Life, or unlife I guess, was.... well it was getting better, and really that was all I could ask for at the moment. It had been three days since our little talk. Brewer had helped calm me down on that day, actually giving me a hug. A gestured that had made me feel completely at ease and comfortable. Almost sleepy. Apparently a know effect of being in close contact with the living. 

While I had felt like the walls were closing in and that doom was just around the corner a few more times, and experienced several more of those horrific nightmares over the last few days, I had mostly leveled back out with the impressive speed I had come to expect of myself and my strange little mind.

That Merii and I had been out every night, driving and on foot, had done a lot for my mental health. The freedom to run and jump, to stalk potential prey, it was a healing balm to the bruised mind. I had started to feel like a caged animal in the apartment, even in the safety of my beloved nest. There were only so many times I could pace the floor before I drove both myself, and my sire, mad.

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the objective of our “patrols” as Merii called them. Brewer had explained the concept to me while I was recovering. It had helped to see a plan laid out and have it explained, but really it was just being out and about, following routes Merii had established a long time ago. Making a point of surveying likely crime hot spots from the shadows, while blending into the crowd the rest of the time.
Simple as it may have been, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it all. Even as my sleep schedule was butchered and I now spent the “best part” of the day sleeping like the dead, I was at least able to relax. Listening to music and talking with Merii about mundane things that were on the radio or came up in conversation was a nice break from life, and from the need to really use my brain for anything other than embracing my instincts and just existing.

It was really the only time since my awakening that we had just talked. With nothing pressing going on and no agenda in the background to keep me feeling out of the loop.

The first night of patrols had been different, obviously, with Merii pointing thing’s out as we cruised the night. I kind of felt like a rookie guard from one of those shows. Getting shown all the dark little corners and high crime spots that potential no goods, and prey, favoured after dark. Getting explanations of how the guy walking with his hand a little too close to his waist was likely to have a gun, and how it was actually the ones who didn’t feel the need to keep it close at hand that were the most likely to know how to use it.

And while I may have been a free and chaotic spirit at heart, it was good to have a little stability back in my life. It would have been more so if Merii would let me eat someone. I was figuratively, and maybe literally, dying for a feed of fresh blood, but she was being overly cautious.

She had, begrudgingly and with a promise I wouldn't kill, let me rob a guy at least. It was a good excuse for a little cathartic violence, nothing too bad, only a few busted ribs, a shattered wrist, and a headache that would make him wish I had put him in a coma, from when I slammed his head against a dumpster a few too many times. It was good fun, and I got a massive bag of some quality weed out of it! 

In hindsight I probably should have used my gun to threaten him. Letting him see my face would have been a good excuse for killing him, despite my promise, but I didn’t actually bother with carrying it when we went out. Mainly because Merii said I was more likely to blow off my fingers than to hit anything if I used it. A likely accurate statement.
Another thing that stopped me was that she also mentioned she would give me something better if I really needed a gun. I was very tempted to ask for it now, but Merii had then  said I would be taught to shoot sooner rather than later. 

So I was waiting to see how that went. Since, if it was anything like my swordplay, I was probably better off not carrying a firearm in the future either. For my own safety more than anyone else's.

Of course through all this there were a few comments on my “violent tendencies” as we did our thing. While Merii was completely unsurprised, and possibly amused, and Brewer seemed to think it was to be expected of “my kind”, they both still commented that I needed to learn when to use it appropriately. Stating that “violence should be wielded like a scalpel rather than a hammer”, and that I needed to learn subtlety. Apparently their thinking was that brute force and a liberal application of violence wouldn't fix most problems I encountered.
An absolutely ludicrous statement in my mind.

But, to the end of not just killing everyone I disliked, Merii had been having me stalk the citizens of Sovereigns Rest by day and by night. She would pick a target at random and assign me a task, either following them, predicting their movements and getting ahead of them, staying a curtain distance and following, or placing a clothes peg on their person without them noticing. 

I was almost certain she only invented that last one so she could ask me if I enjoyed “pegging” people. But it was a fun game, regardless of her childlike sense of humour.
And even though I didn't get to move in for the kill, stalking, using my senses, and letting instincts kick in and lead the way gave me a fantastic rush, even if I wasn’t particularly good at it. Not compared to Merii at least.

All this led up to tonight. One week since the last killing, and when we expected him to strike again. Merii’s  theory being that this killer would be both regular and predictable.

Slowly she pulled the car into a relatively well populated area. There were enough streetlights and clearly occupied houses around that someone trying to steal the thing was unlikely, and we wouldn't really stand out walking into the dark.

Well, I say that but….

“Do you really need to wear that every time we go out?”
I asked, getting out and slamming the door.

“I did explain this.”
Merii answered, closing her door, and making a show locking it. It wasn't that she stood out at first glance, it was a little odd for someone to be wearing a long coat in summer sure, but the loose gray top she wore under that was at least somewhat normal. But it was the skintight bodysuit underneath it all that was the problem, to me at least. 

The claim was that it was easier to move in and made getting caught on something or grabbed harder. Personally, I think she was just showing off. At least she went for practical footwear, a pair of black boots with a good grippy in the sole. Although they were needlessly high, reaching half way up her calf and possessing an inch of heal that they really didn't need.

Unlike me she carried weapons, a set of throwing knives on her thigh and a dagger under her coat. Her preference for blades made fairly obvious when she hadn't even considered bringing a gun with her.
“You’ll regret not listening to my advice~”

“Please, I look awesome.”
And I did, a form fitting black crop top with long sleeves, tight black jeans that that showed off every bit of improvement my blood had given me, and my now signature, bullet scared leather jacket. I was tempted to wear the black, steel toed boots I had gotten myself, but while they were great for kicking, they failed at stealth and flexibility. So a pair of thin, blue, ankle high sneakers did the trick for tonight, flexible, grippy, and adding a much needed splash of colour to my otherwise two tone look. 

 She raised an brow at me.
“The sunglasses are overkill”

Ok yeah. I could admit that the pair of red tinted aviators hanging from my jacket pocket were maybe a little too much, but she was the one who kept making me do things during the day. When that horrible ball of light was hanging over me. The glasses had almost become a safety blanket against the sun over the last couple of days, they didn't totally stop the paranoia, but they helped.  If I was being honest with myself, my bullet scared jacked was filling the same roll when I was outside the safety of the apartment. 

Not that self-introspection on my paranoia and growing scene doom of was allowed to dampen my mood after it had so recently picked up.
I was rocking the outfit and nothing would change that. Who knew black and the paleness of death worked so well together?

“Fair” I let my eyes flash red for the briefest of moments as I looked at her with a smirk, “but they complete the look.~”

Merii rolled her eyes but smiled as we started walking.
“Well it's all better than those stupid layers of dresses and obnoxious petticoats we used to wear. I’ll have to make you train in all of that someday so you can know my pain.”

I nodded at the skin tight lower half of her outfit, obscured as it was beneath her coat.
“Are you just wearing that to make up for lost time?”

She huffed, but a grin formed on her face. “If I am, then I earned my time! You have no idea how long I waited to be able to wear trousers without causing a scandal. I’ll be damned if I’m not going to flaunt what I’ve got now.”

This was the pattern we normally fell into, talking in the car, a little shit talk when we stopped, and then onto business. This was our first stop of the night, and we would circle the area on foot, poke our noses in a few places, and then move on to the next spot.

In truth we weren't sure where to expect the next killing. Even with the prediction of time we didn't have anything close to a pattern yet, and were just assuming it would be in a similar location to the last.
But if our killer was smart, as Merii had pointed out on night one, he would start killing people who lived alone in their own homes. The chances of the crime being discovered in anything close to a reasonable time dropping quickly if he did that. Luckily it seemed he really wanted people to see the results, Brewer also theorized that being outside might help with the whole “beacon” thing.

Personally, though I hadn't said it, I had a feeling he wanted people to see. That the fear and discomfort felt by witnesses was just as much a part of it as the blood and the killing. But I didn't really want to dwell where that feeling came from, or the part of my mind that savored how delicious that fear might be if only it were mine for the taking….
So I distracted myself with some idle conversation as we walked the abandoned side streets and alleyways. Not the most effective thing to do, but it worked.
“Any word from Hunter? Or is he still “working on it””

“Still working, it turns out well funded government agencies are harder to bribe than the Guard.”

“Fair. I never asked, do him and Smithy know about…. You know.”
I tapped a fang.

Merii shook her head as we trudged along the empty streets.
“Nope, but I’m sure they both suspect something is off. Not that I'm giving them hints, I've played the undead card very close to the chest since Edgewood. The only mortals that know are either hunted creatures themselves, or dead, or both. Mostly both.”

I was about to ask what happened at Edgewood, when I was rudely interrupted by a man pointing a gun at me.

“Phones and wallets! I just want your phones and wallets.”
His voice was a little shaky, and I could see a faint tremble in his hand. The guy couldn’t have been any older than me, greasy hair and at least a few days of stubble on his face. Apparently this was his first robbery, or he was very new to it. Given the only slightly dirty clothes, the expensive looking shoes and lack of confidence, I would guess it was the first time. Probably trying to prove a point to himself, his friends, or just make some easy cash.

Merii and I just shared a look. I was honestly surprised by the situation, but she seemed…. bored? In all the time we had spent out and about on the wrong side of town, not once had someone tried to rob us. Mainly because we looked like Hunters, or some kind of government agent, as Merii had pointed out, and any criminal with half a brain wasn’t going to rob a pair of women who were confident enough to look like us and walk around here at night.

“Seriously! Hand over your stuff!”
The man, who apparently did only have half a brain, took a very ill-advised step forward.

I was still working out if I should just beat him to a bloody pulp, or drag him off somewhere, then beat him to bloody pulp, when Merii lashed out with speed that even I struggled to follow. Holding the wrist of his gun hand tightly and dragging him forwards, she stepped forwards along the outside of his now over extended body, the elbow of her free arm traveling down her opponent's bicep and connected with his jaw with a sickening crunch… an awful sound that I actually found quite amusing. Especially when I had been on the receiving end of that same move only two days ago during training.

Our would-be robber’s body went limp as he collapsed to the ground. Merii keeping a tight hold of his wrist, leaving him to dangle as she deftly pried the weapon out of his hand, before letting him crumple completely.

“Idiot….”
She mumbled, sounding almost scornful as she gave the gun a look over before handing it off to me.
“For your little collection~.”

“It wasn’t even my hunt.”
I pouted. I did feel a little wrong, taking the spoils when I did nothing. But I was hardly going to actually pass up being handed a new toy to play with. The gun seemed to be the same, if in much better condition, as the one I already had, so spare ammunition and parts wouldn’t hurt either. I might even be able to do the two guns thing from the movies!

Merii rolled her shoulders as she lifted the man’s unconscious body like she were supporting a drunk friend.
“There’s a sewer entrance on the next block. Should be easy to get at.”

I was rather excited at that, hopefully, Merii was going to let me feed. Seeing as the prey had basically fallen into our laps and pointed a gun as us I wasn't about to feel bad about it. Add to that, that I don’t think either of us were worried about being noticed or discovered here, and of course that Merii had a plan in mind before she acted. I had thought her more impulsive, but I was slowly learning that she did actually plan her next steps, she was just much faster than me at doing it and good at covering it with jokes and a smile.

One thing I had noted about Merii’s patrol areas was they all followed the layout of the old outer city, giving plenty of access to the original sewer systems. Brewer had specified that this was by design, but having seen just how many unsecured entrances there were made me wonder if the guards just liked keeping the murder rate down and disappearances up.

We made it roughly halfway up the block, Merii looking perfectly casual with her load, and myself trying to figure out how to hide a gun in your waistband when your jeans were skin tight and your top ended above your navel, when I felt a subtle buzzing in the corner of my mind. Immediately my head snapped in a seemingly random direction, a faint compulsion to go towards it nagging at me.

Merii made it several steps before pausing and looking back at me.
“Feel something?”

“Um- yeah….” I thought about it for a moment, letting that buzz of excitement pull me. Debating if maybe I should ignore it till after I had fed…. But ultimately the lingering panic and thoughts of what might be if we didn’t intervene won out. “…kinda like last time.”

Merii nodded and reached into the unconscious man’s pocket and taking his wallet, before tossing him into the wall of a building with a little too much force to be good for him. Not that I felt sorry for the idiot, a nice concussion would do wonders for our anonymity, so I wasn’t exactly going to feel bad for him after the attempted robbery.

She rolled her shoulders and started walking back the way we came.
“Alright back to the car. You know the drill?”

“You drive, I point, easy enough.”
It was a pre-laid plan, and a simple one at that. While we knew I could somewhat feel the location, I couldn’t actually tell where it was on a map. So much like a tracking hound I would point in the most likely direction and Merii would do her best to head there. That the old city was laid out like a child’s scribbles was a little annoying for actually navigating, but hopefully he would be in one of the old industrial districts like last time, where the designers hadn’t been drunk, or afraid to knock a few things down, when they laid the roads.

The dash back to the car was a short one, both of us sticking close to the shadows, going just that little bit faster than a human could accomplish as we ran. Luckily the area around the car was deserted by now. Not even the odd worker getting home late. It meant that once we were in, Merii could put her foot down and get us moving. Without giving me time to put on my seatbelt I should add.

Luckily my head bouncing off the window didn’t affect my sense of direction and we were soon, I assumed, close to where the circle had been drawn. It seemed he had chosen a similar location this time, the loading docks on the east bank of the Haven. A normally busy spot, but with plenty of old warehouses and dark streets to hide in if one were wanting to go unnoticed.

“I think we’re close.”
I told Merii as we passed several large trucks that had been parked up for the night, the tingling in my head having sprung to a new intensity that I assumed meant we were closing in.

“Got it.”
Her voice smooth and level as she replied. Eyes full of confidence as we drove on down the darkened street. Soon passing into the shadow of one of the larger trucks. Cutting the engine and lights, she let us coast quietly into the cover of the night.