ready to go see her new friend.


Load failed, please RETRY

Gifts

Gift -- Gift received

    Weekly Power Status

    Batch unlock chapters

    Table of Contents

    Display Options

    Background

    Font

    Size

    Chapter comments

    Write a review Reading Status: C3
    Fail to post. Please try again
    • Writing Quality
    • Stability of Updates
    • Story Development
    • Character Design
    • World Background

    The total score 0.0

    Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
    Vote with Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Power Ranking
    Stone 0 Power Stone
    Report inappropriate content
    error Tip

    Report abuse

    Paragraph comments

    Login

    tip Paragraph comment

    Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

    Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

    GOT IT