Fanfic Friday

“The Huntress at Sunset”

A continuation from last week's chapter.

Chapter Eight

Afterwards, Alondra walked to the car and drove as far away as possible, stopping only to throw Ms. Gillian's gun into a nearby river.

Then she drove to a church. But she could not bring herself to leave the car, let alone walk inside.

So she drove to another church. Where once again she encountered the same problem.

Finally Alondra found a church she felt comfortable walking into. Only to find herself immediately falling asleep as soon as she had sat down on a church pew inside.

That makes it official, she thought as she closed her eyes. I'm now a rogue Huntress. That means that it means that it's only a matter of time before the Shepherdess Foundation finds out what happened to Ms. Gillian and sends a team of armed people after her.

"Not necessarily," said a voice in the darkness.

Alondra immediately opened her eyes but could see no one else but her in the church.

Nevertheless, she asked, "Who's there?"

"You know who's there, Huntress," answered the voice.

"No, who are you really?" asked Alondra.

The voice sighed. "I'm Persephone's old friend Clavo. I used to be your old friend too but apparently --"

"You're dead!" cried Alondra.

"Seriously?" asked the voice. "Are you really going to make me quote that tiresome Mark Twain fellow again?"

"Okay," said Alondra. "You're not dead. But you weren't in good shape last time I saw you. So why are you here?"

"I heard a rumor you were seeing my ex," said the voice. "Personally I always thought you two would be the last two to hit it off even if you two did swing in the right direction, but still I had to check it out."

"It's not what you think," said Alondra. "We're not --"

"She's trying to talk you into becoming a vampire, right?"

"Er, right. How did you know?"

"Experience. Persephone's tried this trick on other girls. Some times it even works."

"Well, I'm dying and I thought --"

"I know what you thought," said the man who called himself Clavo. "And yet when you got the bad news, you did not think once about looking me up. After all I have offered to turn you before..."

"That was different," said Alondra. "You see--"

"It's always different with you, Huntress," said Clavo. "That's one of the things that drives me so crazy when I'm around you. You're even more maddening than Persephone ever was -- but in a good way."

"Well, thanks, I think," said Alondra.

"But why choose Persephone of all people?" asked Clavo. "I can't deny the lady has a certain charm but I would have thought that the two of you would have been the last two people to consider any such business together. Are you getting soft in your old age, Huntress?"

"That's none of your business, Clavo," said Alondra.

"Very well," said Clavo. "I feel obliged to warn you that Persephone isn't the easiest person to deal with in these types of matters, but if you haven't figured that out by now, it makes no sense for me to say anything."

"Oh, just go away," said Alondra.

"Very well, I'll go away," said Clavo. "But don't tell me you were never warned. Because deep down you know better."

With that, Alondra faded into a darkness so deep that she remembered nothing until she awoke in time to enjoy the first rays of a rising sun. There was still no signs of Clavo anywhere in the church and Alondra was beginning to think that he and his words had been just a dream. At least that's what she thought until she opened the front door of the church and saw a small trail of cigarette ash just outside the entrance.

To be continued...