Hunting Vamps

[Ethan Skinner]

The plan to keep Clare occupied while the team went hunting was simple enough. Distract her

and leave before she could follow. I would rather have asked the Society to watch her for

me because you guys are in the know. I couldn't ask the Society because you guys are in the

know. Clare has this uncanny ability to "feel" certain emotions in the air, which crops up

at the most go--awful times. Related to her visions, I suppose. So I told her this old

lady down the street needed some help. She'd fallen a couple of days back, broken her hip,

and needed help getting around and feeding her cats, especially since she'd just picked up a

new litter of kittens from the pound. Clare was suspicious of course, and asked me when we

were going to go hunt the vampires.

It was ten o'clock at night. I told her we'd start preppin' first thing in the morning, and

conveniently forgot to specify I was leaving at midnight. Clare swallowed it, having grown

used to considering "6 am" as "first thing in the morning" and broke down completely once

she actually met Mrs. Earhearst and her cats Muffins, Stray, Pixy, and Bopkins. I watched

her settle the old lady down and then happily turn her attention the kittens, feeding each

in turn by way of a milk bottle. They instantly took to each other.

I left quietly at 10:30 and met with the others to get our stuff. We'd been getting things

ready the moment we learned the vamps had survived Clare's attack. It was almost easy,

finding their trail and cornering them in a warehouse. 'course, following a triplet of

stiffs going out for drinks every night wasn't too hard, 'specialy since they weren't even

trying to hide it. They'd been hitting the nightclubs pretty hard, going straight up to

anybody willing to bat an eyelash at them. At the last count, there were six people down,

drunk nearly dry in front of witnessnes. Cops were thinking new satanic gang initiation of

sorts.

Me, I was thinking trap. Almost like they wanted us to find them. Like they knew they were

being tracked. As though they were leaving us a trail. Thankfully, all the victims were

hospitalized before any casualties could happen, but it could still happen. Still, we had

to go in. Just a lot more cautious than we normally would.

That was when things got difficult.

Geez, these cafe computers suck.

[Grace]

Geez, these cafe computers suck.

Tell me about it!

Miss Grace is going to be quite cross with you when she learns the truth. A lie by ommission may be the truth but it is also still a lie.

[Joe Smith]

Could be worse. I am on dialup....in the middle of the desert...in a one horse town that it too small to appear on most maps...and I think there are Vampires here.

[Grace]

Seems to be a lot of that going around.

[Joe Smith]

I wonder if there is more of them around than people realize, or they are just getting bolder for some reason.

I think I might actually have a war story now!

[Ethan Skinner]

Still a lot more to write up. And a lot more that's happened since then. First though, time to play catch up. Then I'll collect my thoughts and post what happened, and what's been happening. Which is a lot. And a little.

[Ethan Skinner]

The fight was more of a guerilla warfare ensemble on both sides. Shadows became as thick as blood, and in turn, the blood became as thick as shadows. Seven of our hunters to three of the bloodsuckers wasn't a good ratio to start with.

Had it even been one of theirs to our seven, I still wouldn't consider it good odds.

Four of us came out of hiding after several tense hours of silence, interspersed with our own personal way of communcating. Paul came out a little more aloof than he normally was. Limping, too. But, seeing as how it was he that got the stake on bullseye, I thought it'd be better to let him be and check up on him a couple of days later, when the others weren't around to bunt their pride around.

We only managed to bag one. We would have gone after the others, but the four of us were broken, sore, and in need of restocking supplies. And after Clarity nearly got shot, I thought it best to move along. The other vamps seemed to have had the same idea. Though I worried about Clare following us in, I wondered if they remembered her and thought it best to cut their losses, because we saw no other sign of the bloodsuckers moving out.

Me personally, I thought it would have been the perfect opportunity to do a sneak attack. But maybe I've just seen too many movies.

[Professor Ali]

I have never encountered monsters being so blatant. In either personal experience nor in Middle Eastern lore, monsters try to hide their activities, almost obsessively so. Did you see any indications of other monsters who were tracking these ghuls, perhaps to quiet them?

Then again, I am new to this secret war.

[Ethan Skinner]

I have never encountered monsters being so blatant. In either personal experience nor in Middle Eastern lore, monsters try to hide their activities, almost obsessively so. Did you see any indications of other monsters who were tracking these ghuls, perhaps to quiet them?

Then again, I am new to this secret war.

You're quite right, professor. Most tend to try a more secretive approach. But we were in their territory, we were prepared, and we didn't give them any means of escape. I doubt another hunt like that could happen again, "running so smoothly" that is. We actually expected to work a lot harder on finding them, but for some reason they wanted to be found.

[Ron Caliburn]

It's something that seems to be a recent trend - the monsters these days seem pretty contemptuous of humanity's abilities to recognize and resist them. This seems to result in them acting more openly. It's almost as if they have been reading comic books about how villains should act - I've even caught them monologuing on occasion.


I'm sure some egghead would probably explore that one and talk about monsters as some sort of reflection of humanity's hopes, fears and ideas of what evil really is and the influence of pop culture.

[Kelly]

It's something that seems to be a recent trend - the monsters these days seem pretty contemptuous of humanity's abilities to recognize and resist them. This seems to result in them acting more openly. It's almost as if they have been reading comic books about how villains should act - I've even caught them monologuing on occasion.


I'm sure some egghead would probably explore that one and talk about monsters as some sort of reflection of humanity's hopes, fears and ideas of what evil really is and the influence of pop culture.

As warm and friendly as ever Ronny Boy.
I have seen first hand the face of evil. But all the demons, devils, and vampires in the world can not hold a candle to the evil of men.

I know I am speaking for a minority here on Lazlo, but its true. I know that supernatural evil is a real threat, and one that must be faced head on with extreme predjudice. But what the human asspect. Those that would conjure such forces to do there bidding. Those that would sacrifice innocent lives to forfill their sinister motives.

The greatest threat to Lazlo did not come from a demon or vampire, but from that lunatic Allan Shepard who killed how many innocent people just to get revenge on you guys, and my Benji. Think about that. I hate myself for syaing this, but that bastard got what was coming to him and is rotting away in a Louisianna cemetery somewhere.

As for vampires, to get back to the point of this thread, you give immortality to anything, and its gets cocky. Its just the travesty against nature thing that happens.

Yes, I hate vampires. Sorry WeeCee, that's just how I feel. Nothing personal . And yes, I have killed vampires before, and would easily, and gratefully, do so again. Especially is they threatened my family.

[Grace]

I have seen the evil that men (and women) do.

And I have to say, I generally prefer my evil with big gnashy claws and sharp pointed teeth.

[Kelly]

As Doc Coltraine once said,

"It is the evil that hides behind human eyes and a mask of virtue that is the true danger to us all."

Truer words have never been spoken I think.

[Grace]

You'd be surprised at the evil that can be done with just a wink and a smile.

[Kelly]

At this point nothing would suprise me. The mayor in town worshipped a demon in his cellar. He was responsible for kidnapping people passing through the area and sacraficing them to his " dark master ".

There was another person we here in town. Always thought he was a quiet and nice enough fellow. Turned out he was torturing patients for years up at Tall Pines. Recently an investigation found the remains of at least 30 victims, with five still alive chained up in hidden rooms in the sub-basement.

[Grace]

Now you see, that's just sick shit.

Personally, it's the coldly calculating sorts you have to watch out for.

[Ron Caliburn]

I don't trust any of them personally - I've had enough friendly faces come at me with murder in their eyes recently to show me that.

Heck, one of the faces was my own.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

No problem, Kelly. I understand people’s animosity towards them. But having gone through what I have . . . I can’t honestly say I hate them, even with all that they’ve done. No, I pity them. Because they will never know true joy, will never feel whole; their actions are forced by something beyond them. Many are victims themselves.

[GhostSpider]

Your pity is wasted Eilonwy. The best thing you can do for them is a quick death.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Oh, believe me, Konrad—if I can, that’s what I do. I just don’t do it with hate in my heart.

[Hannah]

Wie

It's so good to hear . . . read from you.

I was worried that they went after you too.