Bathory Blood

Lucius Confronts Erzsebet

Lucius had no idea where he got the energy from, but once he saw Anna sneaking off somewhere, he had an inkling she'd be going to visit her friend. He had a tiny amount of blood left that didn't even amount to a third of a millimeter. It would be enough, though, he assured himself. Even for somebody with a high tolerance like his, it would do so long as he didn't overexert himself.

Of course, much of Lucius' energy was spent following that damn cab for eight miles at an average of twenty-five miles an hour. There was also a stint on the expressway where he had to travel at eighty miles per hour, but luckily it was only for a mile, and he managed it in twenty or so jumps. The good thing about the expressway was that it was a straight line so that he could catch up. Usually, the top speed for a human high on vampire blood would be around sixty miles per hour, which isn't achieved by running, but, rather, leaping sometimes further than one hundred meters at a time. However, a vampire could run at perhaps forty if putting in the effort.

Things got easier for Lucius once the cab turned off the expressway and moved far more slowly through the rundown streets of Bryanville. Not only was it easier to keep up, but Lucius could also take shortcuts over the top of buildings, which is where he preferred to do most of the tracking. He preferred privacy, and it also ensured that he wasn't noticed. Somebody moving as fast as he did and climbing over buildings was sure to draw the wrong kind of attention. Not to mention, Minerva would be pissed if she found out he'd been getting noticed.

It was all a big secret, and Lucius had no idea how it was being kept. He assumed that everyone powerful enough to do anything about it was already involved. And, he was partly right on that. Minerva mainly kept control through blackmail. Once an influential person had partaken in the vampire blood and then, with their consciences no longer in the equation, they acted out their deepest, darkest fantasies, Minerva had them. It was all recorded using the latest in 4K technology that was so good it was possible to glean a person's fingerprint. Even descendants from the Helstig and Helsing families were involved. None of them with the slightest idea that they were once enemies of this particular evil.

From his position atop the public library, Lucius found it strange when Anna left the cab and began to walk. Why wouldn't she take the taxi to her precise destination? He followed her, leaping from building to building until she stopped outside Glen's apartment block. He watched from the building opposite as Anna paced up and down, summoning the courage to ring up to Glen's flat.

Eventually, another resident entered Glen's apartment block, and upon seeing Anna looking flustered, he held the door open for her. She disappeared inside, and Lucius scanned the windows, looking for a sign that somebody was about to let someone in. He didn't even know if he was looking at the right side of the apartment. There could have been more around the back. As he contemplated leaping directly onto Glen's building, he noticed what he at first took for a shadow, crawling up the wall. After a while, he realized that it was a female, wearing a figure-hugging dress, stockings, and a long, black cape. It was her, Erzsebet. He shrank back away from the lip of the building lest she saw him, and he pulled out his cell phone, ready to call Minerva.

After punching in the quick-dial number, Lucius quickly hung up before it rang the other end. Minerva would only tell him to hold off. He didn't like how Erzsebet had suckered him last time and was positive that she got lucky. He hadn't expected her to be so strong, but now that he had the measure of her, he was sure he could take her, especially now that he had the element of surprise. He leaped from the building and climbed up the side of Glen's apartment block until he could see through the window.

“She's with me,” shouted Glen, “A friend,” Erzsebet paused and looked back at Glen.

“And?” Erzsebet asked in a way that suggested she couldn't care less.

“I'd rather you left her alone.” Glen held her nerve, in the least, hoping that Erzsebet would respect her for standing up for herself. It worked; Erzsebet softened and turned away from Anna.

“I'm satisfied anyway.”

“You look good,” Glen confided as Anna moved around to the bed to stand next to her.

“Thank you,” Erzsebet said. “Now, I need rest. Do you mind?” Erzsebet pointed toward the bed.

“Sure,” Glen said, standing to one side. Anna shuffled away with her, and they looked on as Erzsebet relaxed on the bed. “Shall we go out?” Glen looked at Anna expectantly, but it wasn't necessary; Anna couldn't wait to get out of there, and she nodded emphatically. “I'll just grab my coat. Erzsebet, I'll see you in an hour or so.” Erzsebet waved by way of a response.

Lucius waited until Glen and Anna had left, then crept in through the open window. Erzsebet had her eyes closed and seemed to be asleep. Lucius tiptoed closer with the intent of punching her in the throat, which he hoped would incapacitate her long enough so that he could finish her off. No matter what his mother said, a creature like Erzsebet was better off dead. He wasn't stupid; he knew what his mother was up to with Dr. Franks, so what was the point of Erzsebet.

“You are aware, young man, that vampires do not sleep.” Erzsebet opened her eyes, “We merely rest.” Erzsebet floated up from the bed into a standing position on the mattress, her toes pointed like a ballerina, barely touching the surface.

 Despite the surprise not working out how he had expected, Lucius went on the attack. He's been trained in martial arts and threw a three-punch, two-kick combination that Erzsebet dodged with ease. She was well aware of the fighting arts and was herself well trained. She had faced down her own kind, so she had no problem with a faux vampire: a fraud, a human wannabe.