Her feet started to take a life of their own as she ran faster and faster, running away from something unknown and dangerous. It was she had gotten wings, wings of fear, that were carrying her away from something utterly evil. She didn't know what it was, but she felt its cold breath on her neck and all around her in the air. The trees were whispering about it.

A whisper...

She ran away from the lonely neighbourhood and she didn't look anywhere but ahead of her, although she knew that all the houses were empty and dark and cold... How did she know it? She couldn't tell. But she was so cold.

Did she hear a scream?

She stopped after she had ran a while and seen a few people and cars driving by. The sound of humanity started to surround her once again and she embraced it with appreciation and relif. Once she felt like she was a part of the real world again and not a horror movie, she stopped to catch her breath. She closed her eyes as she leaned against a brick wall, breathing in and out, slowly.

What the hell was that?, she thought swiftly and brought a hand to her forehead, sweeping away the small sweatdrops that were gathering on her pale skin.

She had been living in San Francisco now for quite a while and she had never experienced anything like that before. That feeling of pure evil, coldness and dark, dark shadows all around her...

"Stop thinking like this," she told herself firmly as her breath started to become regular once again. "It was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just a power of suggestion."

But still, to be sure, she continued to walk in crowded streets, hardly daring to look up. And when she heard the sirens, she picked up her pace, starting to run again. *** Gabriella turned away from the lonely street, continuing to walk in a determinate pace. She completely ignored every look the humans gave her although she did look around and examine the neighbourhood.

Stores. Music. People laughing. People walking by, hand in hand, going to a party, going home, going to a friend's house. People sitting in bars, drinking away their sorrows. People strolling aimlessly in the streets, begging for money to survive until tomorrow.

People.

Suddenly she heard a scream that came from the street she had just left. Someone had obviously found the body. People looked in that direction and some even started to walk, even run towards the cold and lonely street. Sirens were suddenly heard, coming closer and closer.

Without a hurry, she turned into another street that was much more quiet and once she had walked a while, she stopped at an old looking house that was still in a good shape and looked up at the sign that said "The Voyage Inn". She smiled, very slightly, and slid her gaze over the Inn.

Old and rusty cemetary gates were separating the garden from the street. The garden itself was well taken care of and it was filled with beautiful flowers like wild orchids and various other plants. But its beauty were its old dark trees that looked like they had lived through many centuries. They were hanging over fence, filled with fine apples and plums. Their scent filled the air and Gabriella breathed it in gratefully.

The house itself looked like it was built in the late 19th Century and was in a remarkably good shape. Beautiful wood-carved ornaments that were colored in chocolate brown refined the main entrance and the windows, as well as the roof. All of the windows were dark, except for one. The light of a candle was shining through the heavy dark curtains and the holder of the light made a circle with it in the air, showing her that it was safe and that she could come in. Then the light disappeared, as well as the holder, and the house was covered in darkness again.

If a human would look at the house, even they would notice that the darkness here was not normal. The shadows were thicker, hungrier there and they slid over the hosue, twisting and turning in their mystical and dark dance.

Gabriella's smile widened, even if she started to feel a bit tired. The night was all around her and she was still filled with the fresh blood of the young Sebastian. This had been a wonderful hunt. But she could not forget that... She was here for a mission. An important mission.

She shifted her bag to the other hand and opened the gates. Once she had walked through, she closed them behind her and started to walk towards the dark house that had the cheery and common name "The Voyager's Inn."