Dancing With Death

Chapter 3 - "This can't be real"

"Let's just say we figured it's probably best if we just throw you in at the deep end with this one" his voice low as he led me into the training room.

My eyes scanned the room, landing briefly on the various areas set up with different kinds of training. Large mats spread across one corner of the room, meant for anything ranging from sword fighting an opponent to stretching and practicing aerobics. Target practice would include shooting arrows, throwing knives and penetrating moving dummies with wooden stakes. The back wall was covered with nets and ladders, a brick and a rock wall underneath to practice for different terrains.

I wandered around the trainers brick frame as my eyes scanned the hall, flittering from one object to the next till they landed on the body.

Tied up and hanging from the ceiling in the centre of the room, there was a body.

"I know it's a lot to take in eh?" He said as he gently pushed me forward with his muscular hand on my lower back.

"You know, Vixen told me you could handle this so we just thought why not? I mean with your heritage this should be child's play"

I was frozen and shaking. I stumbled on the squashy edge of one of the training mats next to me as beefy walked further into the room.

There was a lifeless human being infront of me for Christ's sakes and he was just carrying on like it was normal!

I felt faint, I didn't understand.

My voice trembled as I inched towards the hanging figure, "What do you expect me to do? Is he okay?"

Beefy looked back at me, a smirk on his face "He can't hurt you, we've got him tied up real nice" as he pushed the body so it began to swing back and forth. He stalked around him in a wide circle and began to explain.

"You see Esme, you're gonna kick yourself when you realise" The body began to grunt as beefy carried on talking "but for centuries now, we've been the protectors of mankind. We kill yes, but only those that warrant being killed themselves for the crimes they have committed. I mean they might all look human....but you can never really judge a book by its cover, can you?" He looked up and met my wide eyes.

"Cause he surely isn't"

And with that the figure woke up completely - snarling teeth snapping at the air, trying to reach beefy even though there was no way he could.

Startled, I threw myself backwards, my 17 years of training kicking in as I felt my body flex and twist so that I landed crouching, hands and feet dividing my body weight evenly.

"No more beating around the bush tough guy, I want answers" I seethed at him, my body on guard for an attack. But, the body stayed hanging there, unable to move and I realised I had two pairs of eyes upon me now. The new pair felt like a shiver up my spine, the hairs on my arms rising till they were standing tall and goose bumps blossoming at a rapid pace. I felt unnerved and terrified to shift my gaze towards his.

"Meet Ian, a 206 year old vamp having a mid-life crisis- he's gone a little off the rails...we managed to bring him in just last night and instead of driving a stake through his flesh and bones, Vixen and the boss man thought it wise to give you a taste of our lifestyle in the safety of the institute"

Beefy stood there proudly, gesturing to the man beside him.

A thought flitted across my mind "Wait!" I said, panic beginning to rise "Did you call him a 'vamp'? What is that? Some classification name or something?"

Beefy chuckled and shook his head, a small smile on his lips "Kid, keep up – you must have heard of some legends growing up? Things going bump in the night, I vant to suck ya blood and all that jazz? Vamp equals vampire." He imitated sinking his teeth into flesh.