Box o' Tales #2

Torri could hear voices behind her, but she did not turn. She was tall and her skin pale, reflecting the moonlight, but if they saw her from behind their sight was better than she thought. Her sleek hair fell down to her waist and was as crow-dark as the night. It veiled her neck and hid her hands and shoulders, which would have otherwise announced her presence. Her skirt, although short in the front, draped to the ground in the back specifically to help her do what she did now: press herself face forward into a corner in hopes that she wouldn't be seen. In the darkness of this alley, Torri should have been invisible...And yet, she heard footsteps come her way.

"There"

"Clever."

The second voice was deep and slightly hoarse. Torri should have recognized it, but she was not given the time. A hand clasped her shoulder, flipped her around, then closed around her neck. She clawed at the arm, smelled blood, was not released.

"Who are you?" she rasped. "What-"

She screamed as something cut its way through her left lung and into the wall behind her. She clawed at the arm again, this time deeper and more desperately, still to no avail. But then an idea struck. Torri punched the elbow hard enough to hear bone crack, then peeled the man's fingers off her nexk and bolted at full speed. Something shot into her side as she ran and flashed a bright light once, but she kept going. The wound would heal later. For now she only had to get away.

Torri didn't hear them follow her. Still, they might have been close behind. She chose a harder path: the rooftops. Following buildings rather than roads took her to her hotel in a matter of minutes. She slipped into a friend's room rather than her own - she didn't want to be alone after an attack like that - and was instantly met with surprised greeting.

"Torri! What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," she said, but coughed up blood. "Could you," cough, "get me a phone?"

Her friend left. Torri pulled the metal spike from her lung, coughed a few more times, and stopped. She then pulled the strange sickle-shaped device out of her side so the wound could heal. By the time her friend came back with a cell phone, Torri's injuries had healed completely.

"Thanks Kirri."

"Welcome."

Torri began to dial, but stopped when she saw a fight scene on TV.

"What are you watching?"

"Blade. Why?"

"No reason," she responded, and continued dialing.

The phone rang. No answer. Rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alexandre."

"Torri? I thought you were out hunting."

"Was. Someone attacked me."

"What? who?"

"I don't know. He was strong. Vampire strong, but definitely not one of us."

"Odd. I'll put the word out."

"Thanks."

On the other line, Alexandre fidgeted with two ivory strands of hair. He heard Torri hang up and tried to contact Elisabeth and Edmond, the other two who were still outside. Neither answered. It wasn't surprising. They had probably left their phones in their room at the hotel. Alexandre sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. As he was about to leave, a pale figure came into view in front of him.