#8 - Old Friends, New Enemies

By Adam Koeth

This issue is recommended for Mature Readers only!

New Orleans

The trio of men wandered into the dank, musty old plantation house, followed by Petra. King was in the lead, showing his teammates the way back to his haven.

Blade cast a sideways glance at Frank Drake, who caught him doing it. Frowning, Drake stopped in his tracks and turned to Blade. "If you have something to say, Blade, say it."

Scowling, Blade replied: "Fine. What the hell's wrong with you, man?" King and Petra stopped where they were and turned their attention to the conversation. "What you did tonight, it wasn't you."

"I'm a different person, Blade!" Drake exclaimed, baring his teeth. His long, sharp canines glistened in the waning moonlight. "Do you see? I'm a vampire, Blade! I'm a goddamn bloodsucker. Do you think its easy, waking up one day to fight vampires, only to become one the next? Do you think that's easy?"

"Screw that," Blade retorted, taking a step closer to Drake. "You're a big boy, Drake, you can handle the change. King's been living with it for years--"

Drake laughed. "I'm not King, man! Every time I look at a normal human, all I hear is the blood coursing through their veins. All I see is their soft, tender necks waiting for me to bite." Pausing momentarily, Drake licked his lips. Giving a short smile to Petra, Drake continued. "And every time I see a leech, all I want to do is kill it. I hate what I am, Blade. I hate the fact that I'm undead. I hate the fact that I've become what I've been fighting for years."

"Quit your bitching, Drake," Blade said cruelly. "You're a vampire, accept it! You're just lucky that--"

"LUCKY?!?" Drake cried out, slamming his fist into a nearby tree. The sapling split in half and crashed to the ground, disturbing a small pack of animals. "I'm going insane, Blade! The hunger is in my mind constantly! It takes all of my willpower to control myself. Your friend there," Drake said, pointing to Petra, "Is the lucky one."

Blade looked down at the ground, then back up at Drake. His eyes were shining with anger. "If you even touch a hair on her head, I'll--"

"You'll what, Blade? Kill me? Then do it, you stupid son of a bitch!" Drake stepped forward and, with one smooth motion, slid Blade's sword out of its sheath. He placed it in Blade's hand, then pressed the tip against his pale neck. "Kill me! Right now, Blade, kill me! I'm a vampire, Blade. You kill vampires, its what you do. Kill me!"

The vampire hunter stood there for a moment, the tip of his sword pressing into Drake's neck. Finally, Blade lowered the sword, his anger draining. "I can't. You're the closest thing to a friend that I have."

"Pathetic," Drake scoffed, shoving Blade away. Blade looked up at his teammate, trying to suppress the quickly flaring anger. "You call yourself a vampire hunter? You had a chance to bag a vampire, Blade, and you blew it!" Taking a step forward, Drake shoved Blade once again. "I'll give you another chance, Blade, or are you too stupid to take it?" Lashing out, Drake slapped Blade across the cheek. "Look at me, Blade! Look at me! If it weren't for me, for my kind, your mother would still be alive. Remember that!"

"Don't talk about my mother."

Drake's eyes widened. "Vampires killed your mother, Blade, or have you forgotten? I'm a vampire, Blade." Swiping at Blade, Drake started to grin. "I might as well have killed your mother, Blade. All vampires are alike in that respect, right? If you look at one of us, all you see is your dead mother. Isn't that right, Blade?"

Blade roared, startling a flock of nocturnal birds. Growling, Blade lashed out with his sword, barely missing the dodging Drake. Laughing, Drake ducked and dodged, avoiding most of Blade's slashes.

As the fight spiraled toward bloodshed, Petra once again felt another presence in the area. Frowning, she recognized the presence as the woman who had been following Blade, the woman she had confronted in the city. Reaching out with her mind, Petra connected with King.*

(Last issue- Adam)

King, absorbed in the fight, jerked as Petra sent him her message. Nodding toward the woman, King quietly crept away from the fight, into the thick woods near the manor house.

"C'mon, Blade, why are you holding back?" Drake shouted, slamming his fists into Blade's chest. The vampire hunter staggered backward, stopped by the presence of a tree. Drake rushed forward, fists drawn back, but only succeeded in shattering the tree as Blade moved out of the way.

Blade slammed the flat of his sword against Drake's back, sending the vampire to the ground. He was back to his feet in an instant, scowling. "Dammit Blade, fight me! You could have finished it right there, Blade. Why didn't you?"

"Stop it, Drake!" Blade roared, sidestepping a clumsy attack by Drake. Another blow to the back sent Drake to the soft ground once again. "You're my teammate, man. You're my friend..."

"I am NOT your friend, Blade, not anymore! Can't you understand that?" Jumping to his feet, Drake tackled Blade to the ground and slammed his fist into the vampire hunter's face. Blade kicked his teammate away, and they were both on their feet again in an instant. "I am a vampire, Blade, a goddamn bloodsucker. Do your job, man, and kill me!"

"NO!"

Drake sped forward, his teeth bared. Blade lashed out with the sword, cutting Drake across the cheek. Howling in pain, Drake stumbled backward, clutching the wound.

"That's it," Drake cried, smiling. "That's it!" Pulling his hand away, Drake noticed a small blood stain on his palm. The cut healed quickly, though, and soon it appeared as if Drake had never been touched. "But that's not good enough."

"I won't kill you," said Blade, lowering the sword. Drake took the opportunity to dive in, sweeping Blade's legs out from underneath him. The vampire hunter looked up to see Drake hovering over him, his fangs bared. A small drop of saliva slid off of Drake's canine, plopping onto Blade's cheek.

Blade roughly shoved Drake off of him once again, and got to his feet. Drake sat on the ground on his knees, looking up at Blade with a bloody tear in his eye.

"I'm begging you," Drake said, spreading his hands wide. "Kill me now, Blade, before I make you regret letting me live." Drake lowered his head, exposing the back of his neck to Blade.

The sword hanging by his side, Blade looked down at his friend and former teammate. Glancing away, Blade caught Petra staring at him. She didn't say anything; she didn't have to. Nodding, Blade raised the sword above his head and held it there.

"Do it," came Drake's muffled voice. A dark red tear fell to the earth in-between Drake's legs, forming a small puddle in the dirt. "Do it, please. If you're really my friend, then you'll kill me and set me free of this unholy curse."

Blade inhaled deeply, then wrapped his other hand around the hilt of the sword. He drew it back further, preparing to bring it slashing down at the back of Drake's neck.

Suddenly, King came crashing through the trees, followed closely by a woman clad all in black leather. Blade let the sword hover, startled by the new arrival.

"Shit," the woman cursed, trying to fade back into the nearby trees. King, however, stepped in front of her, and roughly shoved the woman into the space near Blade.

"Who the hell are you?" Blade said curiously. Drake looked up to see the sword still hanging above his head, and quickly succumbed to his anger. Lashing out, Drake knocked Blade to the ground.

Drake got to his feet, shoving the woman out of the way. "Why didn't you kill me, you silly bastard? You had the chance, I GAVE you the chance! Why couldn't you kill me?"

The woman tried to turn and escape again, but found King once again standing in her way. She scowled at the vampire, a small wooden stake clutched in her hand. When she tried to escape again, the vampire wouldn't remain in her way for long...

"I want to be free of this, Blade!" Drake continued, kicking Blade in the ribs. The vampire hunter grunted, then struggled to his feet. "Damn you to hell, Blade! You'll regret this."

"Oh for Christ's sake," the woman said, drawing a long knife from her belt. "If you want to die so badly, bloodsucker, I'll do it." She stepped forward, the knife ready in her hand. Drake simply stood there, beckoning for her to do it.

Blade slammed into the woman, knocking her to the ground. The knife flew out of her hand and clattered on the porch of the plantation house, disappearing in the shadows. Without thinking, she lashed out, but Blade jumped out of the way.

Scowling, Drake took his chance. Shoving past King, the vampire fled into the forest nearby, letting the deep darkness hide him from the eyes of his companions. "You should have killed me, Blade," was all that could be heard. "You should have killed me."

"Which side are you on?" the woman said, getting to her feet. She brushed the dirt off of her dark leather clothing, scowling at Blade. Her eyes dug into his, burning him with their intensity. "You team up with two vampires, and don't kill one of them when you have the chance! What kind of pathetic hunter--"

"Shut up," Blade said coolly and quietly, putting his sword away.

The woman ignored him, and continued. "I mean, you're supposed to be the best vampire hunter in the world? I could mop the floor with you in half a second, if I had the chance--"

Reaching out, Blade wrapped his thick hands around the woman's collar, lifting her off her feet. She struggled angrily, kicking at Blade. "Shut UP!" Roughly, Blade tossed her to the ground.

Once again, the woman lashed out, but this time she knocked Blade to the ground. With blinding speed, she was on top of him, pinning the vampire hunter to the ground with her weight. "Listen here, you son of a bitch," she whispered, her eyes steely with anger. "If you ever touch me again, I swear to god I'll rip your heart out and feed it to you before you die. Understand me?"

King stepped in before Blade had a chance to answer, dragging the woman off of Blade. Blade stood up, brushed himself off, and stared mutely at the woman. After a few minutes, he spoke. "Who are you, and why have you been following me?"

"Huh," the woman grunted. "So you actually knew that I was following you?"

"After a while, yes."

"I underestimated you then," the woman said, kicking King away. "I thought you were actually too stupid to realize that I was there." Smiling thinly, she continued. "I guess I was wrong."

Without warning, she turned and sped toward the forest, leaving King and Petra in mute astonishment. Turning back, she saw the curious looks on their faces, and smiled. She ran on, but collided with a heavy object before she could get too far.

"I don't think so," Blade said as the woman bounced off of his thick body. Drawing his sword, he placed the tip against her throat and pressed gently. A small drop of red blood escaped the woman's neck and ran down to her collar bone. "Now, how about I get some answers?"

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