#6 - Return To The Crescent City

By Adam Koeth

This issue is recommended for Mature Readers only!

The moon hung low and full in the sky, penetrating the deepest shadows in the city of New Orleans. It was quiet, as not too many people were out. Mardi Gras was months away, and most of the restaurants and bars were closed for the night.

Suddenly, the roar of a motorcycle penetrated the silence. The black bike and it's rider, Blade, screeched to a halt in front of an old, worn-down hotel. Blade jumped off of the bike, his leather jacket creaking loudly, and strode through the hotel's front door.

A man sat behind the counter, his face wrinkly and unshaven. He glanced up at Blade from his magazine, grunted apathetically, and returned to his reading.

"I'd like a room," Blade said gruffly, worn out from the nonstop trip from Florida. The vampire hunter looked around the room, noting the peeling wallpaper and water-stained ceilings. Another man, a bottle of something in his hand, sat propped up in the corner.

The hotel clerk reached up, not looking away from his magazine, and slid a key across the top of the desk. "Room 12. That'll be thirty bucks." Stiffly, he held out a hand while the other held the magazine.

Blade reached into one of his trenchcoat's pockets and withdrew a twenty dollar bill. Throwing it to the counter, he said: "This dump isn't worth thirty. See you around." Picking up the key, Blade wandered out of the lobby toward his room.

Elizabeth Van Helsing propped herself against a lightpole and lit a cigarette. She knew they were bad for her health, and she needed all the lungpower she could muster to chase vampires, but she also knew that she was sick of following Blade around. She needed a smoke.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw movement. Slowly turning in that direction, the dark-haired woman saw another female crossing the street toward the hotel. The woman, dressed in a long white dress and sandals, stopped inches away from Blade's motorcycle.

Elizabeth watched as the woman laid a hand on Blade's bike and stood there for a few moments, motionless. After a short time, the woman withdrew her hand, looked around her, and entered the hotel.

"Interesting," Elizabeth said quietly, blowing smoke into the night air.

Blade sprawled out on the sagging bed, trying his best to acclimate to the room. It was worse than the lobby: there was no wallpaper, half of the ceiling was falling down, and cockroaches scurried across the bathroom's dirty floor. Blade felt his eyes closing, knew that he needed rest to replenish his tired body. His mind drifted to the last motel he had stayed in, the vampire attack, the 'save' that came from the two mysterious werewolves. Who were they, and why did they help him?*

* (see last issue - Adam)

Suddenly, a sharp knock came at the door. Springing to his feet, grasping a long knife that had been hidden under his pillow, Blade crossed the short distance to the door. For the first time, Blade noticed that the door didn't have any sort of peephole... or lock.

"Who is it," Blade barked, his ear against the door.

A soft, female voice met his ears. "You don't know me, Mr. Blade, but I have some information for you." For a few moments, the voice was silent, but soon continued. "They're hiding from you, Blade. They know that you're here, and they know that you can stop them."

Blade grunted. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I do," the woman replied. "You hunt them because of what they did to your mother. What they did to you. Their bloodlust is in check for now, Blade, because they wish to remain hidden from you. But they're still here."

"Enough," Blade growled, violently pulling the door open.

A caucasian woman in a white dress stood before him, her hair long and golden-brown. She wore a necklace with one large emerald set into it, a golden bracelet wrapped around her wrist."How do you know about me?"

The woman smiled charmingly. "I can see into your mind, Blade. It's one of my... talents." Reaching up with one hand, the woman caressed Blade's cheek. The vampire hunter jerked away from her touch, a scowl on his face. "My name is Petra. I can help you."

Blade stood his ground, looking curiously at the woman. "Help me? Why do you think that I need help?" Bringing the knife up, Blade pointed the tip toward Petra, who simply stood there smiling.

"They are legion," Petra said, her smile disappearing. "You are one. No single man, even a half-man, half-vampire hybrid such as yourself can possibly hope to defeat the clans." Stepping inside the room, Petra pressed her hand against the cold steel of the blade. "I can tell you where they are hiding."

"I don't play well with others," Blade said, pulling the knife away from her hand. "And I certainly don't need any help."

Petra sighed. "You are a stubborn, arrogant man. I have seen them kill, Blade, and I have seen them go into hiding upon your arrival. I have seen many things, Blade," said Petra, pausing to look him straight in the eyes. "Including a few old friends of yours."

Trying to hide a look of surprise, Blade replied: "Like who?"

"You know who," Petra said, once again touching Blade's face.

At the woman's touch, an onslaught of images assaulted Blade's mind. All at once, he could see vampires sucking the lifeblood from innocent men and women. He could see his former partners, Hannibal King and Frank Drake, besieged by dozens of newly-transformed vampires. He could see a woman, clad in dark leather, her hair raven, following his every step. He could see the vampires slinking away into the darkness, hiding from the hunter.

Blade jerked away from Petra's touch, his mind reeling still. Taking a few steps backwards, he propped himself up against the edge of the bed. A cold sweat had broken out all over his body.

"Don't... ever do that... again," Blade panted, slowly shaking his head. The vampire hunter sat down on the bed, the knife slipping out of his grasp.

"You had to see," the woman said calmly, stepping into the room. Gingerly, Petra crossed the short distance to the bed and sat down next to Blade, who was still trying to catch his breath. "Now you know what powers I possess, Blade. Now you know that I can help you."

After a few moments of silence, Blade nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow night, if you still want to help, meet me in front of the hotel." Shooting to his feet, Blade pulled his coat off of it's hanger and slid it on. "I'm outta here!"

Petra watched as Blade opened the door, walked out into the hallway, and slammed it shut behind him. Sighing once again, Petra got to her feet and followed the vampire hunter out.

The man behind the counter didn't bother to look up as Blade came through the lobby door. Blade, a sour look on his face, walked up to the desk and leaned against it.

"What?" the man grumbled, reeking of stale aftershave.

Blade leaned over the counter and slammed his fist against the small cash register, causing the drawer to open. Nimbly, Blade plucked a ten dollar bill out of the register and shoved it into his pocket.

"I've changed my mind," Blade said to the shocked clerk. "This dump isn't even worth twenty." Wheeling around, Blade slammed through the front door and into the balmy night.

Petra slowly walked into the room just as Blade exited. Moving to the counter, Petra regarded the clerk's shocked look with a wry smile. "Ahem," she coughed, gaining the man's attention. "Has anyone rented a room within the past half hour?" A cockroach scurried over the countertop, causing Petra to withdraw her hands in disgust.

"One person," the clerk replied, looking towards the door as if Blade would return. "A chick."

Nodding, Petra said: "Dark hair, dark eyes, dressed all in black leather?"

Doubly stunned, the clerk looked back at Petra. "Right. How... how did you know that?" For the first time that night, the man found himself putting the magazine down on the counter. "You saw her, right?"

"Indeed I did," Petra said, knowing that the dark-haired female had earlier watched her enter the hotel. Petra knew next to nothing about the other woman, but assumed that she might be a threat to Blade and his mission. "Indeed I did."

Hungry eyes watched Blade as he roared off down the street on his motorcycle, headed for destinations unkown. They hissed and spit, knowing that if they revealed themselves to feed, Blade would more than likely find them and destroy them.

Suddenly, another joined the small group of vampires.

"Brethren," the voice said through the darkness. "Our enemy is here. The bane of our existence is in New Orleans, home to many of your clan, home to many of mine." The figure stepped out of the darkness, into a small patch of light cast by the moon. "We need to band together and destroy Blade before he destroys us, before our bloodlust consumes our minds. I will help you if you help me." Grinning, the vampire continued. "So swears Jean-Paul Nevau."

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