The Vampire's Prey

The door creaked open, and the few patrons in the nearly empty bar glanced at the dark figure standing in the doorway. Their interest quickly waned. The figure offered nothing noteworthy, for which she was grateful. Blending into the background was her life-unseen and unremembered.

Heavy rain pounded relentlessly, creating a silvery veil behind her. Brienna walked in, letting the heavy wooden door slam behind her. She looked tired, morose, and weak. Normally strong and independent, she was now a shadow of her former self. She had one goal, and with every passing moment, it slipped further from her grasp.

Hope seemed pointless. Days of searching had yielded nothing but dead ends. All she wanted was for life to return to normal, to end this nightmare. Her stomach churned with fear of what might be, and tears formed, quickly swept away before anyone saw.

Brienna walked to the bar, now holding the patrons' attention again, though none knew why. In the past, she would tense at the scrutiny. Now, she had bigger concerns. Accustomed to this new life after only a few days, she was unfazed.

Clearing her throat, she tried to dislodge the muck forming there. She rarely got sick, but nights spent in the cold had taken their toll. The rain was persistent but would soon leave, if the weather reports were accurate.

"Hey," Brienna called to the barman.

The robust figure turned from the fridge he was stacking, closed the door, and walked over. "Evening, ma'am. What can I get for you tonight?"

"Information, if you can." She pulled out a photo of a girl with long blond hair, a bright smile, and blue eyes. A happy young woman, as she used to be, as her mother wished she still was. Brienna knew things had changed, and it broke her heart, but she accepted it. All she could do was be patient and give her undying love.

"Haven't seen her."

"I should hope not. She's only sixteen. This is my daughter, and she's missing."

"If she's only sixteen, why are you looking for her here?"

"Because she walked this street to get to her father's house. She would have passed this place."

The barman leaned on the counter, barely restraining a sigh. "Lady, I get in here at lunchtime, through the back door. I unlock the front door, but I don't step out. You can ask the people here, but most don't come in until this hour. Usually, you don't let a sweet kid like her roam the streets after dark."

Brienna shook her head sadly. Walking the streets at night was dangerous, but life was always dangerous. The night just made it harder to see.

"They say this street has a reputation," Brienna murmured.

"Sadly, true. It's not called the vampire's walk to attract tourists. You're a devoted mother to be out at this time of night. That crucifix won't help you."

Instinctively, she clutched the pendant-a gift from her parents on her university graduation day, meant to offer God's protection. Lately, it felt like a meaningless trinket. Until she had her daughter back, it was worthless. She wore it because it was a gift from two people she loved and missed. Any additional benefit of deflecting vampire attention seemed lost.

"I've seen bastards wearing them. What time do you think your daughter came by?"

"About four o'clock."

The barman grumbled, pulling out a box from under the counter, stacked tight with business cards from people who had come in over the years. He knew one that might help, but it was a long shot. Still, she seemed desperate enough to try anything.

"Witching hour for the vampires. Not smart."

He opened the box and searched through the cards, finding the one he was after.

"I don't know if this is going to help you, but I've heard that if you want to find anyone, then this is your man. Being involved with a vampire is dangerous for a human."

"Involved?"

He stopped, the business card between his fingers as he looked at the worried mother. In his opinion, it was nice that the mother thought that her child was sweet and innocent, but life as a bar owner had shown him that most teenagers tried to push the boundaries on everything. Add vampires into the mix, and it was a disaster waiting to happen.

"The way that vampires work when it comes to humans is one of two ways. We're either dinner or a play toy. No body suggests one, but their habits suggest another." Brienna frowned.

"I don't understand."

"Well, they might be bastards and always stalking humans, but they have what I believe is a code of decency. They don't take minors as play toys and only ever take them for food if there is no other option. Without a body to confirm that she's been fed upon, it's likely that she's somewhere giving a vampire a good time, and yes, I heard you when you said she's sixteen. That means that you've either got a skeevie vampire on your hands or your little girl's doing a whole lot of lying to him."

The bartender flicked his fingers down, holding the card out to Brienna. She took it and offered her gratitude. Then he pulled a retro button phone up and put it onto the top counter.

As he turned back to restocking the fridge, Brienna picked up the handset and began pressing the buttons. A hand reached forward and pressed the button down, disconnecting the call.

"I can get you someone better than a washed-up old hack of a private detective." the soft, husky voice offered.

Warily Brienna turned, looking at the man that was far too close to her. The three-day growth shadowed most of his jaw, giving him a dishevelled look. It didn't help that the mousy brown hair looked unbrushed.

"How do you know what he's like?"

"Word of mouth, dissatisfied customers. Want to find the kid or not?"

Putting the phone down, Brienna turned with a frown.

"Of course I do. What kind of stupid question is that?" "The kind that comes from a man that's looking at a woman who is wasting time with utter nonsense. If your daughter has walked the vampire mile, then there's a really good chance that she's alive. The problem is, she's probably found herself one of those skeevies that pretends that the fake id she's offering is valid. You don't know what you're going up against."

Brienna didn't know if it was worth debating with a total stranger. She also didn't know what credentials this new person had. At least the private detective was in the business of finding people.

"Tick tock. Time waits for no one."

"Fine, but I'm keeping this in case your choice is not as great as you think."

He huffed with amusement and then flicked his head, gesturing for Brienna to follow.

The line of the bar ended at the wall, but beyond the arch was another area. It was made for larger groups of people rather than the tables and chairs in the central area. It was darker in this new area, something Brienna was not entirely thrilled about.

Trepidation hit Brienna as she watched the man sit down in a corner booth.

He didn't ask if she was okay with this. He didn't even look back at her. The lean figure looked like he was dressed for a funeral. Chiding thoughts filled Brienna's mind, scolding herself for thinking that this man would attend a funeral in such an outfit.

She thought a rock concert was probably more appropriate. Black jeans with a worn black leather jacket. Even the band shirt underneath matched the theme. Mindlessly Brienna looked down at the boots, already guessing that they were in keeping with the style.

Brienna, however, was something out of tired mother's monthly magazine.

She'd picked jeans because it was a cold night, but they were baggy and blue. The shirt that was underneath the heavy coat had a few stains on it. Listless hair that hadn't been washed in several days, not that it mattered with the torrential rain outside.

She hoped that, if anything, she could be forgiven for looking a little out of sorts considering that Eloise had been missing for far too long. Eloise was a bright girl, but Brienna knew that she was impressionable and at that age where the opposite sex was high on her radar. For an older guy that just happened to be a vampire, it was like hitting the jackpot for a teen girl, and Brienna feared the worst. She hoped that this guy in front of her could help.