The Hunters become the hunted

Introduction:
First chapter in a new and shorter series if people wish to find out more about the characters. I am also working on the book I had previously mentioned so there will be some delay between post. This story is being posted both in the Forum and the Story Site
John walked into the night club, observing the press of bodies together. The music pounded out its dance beat, bare skin was beaded with sweat as the bodies pressed together on the dance floor. The heat was oppressive and yet energizing as the dancing, swaging, writhing bodies overrode the air conditioning. The sheep were advertising to the wolves, for John knew that within club were vampires looking for their next meals.
John had been hunting vampires since he was thirteen when his parents started to train them to take over for them when he was old enough. Mortals who hunter the monsters were rare and had very short life expectancies, at twenty-three John was almost to the end of his. The monsters have all the advantages as they were faster, stronger and much harder to kill. He’s been on his own since he turned sixteen, his parents killed on a hunt. John had gotten his revenge against the vampire that did it, but that wasn’t enough and he continued to hunt forgoing any chance at a normal life. He had no plans of settling down or training a new hunter to replace him as he wanted nothing to do with ruining some poor kid’s life. People were better off not believing in the monsters. Ignorance is bliss as they say.
*******
Erica spotted John as soon as he walked into the dance club. He stood head and shoulders above the crowd placing his height around six foot three or six foot six. He had a lean, athletic build like a swimmer with dark raven’s wing black hair and piercing sapphire blue eyes. He was dressed nicely in black linen slacks a black silk shirt; the belt and shoes were black leather with silver buckle and accents. He wore a full length black leather duster that was accented in silver as well. If his height and the clothing hadn’t made him stand out the look in his eyes would have.
Erica watched as he scanned the room, a predator staring out of those dark eyes. When his gaze locked with her eyes a jolt passed through her entire body causing her heart to beat and a flush to creep across her skin. What the hell was that she thought, my heart doesn’t beat on its own? What is it about him that forced that reaction? She watched him as he traveled through the room.
*******
As he swept the room quickly he locked eyes with the only woman he had ever thought of as beautiful and realized that he was hard just from looking into her eyes. She wasn’t tall; he’d guess around 4’11 to 5’3 depending on her shoes that he couldn’t see. She wore a body hugging dress in classic black, strapless and barely extending down to her mid-thigh. Her skin was pale and practically glowed under the lights of the dance floor; her hair was a pale golden brown and her eyes were like melted dark chocolate. He wanted nothing more than to cross the dance floor and speak with her. He stopped himself immediately; he’d promised that he would not ruin anyone’s life by involving himself with them. Tearing his gaze away, John proceeded to stalk though the room as he searched for the wolves among the sheep. His mind kept turning back to the stunning young woman he spotted, the unearthly beauty she displayed was a common trait among the monsters, a way of drawing the prey to them.
*******
Erica followed him around the room with her eyes even as she continued to dance, intent on picking up some “take out” for the night. She needed to feed and to de so privately. She didn’t kill those she fed from, but it still couldn’t be properly done in such a public setting. She wanted to walk up to the handsome predator but was wary of the intense reaction she had to just looking into his eyes.
*******
As John continued around the room, moving closer to the angel he’d spotted on entry, he paid attention to all of those around him. He had learned well how to spot the monsters among the crowd. Most of the monsters could hide their natures but not what would show through their eyes. He had covered most of the room when he got close to the petite woman who captivated his mind so easily and hadn’t spotted any vampires within the club.
*******
Erica walked over toward this handsome stranger as he got close, whatever it he was different than most men. She could hear his heart beating strong and steady and his even breathing. He smelled of soap and leather with a hint of something else she wasn’t able to identify. His movements were smooth and confident. As she crossed the short distance between them he turned to face her and once again their eyes met. She felt like a deer staring into an oncoming truck’s headlights with all she saw in his eyes. He eyes showed the weight of his past in them, while she had no idea what had happened his past had been difficult.
*******
John was just turning to head for the doors and move on when he locked eyes with her again. The deep brown in them had golden highlights that he could see now that they were close. She continued to approach him and while she was petite he felt as though a freight train was barreling down the tracks towards him. She had the grace of a professional dancer, ballet not exotic, as she took the last few steps towards him. She grabbed his hand in hers and started to drag him towards the dance floor, “Hi, I’m Erica. And you are?”
*******
John let her pull him towards the dance floor as he looked her over from head to toe from behind. Erica as she said her name was looked just as beautiful from any angle. Once she had him on the dance floor she turned back to face him and began dancing, giving him an expectant look. That’s when he realized two important things; he immediately remembered to start dancing with her and when the opportunity presented itself, her leaned in towards her ear and said, “Sorry, I’m John and it’s a pleasure to meet you Erica.” The feel of her body pressed to his as they danced was exquisite. The heat radiating from her was overwhelming his resistance and determination to not allow anyone to get close to him.
*******
Erica pressed her body close to his, feeling the lean muscle and body heat emanating from him making her want to press even closer. Her desire for him built even higher and the smell of his blood under his skin assaulted her senses. She held that desire in check as the emotions she felt from him were just as intoxicating. Erica wasn’t a typical vampire and was far from being a monster; while she needed blood to survive as vampire she also gained sustenance from strong emotions. She never killed anyone that she had fed from. As they continued to dance the music changed and she stepped close, pressing petite form into his long, lean, and muscular frame. They continued to dance together as the song played. As the song was about halfway through she looked up into his eyes, stood on her toes and kissed him. Her lips met his and a brushing contact then she increased the pressure.
*******
John was mesmerized by her, the feeling of her body pressed tight to his and the grace with which she moved. He locked his gaze into hers as she looked up and in the next moments she kissed him. Her lips felt like silk on his, as the pressure increased her tongue slipped against his lips. Opening his lips to let it in they explored each other’s mouths as the kiss deepened. John pulled Erica even tighter into his body as his hands slid down to her ass and he lifted her. He had never felt so emotionally charged before as began kissing her again. They both parted their lips and began exploring the other’s mouth earnestly, and in that moment his world came crashing down around him.
*******
Erica was excited and her control was slipping. She wanted nothing more than to take this young man home with her. She usually would take her meals back to their place and disappear before morning. She had a rule that about not taking anyone home with her as it protected her secrets. After he lifted her, pressing her body even more tightly against his; they started another more urgent kiss. Suddenly she felt his body tense. The next thing she felt was gravity as she was falling to the floor. She looked up and he was already gone.
*******
John dropped her and ran as far as he could and as fast as he could. He was out the door moments later, crushed by the knowledge he just gained. While they were kissing he felt fangs within her mouth. She was one of the monsters and he now had to hunt her down despite the fact that all he wanted to do was to go back in there and kiss her more. He wanted to take her home, to being her into his life even though he vowed never to allow that to happen. He had never believed in love at first sight but he knew what he felt. Even with that knowledge he made the decision to hunt her and kill her. He’d had to do it with his parents after the monster turned them so he could do it again.
*******
Erica was shocked by his sudden departure. As she got up and started to move towards the bar she went to run her tongue along her lips, hoping for a hint of his taste on them. As her tongue moved from her lower lip to trace along the top she felt her fang press into it and she tensed. The smell she couldn’t identify from him when she first approached clicked into memory, oiled metal. It was the smell of guns and knives, the smell of a cop but more so to her kind, the scent long associated with Hunters. Her heart collapsed in on her and stopped beating, her skin grew cold and she felt raw; she had fallen for a Hunter. Erica knew she was in danger, needing to get out of there and not return with a hunter knowing who and what she was.
*******
John’s thoughts were in turmoil as he sped away from the night club. I should have kept my cool, not reacted. I could have let her take me out of there where it would be easier for me to kill her. That last though bothered him in ways it shouldn’t have. He didn’t want to kill her; he really didn’t want her dead. What he wanted with her he was unable to admit. His thoughts continued to run away on their own, I doesn’t matter what I want. What matters is what I must do; she is one of the monsters and it is my job to stop her. It wasn’t lost on him that he couldn’t even contemplate killing her in his own thoughts. He didn’t understand how such strong feelings could come upon him that suddenly and wanted to blame it upon the powers that vampire have. The issue was that he had been immune to the mind control abilities of vampires all of his life. That one gift is what made him a more effective hunter as it allowed him to act as bait and kill them up close. He continued to drive with the gas pedal on the floor; needing to get out of the city, away from Erica and away from thoughts of her. No matter how fast he drove he couldn’t outrun the memories of their dancing and the kiss.
*******
Erica rushed from the club, taking a back way through the kitchen as not to run into the hunter outside. She knew hunters were a danger and had been trained on how to defend herself from them. She knew that if it came to fight the odds were even on whom would walk away for it and Erica didn’t want either of them to die. Knowing he was a hunter and likely to want her dead wasn’t enough to make her hate him or wish for his. She had decided not to tell any others of him as well for they would go after John with the intent of his death. Having the unique ability to feed from strong emotions, Erica knew what they were both feeling. She didn’t feed because it would have violated the purity of what was passing between them.
She knew what she was thinking was dangerous, not only to her personally but to all of her kind. By withholding the knowledge of a hunter operating in the area she could be condemning others to death at his hands, but that was better to her than allowing John’s life to be ended. Erica watched over her shoulder all the way back to her home, wary of every shadow and blind turn as she went. She didn’t like the feeling of being prey as she was an apex predator by the very nature of being a vampire.
Once she safely arrived at home Erica began to look more closely at her feelings. The more she thought about them it unsettled her. She was beginning to hate her gift with emotions because she was able to know what they were instantly and couldn’t lie to herself. Erica wanted to say that what she was feeling was simply lust and attraction but the truth of her emotions and his assaulted her. This situation was even worse that Romeo and Juliet as they weren’t nearly as likely to kill each other. The thought forced its way deep into her mind and practically shouted at her; I’m in love with a Hunter. Her head and heart both fell as she realized the truly desperate nature of her feelings. She had no choice but to try and find him as life would be unbearable with him gone.
*******
John was outside of the city within twenty minutes and heading for his family’s cabin in the mountains. That cabin is where he was told about the monsters and trained to hunt them. He focused on the drive and when it no longer held enough of his attention he turned the radio on and listened to the music. He did everything he could to distract his mind from thoughts about Erica. No, don’t think of her as Erica. She is an it, a monster like the rest. She must be ki…stopped. Why?!?! Where did that thought come from? All monsters had to be stopped. Why? What made her a worse monster than the humans who hunt and kill for sport and not survival? She was a vampire; she eats humans to continue her existence. So, do prey animal hate the predator or just fear them? What do you know about the so called monsters other than the fact they exist? Have you ever taken the time to understand them or were you just determined to end them? They are a threat to all humanity and have to be destroyed!! Were your parents a threat? Did they attack you after they were turned? They had years of hunter experience and trained you; how did you manage to kill them with those skills and the advantages of the vampire? Did they really try to stop you? Did you listen to anything they said or just attack and keep attacking once you saw what had happened to them? All of these thoughts were jumbled in his mind, pressing him to think, forcing him to argue in his own mind. John continued to drive on a form of auto-pilot. When the sun rose over the mountains as he headed for them he stopped at the first truck stop for a shower and food. He had more to think about than ever before, and now he was prey as much as predator because she must have figured out why he ran out.

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