Everyone is Connected

Berlin, Germany, 04:30 AM

3rd Person Perspective

"Capture the kid, you idiots!" a man yelled at his companions.

"It's downright embarrassing that they can't catch a little girl," he grumbled, brushing dust off his suit with a heavy sigh.

"I suppose I'll have to handle it myself, or she'll slip through our fingers." His voice oozed frustration, spreading a contagious weariness among his comrades.

With a mighty leap, he soared into the sky, his blond hair tousled by the wind. In mere moments, he transformed into a menacing black creature with wings. His nose vanished, leaving only gaps. His ears morphed into a sharper; more predatory form similar to that of a bat. His face took on a beastly, angular look as if every bone in his body was shifting, rendering him nearly skeletal. Massive claws extended out of his fingers, ready to rend flesh, and his teeth were replaced by fangs poised to tear a body apart. The only thing reminding everybody who it was, were his red eyes, radiating hatred, sorrow, and darkness, yet hooded in a façade of calm, like a predator preparing to pounce.

Spreading his wings, he swooped past his companions, leaving them behind.

"Where did she go? She was right in front of me, and now she's vanished!" one pursuer complained, visibly exasperated. His loud, laboured breathing signalled the toll the chase had taken on his stamina.

The hunters trailed the girl into an alley and lost her. Now they combed the area desperately, searching for any clue to her escape route. Little did they know, the girl had climbed the buildings and was leaping from one rooftop to the next.

"Ugh! I'm so exhausted. Why did they have to find me just before my regular nap? That's so unfair. I just wanted to rest and unwind," the brown-haired girl moaned as she fled from the vampires. The wind brushed against her porcelain skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

As she darted across rooftops, her eyes scanned for any vampires who might realize she had taken up. Before she could voice another complaint, she was pushed to the ground. The winged creature pressed his foot into her stomach and grinned, his fangs menacingly on display. The girl, albeit slightly taken aback by the impact, surveyed the creature before her.

His dark skin, long, sharp claws, fearsome fangs, and wings left her wondering who he might be.

"You're not a vampire. What are you, and why are you interrupting my nap?" the girl inquired as the creature's foot pressed down harder. Despite the immense pressure, she didn't flinch, displaying an unusual resistance.

The creature seemed delighted, as most beings subjected to such force would instantly succumb, their internal organs and bones crushed within seconds. It meant more playtime for him.

With a smile, he asked, "I could ask you the same question, but I already know what you are. Still, I'm a curious little thing. Could you maybe answer one of my questions before I take you to those foolish bloodsuckers?"

The girl's expression clearly said, "How boring," and she simply shrugged, not bothering to provide a substantial answer. Her gaze had already moved on to more intriguing sights.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.' So... how did you manage to get one of the vampire clans to hunt you? You're only 13, and yet more than 500 vampires want you dead," the creature queried, while the girl's face remained unemotional.

"Well... let's just say I know something that shouldn't be known by anyone except the clan members, not even the three eldest should have that kind of information," the girl said, flashing a small smile.

"You're fortunate that the clan hired me and not the elders," the creature chuckled.

"Well, they wouldn't be able anyway. If they did hire them, they would have needed to explain why they asked the elders to hunt down a mere little girl. By the way, I'm Paula. Can you tell me your name before we go our separate ways?" the girl asked the creature as she began plotting her next nap after dinner.

"Well, I think it's only fair if you introduce yourself to me first. My name is Azra," the creature replied. The girl took hold of his foot as he spoke and pushed him away. Azra was thrown with such force that he crashed into the building opposite. Bricks from the apartment tumbled to the ground, and Azra regained consciousness, peering in the direction where the girl should be resting. But to his dismay, she was already gone.

Azra took a mighty swing of his wings and returned to the sky, in pursuit of the girl. After a while, he spotted her leaping across buildings and finally descending into an alley. He followed her and saw that the vampires had at last located her position.

Landing in the alley where the girl was last seen, Azra found himself in the midst of action. Two vampires rocketed across the alley, crashing into the wall behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know they were dead, reduced to puddles of blood.

Gazing in the direction from which they had come, he saw the girl beheading a vampire with her bare hands. She was surrounded by at least ten other vampires, but her face betrayed no fear or concern, only boredom and fatigue.

"Paula, it wasn't very polite to cut our conversation short after I introduced myself," Azra approached, his maniacal laughter signaling his presence to the others.

Paula, her expression still bored, responded, "You know, it'd be much easier for us to talk if you'd let me get some rest. I'd be much more pleasant if I weren't so tired."

"Get her, you fool! We didn't bring you here just to stand around and chat with her!" one of the vampires instructed Azra, seething with annoyance.

The creature glanced at the vampire, sighed, and rolled his eyes before turning to Paula.

"I apologize, but I have to heed this idiot's orders," he said, launching himself at Paula with full force. Within seconds, Azra had Paula's neck in his grasp, lifting her off the ground. Despite the pressure on her neck, the girl didn't even flinch. It was as though the immense force exerted upon her caused no discomfort.

This only seemed to amuse the creature, as most others subjected to such a crushing force would have succumbed immediately, crushed internally.

With a smile, he addressed the girl, "At last! Now take her to the mansion."

As he prepared to move, Paula raised her legs and wrapped them around his arm. She grinned amid her bored expression as she threw Azra against the wall with her legs, freeing herself from his grip.

As Azra collided with the wall, the sound of bones cracking was audible. Paula glanced at the vampires and remained still. Azra, his bones back in place, looked at Paula as he turned into a human, his sharp claws replaced with ordinary nails, his wings vanishing, and his fangs becoming regular teeth. Only his eye color remained, but Azra's human smile quickly turned to one of terror and pain. His body began to blacken, the scent of decay filling the air, and his hair turned to dust, while his fingernails fell off. After the screaming ceased, his body fell lifeless.

Paula remarked casually, "Well, that was interesting. I'm sorry, but I have to go now; I have an appointment. Goodbye." She leaped into the sky and vanished, leaving the vampires scurrying into a nearby house through the back door as sunlight bathed the entire alley.