A Moonlight Swim

Running harder then she had ever run before, Hatsumi was trying to escape the wave of anger and death that was following her and her companion, Lukas. If they could only get to the lake ahead, then they could be free.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she noticed that they were farther behind then when the chase had started, but now there were more of them. Shit. This was not good, and getting steadily worse. If the mob caught them, then her life was over. Or at least, her un-life, since she had dies years before. That was the price for immortal life.
With long black hair, pale skin, slim build, and almond shaped eyes, Hatsumi looked like a young Asian girl who hadn’t got enough sun. In reality, her skin was pale because she couldn’t be in the sun without dying, and she was no longer a girl, but a creature of the night. A vampire, as was her companion, Lukas. Lukas was the opposite of her, with his short blonde hair, and tall, husky build.
It was because of what they were that they were running for their lives right now. While they had been feeding, and young man had walked in on them. Before she could roll his mind so that he forgot what he saw, he had bolted to scream out the discovery to everyone still in the pub. Word had spread quickly, to quick. Though they tried to slip out, they were caught by a mass of torch, cross and pitchfork carrying town members. It didn’t help matters that Hatsumi had killed the boy. Or at least, killed him for now.
A slight grin grew across her face at that, but didn’t stay there for long. Hatsumi knew that if she was still alive right now, then her breath would be short. Not to mention her heart would be trying to pound its way out of her chest. But since she wasn’t, she didn’t have those problems. However, she did have the problem of running out of energy when she didn’t get enough blood. And since she had been interrupted while her and Lukas were drinking, she knew neither of them had drank even close to enough that night.
Quickly checking over her shoulder once more, she realized that she was even more fucked then she originally thought. Crosses and torches were bad enough; if they caught them then they could do some wicked damage, but what they had now they didn’t even need to be close to use. Some one had found some crossbows. Though there were only three that she saw before she whipped her head back around, that was still three to many. Even one could do serious damage.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. She felt a bolt go right past her head, and saw it land several feet ahead. Moving around it, she put on another burst of speed, knowing she just needed to reach the lake, if she did that she could live. Great thing about not having to breathe, means you don’t drown either. All she had to do was go and sit on the bottom of the lake until the next night, and she would be safe.
As she ran, she could feel more bolts pass by her, and hear the ones that missed her hitting the ground behind her. Then she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, and stumbled. God damn it. One had hit her, talking a few seconds to reach back and rip it out, she continued on. Lukas stopped as well, to make sure she was all right, and one hit him straight in the chest. With a look of surprise, he burst into dust.
Hatsumi didn’t even blink; she just took off once more. Trying to keep herself from meeting the same fate, she focused on one thing. Reaching the lake. All else faded into the back round, a blur of noise, and green as she passed the trees and bushes that surround her goal. Just a few yards more and she would be safe.
Spotting a rock that gave an excellent angel to push off, she used all her strength to propel herself off it. Arching her body in the air, she hit hands first, slicing through the water straight to the dark depths. With a few good kicks, she was far beneath the surface, and well out of range of any shots they might try to get in.
Since she had plans to stay there all night long, she headed towards the bottom where she figured she could find something to weigh herself down with. Shit. This night had not gone as planned. It didn’t bother her losing Lukas too much, she was only with him for a little while any way, but her other plans might be ruined now. Hopefully they would spend the day trying to hunt her down, figuring she would leave the lake before dawn, and not stay there. Other wise they might remember her “victim”.
Finally reaching the bottom, she found some plant that worked well as a restraint for her body. She was forced to sleep during the day, and floating to the top would not be a good thing. After making sure she was securely fastened, she closed her eyes, and drifted off.


Several hours later, probably about 15, she awoke once more. From the dark shades of the surrounding water, she could tell it was night once more. Or at least dusk and dark enough for her to emerge from the water’s depths. Quickly untying the plants from her wrists, she pushed off from the bottom, and floated to the surface.
Breaking the water quietly, she swam swiftly to one side, on the look out for any member of the town who might be on lookout. She slipped into the woods, and headed for a cave she has scouted out when she had first come to town. Inside was a change of clothes, and the rest of her belongings. Anything she left in town was sure to be burned, but as a precaution she had found this cave and stored most of her stuff there. Being what she was, it was always smart to be prepared for mobs, and the like.
Within a few minutes, she had located the cave, and found her stuff. Changing quickly out of the dripping velvet dress she was wearing, she put on something that would be easier to maneuver in. A close-fitting leather dress, that she had gotten it when she took a brief trip to the English Colonies. It was what the natives there had worn, and she had found it comfortable, and useful. The dark color of the clothe blended well with the shadows, and the flexibility of the material made it easy to move in.
Wrapping a dark cloak about her, she started back towards town. About now, the young man would be awake. And she needed to be there for him. Hopefully, his body hadn’t been dealt with. If it hadn’t, then he should be prepared to meet her near the back of the town.
It was this reason that she hadn’t cared about Lukas too much. He had never really been a companion of hers, more just another of her kind going in the same direction, someone to talk to. What she had really wanted was someone to stay with her for a lot longer. Some one to who would care for her, and would want to share this dark life with her. In this town she had found that person.
A young man, age 20, named James lived in this town. During her stay, she had become friends with him. He was a handsome lad, with brown curls, and deep brown eyes. Currently his skin was tan, but after a few years as a vampire, it would fade to a pale tan. She had been in town for about a week now, and had finally decided to bring him over. It was he that she was going to meet now.
Slowing as she neared the edge of town, she cam to the tree that they had agreed to meet under. For a minute, her breath was caught in her throat, as she thought that he wasn’t there. That they must have made sure his body couldn’t rise. But then she noticed one of his curls peeking out from the other side of the tree. She sighed with relief.
At the slight sound of her sigh, he looked around the edge of the tree. Seeing that it was her, he smiled, and she smiled back. He quickly got to his feet, and began to approach her. When he got near, he moved with the speed her kind possessed in small amounts, and swept her into an embrace. As he held her, she felt his body tense with worry, then pull back.
“Where did you get that wound?” Asked James, the concern heavy in his voice.
Until that moment, she had forgotten the puncture mark that the cross bolt had left in her skin. Though it had mostly healed, there was still a good-sized wound near her shoulder blade.
Laughing, she told him it was nothing, just a scratch given to her by the mob last night. With a grin he said the words that sent chills down her spine, brought a huge grin to my face, and cemented the idea that they would have a good time together.“Let’s destroy the town, then.”