29 Nov. 2011

 

The atmosphere between them had dropped into a sudden state of awkwardness. His hands were placed firmly on the steering wheel, his eyes directed towards the road as they drove further from the Seoul sky-line. The seconds solemnly ticked by as Victoria waited patiently for the right time to tell him her intentions of using his help. He’s a vampire, he won’t help me kill his own kind, she argued, disbelief within her against her own plan.

 

“And who says that I won’t help you?” Nichkhun asked. Victoria turned and gave him a confused look. She hadn’t realised that he heard her. He heard me? I’m not even speaking, she thought. “Something is allowing me to read your thoughts. I don’t know what. And I’m not sure if it can happen vice-versa. It’s quite annoying,” he explained. Victoria stiffened at the thought that he could hear everything. Privacy no longer existed.

 

“It’s rude to read people’s minds,” she replied severely, venom seeping from her dark eyes. Nichkhun chuckled in response as she shot an annoyed glare in his direction.

 

“Sorry. So why do you think I won’t help you kill any vampires. You don’t think I hate vampires too? I was human at one point. I hate them both,” he muttered almost soundlessly as he focused his eyes on the road ahead. Victoria's face lit up at his response at the thought of a chance to attain her revenge. An alliance was useful, extremely useful in their situation and she could expect as much information as she needed if he offered his services. That was if he agreed to her terms and conditions.

 

“You were born human? I thought all the Lees were vampires from the start,” She asked curiously as she lingered over his reponse in her mind. It already began to feel as though he was offering her information, useful in the case of blackmail. She could only wonder how long he had roamed the earth, feeding on blood as his body remained frozen in time.

 

“Those are just rumours. The Lees chose very few people to join their family. There are only 4 of us,” he briefly explained, averting his gaze from her.

 

“So then how did you become one of them?” the next question escaped Victoria's lips before she knew whether it was appropriate. He didn't appear content in the situation, thought it may have been exciting for the first year or so. She pondered over the thought that there was much more to him that she had initially thought, buried deep within and hidden from the prying eyes of those who surrounded him. Perhaps she had just delivered that opportunity.

 

“It’s complicated."

 

“I’m listening,” she replied, cupping her chin in her palm as she rested her arm against the door. She watched him through curious eyes as anxiety washed over him. He was not in the position to discuss his personal details with a human who he met barely hours before. And he had never recieved such attention and a willingness within a hunter. Perhaps she was as he had initially thought. Peculiar and strange.

 

"You may not understand but I had a difficult and hurtful past. To discuss the details is... well it's impossible," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, meeting her dark orbs briefly before he turned his face away from her line of vision. "It had started about one hundred years ago...

 

I dressed in my finest outfit only used for special occasions, smoothing down the wrinkles of my shirt as I approached the forest on the edge of our small village. I lived and was raised by my father in that village. Mother had died just hours after my birth and Father was the only family I had. A beautiful girl had caught my eye months earlier and I was smitten, in love with her to the extent that I could never love any other. She lived with her father and sisters but the family was continually shunned upon due to rumours that they practised black magic and though I was continually against them, the influence of the others remained with me deep within my heart. 

 

I approached their house with the intentions of asking her hand in marriage due to the fact that we had been secretly seeing each other in the evening by the lake. We shared stories as the moon bestowed dim light upon us, gazing at her through loving eyes. I couldn't have been any surer that she was the only who I wanted to spend the rest of my days with. My love blossomed for her and I was sure that she too felt the same.

 

My hand reached upwards as I clenched my hand into a fist and knocked against the door. Seconds later, a tall, broad man answered, watching me through questioning, infuriated eyes as his fingers wrapped around the gun in his hand. I immediately suspected it was her father, greeting him politely, bowing 90 degrees though he seemed continually unimpressed with my actions. The corners of my lips curled upwards forcefully as a strained smile played at them while her father paced the room back and forth, throwing questions towards me. He intimidated me to the point that I urged myself to leave and never return. 

 

“Nichkhun, what are you doing here?” Eunjung asked angrily as she appeared at the corner of the room, shifting her weight forward. I leapt up in shock, eyes widening at the sight of her as she watched me through confused eyes. Her dress was torn at the ends, shreds clenched in her fists as drops of what appeared as blood splatted over her, dripping from the corner of her lips. 

 

 I had heard stories from the villagers that people had gone missing ever since Eunjung’s family had arrived – the remains only being bones from their body. People had believed them to be demonic. At that point I had agreed with them to, questions running through my mind. Was she hurt? Or had she killed another as I initially believed? But when the distraught look upon her face became visible, my muscles loosened from the tension. And with that one look, it was clear that she didn't have the intentions to hurt me and she wanted me to understand who and what she was. The will to marry her remained and I processed with asking her father's permission to marry her.

 

Yet my father remained the only problem in the situation. He had disliked her family ever since their arrival so I was unsure whether he would allow me to marry her. He possessed traditional thoughts over religion and family, completely against the modernisation within the country and the western influence which began to be carried over the oceans. But my father was still my father and it could have done no harm to merely ask. So, hand in hand, we entered my home in search of my father who stood in clear view before us, hand rested against the wall of the fireplace as sparks flew back and forth.

 

“Nichkhun Horvejkul, you are not allowed to marry her. I want you to stop seeing each other immediately!” he had roared angrily. Eunjung clung to me in worry, fearing death, her eyes frightened and scared. I cradled her within my arms, blocking her from my father's line of vision.

 

“But father, we love each other an…”

 

“No more words, Nichkhun! She’s a demon. I’ve seen it myself,” he spat the words in distaste before I could finish. His feet thud against the wooden planks beneath our feet as he walked towards the closet, rummaging through the various items. I muttered reassuring words, questioning my decision once more as a tear ran down the length of her face. I knew his words were true but it wouldn't change my feelings towards her. 

 

“I can’t believe my own son is deceiving me like this. I have to kill her Nichkhun. You will understand if you knew what she is,” he explained slowly, emphasising each word as though I couldn't understand.

 

The next few seconds passed us in a haze. A haze which could never be returned. He plunged the wooden stake in her heart as I stood idly by her side, unable to process the situation before me. She was dead before I could breathe a single word or breath. There was no way I could bring her back to life as I sunk to my knees, unable to hold myself up any longer. I forced the tears to stay within me as I glanced upwards to find him mumbling a single prayer under his breath.

 

“You bastard! How could you do this?” I shouted, grabbing him by his collar. My hand whipped across his face, unable to control my strength as he fell to the ground. I never saw my father after that day. I don't know what had happened to him.

 

A year had passed since that day when I returned to her house, tears streaming from my eyes as I held her in my arms. She had a simple funeral, buried in the middle of the forest, far from the prying eyes of the villagers. I fell ill with the deadly influenza as I stayed in her family's care, almost to the point of death, my health slowly decaying. They knew she wouldn’t be able to rest in peace if they didn’t attempt to save me. The only thing they could have done was turn me into one of them.

 

 A few hours later, I was a strong, deadly vampire with an urge to kill. One of them. Her family brought me to their world and took me in as one of their own. I hated what I had become but I didn't possess anything that could have saved me. When I was strong and under-control, I travelled back to the human world. My heart was full of hatred of towards the humans, the kind who killed my Eunjung so I sought out to kill them. And so I did."

 

“So you lost your loved one and now you hate humans? Strange,” Victoria replied, sinking into the comfort of the seat as she was overcome with the urge to sleep. She knew he must have felt distraught and possessed no will in becoming vampire. But he hated humans. She hated vampires but she had a valid reason. Oh my god! I can’t believe I'm acting like this in front of him. I’m a hunter. I want to kill him. Huh, I wonder what he’ll do when he finds out I’m the Magnet, she thought to herself in worry.

 

“You’re the magnet? You can’t be serious!” Nichkhun shrieked, halting the car to a sudden stop as he turned to her in disbelief. Victoria slapped her forehead and buried her face in her hands, wincing in pain. She ruined her cover, heaving a deep sigh. The vampire community could be exposed to this information and they could dispose of her before she could commit more crimes.

 

“You do know how many vampires would be happy to know who the Magnet is. Especially since that person has killed so many of us."

 

“You wouldn’t dare,” she replied stubbornly. Victoria stared out of the window – trying to avoid his question- becoming overwhelmed by the beautiful winter landscape they passed. The surrounding forestry was blanketed by a layer of snow as it continued to cascade from the skies, wind whistling as it passed the car. She smiled at the thought of acting childish once again; tossing snowballs back and forth; creating masterpieces from snow; things she did before her parents died.

 

 Her expression grew colder as she turned to him once again, directing an icy glare in his direction. “Fine, I’m the magnet. I’m a vampire hunter and I wanted to kill you,” she finally answered. Nichkhun nodded respectively. The Magnet had brought fear to most vampires, including Nichkhun. Stories about the magnet were told to younger vampires to frighten them as they slept.  Knowing the magnet’s identity brought him some power and he could find her useful in the future.

 

“So what did you need my help for?” he asked curiously, returning to their inital conversation as he broke the awkward silence between them. His foot pressed against the accelerator, increasing the speed of the car as no others were visible in his line of sight.

 

“A vampire killed my parents. I want revenge so I need your help to find them,” Victoria answered briefly, hoping some kind qualities existed within him to provide her with what help she needed. He nodded in understand and then in agreement. She had somewhat saved him from sudden death and perhaps it could have been his way of returning the favour.

 

“What does this vampire look like? There are thousands out there."

“He had bright hair and golden eyes. He didn’t look very old but vampires don’t age so I guess you are all pretty young. Basically, I can recognise him immediately if I saw him,” she explained, the image of him flashing into her mind as she tried to give as exact as a descripition to aid them both in their search.

 

*****

30 Nov. 2011

The sun directed a ray of light upon Victoria's face as morning dawned upon them.She raised her hands and rubbed her eyes, adjusting to them bright light. Her fingers brushed through her dishevelled chocolate locks as a yawn escaped her lips, nausea sitting at the pit of her stomach. Shifting her eyes to her left she found Nichkhun, hands still clutching the steering wheel as the car continued across the road. She watched their surroundings from the corner of her eye, surprise coming over her face as they passed the many buildings of an unknown city.

 

“Where are we?” she asked curiously, placing her hands at both sides of her as she pulled herself up. She inhaled the icy freshness of the her surroundings and the faint scent of his cologne which remained on his shirt. He was not affected by the drowsy feelings of lack of sleep, breathing a slow breath.

 

“Well good morning to you too,” he spoke sarcsatically due to her lack of a welcoming message. “I have to run an errand and you are going to help me.” She was overcome with confusion, raising her eyebrows in questioning as she watched him. Why does he need my help? What does he even want to do? It was clear to her that her words would be heard but he didn't respond, a smirk lingering across his lips.

 

An hour later, Victoria found herself in a growing bank line which sat in the midst of the city. Clad in a fitted white blouse and a black pencil skirt which accentuated her curves, she appeared as though she was there for serious buisness just as he had planned. He hadn’t explained the whole plan to her so improvisation was key. The instructions she had been given explained that she was to wait in the line until he had arrived. That was it. He was not visible in her line of sight as she scanned the surrounding faces, unsure of whether he had just left her there. Unsure whether he was going to help her either.

 

“Next in line, please come forward,” the lady at the desk announced, caling Victoria forward as a strained look of distress came over their face. She was frozen in position as the elderly women tapped on her shoulder. Turning back and forth in surprise, she slowly shifted to the left as she continued to wait impatiently, tapping her fingers incessantly upon her arm. 

 

The consistent stares of the surrounding men burned holes through her. She felt growingly uncomfortable in the situation and the outfit he had chosen, wondering whether he had done so purpously to see how the Magnet could handle the situation. And he remained invisible as she crossed her arms of her chest and avoided their eyes. She questioned the feelings within her fellow hunters, colleagues, as news returned to them of the dramatic experience with the vampire, her betrayal and disappearance. Did they worry and wish for her well-being? Or were they overcome with hatred towards her? She supposed both were possibilities, hoping that the majority weighed more for her safety.

 

“Everyone put your arms behind you back!” a voice shouted as a masked figure appeared at the entrance of the bank, taking them all by surprise as he approached. The black outfit and dark, intimidating eyes was enough to frighten them as he strode past the crowds, the flash of metal flickering through their eyes as they followed his commands. Victoria's breaths quickened in fear as he slowly passed her, fear running through her veins as her thoughts returned to the missing Nichkhun who swore he would return as soon as possible.

 

“Give me all the money!” the figure roared, his large silhouette visible from the corner of her eye as she ducked to the ground. “I said give me all the money. I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!” he repeated impatiently, drawing out another steel object from the fold of his pocket. He directed one towards the banker's face, fingers urging towards the trigger as the cool metal contacted with his forehead. The banker was frozen in position, contradicting his commands.

 

The masked robber heaved a sigh as he slowly paced backwards, feet sliding against the marbled flooring of the building. He paused by Victoria's side, pressing the gun against her face as the other scanned over the surrounding people of the room in search of a target. Clenching his fingers around her wrist, he tightly gripped her arm, pulling her towards him as he ellicited a painful sigh from her lips. Beads of sweat hung on her forehead as she wriggled in his grasp, bringing her to the unwanted attention of those who surrounded her.

 

"If you don't give me all the money I'll...I'll kill her!" he spat angrily, grabbing a handful of her smooth hair. Victoria began hyperventilating at the thought of dying, biting down onto her lip to suppress the tears pricking at her eyes. She glanced upwards towards as she became overcome with surprise and hatred, recognising the mask upon his face as her own. A sudden realisation dawned upon her, meeting his dark eyes as he winked in secrecy.

 

“Okay, okay, put her down,” the bankers started calmly, breathing a cool breath, "I'll give you the money. Just let her go." The bankers hands reached downwards, heaving a sigh as he lifted a stash of money, shaking vigorously as Nichkhun approached him. The money was snatched from his hands as the faint echo of police sirens became audible in the distance, growing louder as they moved closer.

 

Nichkhun grabbed Victoria's arm with a smirk playing at his lips, passing by the crowds of those who feared him as he dragged her out of the building superciliously. He watched his movements carefully, continually turning back in search of the authorities after him. But fear didn't exist within him, knowing he was too cunning and smart to bring himself into that situation without knowing of what consequences existed and how they could be controlled from him to be successful. 

 

The pair continued along their path, avoiding the curious of those who surrounded them while they passed. His hand delved into his jacket pocket, searching hurriedly through the folds of fabric in search of his keys, pulling them out as he shoved Victoria inside, tossing the money into the back as he stepped onto the accelerator without a second spared to re-think his plan. The car whizzed away in a rushed haze, a cloud of pure white smoke escaping the back as they left the city behind.

 

“Why did you want to rob the bank? Are you some sort of freak?” Victoria asked in hatred. He ignored her completely, wiping the sweat from his brow as he removed the mask and passed it into her hands, focusing his eyes forward along the road.