The Dhampir

    "What do you do when life gives you lemons?"

    What a preposterous thing to say. Lemons indeed. How can anything possibly be compared to what life "gives you"?'

    A shadowy figure crouched on the rooftop of a high building, muttering to herself as the low, painful cries of the person she knelt over rose up to meet her. Her knee pressed sharply into his back and her gloved hand gripped his arm, twisting it the wrong way. He was already pretty beaten up, bite marks covered his neck and shoulder and crisp, dry blood decorated his collar and, as he lifted his head, a pair of gleaming, white fangs shone out to reveal him as a vampire. She frowned at those teeth, as though they mocked her from the mouth they sat in. As she sneered down at the vampire in her grasp her own, blood stained fangs met the vampire, daring him to give them a reason to strike again.

    "What would you do? If life gave you lemons?!"

    She hissed these words down at the vampire, each syllable dripping with hatred and venom. The vampire just groaned, blood drained from him he knew death would meet him easily if he resisted. But his curiosity took over as he found himself asking, "What…are you?"
    The girl's dazzling eyes connected with his sharply, glaring down at him as she answered with a single word.

    "Hungry."

    With that she snapped his arm, catching him before he had a chance to call out again and drew the last of his blood from him. Taking the wooden stake she carried, she drove it deep into the vampire's chest, turning it until the light in his eyes died and his face withered and turned as grey as ash.
She stood up, licking the blood from her face and chuckling down at the now decaying remains of the dead vampire. Reaching down she pulled the stake from the pile of ash that was once his heart, she muttered once again.

    "What do you do, vampire, when life gives you lemons?

    Just then she felt another. A second vampire fast approaching. This night was turning out to be quite productive indeed. She peered over the edge of the roof and, sure enough, her eyes met with the movement of a young man walking in the street below. He was in a hurry she could tell, the sun was due to make it's entrance into the day soon and this only brought a smile to the girls face. Quickly, she grabbed what was left of the dead vampire and tossed him off the roof.
~~~~

    Dontas walked with haste through the narrow street, blood fresh on his lips, he knew he only had an hour or so to get back before the sun was completely above the buildings. He was just about to turn a corner when a noise stopped him. He froze, his eyes drawn upwards and met the sight of something falling…he stepped back as the object his the ground and a cloud of ash engulfed him and most of the street around him. He raised his hand to his eyes, shielding them from the dust until it settled and cleared, revealing the last remains of the dead vampire. Dontas took another step back, shocked at the sight. He shot his gaze back up towards the building he stood next to, desperately trying to figure out why he couldn't sense whoever was up there…and then it hit him. A sensation he couldn't mistake. A vampire.
    His hands shot to his belt for his guns, readying himself as the sensation moved. He followed the vampire as she suddenly stood in the street with him, he could feel her but he couldn't see her. He steadied his breathing, guns ready, mind ready, just as the almost melodic tone of her voice echoed out like a child's taunt.

    "Hello vampire."

    Dontas turned his head towards the alley just off to his right. A girl slowly emerged from the darkness, her eyes as bright as Dontas' but more a green/blue, her hair wild and black with a bolt of red flashing up either side of her head. Her clothes were dark and gothic and her smile wicked and sharp and her hand, brandishing the stake that was still stained with the blood of the first vampire. Dontas looked at it, almost seeing it smiling at him in the same manner as the girl holding it. He knew they were both coming for him.
    He narrowed his eyes and stood his ground, he saw the girl looking at his guns but they didn't seem to phase her. Instead she started towards him, moving with graceful yet precise movements, each step emphasised by the clap of her heals…
    "What do you want with me?" Dontas asked suddenly, the velvet sound of his low tone stopped the girl in her tracks. She looked into his pale, pale eyes and smirked.
    "I want you to die." She answered so sweetly that Dontas frowned. He felt part of a child's game. Again she moved, coming to stand face to face with him, her hand reached out and met with his chest. Dontas watched her intently as she drug her fingers over his heart, feeling the tiny pulse of the vampire she gasped and uttered, "Ah, a 'born' vampire."
   Dontas said nothing. His eyes followed her every movement, his fingers hugging the triggers of his hand guns and his sixth sense honed in completely on the stake, waiting for it to strike first. The girl pressed into him, reaching her lips up towards his ear she whispered, "Monster."
    That word alone was enough to force Dontas to move, the girl gasped as he vanished from in front of her and, before she could draw another breath, she felt the cold press of Dontas' gun against the back of her neck. She chuckled slightly, feeling Dontas' frustration as he pressed the barrel of his gun harder and cocked the hammer.
    "I'll ask you once more…" He said in a steady tone, "…What do you want with me?"
    She only laughed again as she replied, "I told you, vampire." She turned her head and looked back at him, her smile still curling her lips as her grip on her stake tightened. "I want you to die."
    With that she moved, swinging the stake round and towards Dontas' chest. He jerked back and swung his own hand, his gun connecting with the girl and blocking the stake from reaching it's target. The girl didn't stop though, she swung again and again, pushing Dontas back with a strength he hadn't felt in a vampire for a long time. In fact she had a strength in her that was unusual for a vampire and, as her last strike connected with him and knocked him nearly clean off his feet, a flicker of worry crossed Dontas' face.
    He didn't let her see it though, he found his balance again and moved, not wanting to have this fight on the streets where people could see. The other vampire's eyes watched him, following him up the side of the building until they both stood on the rooftop…the sun's rays peeking up from the horizon…Dontas knew he wouldn't have long. He raised his guns again but no sooner had he taken aim than he felt the warm breath of her behind him, could feel the air shift around him as her body moved and her hand came down towards him. Her agility matched her strength. Dontas tried to keep his mind focused as he shifted from where he stood, turning in time to feel the tip of the stake graze down his cheek. It burned like fire. He hissed and pulled himself back, growling at her as the cut slowly started to heal and vanish.
    That was the final straw. He took aim again, noticing her smirk and watching as she once again vanished from sight but, this time, he instantly thrust his elbow back, connecting with her stomach as she appeared behind him and sending her flying back across the roof and into the pool of sunlight that had crept it's way up the side of the building. Dontas straightened himself up and put his guns away, waking steadily over to the girl, waiting for the sun to claim her but she didn't catch fire, her skin didn't turn to ash. He watched her with wide eyes as she slowly stood back up, raising her hand briefly to shield her eyes from the sun before turning back to look at Dontas, grinning.
    The flash of worry was back on Dontas' face and this time he couldn't hide it. "A dhampir?" He asked in disbelief, watching as the girl answered only by widening her grin. She saw the worry in his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun behind her she waited for him to go for his guns again then she moved. Not to attack, she simply stepped to the side, allowing the sun to do all the hard work for her. Dontas hissed as her shadow, that was protecting him from the sunlight, moved and he heard the sizzling sound of his flesh burning slowly. He raised his hand to his face and stepped back into the now diminishing shade, reaching for his guns but feeling instead the thump of her colliding with him. He reacted instantly, blocking her attack and knocking her back, feeling his strength withering in the sunlight. She came at him again and again, he lifted his guns and defended himself.
    He watched as her hand came down towards him again, following the movement of the stake and swinging his left hand to block it, waiting as the motion of his gun came level with her left shoulder, then fired. He carried his swing through, connecting with the stake and, continuing the motion, brought his right hand down to follow his left, tracing her collar bone until it came in line with her other shoulder, then he fired his second gun. She cried out as bullets tore through her but before she could retaliate, Dontas had followed his body's momentum and turned, bringing his leg up into a kick that connected sharply with the side of the dhampir's head.
    She was tossed across the roof, bouncing off the cold concrete and coming to a stop just before the edge. She gasped however, at the sight of her stake bouncing off the edge of the roof and dropping down into the alley below. Dontas also saw this. He spun his guns back onto his belt and ran full pelt towards the end of the roof, leaping down after the stake. The girl hissed and leapt after him, catching him in mid air and wrestling with him, knowing that if he got the stake first it would be all over. The two fought all the way, kicking and punching until their feet reached the ground, the pair landing gracefully and immediately their eyes searched for the stake. The girl wasn't taking any chances, she ran at Dontas just as he drew his gun and aimed it at her forehead. She stopped instantly, hissing at him. Just then both their eyes fell on the dim sight of the stake lying in the shadow of a giant bin. The dhampir tore after it, clawing her way through the alley, reaching out for her weapon just as a loud 'BANG' filled the alley and the stake blew up, shattered and destroyed.
    A small trail of smoke rose up from the barrel of Dontas' gun, the bullet he had just fired had rendered the girl unarmed but not yet vulnerable. He watched her carefully as she stared at the broken stake, the low rumble of her growl grew into a roar as she picked up a splintered end and ran back at Dontas. Her anger blinded her, all Dontas had to do was raise a hand and twist her arm, she went tumbling to the ground and the splintered piece of stake fell from her hand. She hit the ground hard but she made no effort to get back up as Dontas waked steadily over to the stake end and kicked it under the bin and out of his sight.
    He looked back to her, her eyes coming up to meet his, waiting for him to deal her the death she had failed to deal him. This was it. It was over.