Right, so, I'm currently a GIANT fangirl for HINABN otherwise known as "Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name" by the fantasmagorical Tessa Stone. For those not in the know, I've been writing a fanfiction for the series mainly centered around Conrad Achenleck, the worst vampire in all creation, and an female OC named Leisa. It's sort of a romance, sort of horror, a little silly at times, but then that's HINABN for you.
Anyway, so I just recently completed an excerpt for the fanfiction, which is called "Hunger Pains", and it's WAY in the future of the story.
So, yeah, the following be spoilers. GIANT spoilers.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
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They were just entering the theatre when he got the call, his cellphone jiggling merrily at him from within the cavernous interior of his laptop bag. He was a bit surprised to find Leisa's number scrolling across the screen, she had said she was tired and would likely sleep like the dead when he had walked her home from the café where she worked, so why was she calling him now. A quick word to Hanna and Cornelius (the name of choice tonight it seemed), and he flipped open his cell.
"Leisa?"
"There's someone in my apartment!"
The genial camaraderie of the night out froze and died at her words, and he felt his perceptions tunnel upon hearing Leisa's frantic near-panicking whisper.
"What?"
"The lights are all dead and he's digging through the kitchen and he hurt Jenny, oh God, Jenny, she's bleeding everywhere and I think he has a gun and-!"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down, what happened?"
He heard something crash in the background, and Leisa inhaled sharply, falling silent for a few long moments before responding, her voice so quiet he had to strain to hear her.
"I got home and everything was dark and quiet, and you know my place, never quiet with all the critters around and Jenny's music, I heard some kind of rustling in the living room and I found Jenny, I have her here with me now, she's so pale, oh God there's blood everywhere, Connie. I tried to call the police, but I kept getting put on hold and I didn't know who else to call, oh God, I think she's dying, Conrad, Jenny's dying!"
Conrad felt the bottom drop out of his stomach at the soft sob in his friend's voice, and abruptly, all that mattered was getting to Leisa in time. He spoke quietly, trying to keep his voice calm even though he was two steps away from a panic attack himself.
"Leisa, Leisa, listen to me, it's going be okay, I'm coming, I'll be right there. Try calling the cops again, okay?"
"Okay."
There was a quiet sniffle, and he felt his heart twist in his chest at the sound.
"Please hurry."
"I will, I promise."
Dazed, he ended the call, and stood silent for some seconds, trying to wrap his head around the painful hope in his friend's voice. A warm hand came to rest on his arm, and he looked down to meet Hanna's concerned blue eyes.
"What was that?"
He blinked, his mind still filled with Leisa's terrified words.
"I have to go."
"What?! Why?!"
"She needs me."
With that, he was gone, bolting out the theatre's revolving doors, cellphone tucked into his pants pocket and his bag left lying in heap on the lobby's carpeted floor.
He knew Hanna would follow, curious and concerned and ever the boy wanting to help, and where Hanna went, his zombie sidekick was sure to trail along after him, so he really shouldn't have been surprised to hear two pairs of running feet slapping on the concrete after him. It startled him a moment, and then that soft sob of fear hopped to the forefront of his mind, and he simply ran faster, the only thought running through his mind Please let her be alright.
Leisa's apartment complex wasn't all too far from the theatre, but it was still a healthy distance, and he abruptly found himself very grateful for the fact that he didn't need to breathe when he heard Hanna gasping for air behind him. He didn't even bother trying to buzz the door, he simply turned his shoulder and bashed straight through the frail wooden portal without even breaking his stride, leaping up the narrow stairs three at a time. He only slowed upon reaching Leisa's floor, his pace shifting from a ground-eating gallop to the patient stalking of a wary predator. Leisa's apartment lay at the far end of the hall, the only one big enough for two people to share without becoming horribly cramped.
The whole floor was suspiciously quiet, and he saw one of the many strays Leisa cared for crouched outside the window that lay at the end of the hall, its gray-striped fur bristled up in a long strip down it's back. The animal locked eyes with him for a split-second, and abruptly there were dozens of strays crowding the window, each and every one some critter Leisa had cared for. A flash of understanding, and he eased open the ancient window as quietly as he could, allowing a veritable flood of warm furry bodies to spill out over the sill and around his legs. He followed them through the gaping doorway into Leisa's apartment, every supernaturally-enhanced sense on edge.
The door was wide open, hanging loose on its hinges with the broken lock trailing splinters across the tile flooring. With his nocturnal eyes, he grimaced seeing the utter disarray that had befallen the once-organized chaos of the little flat. Glass crunched under his foot, and he looked up to see the ceiling light shattered. Small furred bodies wound between his legs, dispersing into the utter destruction as he stalked deeper into the darkness. A sudden crash made him freeze in place, and his eyes darted in the direction of the sound. The kitchen. Leisa had said the stranger was in the kitchen. He felt his hands curl into fists, upper lip curling back in a silent snarl, and he strode purposefully towards the small kitchen area.
Only to stop mid-step as the scent of blood hit his nostrils.
The sharp metallic aroma was strong fresh, and he shuddered as memories from that night so long ago rose to the forefront of his mind. A small voice thanked the stars that he'd remembered to eat today, allowing him to keep control of himself. He turned from the kitchen, following the blood-scent across the short hall that doubled as the entryway and peered behind the hip-high bookcase that served as a divider between the entryway and the living room.
"Connie?"
She knelt huddled between an armchair and the wall, phone held to her ear and tear streaks shining in the half-light coming in through the open window at the opposite end of the room. Jenny lay limp across her lap, breathing shallowly, her torso torn open from shoulder to hip in a ragged line. Her pets, the four he'd first met, were huddled around her, protecting their mistress as she had protected them.
Conrad slid down into a crouch, careful not to move too fast as he approached, not wanting to scare her. He slipped a hand around hers, gently curling his fingers around her own trembling digits interwoven with those of her roommate.
"I'm here."
"Thank God."
The relief was audible in her voice, and she slumped against him, her soft curls brushing his cheek as her head came to rest on his shoulder. He tilted his head, nuzzling against her in a gesture of comfort as he whispered in her ear.
"It's going to be alright, I'll take care of it, okay?"
She made a soft sound of protest, but he gave her hand a comforting squeeze and slipped away before she could speak.
He barely noticed the presence of Hanna and Cornelius standing in the gaping doorway, nor the surge of hissing creatures weaving their way through the apartment in his wake, all that mattered was destroying the threat to his Leisa. The man was little more than a hulking shadow, garbed completely in matte black from head to toe, the only skin visible through the eyeholes cut into his facemask. He was rifling through the drawers, sifting through their contents for valuables. A serrated kitchen knife was tucked into the back of his waistband.
Rage tore through him, hot and raw, and he fairly flew across the small apartment, vengeance at the forefront of his mind. Oh, he was going to make this bastard pay.
With an inhuman roar, he leapt at the despicable creature that had dared to invade his lady's home, slamming the brute into the kitchen counter with all his supernatural strength before lifting him bodily and throwing him into the refrigerator. The man fumbled for his weapon, but the vampire was upon him before he could even think, pounding his fists into the masked face with as much force as he could muster. He felt something strike him, once, twice, but he only snarled, taking the man's head in both hands and smashing it into the dingy tile flooring hard enough to make it crack on impact. Then again. And again. And again.
Finally, Conrad hefted the man up by the front of his shirt, fangs bared as he glared pure hatred into the masked face.
"I'm going to kill you."
The burglar gave a pitiful whimper, to which Conrad only snarled, slamming the man into the tile once more before rising to his feet and dragging the weakly struggling form towards the balcony, a hissing mob of angry strays taking out its ire on the trespasser. It was only when he kicked open the glass doors, the weak lock snapping off and a few panes shattering, that he remembered Hanna and his zombie sidekick. And that was only because Cornelius spoke up, in that ever calm monotone, this time with a wary edge of caution and just slightly commanding.
"Put him down, Conrad."
The vampire blinked, and turned to look back over his shoulder, meeting those dimly glowing orange eyes.
"Excuse me?"
The zombie took a step forward, his hands up in a non-threatening gesture even as he slid carefully in front of Hanna, who had gone very quiet and still.
"Put him down, Conrad. He's not worth it."
Conrad snarled, his fingers curling tighter into the burglar's shirt.
"He hurt Jenny. She's dying."
"He'll be charged accordingly, Conrad. Trust me, you don't want his death on your conscience."
"He deserves it."
"That's for the court to decide. Conrad, put him down."
There was a sharp yowl from somewhere amidst the crowd scattered about Conrad's feet, and the next thing he knew, there was a knife jabbing at his internal organs. Conrad felt his eyes go wide as he gave a startled gasp of pain, and looked down, seeing the burglar's hand wrapped around the handle of the blade stabbed into his gut. There was a look of triumph in the man's eyes, victory. The vampire growled, a beastial sound made somewhere deep in his chest, and he released one hand to take the man's gloved hand, inhuman strength crushing delicate finger bones as he wrenched out the serrated blade.
"I'm already dead, you fucking sonovvabitch."
The burglar's eyes went wide, and a small whimper of fear came from behind the mask. The knife dropped from shattered digits, clattering on the tile floor quite suddenly clear of the small furry bodies that had been gathered there moments before.
Conrad didn't even bother with removing the mask, he just shoved it out of his way, baring lightly-tanned skin wrapped taut around the column of the man's throat. He could see the burglar's pulse, fluttering terrified through his jugular vein, and grinned, a twisted expression of malevolent glee that bared every tooth in his mouth, fangs glittering menacingly in the moonlight.
The bite was not to feed, oh no. He did not want this degenerates life to have any kind of purpose, not even as food. Sharp fangs tore into tender flesh, ripping open the carotid artery and jugular vein. Muscle shredded itself on his sharp teeth, taut ligaments sliced into ribbons. He tore out the man's throat, spilling blood all over the tile and down his front. The burglar gurgled, breath bubbling through the wound, and Conrad spat out the mouthful flesh with a snarl of disgust.
Deed done, he dropped the body, and the little furry things seemed to materialize out of thin air, so much more than simple animals revealed in the moonlight. When they dispersed, there was no trace of the corpse, not even the smallest droplet of blood except that which had stained his sweater.
Ignoring the two men he called friends staring after him with stunned expressions, he stalked out of the room, seeking out the woman he had come to protect.
She was right where he'd left her, huddled in the corner, only now she was curled around Jenny's much to still form, trembling as she wept. He said nothing, only slipped down beside her, twining his fingers in hers and wrapping an arm about her waist. Leisa collapsed against him, the muffled sobbing shifting into a full on wail of grief as she pressed her face into an unstained portion of his sweater. And that was how they stayed, him blood-stained and comforting, her tear-stained and in need of comfort, until Hanna and Cornelius came to their senses and came to get them.
Not a word was spoken as he met the zombie's glowing gaze, only a nod of acknowledgement from the dead man, Hanna lingering behind the much taller man like a frightened child, blue eyes wide and more than a little scared. Conrad carefully disentangled Leisa from her friend's corpse, gathering her up in his arms where she curled against him and cried, hands fisting in his sweater as he rose to his feet. Her pets were quick to gather around him, wanting to be near their mistress and the not-quite-human who had come to her aid.
"It's time we left."
Cornelius glanced towards Jenny's body.
"We'll come for her later."
A short nod, and they filed out of the room, Conrad leading the way.
The landlord was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, irate and more than ready to give them all a tongue lashing that died in the man's throat upon seeing the bloodstained man cradling one of his tenants in his arms. Conrad stopped a moment before the frazzled man, his face totally impassive as he spoke.
"Call the police. A burglar killed Jennifer Martinez. I'm taking Leisa with me."
The landlord nodded, stunned, and Conrad strode past, stepping carefully over the splintered remains of the front door.
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Aaaaaand, that's it so far. It's obviously very rough, and needs serious work to fit in with the story so far, but it is far into the future in the tale, so I'm not worrying about it so much right now.
Hope you all enjoyed!
