Skull And The Fangs

Retaliation of the rexmaker.

The cab pulled over and the back door opened.

Straight, elegant legs in sneakers emerged followed by a Auburn haired head that ducked outta the door.

Christa Richardson stood by the towering structure as the cab revved off.

Her eyes found the billboard in front of the building and what's written on it.

St Mark's Hospital.

A brief sigh escaped her lips as she readjusted the back bag slung on her shoulder.

She ventured. By-passing visiting people and personnel bodies in white.

The large hallway bustling with people, the elevator and the passageway, all became history soon.

She stopped by a door. 

A tag was on it. 'Dr Richardson'.

She could hear voices conversing in the office of her father and could tell it's not a cool one.

She knocked and waited. Not a second had passed when Dr Richardson's voice boomed.

"Please come in."

The door parted with a twist of the knob and she entered.

Three faces stared at her.

Her father and two others. Also personnels in the leading hospital in this suburb area, clad in white overcoats.

"It's doctor Richard's princess," the tall pale white man chuckled.

"Hey kiddo," the other man, bronze skinned, greeted all smiles.

"We shall continue tomorrow." Dr Richardson had his face down as he said. His soft hands tapped on his mahogany desk.

The two medics dropped nods and exited the office, smiling at Christa as they passed her. 

The doors closed, trapping Christa with her apprehension.

Dr Richardson lifted his face. His forehead tightened like that of a raged beast.

His right hand slowly raised. The index pointing at Christa whose feet shifted a bit.

Dr Richardson's lips slowly parted, "Were you the one who stole a record in my drawer?"

Christa fidgeted. Her left hand clutched at the sling of the bag behind her and the right clenched beside her.

"Answer me. And don't you dare lie." 

She stood, breathless with a lot of thoughts jamming at each other in her head.

"It was me, dad. I was… curious," Christa breathed out, heavily.

"Uh?!" Dr Richardson's face distorted in irritation. "Curious? About what?"

"The dead man, is it true that his head was ripped by a claw and not the accident?"

"Tsk, you've even read it," he scoffed and took his hands off the table and turned to the window. The anger he's feeling right now, not letting him see the suburbs tainted in the setting orange sun, beyond the window.

"Yes dad, I stole it to read it. The result is something else fath-"

"Will you shut up, you spoilt brat!"

Christa went silent. Her head bowed.

"Do you think you can just walk Into my office and steal away my work, uh?! Answer me!" Dr Richardson moved closer to her. "My daughter, I know you did this because of that theory of yours about the existence of other creatures beyond humans. But can you listen to me for once."

"Dad, I'll prove it to the world."

"Will you just shut up," her father said, perplexed. He placed his hands on her shoulders as he continued. "This obssession of yours made you lose all your friends, and now you steal hospital records, do you wish to go to jail, uh?"

Christa looked down. "No, dad."

"Then stop this, for my sake. I'll let this slide."

He let go of her shoulder and sauntered to his desk, crosschecking some files in flips.

Christa turned and walked to the door. She was about to twist the knob when her father's voice came. 

"Meet me at home, and don't be late."

"Yes, dad."

She exited the hospital, deep in her thoughts.

She flagged down a taxi. "Liberty Library."

Then she entered. Everything her father had said earlier seemed to have withered off amidst the thoughts that raged in her mind.

The story that her silver haired lecturer told to her earlier today. 

He didn't finish it. This alone infuriates her.

The friend she had before, that used to tell her stories, tells it to the end.

But this lecturer of hers didn't. That aside, her instincts tells her there's more to that story. Yes, she could feel it like a flickering light deep in her soul.

She could still remember the key words.

'The mercenary. Rexmaker.'

The cab came to a halt.

"We are here." The taxi man said over his shoulder.

"Oh." Christa passed him the bills and alighted.

Before her stood the extending steps of the public library.

A brief sigh escaped her lips as she advanced into the library.

She's getting to the end of this.

.

.

.

.

..Night Hills..

"I don't think you're getting things here."

"Of course I see clearly. You're the organ eating vampire." Adrian grinned.

"I can see how dwarfish your brain is, coven young leader." Kylian muttered with disgust.

Adrian growled at this and became a blur.

Bang!

Kylian's back slam against a tree behind him. Adrian's fist was wrapped around his neck and his cold imaginary breath caressing his face.

Several bees the size of a human head hovered behind Adrian as he growled into Kylian's ear.

"How dare you?!" Veins bulged on his head under his scarlet hoodie that matched his cloak as he growled on.

"Only trying to justify myself."

Adrian growl silenced him. The large bees neared him as the dark tip of their sting bared at his face.

Kylian's heart skipped a bit. That sting is poisonous. Poisonous to supernaturals even more than a snakes bite is to humans.

Then his playful demeanor became serious.

Adrian is a born vampire, and this is his special gift. Control of extremely poisonous bees.

"No one insults me and live to tell the story. But i won't kill you, vampire." He released his grip on Kylian's neck and took steps back as he added, "Anyways, watch your back."

Adrian vanished with a whoosh.

Kylian sighed. This kid knows not what he's doing. He's threatening him?

"Hmph!" Kylian snorted. If he knows the history behind this silver haired man, he wouldn't do that.

His gaze fell on the organ less bodies in the pit again and the red the tainted the dried leaves in excess. He gritted hard.

His eyes shade transforming to red, then to normal. Red and to normal again.

This went on. Then he could feel the heat rising in his abdomen. He grimaced as he felt a huge pang of forgotten pain hit him hard on the chest.

"Uh?!" His eyes widened in surprise.

This scenery is taking its toll on him. But, shouldn't the crest on his wrists be handling that?

His eyes fell on his wrists. Behold, the glowing crests are now dim.

The witch's warning resounded in his head. 

'the more time you spend among humans, the longer the crest lasts'

His face morph into that of horror as his legs wobbled and he fell on one knee.

This is terrible.

With anger and ferocity of a cornered beast, he roared into the sky and lunged from his knee, becoming a blur in an instant.

.

.

.

.

Kylian rushed into the bar.

The fresh scent of the humans having their good time seemed to serve as a remedy to him.

The halt of the heat in his abdomen says it loud. The slight increase in the aura of the crest on his wrists says it all. Aura which he didn't seem to notice before.

He went straight to the counter.

The young bartender chuckled as he saw him. "See who we have here, the legendary drinker."

"Two shots of whiskey." Kylian settled his butts on the stool, not caring about the bartender at all.

"Thanks for the other day," the bartender smiled more as he poured the pale yellow drink.

Kylian have no response.

It's night already and the bar is becoming more crowded as time passed.

"Such a hard man, uh?" The bartender's smile remained as he attended to other customers. 

"Dan."

Kylian looked up at the bartender.

"That's my name." His spotted teeths widen more and Kylian boiled but it didn't show on his face.

The young bartender wouldn't know what's going on in the silver haired man's mind. And if he does, he'll have scampered to a place of safety by now.

Kylian ignored him and brings out his phone as it dinged.

He unlocked it and a message popped up, it's the news.

Close to a dozen people missing. 

Kylian smirked. The Vampires took care of the bodies anyway. Wouldn't be nice if the cops sees this again. And the public response won't be nice too.

"Having a nice evening alone again."

Kylian sighed, frustratingly. He of course recognised the voice at once.

'this lady'

"Here you're, a student coming to the bar alone."

Her Auburn hair in a ponytail, Christa sat down beside Kylian. "A college student at that and not a highschool student."

"You're still a kid."

"What do you know of me? I'm no kid anymore." She smirked and turned to the bartender. "A shot of whiskey."

"Rexmaker. I found the remaining of the story."

"Tell me." Kylian took a gulp and slapped down the glass as the bartender pours more.

"He was killed but a collection of artworks were made in his memories. But sadly, a plague that swept off the whole kingdom occurred a week later." The sadness that dripped in her tone showed her sympathy for the so called kingdom.

"Hmph. That isn't how it ended." Kylian found himself saying. "The king failed to kill him and he wiped out the entire kingdom in retaliation."

Christa's hand stopped Midway from bringing the drink to her lip. "How?"

"Because he's not ordinary." Kylian found himself spilling. "The kingdom had swords, they had shield and warriors."

Christa listened with rapt attention.

Kylian had a slight grin as he stated. "But he had claws. He had fangs. He had strength. He had speed."

********