Chapter 2: The Hero in the Shadows

*[7 Days before the Volcanic eruption]*

The winds where howling, and the moon had shined the brightest it had ever shined before, and the clouds seemed to simply avoid the moons gaze. In a dark and secluded alley, away from prying eyes where everything interesting somehow begins, a young woman was being robbed. She wore black pointed shoes, good for kicking someone to death I suppose, she wore a black skirt that had a rose design in white along the side as well as a thick black leathered jacket that seemed to be hiding a tape recorder and a 32 pixel quality camera. Her robber was dressed in a turtle neck as if that wasn't a crime in itself, he had the audacity to where sunglasses in the night. After watching the robber and the woman play with a hand bag, pulling it back and forth continuously I felt like just moving on but then, then he had the gall to strike her down. Something in me decided to swoop down and do something. As I floated down I incorrectly estimated the distance from the roof top to the ledge and ended up slipping on the ledge. Luckily at that exact moment he was getting ready to run away in the direction I was falling. As I landed on top of him, I grabbed the bag. "Thank you so much kind sir..." a voice behind me said, sweet and kind and for the first time I could get the smell of apple scented shampoo, instead of the usual scent of blood, thick, glorious, wondrous, heavenly delicious blood. Uhhm sorry about that, my appetites getting to me.

"Who are you?" She asked, with a slight sense of hesitation and all the more relief. I said nothing and just handed her, her bag. Before she could take it she held my hand and refused to let go. I could feel that my vampire teeth had already been out and I was so hungry, so very very, very, hungry. I could hear the sound of her artery vein pumping, the blood moving and moving and moving. The sound just kept getting louder and louder. In a moment of weakness I slowly tilted my head to catch a better sniff of her blood but at the same time. I saw something much, much more alluring. I saw her. Her eyes, emerald green, her hair, as golden as well, gold. And her smile, that damn smile. My teeth had retracted but only barely, so I could make my escape with my supper. "Just another run of the mill hero mam, now if you don't mind letting go, I would like to apprehend this criminal, and see to it that justice prevails" I said, while trying to disguise my voice and accent. "Well what's your name hero, I mean I deserve a name, after all you did save my life" "Don't cut yourself short mam, another minute and you would have knocked him out cold" "Well why didn't you wait a little longer" "Because mam, I don't think he would have woken up after a kick from your shoes" She began to smile a little but I was to hungry to admire it. "Look mam, your shoe lace is untied" "My what..?" She looked down and realized she doesn't have lace, and as she picked her head up, I had disappeared along with the criminal.

I snuck on top of a staircase almost directly above her. As she smiled and walked away, I indulged my hunger and drank the man dry. That's what I do. I am a vampire and I only drink the blood of the damned. Never again will I spill innocent blood, never again...

*[5 Days before Eruption]*

In the corner of a donut shop, there was a man who sold newspapers as well as other fancy and interesting reading material. As I passed by, dressed in all black, I couldn't help notice the front page headline of the newspaper. "A HERO AMONGST US", and a picture or rather a sketch of what I looked like that night. Me, a hero ? That's just preposterous, quite possibly a sick joke, maybe. I was upset, mad even but how could I be, the sketch didn't even look like me. So I decided to ignore it and continue my day with a nice creamy donut. As I stepped into the store, I felt like shooting myself, not that I could die for I'm immortal, but just for the pure Symbolic gesture. There she was, standing in line, impatiently looking at her watch every so and so seconds thinking maybe just maybe an hour had passed by. I watched as she got to the counter and ordered her coffee and left as soon as paying for it. She seemed so Impatient as if her time wasn't enough. But maybe I no longer value it, since time, is all I have left.

*[4 Days till well you know]*

I sat at my usual booth at the store. And like clockwork, she appeared, ordering the same thing as last time, coffee, I guess it was her usual and just like before she payed and left.

The next day the sun was unyieldingly hot and honestly even though I'm immortal, I felt like I was dying. This time I stood at the counter waiting for her. But she did not arrive, I must have waited all day ordered about a dozen delicious drinks called milkshake, I for one was hooked. Never before has something tasted almost as good as fresh blood. The next day I decided to wait for her again but when I got to the counter to order my usual, I realized I ran out of cash. I would have to go back to the bank and cash in some of my gold for walking around money. But the bank was so far and I didn't want to miss the chance to see her again. So just as I was about to leave the lady behind me says "one coffee please, and I'll pay for his drink as well", shocked that there is still some decent human beings alive I turn around to find that it was the same girl I was looking for. "Really, thank you" She smiles and as she grabs her coffee to leave I quickly blurt out "would you like to have dinner with me, just to make it up to you for this" she stops to look at me "it wouldn't have to be a dinner dinner it could be a lunch or a breakfast dinner" I start contemplating on all the right ways I could have said that but my mind was more fixated on her eyes, the way it looked at me and that small yet glimmering desire to say yes, probably out of curiosity. I just couldn't think straight. "Sure, why not I mean you're a fairly good looking guy" "Great so when do you get of work" "wow there tiger, slow down, maybe tomorrow we'll have lunch how about that, say 12 eish" "Cool, I'll be waiting". And just like that, I got myself a date eish.

*[1 day before...well you get the point]*

I sat down waiting for her. Why, why was I so nervous, I couldn't sit still, I kept changing seats, I kept crossing my legs, and I kept looking at the menu thinking that maybe just maybe I'll find something new. I mean I've been alive for so long I should at least know how to sit still right. Finally I achieved the perfect position and no, I was not sitting on the floor with my legs up in the air, I'm a Vampire not some yoga teacher.

Before I knew it, she walked In. Now maybe this is because I'm immortal and time effects me differently but the moment she entered the room, it was as if time itself had stood still, and I had an out of body moment. I walked around her, gazing and mesmerising every angle of her beauty, the way her hair, sat perfectly on her shoulders as if she where a statue and it made of mabel, set in stone of perfect symmetry. Her lips, it was as if she had sliced a strawberry and rubbed it on her lips, creating a sweet yet mellow feeling and I'd bet it'd be really healthy if I where to kiss her. But one thing stood out more than just her lustful lips, her eyes. Those eyes are as rare as monsters, I suppose. She was simply, breath taking.