Fear 23

CHAPTER ONE

John Smith stood his ground, staring into the hate filled eyes of the vampire in front of him, they both waited for the other to make the first move, a cat screeched across the road, the vampire quickly glancing away... That's all it took...

John looked mid thirties, light brown hair, dark eyes, average height and weight, he walked slowly, kept to himself and never drew attention, most people probably thought him a school teacher, an unassuming role he never tried to dispel. The less people knew about him, the better, besides... Hunting vampires isn't something you could just brag about without people trying to medicate you.

While he appeared and acted human, he wasn't actually sure what he was. Sunlight didn't bother him, neither did holy water, and he bled when cut, but he had power. Unlike vampires that were naturally agile, graced with strength and the ability to charm unsuspecting humans, John found himself with a form of mild telekinesis, not the throw a car at a pack of vampires kind of telekinesis, but the, knock a cup of the table, or break a glass window, kind of telekinesis. He also possessed a unique although limited ability, where he could move at a blindingly fast pace, faster than even vampires could track, but only when all sentient beings were not looking directly at him, so as the vampire took his eyes off John, distracted by the screeching cat, John streaked forwards, faster than the blink of an eye, cutting the vampire from shoulder to hip in a single swing, his polished, but simple arming sword, glinting faintly in the moonlight as John slid it back into his scabbard, hidden in the folds of his long coat.

Turning to face the vampire, he stared blankly into it's frozen features, like the movies, when vampires died, they turned to dust, but unlike the movies, it took a few minutes and was painfully slow to watch, they sort of just froze, and fell apart, no fire, no screaming, no explosion, they just... slowly blew away, leaving a pile of clothing and other possessions.

This is what John was waiting for, a phone would hold names, possible locations, social media updates, all things that could lead him to his prey.

John had lived in Melbourne since childhood, his abilities awakened the night he watched his mother succumb to the appetite of a young vampire, his father and the Police never believed his story, they just saw a traumatised child, and the years of counselling he endured afterwards, never changed his newfound abilities. His father had been dead many years now, he missed him, slightly, but the years of counselling had left John empty of emotion. He didn't smile, didn't socialise, had no friends and mostly kept to himself unless bare necessity demanded otherwise. His late fathers estate even preventing his need to work, living of the interest from his late fathers estate.

The apartment he lived in was well kept, a maid came twice a week to tidy up and dust, though he had to purchase his own groceries and furniture. His sword was the last major purchase he had made, and that was almost a decade ago. John grunted in dissatisfaction as he pawed through the dusty remains at his feet, this one must have been out feeding, he didn't carry any phone or ID, they were wise to his game, more often than not, the lone vampires he stumbled across, didn't leave him any clues, he almost regretted killing him, keeping him alive and waiting for the sun to rise would have at least given him the opportunity to question the vampire personally.

With a sigh, John decided enough was enough, his watch said 4am, the sun would be up soon, and it was time to go home. It took a little over half an hour to make it back to his building, it wasn't a particularly nice place to live, mostly filled with backpackers, but there were a few long term tenants, and he in particular owned his apartment, it was... home... John took the elevator to the 6th floor, the doors opened with a

DING

and he stepped out, immediately spotting a young woman on the floor... his neighbour... She had lived in the building a few years now, but her current boyfriend didn't treat her very well, his latest trick was to lock her out of her own home, but forbid her to actually leave.

So there she was, dressed in a green nightie, sleeping on her own doormat, shivering with cold. John crept past, silent as a mouse, and slipped into his own apartment, going straight to his linen closet, he pulled out a soft blanket. Stepping back out into the hall, he paused, wondering why she didn't just kick him out. She was young, attractive, a little short, but curvy in all the ways that mattered, she turned plenty of heads with those green eyes and blonde hair, and he occasionally heard her soft voice through the walls as she sung her favourite songs... though she didn't sing much these days... Shaking his head, he gently draped the blanket over the sleeping woman, before silently stepping back into his apartment and closing the door.

John didn't feel like eating, so he quickly showered and made his way to bed, beyond exercising and hunting, all he really did was eat and sleep, occasionally he would turn on the television, but that was more when he had been ill, and couldn't go hunting. He woke to the sound of yelling, rolling over, he checked the time, only 8:43am, he'd only been asleep a few hours. The yelling continued, and he realised it was coming from the hall, John grumbled as he climbed to his feet, pulling on fresh jeans and a shirt, he made his way towards the voice.

"And what have you done for me bitch!?" yelled a man, "I pay the bills around here! I keep you fed and happy, and now you're cheating on me?!"

"No!" cried a woman, "I don't know where it came from, I prom-"

A sharp slapping sound cut her off, "don't you fucking lie to me, fucking whore!" the man continued.

John chose this moment, to open the door, immediately spotting his young neighbour, clutching her face, unable to completely cover the red hand print her boyfriend had left, he was shirtless, a little overweight, shaved head and had one of those stupid barbed wire tattoos around each wrist. As the door opened, both his neighbours turned to look at him.

"Are you the fucker she's been cheating on me with?!" the man spat.

John just cocked an eyebrow at him, looking from one to the other.

"I'm not sleeping with her, I just gave her the blanket," John said softly, reaching out in the hopes the man would return his property.

"Bullshit, she's not good enough for charity, even from a faggot like you," the man threw the blanket towards John, who caught it awkwardly.

"Bill, I don't even know his name, I swear-"

John's eyes narrowed, Bill had slapped her again... He didn't like that.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," John said softly, "but can you please not hit her again."

"Listen here faggot," Bill spat, "I'll treat my whores however I want, and no fucking fag like you is gonna do shit about it!"

As if to emphasise his point, Bill raised his hand to slap the young woman again. John watched the woman's eyes close in fear, he watched Bill turn his gaze towards her... that's all it took... Bill didn't even see him move, he just suddenly found his wrist being held by John.

"I said please," John said firmly, releasing Bill's wrist.

Bill just spat at the young woman, turning back into the apartment, and slamming the door shut, the young woman turned to face John, but he had already started closing his door behind him, John ignored the soft sobbing from her...

As long as he's not yelling in the hall, it's not my problem

...

A loud crash woke him again, turning he could see his clock, 9:36am...

For fucks sake what now

... He sat in silence for a moment, before he heard a woman scream, followed by another crash. John climbed to his feet, dressing himself in the clothes he wore earlier, and walked out into the hall. It wasn't hard to guess where the commotion was coming from, the elderly couple from two doors down were standing in the hall, looking worried, even the backpackers from the end of the hall were peeking out to see what was going on. He didn't know any of them, he'd just kept himself quiet as to never disturb them, he had no real interest in getting to know his neighbours, but getting on their bad side wasn't something he wanted either...

live and let live

...

In the hall he could hear Bills voice, screaming at the young woman, calling her every name under the sun, he heard her scream, then she was crying, something else smashed... John had enough... taking a step forward, the elderly neighbours jumped as John kicked in the door with a single well placed blow. The inside of the apartment, looked clean and organised, if not for the broken glass, wood and blood from the young woman, currently sitting in the middle of the floor, a bleeding from her lip, her eye swollen almost shut. The pair turned in unison as John stormed into the apartment, Bill didn't even have time to respond before John drove his fist into his stomach, Bill doubled over, coughing and spluttering, John grabbed him around the neck, dragging him out of the apartment, he held the struggling man in a headlock as they waited for the elevator to arrive. With a

DING

the doors slowly opened, John pushed Bill into the elevator hard enough that Bill literally bounced off the wall in the back, John pulled out his wallet, pulling out several fifty dollar notes, throwing them at Bill,

"Get out, don't come back," John said softly as the doors slid shut.

John stood waiting for a minute before he heard the elevator start and go down, turning back to his neighbours, the elderly couple were staring at him like a superhero, while his young neighbour was crying, holding her head in her hands. John slowly walked back in, taking a glance at her as he opened her freezer, he quickly found a bag of frozen peas, wrapping them in a cloth, he walked back to the young woman, he bent down, gently prying her hands from her face, she didn't look up at him, but she flinched as he pressed the bag, gently against her swollen eye.

"Hold this here, it will help with the swelling," John said softly.

He quickly stood, turning and walking back to his apartment, ignoring the small crowd, as he closed his front door, he really needed to get some sleep. Gentle knocking woke him a third time, this was getting beyond a joke, but his clock said 2:15pm, so at least he'd had a decent rest now, staggering upright, he realised he didn't even strip out of his clothes this time, so he quickly moved towards the door, opening it up, he found himself face to face with the elderly couple.

"Janet," said the woman quickly, "This is my husband George," the old man offered his hand.

"John," he replied, shaking the old man's hand.

"We just wanted to say thank you," Janet continued, "I took Brittany to the emergency room, she's fine, just swelling, and George fixed her door up so the manager won't know you broke it," she smiled.

John took a moment to realise Brittany was the woman next door, "Thank you?" John said, unsure of societal norms.

It was obvious that Janet wasn't sure what to make of him, and John hadn't had this much human interaction in years, and with a polite nod, he closed his door, it was time for breakfast. After breakfast, John practised his techniques, stepping forward, he cut the imaginary vampire before him, before dodging sideways, blocking an imaginary blow from behind him, and finally a thrust to his right and a spin as he stepped in to follow the gap, coming to a stop, John opened his eyes, looking down, the circle he drew on the floor was slightly off centre to his current position, his technique had been slightly off, it had been a long day... Soft knocking interrupted his thoughts, John sighed, putting away his sword, he quickly opened the door, standing before him, in a pair of jeans, a low cut top, shoulders hugged by a fluffy cardigan, he could see her swollen eye partially covered by her blonde hair, pulled over the side of her face.

"I... I wanted to say thank you," Brittany said softly, "I didn't know what to do, he's never hit me like that."

John didn't know what to say, he just stared in confusion.

Brittany looked up at him, waiting for him to say something, before she dropped her gaze, "I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean to disturb you... I'll go."

John watched her turn away, "Wait," he said, now he was kicking himself,

Shut up John

... "You... I... Umm..."

Brittany looked confused, but she turned to face him, "you don't get a lot of visitors, do you?"

"No," John said softly, "Not really."

"Well...," Brittany started, "I've got dinner out for two, would you like to join me?" she smiled brightly.

"I... Uh... No thank you, I work nights," John said softly, ignoring her crestfallen look as he closed the door.

CHAPTER TWO

Why me?

... John shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, before walking back to the lounge. He watched some boring, generic soap opera as he watched the sun go down, it was time to work...

John was silently glad he managed to avoid his neighbours on his way out, he slipped out of the building and into the sunset, he always made it a point to leave before the sun fully set, less chance of being spotted near home that way.

It didn't take him long to move into the heart of Melbourne, he was taken in by the sights and sounds, being a Saturday, there was plenty of young people milling around, eating, holding hands, enjoying one another's company...

Concentrate John, you can't risk the luxury of friends

... He shook his musings free, before stepping into a pizza shop, and with barely a grunt and a finger point, John was walking away with a slice of hot pizza, he was a regular to this street, most of the shop keepers knew him, by action if not by name. John always felt safe here, there were too many eyes around to witness an attack, although it wasn't lost on him, that this would be the perfect place to ambush him, because of that very reason.

He continued walking, letting his instinct drive him, he didn't always find a target, but there was more than one human incident he had prevented, just like the two men following him now. It would have been easy to run, once out of view, his speed would make it impossible to follow him, but that would leave these men free to move on to another target... that didn't sit right with John...

Stepping into an alleyway, John slowed down, making a show to look distracted, like a lost tourist while he waited for the men to catch up,

"Hey mate, you got a spare smoke?" a voice heralded their arrival.

"I don't smoke," John said softly, turning to face them.

One was rather scrawny, ratty hair and missing a front tooth, the other was a large biker type, leather vest, arms bare, his teeth yellow, the big man was the one who spoke next.

"How about your wallet then?" he said grinning.

John paused, "don't you think there's a more honest way to make a living?" he asked.

"Fuck your honest living," the scrawny one said, "this is easier anyway."

John just smiled...

Indeed

... stepping forward, the scrawny man stepped back, but the big man threw a wild haymaker at head height, John ducked under the big man's arm, stomping on his foot. The large man cried out, bending down to clutch his now broken toes, John unsheathed his sword, elbowing the large man at the same time, knocking him unconscious to the ground, finishing with the tip of the sword resting on the smaller mans adam's apple.

"Get a job," John said quietly.

Dropping the tip of the sword, he quickly sheathed the blade and stepped past the smaller man, frowning in disgust as he picked up the faint smell of urine. Hopefully this would be the last time he saw of both men.

After a long and uneventful night, John had made it back to the apartment, the

DING

signalling the arrival of his floor, he was greeted by a strange sight. A tray of cookies on his doormat, he sighed...

Janet must be a baker or something

... Picking up the plate, he unlocked his door and walked inside. It was a pleasant experience, sitting by the window, watching the sunrise, drinking a cup of tea with a chocolate chip cookie.

Low buzzing woke him, it was his alarm showing noon, his usual time to rise. First came breakfast, poached eggs on toast, then some dishes, with a sigh, he realised he had to return a plate. Dressing himself properly, he opened his door, walking towards the elderly couples apartment and knocked softly. It was only a few moments before the door opened, the old woman smiled when she saw him.

"Hello John, what can we do for you," she said kindly.

"Thank you for the cookies," John said simply, offering the plate.

"Oh!" Janet smiled wider now, "I think you'll find that belongs to the young lady next door."

John frowned at those words, "oh... could you give it to her when you see her?" he asked, silently begging her to take the plate and let him leave.

Janet however just eyed him a moment, "No," she said firmly, flashing him a smile and a wink before closing the door.

"Fuck..."

John found himself staring at Brittany's door for what felt like hours, occasionally reaching out to knock, only to retract his hand at the last second...

Just drop the plate on the doormat and leave

... John frowned, that would be easiest, but rude, and he'd always tried to be a good neighbour. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to knock once more, when the sound of a door opening made him jump, pulling his hand away, Janet stepped into the hall with her husband George, they were wearing coats and looked to be going out. Janet spotted him first, standing there like an idiot holding the plate, she checked her watch, cocking an eyebrow as George stepped past to call the elevator.

A soft

DING

let Janet know the elevator had arrived, but before stepping in, she reached over, quickly rapping her knuckles on Brittany's door, and stepped into the elevator, chuckling at Johns terrified expression. The door opened, John quickly turning to face Brittany, who's face lit up with joy seeing him, but she quickly hid her expression.

"Hi John," she said quickly.

"Thank you for the cookies," John said softly, offering her the plate, his hand shaking slightly.

"Did eat them all?" she asked, with a grin, reaching and taking the plate.

"No... I... Just one with tea," John said, barely more than a whisper.

John smiled quickly, turning to walk away.

"John," Brittany said quickly.

John felt rooted to the spot, but turned slowly, "Yes?" he said a little louder than necessary.

"I don't want to be a pain, but could you help me take out the rubbish?" she asked, "there was a lot to clean up."

That's how John found himself carrying a bag under each arm, following Brittany down to the garage where the skip bins were kept. From the sounds of the crunching, this was the remains of her belongings that Bill had smashed, John frowned at the thought. They walked through the garage silently, it was a quiet Sunday, there wasn't anyone around. A flight of concrete stairs led down another level to the rubbish storage area, it was kept separate so the trucks could come to collect the skips without blocking in tenants' cars. Half way down the stairs, Brittany slipped on a puddle of oil that had been left on a stair. John's eyes went wide, he watched her trying to keep balance, only to pitch forwards, dropping her bags in the process, he reacted without thinking, releasing the bags he was carrying, he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her and twisting so that he would land on the floor, first, it only took a fraction of a second, his speed closing the gap in the blink of an eye.