A/U: So I
was surfing the web the other day, right, when I come around this site that
talks about a series called Dark Shadows. My initial response was WTF! I found
out it was some old...show. But, I’m just letting all the readers know that the
title was not ripped off. I don’t like the idea of one of my fics having the
same name as an existing media. But I like the name and I already have numerous
chapters in the works so I’ll be keeping the name. As always please review. It
gets my self-esteem up. ;)
-
DARK SHADOWS
CHAPTER VI: CHANGE OF
PLANS
There were
dozens of men standing along the wall of a glass corridor. Each stood with
their arms behind their backs, looking into the eyes of the man or woman in
front of them. Down the corridor was a double panel of glass that slid open and
was used as a door. There was a symbol of a moon that glowed a white aurora and
a translucent wolf head imprint.
Suddenly
there was a deafening gunshot and then a man shattered through the glass doors
and smashed the glass on the opposite side of the corridor. There was large
hole in his chest and blood was dripping everywhere.
The many
men and few women lining the corridor merely looked at the man who was surprisingly
still breathing-he was panting profusely-but they didn’t react otherwise. Each
looked toward the shattered door however when the sound of feet over glass
jingled. Soon a man stepped into the corridor and pumped his nickel plated
shotgun. He then aimed it at the man and fired. The shot left nothing of the
man’s upper body after such a close range shot. Blood was flowing down the
walls of glass and was splattered on the dozens of people lining the corridor.
“Let this
be an example to anyone who let that bitch interfere in our hunt!” the man
pumped his shotgun once more and held it outstretched toward another man. “You
were assigned to that hunt. Why did you do nothing to stop the woman?”
“She
wasn’t a woman.” The man replied choking. Sweat dripped down his forehead to
the tip of his nose. “She was an Immortal.”
“A
Vampire.” The man with the shotgun replied cocking his head slightly to the
left. “Is that right?”
“Vampires
don’t exist.”
“We don’t
exist! Werewolves don’t exist!” The man aimed the shotgun up at the ceiling and
pulled the trigger. After the shot a ten foot radius of the ceiling shattered
and glass drizzled to the floor and on top of the people. “But we’re still
breathing, are we not?” the man dropped his shotgun to his side and gazed at
the man with an unbelieving expression. “How can you be so naive? You’re the
fourth oldest of us still alive. Isn’t that right, Gabriel? And yet here you
are cowering in my presence like a dog.”
“I’ll
personally take care of the...Vampire. We won’t have to worry about her...or
them?”
“It isn’t
the Vampires we have to fear. There are legends of one from Kanto, the Chosen
One. He has allied himself with the Shadow Hunters. He’s our down fall, not the
Vampires.”
“Then why
do we need to worry about the Vampires?” Gabriel asked.
“Centuries
ago the Vampires and Werewolves agreed to an accord where neither interfere in
the others’ affairs. The Vampires had appeared to be wiped out some time later
by some unknown force, so we forgot about their existence over the centuries.”
“But-“
“We do not
need to fear the Vampires, but we need to fear the girl. She shows great
promise. In just four years as an Immortal her power has surpassed many elders’.
As we just recently witness, she slaughtered our pack, an impossible feat in
and of itself. And the worst part is she knows we have a secret. The
Vampires can never know of our past. Neither can the Chosen One. And if the
unthinkable should happen, if the Vampire allies herself with the Chosen One,
we need a way out. I have that way out.
**********
The night
was still beautiful and clam. A gently breeze whistled over the courtyard,
while branches from trees slightly rocked back and forth. The stars shone down
in all there radiant beauty. The moon still showed its face, but blocked ever
so slightly by a small white cloud that slowly and cautiously passed. It was
thus illuminated by the full moon, appearing almost translucent.
Mercedes
still looked up at the night sky with a look of fear in her blue orbs. Her
white fangs were overlapping her bottom lip and causing it to bleed. Her wiry
fingers were entwined around the top of the black iron railing surrounding the
six by ten foot balcony.
“Misty!”
Mercedes
cocked her head over her shoulder and peered into Misty’s quarters via the open
doors where the dark blue curtains whipped in and out of the mansion’s second
story room. She could see Tristan inside, stomping through. But it wasn’t until
her saw her figure on the balcony that she was truly afraid.
He thought
she was Misty, so when he marched out he spun her around and raised his hand in
the air to slap her when she made known she wasn’t the woman he was looking
for.
“Please,
no! Tristan, please!”
“Mercedes,
where’s Misty?” he inquired, hand still raised.
“I don’t
know.” She now was speaking through sobs as tears trickled down her cheeks. “We
were talking and then she left.”
“Where did
she go off too?”
“All I
know is that she went inside the mansion. She was very upset. Maybe you were a
little hard on her.”
“How dare
you!” With that he brought his hand down across her cheek and raised it once
more. “You’re her best friend; of course you would cover for her betrayal!”
“What
betrayal? She just wants to hunt the same animals that ruined her life-“
Again she
was struck by Tristan’s hand. But it was also the last time, as he left her
kneeling down on the balcony reminiscing on the past moments.
**********
“Ash
Ketchum! Why can’t you think anything through?”
Everyone
stared at Hailen and Ash as they marched through the main hall, arguing at the
top of their lungs. Ash’s face was red with anger and Hailen’s cheeks were rosy
red, as were her eyes which were filled with tears.
Brock
shook his head, remembering the hundreds of times Ash and Misty would argue. He
knew it to be their way of showing their love, but he had never seen Ash or Hailen
argue as they were now. It appeared they were both going to snap on each other
any minute.
“Please, you’ll be killed. You’re all I have left. I lost my dad to
this war, and yet I don’t get more involved than I have to. It isn’t what he
would have wanted; to see me killed. There’s no chance Misty would want you to
die for her.”
“But I
have to do something.”
“Not die.
You’re too important to the team, to the war...to me.”
Ash
stopped his march and looked into her eyes they were swelled and teary. A tear
of his own trickled down his cheeks when he gazed into Hailen’s brown orbs.
“Misty was
important to me.” He replied near inaudible. “And she...she...died. That’s not
fair.”
“But you
don’t owe her anything. I’m sure you did all you could to protect her.”
“No I
didn’t.” Ash shook his head in fault, more tears swelling in his hazel eyes.
“I think
you did. And I know that right now she’s looking down on you telling you not to
go out tonight.”
By this
time everyone had cleared out of the room, including Brock. They all felt that
Ash and Hailen deserved to be alone during a talk with this magnitude. And it
helped them to open up.
Hailen
continued. “You’re agonizing over the loss of Misty. Well, how will I feel if
you don’t come back tonight? I wouldn’t know what happened to you, when it
happened, all I would know is why. Don’t be stupid.”
“So I
should give up on Misty? Is that what you’re saying?” Ash yelled angrily.
“No!”
Hailen replied choked up. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying that you
shouldn’t fight a war for a person that will never come back. I know it’s hard
to hear; it’s even hard for me to say. And I know you want to avenge her
untimely death, but this isn’t the way.”
“I’m
going-“
“Give me
one week.”
“No-“
“One week
I can have a team assembled and we can take on the Werewolves in force. Maybe I
can even get Night Walker, whoever the hell she is.”
“One week
isn’t quick enough.”
“How much
time will you give me?”
“One
hour.”
“No
chance.” She replied surprised at his ignorance. “It can’t be done and you know
it.” It was then that she fell to her knees and sobbed with her face in her
hands. “You don’t intend on coming back...do you?”
Ash gave
no reply.
“You want
to go it solo, that way no one can help keep you alive. Kill a few Werewolves
and when things get too rough for you you’ll let them rip you to pieces so you
can be with her. She’s not worth it Ash! Let her go!”
“I’m not
going to do it! I owe her my life! She saved me so many times and I never had
the courage to thank her. I never thanked her when she saved me from drowning
on
“It isn’t
too hard to thank someone.” She continued sobbing.
“I just
couldn’t, and now it eats me up inside. There are too many things I never got a
chance to tell her. It’s the fucking Werewolves’ fault!”
“You’re
goddamn right, Ash! It is the Werewolves’ fault. So why take it out on
yourself? Why let them kill you? Wait one week and kick their asses once and
for all. One week. I don’t ask for any more time. And if I don’t have my team
assembled I’ll let you walk right past me and out of our lives.”
“You don’t
want me to go.”
“Of course
not. I...love you. I always have.”
Ash stood
in shock at what he had just heard. Never had he thought a woman such as Hailen
Fisker would ever love him. He was popular with the women, but Hailen was
beyond all others. She even surpassed Misty in the looks department. And she
even had heart and character, a trait not found in most women in her league.
And all he could do was staring at her.
But she
stared back, her eyes still teary. And after their moment of staring, Ash
finally stepped toward her and closed the gap between them with a deep kiss
that Hailen returned whole-heartedly. And there they stood for what seemed like
hours, entwined in each other’s arms, exploring each other’s mouths with a long
passionate kiss.
**********
Ash
cautiously walked down the middle of
He walked
down the center of the street, one foot in front of the other as he followed
the yellow dashed line. Every step Ash would look to his other side down the
dark alley ways, into the empty buildings, and up into the few trees that were
planted on the sidewalks.
The full
white moon shone directly over head. It created a silhouette that was beneath
Ash, not in front or behind him.
It was a
quiet night, perhaps too quiet. Ash was well aware that Abigail and her team
were scouring the city. But he heard no gun shots, no battle roar from the
Werewolves, nor screams. It was almost as if he were the only living being out.
But that couldn’t be.
He could
feel someone. And that someone or maybe something was watching him.
“I told
you not to come out.”
Ash jumped
at the sudden intrusion of the woman’s soft voice that broke the unearthly
silence. “
“What are
you doing out here?” he asked the woman who was leaning up against the brick
wall of an alley.
Hailen
stood with her temple pressed gently against the wall, her hands fidgeting the
Poke ball in her hands. She wore her usual Hunting attire: black body suit that
hugged her body tight.
“Did you
think I’d let the same thing that happened to Misty happen to you?” she asked
eyeing him through a strand of loose blond hair that dangled over her right
eye.
Ash was
taken back. Hailen knew he hated talking about Misty’s untimely death.
“That’s
why I’m out here.” He replied showing her the red and white Pokeballs behind
his waist.
“You plan
to die?”
“Wha?”
“The
Hailen was
right. There, high in the sky was the full white moon radiating its bright
light down on such a dark city as
“Ash!”
“Misty!?”
“Ash!”
“Misty!
That’s Misty’s voice!”
Predictable
as Ash was he took off running in whatever direction he heard his friend’s
voice from. The idea of realism never crossed his mind, but he was in reality,
so it had to be real. Misty had to be alive.
He picked
up speed to his fastest sprint. Soon his legs began to ache, but he didn’t
care. Ash simply discarded the sensation.
“Misty,
where are you?” he shouted into the darkness of the night.
There she
was! Misty was running toward the
“Misty,
look out!”
But it was
too late. One moment Ash was chasing after Misty and the next she was plowed
through the doors of the
“No-ah!”
Suddenly
Ash was stopped and staring dead on at a beast at least twelve feet tall, long
white fur on its belly and orange fur that covered the rest. It’s piercing red
eyes sunk into his soul and tugged at his very mortality. It let out one
massive roar before-
“Ah!”
Ash shot
out of the bed like a bullet. Sweat dripped down his forehead and to the tip of
his nose. He looked around the room for beast. It was no where to be found. Ash
had no idea where he was, so he stood up and looked around. Realizing he was in
a room, he located the window and pushed the curtains open; allowing the
radiant light of the full moon to shine in and glow on the woman sleeping in
the bed Ash had woken up from.
Seeing the
woman, he jumped back and then sighed when he realized her as Hailen. It all
came back now. He remembered the night he spent with her. And now she lay in
bed peaceful as ever, as if there was no war.
**********
Still the
night was calm. Clouds now gathered in streaks that blocked the radiance of the
moonlight. The clouds were thick, dark, and appeared to be seeking vengeance on
the world below. And its anger and rage was unleashed as a bolt of lightning
danced across the sky and shook the earth hundreds of feet below.
Traveling
down
Following
the road around the fountain, the vehicles came to a stop in front of a four
story building. All the lights were off, windows and doors barred up. Still,
the passengers of the vehicles stepped out of the cars, minus the drivers who
remained in the vehicles. They all looked up at the building as a bolt of
lightning illuminated the clouded sky, and rain began to pour down.
“It’s
here?” a slender man asked Gabrielle, who was buttoning up his long tan jacket
that descended down to his ankles.
“Yes.”
“Why not
somewhere more ritualistic?”
“It was.
Four centuries ago the book was discovered hidden underground
The man,
called Nathaniel, ran his fingers through his long brown hair. His eyes, brown
in nature, transformed into a yellow as he picked up a scent. His nostrils
became enflamed and his eyes grew wide.
“Smell
that, Gabriel?”
Gabrielle
inhaled the air and breathed out.
“Someone dares
to wander the streets when darkness falls. Move in.” Gabrielle gestured his
muscular right arm forward toward the museum’s front exit.
The other
men under his command scaled the stack of steps leading to the glass doors
lined with metal bars. This defense continued over the entire front of the
building which was made solely of Plexiglas.
“Bend the
bars.” Gabrielle ordered.
The men
did as he ordered. Grabbing the bars, the men let out loud wolf-like roars and
then spread the bars apart like they were made of clay.
“Blow the
glass!”
Once more
the men did as they were told. A select few swung backpacks from behind them
and set them along the window. Unzipping the packs, each brought out a black
rectangular box no larger than a shoe box. Protruding from the edges were
circular appendages with suction cups attached to the bottoms. Placing the
large center box onto the glass the men proceeded in pulling the circular
appendages out in diagonal angles. At last the circular appendages were sealed
to the glass as was the center box. Finally the men pushed red buttons in the
center of each of their boxes after receiving Gabrielle’s acknowledgment.
“Open
sesame.”
Suddenly,
the darkness of the clouded night was lit a yellow color as the windows burst
into simultaneous explosions. The entire building was accessible, with the
glass making up the whole front face of the building. All of the panels had
shattered and mixed with the falling raindrops. Even the earth shook with a
force greater than anything other than a quake.
“I see the
charges were a success.” Nathaniel complimented.
“As
always.” Gabrielle replied with a grin that couldn’t be hidden even in perfect
dark. “Fan out! Find the book!”
As always
Gabrielle’s men obeyed. The remainder of the men whom did not carry a backpack
swung MP5-Ks to their sides and loaded the chamber. A laser sight located just beneath
the tip of the muzzle was turned on and the weapons were snug against the men’s
shoulders. As for the men with the backpacks, they had Desert Eagles.
Without
any further delay they moved in commando style, making sure to tread carefully
through the facility. They moved swiftly through the museum’s lobby, which
wasn’t too cluttered besides the many kiosks. They made very little sound,
especially because of the great number of them and due to the fact that was
floor was hard wood.
Breaching
the wide corridor equipped with the elevators the men marched down the wood
paneled hall. As with the rest of the museum there was no light. Yet the men
wore no night vision goggles or had flashlights equipped with their weapons.
“What of
security?” Nathaniel asked staring up at the dominant, dark structure before
him.
“There is
no security. Who would answer the call anyways?”
**********
Rain still
poured down. It was near impossible to see more than six feet in front. And
with the lack of moonlight, starlight, and artificial lighting provided by the
street lights it near impossible to see even a blur of anything. All there was
were streaks that the droplets of rain made as they descended beside each other
in a constant flow.
But that
didn’t stop Ash Ketchum from doing what he wanted to do: find any Werewolves
and kill them off one by one. At this time, however, the rain seemed to be more
of an adversary than any Werewolf. He hadn’t seen one yet, but had seen
trillions of droplets fall around him. The worst part was he had no Pokemon he
could call out to help him. Though he had six with him, Pikachu being back at
the base completely unaware of his master’s plans, he had Charizard, a Rapidash
he caught three years prior, an Arcanine he also caught prior, a Machamp which
was given to all Shadow Hunter members, Blastoise which evolved from Wartortle
and before then Squirtle, and finally Zubat.
There was
a reason to why Ash refused to use Zubat. His initial plan was stealth and if
Zubat were to use Supersonic it would alert any Werewolves of his presence;
then he would be the hunted.
So he
continued on scaling the building. The rain poured over his body, but he didn’t
feel it too much anymore. His black hair was now loosely slicked back because
of the water. His black leather jacket which barely passed his waist dripped
off the trim line on the bottom. His dark green camos were drenched as well as
his black t-shirt. The only parts of him that weren’t soaked were his feet. His
boots were so tight they restricted all water from passing through. So if he
needed to he could still run without obtaining any blisters later on.
Grasped
tightly in Ash’s hands were his brand new Beretta M93Rs. As a youth he never
felt comfortable around guns, but now they were his only option of defense and
offense. Normally he would die rather than hold a firearm, but all that changed
the night Misty was killed by that Werewolf. From that night on he relinquished
all hatred of firearms and now even slept with them in the drawer at his
bedside. It felt good to kill a Werewolf. He took any open shot he could. Each
one he killed he would stand over its carcass and fire off the remainder of the
magazine.
As he
continued sidling the white stone building known only as the Gengar House, he
looked up toward the roof and recognized why it was called the Gengar house.
Hanging over the edge of the roof were many stone statues of Gengar, each one
with a different emotion on its face and different formation of its body. But
there was one that stood out. Maybe it stood out because it had texture to it,
actual emotion, and...hair. Black hair. Ash blinked and stepped away from the
side of the building to catch a better look. But after he blinked the gargoyle
was gone and there was an open spot where it was. He could have sworn it was
a...woman.
“Wha?”
**********
The third
level of the
The doors
to the four elevator shafts slid apart and five men from each hangar stepped
out and joined the others already searching the third floor exhibits for the
book.
Each man moved unearthly graceful with not one touching any wall or exhibit
case. They were perfectly quiet, and clean at what they did.
However,
they did not even look at the art or documents lying beneath the glass cases.
There were masterpieces of writing, paintings decorating the walls as well as
showing themselves off. It was as if the men knew where the artifact they were
looking for was.
“Gabrielle,
we found it!”
Gabrielle,
along with Nathaniel, was still on the street far below, basking in the falling
rain, staring up at the four story structure. Upon hearing the call of one of
his men whom he recognized as Sean, Gabrielle let out a mighty roar and then
leapt the full height of the three stories and set foot on the third floor
through the shattered windows.
Upon his
arrival the men parted to allow Gabrielle direct access to the artifact’s
holding area. He walked through the ranks and stopped at the sight of the thick
book with brown fur covers. It looked ancient, as if it were created during
Roman times. The only thing was...it was. But the problem, or in other terms,
nuisance, was that it was protected behind a glass wall. Without a doubt it was
bullet proof.
Nothing
would stop Gabrielle from retrieving the book.
“How do we
get it?” Nathaniel, who was now also on the third floor, inquired through
gritted teeth.
“Lycanine!”
Gabrielle arched his back and howled upward toward the partly destroyed ceiling
where he could see the sky and part of the fourth floor of the museum. After he
finished with his howl the clouds all shifted, spiraled, and circled around the
full moon. A shadow of a wolf-like creature moved across the moon and a white
beam shone from the full white face onto the protective glass protecting the
book. Then, it shattered and the book was retrievable.
From the
moment Ash heard the bellowing roar of the Werewolf he ran. His pistols were
drawn and loaded. The rain still poured down so it was hard for him to see, but
he still ran. This was his opportunity to avenge Misty, by killing at least one
of those beasts.
Ash had no
idea how long or how far he had run. He had no intention of stopping either
until he was stopped by a massive black tank.
Suddenly,
a powerful white light engulfed the museum and the rain around Ash subsided
from falling. He could see that the tank he had run into was nothing
more than a black SUV-Hummer H2. Surprisingly, Ash had enough common sense to
question where the rain had gone. He could still hear the thunder and see the
jolts of lightning. The sound of tapping rain on concrete ticked all around
him. Then he noticed that there still was rain, but it ceased to fall on the
museum. Wherever the light of the moon was there was no rain.
He looked
up at the sky to answer the question of how. It wasn’t anything he
wanted to see either, in fact he nearly fainted at the sight. Locked inside the
face of the full white moon was a shadow of a wolf-like beast’s head. It arched
its head up and howled, but Ash heard the howl as if it were actually coming
from a Werewolf.
**********
Mercedes
still stood out on Misty’s balcony, which of was added just one year prior to
the beginning of the war. She was leaning her elbows on the black railing,
basking in the darkness and the falling, cool rain. From a quick glance, maybe
even a careful study, you couldn’t tell she was crying. Though her eyes were
red that was the only sign. The rain concealed her tears that streamed down her
cheeks. That was why she remained outside.
Her dark
brown hair whipped behind her face’s milky complexion. The red marks left
behind by Tristan could be easily seen, even if you weren’t looking for any
marks.
Suddenly
as she stood basking in the falling rain, she heard the voice of a familiar
friend and looked up the remainder of the tower, which was twenty feet, and saw
her friend perched over a ledge beside a Haunter statue.
“Isn’t it
amazing at how fast a perfect night is turned into darkness?”
“Yes it
is.” Mercedes replied faking a smile. “Where did you go this time?”
“For a
walk.” Misty replied.
“A walk.”
Mercedes rebutted. “With you, Ms. Night Walker, there is no such thing as
walking. You leap.”
“What’s
the matter with flying?”
“Nothing.
But you don’t fly. You leap.”
“Well
whether I leapt or walked, I needed to get out. Something told
me...someone...was wondering the streets.”
“On a full
moon? Who would be so foolish?”
With that
response Misty looked down at Mercedes and sneered.
“Someone.”
Was all she could come back with.
“And did
you find that someone?”
“No.”
Silence
fell over the two women, both still basking in the falling rain. Mercedes
despised the feeling of rain streaking down her body but Misty welcomed it. It
reminded her of when she was still considered alive, when she lived or
even visited the gym after joining in on Ash’s journeys.
“Mercedes?”
“Yes.” The
woman replied softly.
“Tell me
about our history with the Lycans.”
“That
story is centuries old. You couldn’t even imagine how far back we go.”
“Please.”
Misty begged sweetly.
“Over the
course of history wars have been fought between men. Mortals were completely
oblivious to our existence as well as our battle for dominance. No one knows
where we came from, no one knows our origin.”
“Someone
has to. What about Tristan?”
“Most
definitely not. And why should he? There was a time when we vampires were
thought to be extinct. The Lycans hunted us to what they thought was our
extinction. Searching for two centuries and after finding no vampires alive
they gave up their search and proclaimed the world cleansed of the vampire
race. They thought they were the ultimate Immortals.”
“How did
we survive?”
“The
bloodline of the Vampyre community is shrouded in secrets that may take
centuries to discover.”
“I’m not
waiting centuries to figure out what I am.”
“And you
shouldn’t have to. But why ask this?”
“The
Lycans. I saw the Lycans blow apart the
“The book
of the Dark Shadows no longer exists. That’s impossible for the Lycans to have
found it.”
Misty
continued. “I also heard the alpha Lycan say the book was excavated four
centuries ago in the
“
“Perhaps
they found the book.”
“One: the
book doesn’t exist any longer. It was destroyed in 39 A.D. by the ancient
elders. And two: I am three centuries old, yet I have heard nothing of this
“Neither
have I, but I believe it exists.”
“Well it
surely doesn’t exist any longer. By now it would have caved in on itself and
buried all its history and secrets with it.”
“Again,
something tells me that that isn’t the case.”
“Well, why
wouldn’t the Lycans have taken the book earlier if it was discovered centuries
ago? The
“Trust
me.” Misty said calmly but confidently.
“You have
never steered me in the wrong direction before. Perhaps you’re right once
more.” With that she looked up at her friend and smiled.
Misty
looked down from the ledge and noticed the woman’s expression as well as her
new red marks.
“Mercedes,
what...”
“Don’t say
it. Just forget about it.”
“I will
not forget about it. What happened to you? You stayed here didn’t you?”
“How else
would it happen? If I went out the Lycans would have done worse, wouldn’t you
agree?”
“Tell me
what happened. I want to know.”
“What are
you going to do about it?” she turning away.
“...Something.”
Misty replied softly, fingering a strand of black hair away from her face and
behind her right ear. “Who?”
“I can’t.”
“Who...”
Misty gasped and leapt down from the ledge to the balcony that connected to her
private quarters. As she looked into Mercedes’ blue eyes the woman looked down
at the cobblestone floor of the balcony. Though she didn’t want the attention
Misty still reached out and gently touched the red marks. “My God...”
“Please
don’t.” Mercedes squeaked out. “Please. You need to go. You need to go now!”
“I’m not
leaving you behind.”
“And why
not? You leave the mansion behind, why not Mercedes?”
Misty
looked past Mercedes’ stiff figure and was shocked as she saw Tristan push
through the fluttering drapes that hung over her quarter’s windows. He indeed
was sincerely pissed off. His eyes were bright blue and his fangs were longer
than usual.
“I never
turned my back on you.” Misty replied fearing the worst for her answer.
“Where
were you just now?”
“I was-“
“You’re
not a Death Dealer!” he snapped stepping up and closing the gap between him and
her with only a nose length in between their eyes. “You have been an Immortal
for four years. Why do you believe you wield the power to go out and do as you
wish?”
“Someone-“
“And don’t
mention your pathetic friends.” He interrupted.
“They
aren’t pathetic!” Her shout hadn’t come out as strongly as she had hoped.
Instead of a stern reply she let out a choked up high pitched scream. She was
trying to fight back tears. Though the rain continued to make the appearance of
tears.
“They
were-“
“Are not!”
she protested. After a long pause Misty continued. “You don’t even care about
this war. I’m the only vampire fighting.”
“And there
is a reason behind that.” Tristan replied. “We have a plan to take out the
Lycans. A fool proof plan.”
“I doubt
it will work. Especially now.”
“What?”
“You
wouldn’t care anyways. It has nothing to do with the war.” Of course she lied.
“Like I
said, we have a fool proof plan that will eliminate those dogs when the time is
right.”
Misty
cocked her brow and crossed her arms across her chest. “Fool proof.”
“That’s
correct. There is no way the Lycans can survive.”
With that
the cloud infested sky began to swirl around and opened up so just the moon and
a few stars were showing. The moon however was not only white with dark spots,
but there was an image of a wolf-like being that seemed to move inside the
moon.
Misty
stared up as her long hair whipped against her face. As the light shone down
over her pale complexion it gave her a seductive and mysterious presence.
“I see we
have a different perspective on the word ‘fool proof’.” Misty said gazing at
the moon and fingering her pistol’s trigger guard.
“Impossible.”
Tristan gasped almost inaudibly to Misty.
“Sorry to
say Tristan, but your plan is worthless now.”
“Can’t be.
There is no other way.”
**********
Ash hadn’t
seen much before having to run for his life. His last sight was that of the
werewolves carrying a book out of the museum. Then, they had spotted him and
began a never ending pursuit. He thought he would die of exhaustion before they
even began gasping for breath. He ran. Ran forever.
He could
see samples of his life flash before his eyes. He saw Misty; at the same river
she fished him out of eight years ago. He saw Misty standing in the stands
cheering him on as he battled for the title of Pokemon Master. He saw her knelt
down over him after his encounter with the ghosts of the Pokemon Tower. And
then, he saw them.
Ash
stopped his fast paced escape in what seemed like a millimeter’s distance. The
sound of their claws tearing up the tar tore through his ears. Even if he
wanted to continue running it was near impossible. He had done the unthinkable.
He had cornered himself against the Pokemon Tower-the same tower that Misty
perished within.
Realizing
this, Ash dropped his hands to his sides and turned around bravely to face his
attackers. He removed his coat and slapped it to the ground. Within a moment’s
time it was gone, blown away by the heavy wind. With his coat gone his black
t-shirt and dark camo pants were visible, as were his guns, clips, and
Pokeballs that were behind his back.
“I’m not
going to run from you anymore.” Ash unlocked his pistols from his holsters.
“It’s you who should be hunted.” He gripped the pistols’ handles and squeezed
tightly. “You took my best friend from me!” Ash raised the pistols and aimed
that at the Werewolves.
**********
“Oh my
God.”
The moon
no longer held her sway over Mercedes who looked at Misty after hearing her
solemn whisper. “What is it?” she inquired almost as soft.
“Please
no.” again she whispered, but then brought up her voice as she ran. “Ash! Ash!”
Tristan
followed her with his eyes as she blitzed into the mansion. Her figure became
veiled by the walls of the mansion, which was when Tristan and Mercedes
followed her inside as well.
The
mansion had not been as easily navigable as Misty had thought. It was crowded
by the dozens of vampires who moved in the same direction-
Toward the
screams.
She could
hear him.
He was in
pain.
She may be
too late.
No! That
wasn’t going to happen.
There were
few ways to get by the massive crowd, but her easiest and fastest choice was to
merely shoot up the ceiling with her guns. The vampires dropped to the ground
or ducked after hearing the piercing shots that sliced through the wood
ceiling. After dropping down each vampire turned toward the shots and hissed
with their fangs exposed, assuming the worst...A Lycan attack upon the mansion.
Luckily
there were no Lycans. The only figure still standing was Misty with her pistols
out and aimed at the ceiling. And parted by a great distance were Tristan and
Mercedes, both trying to pry themselves through the crowd. Whereas Misty leapt
over the crouched down or lying down vampires with simple ease.
The
screams were getting closer. Without a doubt she could tell that Ash and the
Lycans were located in the east garden. She was close. In fact the picture
window was located at the end of the corridor just around the corner. She had
to be fast though.
And as she
came to the turn she knew she would make it.
“Ah!
Help!”
Ash had
just screamed bloody murder.
She
wouldn’t make it!
“Ash!”
Misty
realized her only choice and the odds of it saving Ash were high, or at least
it would keep him safe until she arrived.
One more
step remained before the corner. She pulled open the bottom half of her jacket,
with the clicking of releasing buttons, and thrust it behind her legs. She
holstered her right handed pistol as she leapt up against the wall. Feeling her
left foot placed against the wall she turned her body to face the picture
window and aimed her pistol at it. It wasn’t a difficult target, and with just
the ear pounding sound a single gun shot the window blew apart and the glass
shards rained down to the east garden. With her right leg Misty pushed off
against the wall behind her and she glided down the corridor ever closer to the
open exit. And as she glided she finally pulled a black and blue orb from
behind her waist. It enlarged in the palm of her hand to become the size of a
soft ball. She threw it underhanded and it flew out of the window and landed in
the pond two levels down.
At the
same time as the ball fell to the east garden, Ash was lying on his stomach
beside the pond. His hair was drenched with rain water as it continued pouring
down, but if it had not been raining he still would have been drenched. He had
been thrown into the pond numerous times by the werewolves. His clothes were
torn, as were his pants. However, to his luck, he had not been wounded.
Just as he
lifted his face from the wet grass he saw a dark ball the size of a Pokeball
drop into the pond by his side. It was swallowed instantly by the dark, cool
water. But it wasn’t long before a twenty one foot long dragon lifted its body
out of the pond. Most of the water sprayed up in the air and came back down
into the pond, but some splashed against the mansion and a pool of it came down
on Ash.
After
running his hands over his hair Ash looked up and looked face to face with a
Gyarados with glowing red eyes. It roared loudly at him but then pulled its
head back.
Gyarados
remembered the young man laying on the ground in front it. He was at one time
Misty’s best friend. After taking another look at the young man Gyarados
noticed his clothing was all torn-
A Lycan
leapt forward and landed with its legs on each side of Ash. It roared once and
then lunged down for a final bite to Ash’s neck. But Gyarados wouldn’t have it
that way. Before the Lycan could strike Gyarados grabbed the Lycan with its
mouth and threw it a great distance. But even before the Lycan came down
Gyarados arched its neck back and a white light formed in its mouth. With a
sudden lurch of its neck the light shot out in a beam and completely absorbed
the Lycan. All that was left was an arm, a leg, and its severed head that
rained down on Lavender Town.
Realizing
the Gyarados as an enemy, the Lycans set themselves up to strike in a pack.
They all jumped at the Gyarados at the same time, and four were swatted away by
Gyarados’ tail fin. All the other Lycans landed on Gyarados’ body. They
couldn’t hold on though because their claws couldn’t sink in to the hard
steel-like scales. However they had no complication falling to the ground as
they touched down with simple ease.
Now the
Lycans split into two packs. One of the packs attempted yet another strike at
Gyarados. With it distracted the other pack moved toward Ash, who was still
lying on the ground, only now he was on his back. The Lycans, making up a total
of ten, surrounded Ash. He looked to Gyarados for help but the Pokemon was too
occupied with the fifteen or more Lycans clawing at its eyes.
It looked
as if it were the end for Ash. He would soon be with Misty in Heaven.
Misty
stood in the opening of the mansion where the picture window had once been and
looked down the thirty feet to see Ash completely surrounded. If she didn’t
step in he would surely be killed.
“Misty, wait!”
At long last Tristan made his way through the crowd that was now following him
and Mercedes. “You can’t do this!” he protested coming closer. He outstretched
his hand and shook his head.
“They
already know we exist” she replied still looking down at Ash. Her eyes swelled
up in tears at the sight of his tattered clothes, his pale face via the intense
fear of death. The cool, misty breezes of the autumn night blew through her
dark locks that concealed her natural orange strands. One stray lock of orange
hair fell in front of her blue eyes. After seeing Ash and her natural hair she
finally felt human. But sadly, she would once again have to put her feeling of
mortality to the side and grasp her immortality. “He needs me.” She looked over
her shoulder at Tristan and the onlookers behind him. Her face was the usual
pale, but her lips were blue and pursed. The jacket she wore whipped in the
same breeze that blew her hair. It was outstretched and almost touching Tristan
and the others.
“Screw
him! He’s a weak Mortal!”
“But
stronger than you.”
“Impossible!”
“We’ll
see. We’ll see when Ash and I end this war. The vampires are too cowardly to
stand up.”
With that
Misty stepped off the ledge to a thirty foot freefall. The wind was cooler now
as she dropped at a continuing velocity. Both her hair and her jacket were
pulled away from her body by the air, but neither was lost. She continued to
fall. She could see Ash’s body getting closer but it seemed like she fell
forever. She was his last chance at life. Ash deserved to live and fight
another day. He would have done the same for her.