Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 08:42:56 -0600 From: Robyn Herrington Organization: University of Calgary Subject: [WRITERS] SUB: CONTEST: Hunting the Face of Innocence Okay, here's the next in the contest! I'll have more news on the contest, later today... stay tuned! Remember: entries *and* critiques to me at rmherrin@ucalgary.ca. Robyn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hunting The Face of Innocence "Oh my god!!" the man screamed "No! No! why? Oh my god!!" he shouted. "Let me go, let me go" he yelled as he struggled against the two officers. "Is it her? Tell me!!" he screamed. The sun had just gone down on the warm and breezy evening. I had been wondering for days, or has it been longer? Not sure the days just seem to roll together now. I think I finally found him again his latest kill more gruesome then the last. I watched the man screaming as the officers held him at bay. The poor young man, must be his girlfriend laying there. I glanced over at the body and saw her lifeless eyes, there was blood all over, her mouth had a grimacing smile. Suddenly I felt nauseous. Why did he have to torture them? I could tell it took this one a few hours to die. He broke her right leg so she couldn't struggle as much. And then had his way with her, sick bastard. My name is Cary, I look about twenty but am really forty. I have short blond wavy hair, and pale blue eyes. I've been a vampire for about twenty years. The one who did this is my older brother William, he also has blonde hair except his eyes are green. I thought he was dead years ago when I was just a child. He's a vampire too, I came across one of his victims one dark evening. I saved her life. My sweet Alyssa. Her and I soon became fast friends, and eventually lovers but that is another story all together. My fate lies before me knowing that it will either be him or I that will succumb to our final death. Until my sweet Alyssa I would have welcomed it, for she awakened the good in me. And I then knew that I must destroy the evil that has always lain between us, William. I have been tracking him ever since that fateful night, has it been a year already? I'm so tired, not sure how much longer I can take this. Every time I get close to him he somehow manages to slip away. Leaving his carnage for me to find almost as if he is taunting me. I go to leave, for fear I will lose him again this time. This is the closest I've come after one of his kills. I'm hoping that he's close by and can pick up his scent. Suddenly, the hair prickles on the back of my neck, I stop dead in my tracks. The fear almost overwhelming me. I raise my head and sniff the air, and look to my right, sniff again. There! He's here! I look up to the top of the building and I see his shadow beneath the lights on the rooftop. Then I see him jump. I run into the night following his scent. He knew I was coming, he was waiting for me, I suddenly realize. I could hear him laughing with glee. As I run after him my fear almost gets the better of me. My thoughts go back to that night a year ago. I almost died that night saving her. He is so much stronger and more cunning then me and he has been at this so much longer then I care to admit. I fear him yes, but I fear losing Alyssa more. That last thought brings a sudden determination to my eyes, which has overcome my fear. Surging faster, I round the corner, and sprint down the alley. Whoosh! Slam! I heard from my right. Then I felt or saw something, I can't remember which, maybe both. It came down over me then on top of me. I fell to the ground rolling, pain in my left shoulder. I rolled once more and jumped back up, spinning around at the same time. Fangs and claws out, hissing, looking around me, crouched, waiting for another attack. Nothing happened. I look down at the ground and saw the shocked face of a middle aged drunken man. Lying there with his hands over his face, cowering. "Don't hurt me, please". he wimpered. Before I could say anything I heard laughing, farther down the alley behind me. I swung around. "Hey,Cary, having problems?" William taunted. "Come, on your slowing down, kick the lead out." He laughed. I take off running after him at full speed. Leaving the man behind me who was now crying. I could see William now, abruptly the laughing stopped. I don't think he expected me to run after him so quickly. William turned around and ran up the back stairs pulling the door open and running into the back of the restaurant. I followed closely behind, gaining faster, taking the steps two at a time. I opened the door before it could close and ran into the cook who was taking out the garbage. I clothes lined him and sent him sprawling, trash flying everywhere. That slowed me down just enough to lose sight of William. I looked around slightly disoriented and realized I was in the kitchen. I spotted the doors that lead to the main floor and ran through them. I stopped abruptly swinging around looking for a sign of William. I walked past some tables saw a middle aged couple in there fifties. A man in his thirties looking at his watch, date must of stood him up. A young couple with a boy about thirteen with dark brown hair. He was smiling at them. They were staring at the boy. I stopped, there was no plate in front of the boy. And he had that same charming smile asb | Damn! He changed his hair color. I turned and stared right at him. He realized that I recognized him and his smiled disappeared. I immediately jumped on him. We rolled, fangs and claws out, striking and hissing at each other. We knocked some tables over, he connected with my shoulder, tearing it, the same shoulder I had hurt earlier. I connected with his jaw. He screamed in pain knocked me on my butt and ran out into the night. I quickly followed, gaining on him once again. For you see William is only 5"0' while I am 5"10'. However he is much stronger since he is a few years older then I am. He has been a Vampire about ten years longer then me, and his master is much stronger then mine. I continue to gain on him, and could almost touch him I reach out to grab his shirt collar. Just then, he looks over his shoulder at me. And sees me reaching out, gaining on him. His eyes get big, is it fear I see? Only for a moment, then he looks up higher and grins. Turning his head back around he lets out a surge and runs faster. Almost had him. Just then, something landed on top of me, and my face hits the ground. I hear boyish laughter, William's of course. "What the hell took you so long?" he demanded. "Sorry, master, I was slightly detained, she put up more of a fight then I thought." He answered. "Is she alive?" William asked. "Yes," he responded. I lay on the ground disoriented feeling like a freight train hit me. "Tsk, tsk, little brother," William said. "Guess what? We have your girlfriend," he said laughing. Hatred swelled up inside of me so intense I never thought I could feel anything like that again, until now. "No! Don't you dare hurt her or I'll kill you!" I screamed as I jumped to my feet, I lunged after William. His eyes got big, was that surprise I saw again, or fear? Maybe a little bit of both. He tried to get away and stumbled, I have him now, glorious I thought. Another hit to the back of my head sent me sprawling. I turned around and looked up at what hit me. It was a zombie about seven feet tall. Big as a freight train, and ugly as sin. My vision started fading. "I think that I'll take her tonight and have some fun with her, Cary." I thought I heard William say. "I think that I might even let you watch", he continued. I could hear his childish laughter, as he started to tell me his plans. "Alyssa, my darling Alyssa." I moaned. My head hurt like hell, blackness. I tried to shake my head to clear my thoughts. Then I passed out. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robyn Herrington New Currents in Teaching and Learning / InfoServe Phone: 220-2561 Email: rmherrin@ucalgary.ca Story ideas are like rabbits that have ventured unwittingly into view. The slightest noise or movement can spook them and they bolt off into the dark undergrowth never to be seen again. -- Adrian Bedford ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~