Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Five

"So what brings you here to visit me after all this time?" asked Esperanza as she adjusted the collar on her orange jump suit. "You finally remembered where the prison was located?"

Alondra looked at the bulletproof glass that separated her from Esperanza as she fumbled with the phone and resisted the temptation to look away from the dark-haired woman on the other side of the glass.

There but for the grace of God, Alondra thought.

Then she silenced that thought.

And Alondra whispered, "I'm dying, Esperanza."

"You're what?" asked Esperanza.

"I'm dying," said Alondra.

"Are you sure this isn't a joke?" asked Esperanza. "Because if it is --"

"It's not," said Alondra. "I swear on my mother's grave. I went to the doctor and apparently I have this illness they can't cure. And even Huntress strength can't heal it."

"So you're dying," said Esperanza. "And naturally the first thing you did when you found out was think of little old me. I suppose I should be flattered, but I'm not."

"Please," said Alondra. "I didn't come here to fight."

"Then why did you come here?" asked Esperanza.

"Remember the vow the two of us once made when we were still working together?" asked Alondra.

"How could I forget?" asked Esperanza. "You made me promise that if the vampires ever got you and tried to turn you, I would make sure they didn't succeed, even if I had to kill you myself. And in return you promised to keep the vampires from turning me in the same fashion. I remember that vow just as if it were yesterday."

"Well, you can forget it now," said Alondra.

"Why would I forget it?" asked Esperanza. "Because I'm in prison? Bitch, please. I can probably break out any time I please. And if it meant saving a life from the vampires, I'd be sure to break out. Even if it were you."

"Well, you can forget about saving me," said Alondra. "I'm already dying."

"So you've said," said Esperanza. "But what does that have to do with vampires?"

Alondra replied, "Well, I've been talking with Persephone --"

"You've been talking with who?!" exclaimed Esperanza.

"Persephone," said Alondra. "She's a vampire and --"

"I know who she is," said Esperanza. "What I don't get is why you're talking to her. Are you trying to get her to stake herself or take a long walk in the hot sun? Because those are the only two reasons I can think of for talking to her."

"Well, actually I plan to get her to cure m --" Alondra started to say but Esperanza just laughed.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Esperanza exclaimed. "Persephone ain't no doctor. She's a cold-blooded killer. She killed Keisha, remember? Our former sister-in-arms? Surely you haven't forgotten her?"

"No, I haven't," said Alondra. "But you see --"

"No, I don't see," said Esperanza. "For years, I punished myself because I could never reach your high-and-mighty standards. And now it seems I should never have bothered. Why spend all these years in prison atoning for my crime when you feel perfectly free to sell out and join the opposition."

"You've joined the opposition in the past as well," said Alondra.

"Not to the extent of trying to become a vampire, I didn't," said Esperanza. "And you better not try to do that, either. Because if I ever hear that you went ahead and let Persephone or any other vampire convert you, then I'll break out of this joint and do my damnedest to track you down and kill you! You understand me, Allie? You try to become a vampire and I'll ram a stake into you myself!"

"I guess this call is over," said Alondra as she hung up the phone on her end.

Esperanza put the phone down on her end and just glared at Alondra with an expression that Alondra still felt long after she walked out of the prison.

As she got into her car, Alondra told herself that Esperanza didn't really mean what she had said. That it was just bravado talking, not to mention envy of the fact that Alondra was free to come and go from the prison while Esperanza, of course, did not have that option.

Nevertheless, she felt a chill go down her spine that could not be blamed on the sunny weather...

To be continued...