A miner wiped his sweaty forehead in exhaustion. The muggy air held no promise of a refreshing breeze. There were not that far underground. Working in the old section of the city, the mining company that he worked for was struggling to reopen the tunnels that used connect the city. The new and expanded areas of town didn't have the crumbling infrastructure that existed here. This rural setting was not considered important to maintain, at least it hadn't been. High demand requesting public transportation for commuters traveling to and from the city had brought the prospect of a subway system to the forefront of the city council's agenda. He stumbled along just ahead of the rest of his mining team, wondering how much trouble could have been saved if this had been foreseen. He looked up and noted that the tunnels branched off into several directions. With a sigh, he stepped forward and shined his flashlight down one of the passages.

In horror he yelled and jumped back. The men behind him came running foreward. They took in his shaken expression and turned their lights down the different corridors before them. Each one had bones. Human bones. Not just a few either. There were quite a few stacked down here. Neatly arranged with some very recent fashions still on the partially decayed bodies. That accounted for the strange smell that had slowly been getting stronger. There was nothing but numb horror felt at the sight. One man whispered, "Could a serial killer be responsible for this?" A man behind him answered, "Probably not," as he slowly stepped towards the unsuspecting man with fangs bared.

Headline News: A group of miners disappeared overnight in the recent tunnel surveys being conducted in response to the outcry for more public transportation. Rescue workers have gone in searching for them as families gather to support each other during this hard time...

Headline News: More people in the rural areas have started disappearing since the tunnel incidents that have been occurring over the last few months increased. Serial killer suspected. People advised to lock their doors at night and travel in groups when they go out. If you are traveling to and from the city, carpool and take the main freeways...

Headline News: Survivor of the serial killer spee hospitalized. Security for the man is tight and law enforcement is doing everything in their power to ensure that his testimony is shared. When he was conscious for a few minutes upon arrive at the hospital, another patient was said to have heard the cryptic screams "they are among us, bloodsuckers, don't be fooled by them." Is the serial killer well-known to society? People are cautioned to stay in groups and let others know where you plan...

Headline News: Vampires. Myth or reality. More and more stories are pouring in of people walking down the street not being whom they see. Being in the urban and downtown areas no longer insures immunity to whoever is responsible for the huge amount of deaths occurring. Also reports are starting to come in from the countryside of similar problems. This can't be the work of just one man. The theories abound however vampire is becoming a serious suspicion for...

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Annie played with her doll in the middle of the livingroom floor. Her world was largely untouched by the recent panic that had taken the city. She had a normal life still except they went out less than they had before. She picked up her doll and walked to the tv. Turning it on to a cartoon show, she settled down and watched contentedly.

Jane heard the tv turn on and glanced from the kitchen where she was preparing supper. It was one of the approved shows that she had worked out with Annie. Satisfied that Annie was happy, she returned to stirring the pasta. She wanted to go out to eat, but didn't want to place Annie in any danger. The recent killings were random. She didn't want to believe that harm would happen in their upscale apartment. However when it came to Annie, she rather be careful than not.

Delilah sat across the hall in her own apartment, carefully grading the last online essay one of her students had submitted. Feeling a bit worn out, she closed down her online schooling site and turned off the computer. Working from home was the best thing that ever happened to her. At least it gave her the extra security of not traveling while all these uncertain events were going on. She headed to her bedroom to relax to music. Tomorrow she was going with her neighbor across the hall to help pick out cute outfits for the child. She knew the mall that Jane preferred, but wondered if Annie would like to try out someplace new. However, Jane would want to be where is was crowded so the mall was going to have to do.

Ren sighed as he hit the station button on his radio, the confusing and dark news headlines turning into Metallica as he rounded the corner. He really didn't know what to make of it all and all the searching he had done on the web confirmed the headlines, some sites even having leaked pictures of the victims. Thinking about it all, he really didn't find it that surprising, seeing as he had seen and interacted with ghosts and spirits since he was a child, but it was still hard to wrap your head around. These creatures that had become dark idols of fiction could now a very dangerous threat, if the reports were to be believed.

What about the other creatures? If this was the work of a vampire, what would this mean for humans and what about all the other supernatural creatures out there? The Therians, Fae-folk and goblins... were they real and just in hiding as well? Would they all turn and attack humanity when disturbed? Letting out a sigh, he eased his jeep into a parking space and shut off the engine before sliding out. Making his way into the "new-age" religious shop, he gave one of his naturally charming smiles to the owner and chatted with her as he looked over their new crystals. After a bit, he went about collecting the herbs and candles he needed for his altar and ritual next week. He was about to check out when a bottle of oil caught his attention. It was labeled "Consecrating blend", containing vervain, solomon's seal, angelica and juniper.

He smiled at himself and shook his head. Was he starting to fall into the same paranoia that so many others were? There wasn't even concrete proof the attacks weren't just a vicious murderer or a occult extremest, the vampire thing was mostly just speculation by the press. He still grabbed the bottle from the shelf.

((Just so you all are aware- the herbs in the oil (which I actually have) are ones that are commonly used against vampires and the undead in folklore. I'm not sure what kind of Vampires you had in mind, Maiden, but I hope you don't mind me doing this.))

Staring at the pile of newspapers, she tried not to collapse in a mass of fear and tears. The second part was a lost cause already. Aletta only calmed down when she heard the meow of her cat asking for food. With small hiccuping sobs the brunette moved to upend a can of stuff into her feline friend's bowl before stalking off in a very frightened way towards her room.

All the other doors of her apartment were locked, and the windows too. One could never be too careful, especially with rumors of vampires walking around. In fact Aletta was settling down on her computer with a concentrated frown to do some research about the beings. Even if no one else believed this, she wanted to be prepared. Though really no matter of preparation would do anything to help Aletta, or so she thought rather forlornly.

((don't mind whatsoever ^_^))

The sight of survivors was what left the greatest imprint on Mercy’s mind. They came and went in and out of the hospital. It was half-tempting to ask to be moved and study at a friendlier place – maybe a cancer treatment center or pediatrician’s office. Either was better than running around all day to stare at mutilated bodies that were still so animated as bloody victims screamed children’s tales of bloodsuckers. Yet, somehow, he felt entirely detached with the recent headlines. Gore had quickly become a regular part of life and it was almost impossible to believe that such creatures, vampires, could truly be out and about.

Carelessly walking down what once was an always busy street, Mercy whistled a low tune. Against the bleak emptiness, the light notes seemed even more joyful as they almost echoed off stillness. In his arms, Mercy cradled a paper bag filled with the groceries he’d picked up after his shift. Even the quiet crunching of the bag was amplified in the unreal calm. That was more frightening than anything else. All at once, the city seemed to pause. Although time still ticked and the sun went up and down, curtains of nearby apartments were always drawn and doors always locked as though they’d become stuck in night.

Uncomfortably darting his eyes around, Mercy crunched the bag again. That noise was his only companion, along with what sounded like footsteps to accompany his in the distance. Another merry traveler in a time of unrest - that was a relief. Still, it sent a cold shiver down his spine as feet, by their own will, picked up the pace.

Instantly, his body had prepared to fight or flight. His breath quickened and his heart pounded hard against his chest as he moved faster and faster. Then, with that, the other steps followed along to keep up. By this time, it sounded as though whatever tagged along broke into a full run, intent on catching up. Too proud to show the stories had pierced his courage, Mercy stopped in his tracks and spun around quickly enough for a jar of mayonnaise to fly from his overfilled grocery bag to find that no one was following.

With a sigh of relief and a chuckle at how silly he’d acted, Mercy bent to pick up his mayo. All at once, he’d calmed again entirely and his whistling started up again. Then there came the warmth of heavy hands pressing hard against his shoulders and a slow breath trickling down his neck and Mercy froze, the jar dropping again as he stood with an open mouthed horror as what flat incisors came to lightly rest against the base of his neck. Again, his heart thumped and his limbs trembled at the danger. What a sadistic predator, to move so slowly.

“Scared ya,” the familiar voice came as a whisper from behind; again that hot breath seemed to ooze right onto him. Mercy knew that voice very well, in fact. Wheeling around and forcing himself free from that weak bite, Mercy was greeted by a crooked smile and equally mischievous eyes.

Apparently, Sterling had found it much more amusing than Mercy had. While Mercy looked on with a disapproving and grim frown, Sterling had broken into that obnoxious chortle of his. His full laughter, so full of light merriment, travelled easily down dark alleys and weaved between buildings as it even drove Sterling to rock back and forth, only finding support in holding tightly onto his legs.

“You should’ve seen yourself, Barty!”

((Everyone has had a month. Do you want to continue without them or wait? You choose.))

(( I say continue on, as I think a month is more than enough time. If they would like to join, they can wait till the next one starts, ne? ))

(Yes let's start. ^^ )

Jane heard a crash from where she was cooking in the kitchen. Turning, she ran into the living room and stared with horror. There was broken bits of glass everywhere. Her daughter, Annie, was laying in the middle of the room. Her red dress turning a deeper red in a pool of her own blood. A figure poised over her, glass from the window clinging to matted hair. Wild eyes glanced up at her through blood crusted bangs. Jane saw her whole world dying beneath the monster and felt all sense of sanity leave her in a blood curdling scream. Grabbing the nearest thing close to her, she swung a silver cross that had sat on the mantle in an attempt to bash or smash the creature that was destroying her life. As the cross connected with the being, it howled and stumbled backwards into an unfinished dollhouse. The wooden spikes of the dollhouse piercing the creature, causing it to scream and crumble to the ground.

Across the hall, Delilah jumped at the scream that tore through the air. Quickly scrambling to the door, she swung it open and banged on Jane's door. Finally she stood back and with adrenaline helping, kicked the door in. Rushing inside, she felt her face go pale at the bloody site before her. The crumbled remains of ... something... lay before her. Annie lay just past with her blood still flowing from her neck. Jane stood trembling, all rational gone from her eyes.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Ren knew something was wrong. The normal muffled sounds of his neighbors were absent, a tense silence in their place. Leaning against the door, he took a deep breath and slipped a hand into his bag, his fingers wrapping around a small utility knife he kept on him for emergencies. Letting out the air through pursed lips, he did his best to keep his head level and heart-rate down. It could be nothing, after all. In fact, it probably is nothing, just all the hype in the media getting to him. Jim is probably out getting drunk, the artist from down the hall was probably furiously splattering paint on a canvas over on campus, Mr. Stone is probably sleeping before his shift and the twins from Italy are working. Nothing to worry about.

However, those reassuring thoughts quickly fell apart as he walked cautiously down the hall. The air suddenly became thick with a bitter metallic smell that made his stomach flip and as he pushed on he found the first set of doors ajar. When he dared to look into one, his head spun and his vision blurred. It was as if his mind was trying to sensor his eyes and prevent him from making sense of the blood and gore that covered the cheap linoleum of the kitchen. Gagging, he backed out of the doorway and hit the other wall in the hallway, gasping for air as he tried to blink the black spots from his vision. It didn't make sense, none of it made sense. The killings on the news, the claim of the undead, the hysteria, the silence, the dead tenets.... just what the hell was going on here?

The young woman became immersed in her research, almost fatally so. The sites moved from one to the next in a flurry of movement while the printer shot out pages of information. The sounds of the wiring machinery almost covered the crash of breaking glass. If it hadn't been for her cat, Aletta might very well have ended up like many of the pictures she'd seen on the internet.

Instead a loud yowling filled the air, followed by outraged yelling. With a scream of her own, Aletta shoved her chari back and ran for the door. A stab of worry filled her heart for her cat, but that wasn't enough to stop her from leaping into the hallway. Other screams from all around spurred her to keep on running, green eyes wide and brown hair flying behind her. Aletta didn't even notice she'd vaulted down the stairs and run into another hallway until she tripped on the floor.

She gagged at the sight of blood and tried not to throw up, but in vain. Fear filled her heart, but for once she was glad for it. It was something she was used to after all. Nearly everything frightened her, so at least she knew she could function with the emotion running trough her system. Now to figure out how she was going to live to be afraid another day.

((Is everyone in the same apartment building? ))

A horrible cry of distaste escaped Mercy’s lips louder than he’d intended. Shooting his roommate an awful grimace, Mercy tugged Sterling by that jacket that he never seemed to part with. Still too proud of himself for having caused such trouble, Sterling provided little struggle as his beloved jacket was used as a cleaning cloth for Mercy’s neck.

“That was so… unsanitary,” Mercy finally found it in him to scold the still chuckling Sterling. “And don’t pretend you’d have been so brave either, a-“ Mercy had barely found it in him to keep his tongue under control so as to keep from turning to foul language. Even harder still was refraining from allowing his fist to teach that smug face a lesson it so clearly needed to be taught.

“Your face was worth it,” Sterling shrugged easily, “Anyway, you, along with everyone else, have been so tense lately. The stress can’t be good.” Sterling was shrugged off with a scoff, though this did nothing to hinder him as the two began again to head home. “You probably even forgot the most important thing when buying those groceries.”

Mercy, now both fearful and angry, had gone on to drive their pace faster and faster, so Sterling had to break into a half jog to keep up. It was amazing how quickly Mercy could move his legs when he properly set his mind to disposing of an annoying follower. Staying beside was made harder still for Sterling, whose short legs could scarcely take as large of steps. “No, Sterling, I’m sure I remembered everything important. I even remembered unimportant details, like you stealing my share of food.”

Ready to defend himself, and to prove his point that something apparently crucial had been forgotten, Sterling began, “You for-“ only to be interrupted by commotion from an alley- a scream and the sound of quick footsteps bounding nearer and nearer. Before he’d gotten the opportunity to speak, the clatter of falling groceries and orders from Mercy to run was added to all of the noise. Unable to process it all quickly enough, Sterling had almost just stared, but found himself being pushed forward by a forceful hand on his backpack and without even knowing it, he was running alongside a panicked Mercy.

Delilah gasped and tried to take in the bloody scene. What the heck! Running to Jane's side, she removed the cross from her hands and shook her a little, "Jane! Jane! Jane what happened? What is that thing?" She looked into Jane's blank eyes and then to her daughter. Jane was losing herself in grief. Whether vampires were real or not was now leaning towards real. She wasn't sticking around the beckoning blood to find out if more would show. Grabbing Jane for the upper arms, Delilah dragged her to her feet and pulled out of the apartment. Stumbling into her own place, she set Jane on the couch and barred the door. Looking around, she found a cross of her own. Tucking it into her pocket, she grabbed a backpack and began to pack food. Looks like she was going to have to find a more defensible place somewhere or turn this entire building into a fortress. How was she going to do that? Put crosses at every window? She certainly didn't have that much garlic. She felt a certain amount of panic building. They did not teach her how to handle these kinds of situations in college.

Ren's head was spinning so badly he could hardly see the floor and the sound of his own heart nearly filled his ears. Gasping for air, he flipped so his back was against the wall as he groped around in his bag, fingers desperately trying to reach the small bottle within. Once he had it, it took him several tries with shaking hands to open it, the pills rattling as his fingers slipped time and again. Finally, he secured two of them and dry swallowed as quickly as he could before sliding to the floor.

After a few moments of deep breathing, the frantic fluttering of his heart calmed and he was able to think straight again. His head still spun a bit and his chest was tight with pain, but he could focus. As he was pulling himself up to stand on unsteady legs, the unmistakeable sound of breaking glass sounded from the second story of the building, where his apartment was. His eyes snapped to the stairs at the end of the hall and his heart threatened to skip a beat again as a scream ripped through the building. The murderer!

Steeling himself, he pulled out his phone and started to dial 911 as he headed for the stairs, ignoring the red stains seeping from another doorway. As he was about to hit the call button, Aletta came flying down the stairs and fell as she started down the hall. Ren gasped at the sudden appearance of one of his fellow tenets, but wasted no time, rushing to her side. "Aletta! Are you alright? What attacked you? ... that can wait, we have to get out of here, now!" He said, jumbled thoughts all racing to get out of his mouth at once.

((Ugh, not my best, sorry. >< ))

((No worries, I like it. I figure I will wait for the other two before I post.))

The young woman lifted her head with panic in her eyes, though soon enough that eased a little when she recognized Ren. She didn't know him very well, but right now amidst all this chaos she was more then glad to see the dark haired man. Quivering, Aletta righted herself and peered around with obvious fright. "Vampire. Now running away sounds like a very good idea." Though panicked and scared out of her wits, the brunette still held on stubbornly to the fact that she was still alive.

There was no time to wonder about what was happening, or how they would get away. Taking long deep breaths, Aletta glanced at the stairs again and swallowed. Down, they needed to go down. But what if others waited for them below and the way was blocked? Maybe there was another way below, one that only tenants would know about. "Aren't there some hard to find stairs going to the laundry room?" She seemed to remember there being a door in the basement where the machines were. Aletta wasn't sure of the fact, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

Sterling quite clearly acted as an anchor to weigh Mercy down. Although he didn’t dare stop moving his feet, Sterling’s sprint was awkwardly executed as he was pushed along and forced to take steps larger than his legs would otherwise allow. Neither of the two had bothered looking behind to see exactly what it was they’d run from, because both knew what it was. All at once, Sterling didn’t find his joke at all funny anymore.

Surprisingly enough, it was Mercy to first lose pace, as he caught the back of Sterling’s still moving foot and stumbled. Both were pulled harshly down onto the sidewalk as an entirely unaware Sterling had continued to run, only to find Mercy had faltered and was pulled forward so the two found themselves in an awkward heap, with only a second to catch their breaths.

With the dash broken, and his mind able to move onto thoughts other than the single word “run,” the look of terror on Sterling’s face became even more evident, as his eyes widened to the point that the expression seemed almost too exaggerated to have been real. “There was a scream, Mercy. We left some person in that alley alone,” he choked between greedy gasps.

To this, Mercy said nothing, returning only that same panicked look before pushing himself off of the ground entirely. There was nothing to be said. They both shared in the guilt and triumph. “We need to find somewhere safe,” Mercy muttered as he helped pick his roommate up from the cement where he’d still been trying to catch his breath. With that, the running began again. Once again, neither looked back, too afraid they’d see a predator standing too close to be outrun.

With some foot and medical supplies packed into her backpack, she strapped it on and headed back to the living room. Jane sat there in complete shock. She sighed, pulled Jane up and wrapped one of her arms around her. Reaching around to shove a cross into each of their back pockets, she walked to the door pulling the stumbling neighbor with her. Going out into the hall took a lot of courage. Going outside into the twilight took more. There was a church several blocks from here. It would provide shelter only. She would have to figure out how to get a more continual supply of food later.

They stumbled down the street. Delilah was a bit annoyed at having to basically cart Jane's weight. She understood the loss of a daughter being hard, but Jane was acting so... dead. There was still things to live for in life if one was just willing to look. She got to the end of the block. Just two more to go. Seemed further away than ever.