After the Fall: A Vampire Chronicle (Book One) Read Free Page B

the hell out of there, to scream at the top of her lungs, but her feet were rooted to the floor and she couldn’t breathe. A thought washed over her and began to sink in: You’re going to die.
                  Across the room, the male ran his tongue lazily across his teeth, licking away the crimson liquid that covered them, running across two unusually large and pointy canines. This time, Caroline did faint – her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed to the floor.
                  The female approached her and bent down, but the male grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly up.
                  “There’s no time,” he hissed. “Listen.”
                  Her ears perked, and she heard quickly approaching sirens. The screams earlier must have disturbed some of the neighbors.
                  “There will be time, Anya,” he continued. “Once the Master has won, there will be plenty of time.”
                  “But I’m hungry, Gideon,” she whined. He smiled viciously at her.
                  “Don’t be greedy, love. Save this one for later.”
                  Giving him her own arctic grin, she grabbed his face and ran her tongue over his chin and lips, licking away the blood. She stared into his eyes.
                  “Promise?”
                  “Of course, my love.”
                  She looked down at the unconscious girl at her feet and reluctantly backed away, following her companion back into the kitchen. As two squad cars pulled up in front of the building, the two of them climbed out the window onto the fire escape, taking it up to the roof of the building, where they disappeared into the night, long gone by the time the police finally got to the scene of their very bloody handiwork.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
                 
    It took Caroline only a few seconds once she awoke to realize that she was not alone in her room. It took her a little longer to realize that she was not in her room, but in a hospital. With that realization came all the memories of the night before, rushing back over her like a flood. Without looking to see who her visitor was, she sat up in bed, closed her eyes in a futile attempt to keep the bloody images at bay, and vomited into the garbage pail that suddenly appeared before her.
                  “Lucky for the two of us that you turned an unhealthy shade of green just then,” her visitor said, and though she kept her eyes closed, she could hear a tiny smile in his voice, which was deep and gravelly and accented – Spanish or Italian, maybe. Her eyes remained shut until she felt a cool, wet cloth being pressed to her forehead. It was a welcome relief, and she opened her eyes to finally see who it was who had been so kind.
                  “Ah, so you are awake. I was beginning to think you were still asleep. Feeling better?”
                  The man fit his voice. He was old, perhaps in his sixties, with a snow white beard and head of hair, but he wasn’t frail; he was tall and a bit stocky, and an image of Sean Connery came to Caroline’s mind. She had absolutely no clue who he was. The man was looking at her inquisitively, and she realized he had asked her a question.
                  “Yes, thank you,” she muttered.
                  “Good.”
                  “This may be a stupid question, but do I know you? Are you the police?” Strangers had never made her nervous before, but all that had changed when she encountered those pale freaks in her apartment.
                  The man’s face suddenly became grave, and his brow furrowed, as if concentrating on something intensely.
                  “No, Miss Gallagher, as answer to both your questions. I am not the