The Story

The Characters

III: The High Night Life

"I hate these stupid shoes! I can't believe you're making me do this!" Urara muttered to herself. She was dressed in fire-red leather like an SNM mistress. Her long tawny hair was tied back in a braid. Her spike-heeled pumps were killing her feet and her tiny leather skirt started to ride up her thighs over her fishnet tights. She pulled at her skirt, but Pluto tapped her on the arm.

"If you do that, it'll look like you don't want to show yourself," he hissed.

"I don't!" she hissed back. Kheyman, in the middle, silenced them both. As they approached the Raspberry Beret, Kheyman leaned toward Urara.

"Show time," he whispered, and patted her behind, making her stumble and turn her ankle. She turned to snap at him, but Kheyman and Pluto were gone.

"Damn shoes," she muttered to herself as she struggled to make her way down the street. A few minutes before, she had Kheyman to lean on, though she did have to make it look like she was cuddling him. The cold of his android arm around her hips still chilled her. Urara headed up the steps into the nightclub.

The bright neon lights, a lot brighter than the ones outside, nearly blinded her, and she bumped into a bouncer at the door. His hands clamped down on her shoulders and spun her around.

"You got to be over twenty-one to come in here," he growled. Urara gave him a who-cares smile and put one hand on his chest. The grip on her shoulders softened. She slid her thigh against his.

"You sure you want to kick me out?" she asked in a come-and-get-me voice. "If you let me in, I'll let you have some fun after work." He cleared his throat nervously.

"O-okay. G-go on in." He let go.

"Thanks," she cooed and left with a seductive swivel of her hips. Urara snickered behind her leather-clad hand. That was surprisingly easy. She was pretty good at this. Keep it up and she might actually get some big bucks just for a cuddle.

Urara scanned the crowds for her target, Nichiren. She passed a stage where a duet of twin cat-girl exotic dancers was performing. There was no sign of him. She sashayed up to a man in a pin-stripe suit with a cell phone standing beside a stairwell.

"Hi. You know where I can find Sho Nichiren?" she asked in a sugar-coated voice. He glanced at her.

"You got an appointment?" he asked her.

"You might say I'm a walk-in," Urara told him. He scowled down at her. She set one hand on her hip in a seductive way.

"What's your name?" he growled.

"That's for me to know," she said. He looked skeptical.

"Whatever. Head on upstairs." Urara made her way up the steep stairs. At the top, she came across a folding screen door, and she tapped on the panel. A male voice, with a bit of a French accent, called to her.

"Come in." She did so, sliding the screen shut. The room was nearly pitch black except for a small tiffany lamp casting a wan glow next to a mirrored vanity. She sat down in front of the mirror.

"My, my. You're a new one." A tall man with long brown hair stepped into view behind her in the mirror. He threaded his fingers through her long wavy hair, unraveling the braid. His touch was soft, but she could feel a terrible strength barely held in check. Her instincts pleaded with her to leave the room immediately. "What's your name?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," she told him in the sugary voice again. Urara began to wonder if her throat was going to be able to take it anymore.

"I see." Nichiren slowly bent down, toward her throat. Urara quickly stood up, and her mouth met his just as he was about to kiss her neck. She pressed her lower body against his, feeling the too-short skirt ride up her thighs again. Nichiren, his hands moving from her hips to her backside, guided her to the king-size bed. She collapsed with him on the mattress. The silk spread was cool beneath their bodies. She let go of his mouth, and he smiled down at her.

"My, you taste sweet," Sho remarked. His hand traveled to the zipper of her leather tube top. Urara felt the blood suddenly rush to her head. He ducked to her collarbone and made his way to her neck. She reached down to grasp the metal stake beneath her skirt. As she drew it out, Nichiren suddenly knocked it from her hands with an angry snarl. It hit the rug with a muffled thud. Nichiren glared down at her, his green eyes sparking with rage. She struggled under his steely grip, terror filling her deep blue eyes.

"Nice try, bitch! I'm gonna make you wish you'd never done that!" Urara screamed as he plunged his fangs into her throat. He had the gush and there was no way in hell he was going to let it go! She screamed over and over with tears of fright rolling down her cheeks as he drank hard. Suddenly, Nichiren stiffened, then reared back. As she watched in horror, the metal stake was shoved through his chest from behind. Huge quantities of blood poured from the wound and soaked the bedclothes as Urara scooted back out of range. Nichiren roared and clawed at the stake effortlessly as he slowly shriveled up. His husk of a body fell to the side, revealing the killer. It was the twin cat-girl exotic dancers from downstairs!

"Are you all right?" one asked in a thick Southern accent, while the other punched the air with her fist and shouted, "We got 'im!!"

"He bit me," she whimpered. The other cat-girl moved closer.

"Oh dear. He certainly did, didn't he," she said.Just then, Kheyman appeared in the doorway followed by a breathless Pluto. Urara started crying again and threw her arms around Kheyman's neck. He immediately spotted the marks on her throat and he pulled her away.

"He bit you!" Kheyman snarled.

"Damn!" Pluto exclaimed, appearing behind him. The first twin handed a silk scarf to Kheyman.

"Here. Tie this around her neck. It'll hide the marks," she said. Kheyman did so. "Ah heard the screamin' up here, and Ah thought Ah'd see what the fuss was all about."

"Yeah. We shoulda known Nichiren was up to somethin'," the other said.

"You knew Nichiren?" Pluto asked.

"Not personally. But shucks, we've heard stories. And none of 'em was any good."

"Who are you?" Kheyman asked them.

"Ah'm Ana," the first one said.

"And Ah'm Uni," the other said. "We're exotic dancers here. Great pay, though some of the guys ain't much fun. It keeps bread on the table anyway."

"I see. Well, thank you for taking care of Nichiren. I'll turn him in and give half the money to you," Kheyman offered. Ana shook her head.

"Nah. It was our pleasure. You keep the money. We got enough to keep us alive for a little while," she told him, elbowing Uni as she opened her mouth to protest. Kheyman turned. Pluto had already hacked off Nichiren's head and was dumping it into a drawstring bag.

"Hey, can we come with ya?" Uni asked. Kheyman paused at the door, Urara slumped against him.

"If you like," he said. Ana and Uni followed the trio downstairs and to the exit. A couple of bouncers stopped them.

"Where do you think you're going?" one of them asked Kheyman.

"She's with me," he snarled back.

"What about those two?" another said, gesturing toward Ana and Uni. Pluto put his arms around their hips with the bag dangling from his wrist.

"They're with us, too," he said. The bouncers, looking at each other skeptically, stepped back, and they hurried out the door. Once outside, Pluto let go of the cat-girls.

"I'll tell you what, I sure didn't like having that head against ma ass," Uni complained, smoothing the back of her leather mini skirt.

"Come on. We have to get to the Bounty Station before--" Kheyman suddenly looked down at Urara. She shook as though she were having a fit. The whites of her eyes had turned pale red, and already her eyeteeth were lengthening. She suddenly lunged for Kheyman's neck. He dodged back, her fangs just inches away from his throat. Pluto grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. It took both twins and Pluto to hold her back.

"Damn it! She's already turning over!" Kheyman exclaimed. The commotion Urara was causing was drawing a lot of attention. Kheyman grabbed her and broke into a long-legged run down the street. Ana, Uni, and Pluto struggled to keep up with him. Usually it took about five minutes to get to Kheyman's flat from that area. This time it took him one minute and twenty seconds flat.

Kheyman raced up the stairs and threw open the front door with Urara in his arms, who was still struggling to get at his neck. In a few strides he was across the kitchen, den, and into the bedroom. "Pluto, get the rope from the closet. Ana and Uni, follow me," he ordered. The three rushed to obey.

Kheyman shoved Urara down on the bed, and forced himself on top of her to keep her from escaping. Urara screamed and tore at him angrily. Ana and Uni watched from the doorway, clutching each other in fear. Kheyman fought to hold her down, his face screwing into a frustrated grimace. Pluto rushed in, and Kheyman grabbed the rope. "Get the elixir! Now!"

Pluto hurried to get what he asked.

"Ana! Uni! Hold her down, both of you, while I tie her!" he barked. The cat-girls rushed to his side and did as they were told. Kheyman tied Urara's wrists and ankles to the head and foot of the bed. Ana and Uni had a very hard time holding her down. Even the both of them combined didn't have the strength of Kheyman. He ordered them to let go of her just as Pluto returned. He took the syringe with the clear liquid and stuck the needle into her neck. She screamed as the elixir entered her veins, the antidote-like composition destroying the vampiric blood. Slowly she calmed down, then entered a coma-like trance.

"Is she okay?" Uni asked.

"The elixir will take some time to destroy all the vampiric blood. Meanwhile, Urara will stay in the trance for a good five hours. I want Pluto to take Nichiren's head down to the Bounty Station and collect the money. Ana and Uni, I want you to get Urara dressed in something more appropriate. Her clothes should be in the bathroom in the linen cupboard." And with that Kheyman left the room. The three took a moment to wonder at his attitude.

"What was that stuff?" Ana asked on an impulse, indicating the elixer.

"Silver nitrate," Pluto explained. "Kheyman and I stock it incase one of us gets bitten when we're on our rounds. But normally he would have killed her the second she turned." He looked bothered, frowning. "She's getting to him. I can tell."

"No kiddin'. Ah don't know the guy, but he seems a bit irked," Ana said. They shrugged and headed off to their duties.

Kheyman drew out the handkerchief with her bloodstains on it. He wiped some of her blood onto a sample panel and slid a disk cover over it. The panel was inserted into the disk drive. A DNA chain appeared on the screen with status to the side. His eyes ran over the information briefly, then he clicked on the DNA chain. It enlarged to a three-dimensional graphic. As it rotated on an invisible axis, Kheyman suddenly spotted something. He clicked on a bar and it enlarged. He snapped his fingers.

Find something of interest? a voice asked.

"I believe I have," he muttered.

Well? What is it?

"She's missing a DNA strand. In fact, three."

What's the big deal? I wouldn't say much as far as your DNA chain is concerned. Last I knew, you barely had--

"Shut up. You know not to go there."

So sorry.

"Smart ass," Kheyman grumbled.

"Ah don't see why we have to dress her. Ah mean, she's perfectly capable of dressin' herself as soon as she wakes up," Uni complained. Ana, the older by five seconds, shrugged as she deposited the prostitute clothes in the laundry chute.

"What Ah'm wonderin' is, what's his deal? Obviously he's crushin' on her or somethin', only he's not actin' like it," Ana said.

"Whatevah. Anyway, who is Kheyman Maharet--"

"Why do you want to know?" Ana and Uni spun around, crying out in surprise. Kheyman stood in the doorway, his long lanky frame casting a shadow that stretched toward them across the threadbare carpet. Uni scooted in front of Urara, who was only half dressed.

"Oh. Uh, we was just talkin' and all. Nuthin' personal," Ana protested. Uni nodded vigorously.

"Yeah. We wasn't sayin' bad things'," she agreed. Kheyman approached them as they shrank back.

"You seem afraid of me," he said.

"Oh, we ain't afraid. It's just, you remind us of a fella who was real rough and stuff. No offense or nuthin', 'kay?" Ana pleaded. Kheyman's mouth formed a thin half-smile.

"All right then. And by the way, I won't hurt you if you don't give me a reason. And I mean no disregard by that." He left the room. Uni shivered.

"Oooh. That guy gives me the creeps," she complained.

"Hey, Kheyman! I'm back!" Pluto walked in carrying a large wad of bills in one hand. He had a scowl on his face.

"What's wrong?" Kheyman asked. Pluto tossed the rolled-up wad of bills at him. He caught it in his right hand.

"That frigging hologram at the Bounty Station has a few wires crossed! It insisted it owed me fifty thousand pounds instead of five HUNDRED thousand! I tried my best to bargain with the stupid machine, but all I could get was seventy-five thousand. That's a rip-off if I ever did meet one!" Pluto fumed.

"That's all right. As long as we're paid. Come here and look at this." Pluto peered at the screen.

"Oh my God. There're three missing strands! Who's is this?"

"This is Urara's."

"That means-- oh wow!"

"What's all the fuss about?" Ana and Uni walked in and crowded around the computer. Uni looked confused.

"Ah don't see nuthin' wrong with that DNA," she said. Ana snorted.

"Can't you see, stupid? The DNA chain's missin' a couple strands."

"So?"

Kheyman sat back in the chair, resting his chin on his fist, staring at the DNA chain as the twins squabbled back and forth. He wondered what Urara really was.

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