Untitled Vamp Story (scene-shot 1)

"There's nowhere else to run, girlie" he said as he stared at he two figures in front of him. A girl, short, maybe twenty-one, and a boy- tall and pale, obviously a vampire and obviously injured. The girl was injured too, a gash in her side; but she didn't seem to care, even though she was backed into a alley and the only way out was through vampires.

She was supporting the boy, as much as she could anyway, with the height difference. As Viktor and his people approached she pushed him behind her to lean on the wall and took a defensive position in front of him. She drew the knives that had been fasted at her back and assumed a ready stance.

"You're not going to take him. He's not one of you." she replied defiantly.

"Yes, he is." Viktor replied. "Besides, we don't want to 'take" him. We are here to offer him, and you, sanctuary with us. If we really wanted to take him we could. All we would have to do is wait a few more minutes for you to pass out from blood loss."

At the mention of her passing out, the girl paled a little, but stood straighter and gripped her knives a little tighter. She spoke, "How do I know you won't let your people eat me if I go with you?"

"You have my word." He help up a hand as she started to reply, "I know, I know, "word of a vampire" and all that; but that's all I can give you." he added. He stared at her quietly for a moment. "Honestly, I'm rather surprised your friend there hasn't already tried."

A flicker of worry crossed her face as she processed the statement, only to be replaced by her earlier determined look. She obviously trusted this boy, vampire or not. That was interesting.

 She looked back at the boy standing behind her, not turning her back on Viktor, but not directly facing him either. He look back at her, pain and hunger on his face. An unspoken conversation took place between them, and then the girl turned back to Viktor. "Fine. We'll go with you; but so help me, if anything 'non-healthy' happens to either of us, you won't like the repercussions."

"Fair enough." Viktor made a motion with his hand and two of his companions stepped past the girl, giving her a wide berth, and assisted the boy, on one each side. As they helped him past her, the girl took a few steps and stumbled. Viktor used his supernatural speed and caught her before she hit the ground. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the alley.

The Pen is Mightier

He stared at the pen sitting on his desk. It was nothing special, but he remembered the day he had received it with perfect clarity. He had been so nervous, unable to stop crossing and crossing his legs. He had turned twenty-one that month. Every month, all of those who had turned twenty-one received a weapon that embodied them perfectly. He had hoped his was a sword. Any sword would do. He was so engrossed in his hoping that his name had to be called twice. He hopped to his feet and had to remind himself not to dash to the podium. As he approached, the shakes in his hands intensified. He took his place and waited, a man went to a table filled with red boxes and picked one up. His heart immediately fell, the box was too small to contain any type of sword. A knife maybe? He could make do with a knife. He took the box with trembling hands and opened it. He stared in shock. Inside was nothing but a simple ball point pen. It had a simple clear plastic body with a black cap. Nothing special. He shuffled back to his seat. A pen? A stupid ball-point pen? Not even a fancy fountain pen with a sharp tip. How in the world could this be a weapon? As the days and months afterwards turned into years, his question had been answered. He life came to embody the Shakespearian quote, "The pen is mightier than the sword." He had never been, nor ever would be, a great, super-athletic warrior worthy of a sword. He was a simple man who was able to write in such a way that all of the world listened. His words convicted even the most hardened of criminals and brought down the most corrupt governments. They negotiated treaties between warring nations and brought light to hidden atrocities. Yes, this simple, plastic, ball point pen embodied him better than any sword or knife ever could.