Ember closed her eyes and threw her body across the room. The sensation of razor sharp fingernails slid down her back cutting her back to ribbons. Slamming against the ground, Ember felt the wound in her side open just a little more. Fresh blood soaked through her black t-shirt. The crème colored carpet bellow her was rapidly matching. Rolling over the hunter pulled the 9mm Baretta from her side holster and unloaded half a clip into the vampire’s chest. The adorable façade of the bright-eyed black bobbed princess was lost now to the predatory visage charging at her.

The brunette vampire snarled at Ember behind her dimples. The girl had looked like any fresh faced graduate heading off to college. Hell, this vampire could have passed for anyone’s doe eyed childhood friend. And, that is what made her so dangerous. This predator hid behind a mask of a truly open face. The impact of the bullets knocked it off balance. Rolling up, Ember knew she needed a better plan and fast.

“You don’t love me anymore.” The blonde female vampire behind her yelled in a thick Russian accent as she stomped her foot in protest. Her white blonde straight hair hung over her bare breast.

“How can you say that? I brought you two new toys.” The older looking British man across from her seemed to plead.

“Da. And, the vone I like is a fucking hunter. You are trying to get rid of me. You are just to veak to do it yourself.” The blonde threw a lamp at his head.

“I am not too weak. It is a “w” dear. You said you wanted a redhead. I brought you two.” He said as he stepped to the side allowing the lamp to fly past his head then smash on the wall. His British accent remained calm and neutral.

Ember watched as the young girl in the corner shook. The child barely moved as she rocked with her knees pulled up into her chest. The soft wailing of the teenager came and went with the sudden explosion of the gun. The crying to screams then died back down. Much more of this and there wouldn’t be a person in there to save. Ember could almost see the count down.

“Will you two stop bickering? I want to remind you two that there is a hunter in our home.” The brunette vampire yelled her French accent emphasizing her irritation at the other two.

“Catherine, Vinston is trying to kill me. He just doesn’t love us.” The blonde continued throwing her pale body on the four-poster bed in the center of the room.

“W. It is a W.” The male vampire just corrected her. “Catherine, I can’t do anything with her when she is like this. Can you get her to see reason?” Winston rubbed his forehead picking up the discarded cigarette.

“Winston, I am a little busy at the moment.” The vampire in front of her rolled her eyes as she tried not to be pulled into the argument.

It was the distraction, Ember had hoped for. Bolting across the room, Ember hauled the younger girl up in her arms and slammed through the picture window. Ember shielded the girl with her body as they rolled across the front lawn towards her ’69 Camaro. Pulling the babbling girl up and towards the car, Ember knew she only had one shot at getting the two of them out alive. The teenager in her arms didn’t put up a fight as the hunter all but threw her into the vacant passenger seat. Slamming the idling vehicle into motion, Ember raced as quickly as she could away from the nightmare that lived in that house. The Atlanta skyline crept up over the horizon heralding safety.

The highway snaked through the underbelly of the city, bringing everyone within inches of the South’s most privileged members of society. They would come to the cultural hub dressed in the latest designer labels seeking a mix of old world southern charm and a Manhattan-styled nightlife. The rich men and women held to their rituals without knowledge of how close they ever came to death. This left over culture of expected politeness, good ole boy rules, and chivalry was the equivalent of a Sunday brunch for people who should have died long ago. Vampires who found it too difficult to adjust to the changes of the modern world could just claim a traditional upbringing to excuse of their manners. Someone who overly romanticized the era of plantations could loose their life to a vampire who knew just how much to tell them. And, even though like any good residence of Georgia, Ember left the idea of Rhett Butler on the silver screen.

The small teenager in the passenger seat beside her refused to look up at the bright lights of the Atlanta nightlife. Her body still shivered. Pulling a micro-fiber grey blanket out of the backseat, Ember tried to give the girl somewhere to hide. Like many in Atlanta, Ashley had come to Atlanta for a four-year degree. The tuitions were high, the weather was mild most of the year, and it was only a few hours drive from her hometown. The sudden freedom of a new city was exciting. With no rules her own self-responsibility had degraded after a month or two. The sheltered child who looses themselves wasn’t much more then a cliché.

That is when Ember had gotten a call. The frantic mother on the other end of the line rushed through an explanation of her daughter’s sudden erratic behavior. The big city was a bad influence. Her little girl had just gotten up with a bad crowd, and the police didn’t take her seriously. The entire time the woman insisted how wrong the situation felt. It was a gut instinct of a mother trying to protect her child. From Ember’s point of view it was the strongest intuition out there.

Ember’s reputation was one most people would never come across. To most people, she was like most people in the south. A sweet young woman descended from Irish immigrants, who were just trying to carve out a space for a new life. But, to many cops and parents with troubled children, Ember was a retriever. Despite its obvious lack of the bigger picture the term didn’t bother Ember. To most people retrieving would be her function. And, from their point of view, they would be right. People go missing in big cities it is a horrible fact of life. And, in most cases the cops can help. They don’t always find a living person on the other end and the loss is sometimes unavoidable, but they try. Most cases the person is simply a runaway, who crawls out of their hole with the money they are surviving on runs out. But sometimes, it is more then that. Sometimes the information doesn’t add up. The witnesses all have the same consistencies in their stories. Sometimes there is evidence left behind that just can’t be real. And, that is when the grieving receives a phone number or a simple white business card. Ember Moore for most people was a person who would believe them. Then the cops would wash their hands of the case, and move on to the next poor soul lost in the darkness.

So Ember would listen. She would invite them to a studio apartment, she kept as more of an office then a home. They would sit down and tell her about the lost, the investigation that had no leads, and the awful feeling that couldn’t be calmed. Like Ashley, many of them were victims of the real monsters in the world. This time it had been vampires, who picked teenagers out of the crowd looking for a new lifestyle.

Ember dodged through the lanes of the highway aiming at the carpool lane. The interweaving high-speed dance with a handful of near misses reminded her more of combat then driving. It was a shame that this level of semi-suicidal behavior was common in the drivers around her. The term Combat Merging came to mind. It was the general vehicular atmosphere that kept the cops of Atlanta buys and well funded.

“Ashely, can you talk yet?” Ember asked quietly. A small accepting grunt came from the passenger seat.

“It is okay. I am going to ask you yes-no questions. I have to make sure you are okay.” Ember continued on in her most soothing voice.

“Are you hurt?” Ember waited for the answer. A small whimper came from the seat then a tilted head that exposed a set of moon shaped bite marks on her lower neck.

“Did they make you drink anything?” Ember asked the next question. Ashley’s head shook side to side.

“Ashley, did they feed you anything?” Ember needed to know how they had been sustaining her. A second small whimper was her only reply.

“I am going to get you somewhere safe, then I am going to find you real food. I don’t want you to worry. I was hired by your mother to find you. I am going to call her and tell her you are okay. Do you want a burger or a steak?” Over the years, Ember had found it to be easier for the victims to have the whole truth. It kept down the suspicion and helped them through the shock. It was the same way you tell some with a loaded gun that you are going to move before you do. It led to trust and kept them feeling safe. Giving them small choices to make also allowed them to take back a little power without being overwhelmed.

“Burger.” Thankfully, Ember got a response. It was the first sign that the girls mind hadn’t been shattered by the experience.

Getting off the interstate, Ember relaxed and went onto autopilot. The car drifted through intersections and her body just seemed to find it’s own way home. The older brick apartment building was home. The black rod iron porches that jutted off gave the building charm. Each apartment with brick exposed walls and hardwood floors were idea for the up and coming young professional. And, at two in the morning the building was a ghost town. Many of the residence were tucked safely in their beds waiting for the alarm clock to sound. So Ember didn’t have to worry about dodging anyone while getting Ashley up to the loft. A short elevator ride and a long hall later they were both tucked behind enough protection runes to ward off a full demon incursion. Not that Ember ever wanted to test this theory.

Ember believed in simplicity. And, her loft represented that.

The simple black squared off furniture and the simple likes of the couch mirrored the modern feel of the apartment. The exposed brick walls gave to the charm an industrial feel. It kept people she brought over comfortable without them getting the idea that this was a place to stay. And with everyone she brought home, Ember walked Ashley into the only bathroom.

“There are towels in the closet. When you get done with it, there is a hamper in the bottom. There are some clothes in there. Pick anything you want. I am going to call your Mom.” The girl seemed to just follow the simple orders.

Walking over to the computer, Ember sat down to do one of the few perks of her job. Flipping through the little yellow slips of paper tacked to the glass top table, she found the phone number the woman had given her. Within a ten-digit dial, Ember was able to get transferred up to the hotel room.

“Hellllooo?” A sleepy voice answered the phone.

“Mrs. Harris?” Ember asked giving the woman a minute to wake up.

“Ms. Moore? Oh god… did you find anything? Is there…” The woman’s voice became panicked.

“Mrs. Harris, I have good news. I have your daughter.” It was the moment that made everything worth it. The woman on the other end didn’t respond. The sudden gasping of breath and sobs were the only relief that could come out. It was the relief that Ember liked to listen to.

“Mrs. Harris, I have her at my loft. She is getting cleaned up. I have food for her. When you are okay to drive, you should come by and pick her up. Then I suggest the both of you leave town and head back to Greenville.” Ember needed to get the two of them moving and out of harms way, before that sick coven on vampires came looking for Ashley.

“Yes. I will be right over to get her.” The mother on the other end said quickly.

“Make sure you clean out the hotel room and check out. It will be better for Ashley to get her away from Atlanta.” Ember insisted.

“How can I ever thank you? You don’t understand she is all I have left.” The woman about broke.

“Just promise me you will leave tonight. Don’t stick around.” Ember wanted to make sure the woman in shock understood.

“Alright.” The woman answered half aware.

Hanging up the phone, Ember walked into the kitchen and took out the emergency medical kit she kept tucked under the sink. The long grey tool kit held everything you might ever need. And right now, Ember needed. The black t-shirt had begun to dry to the wound on her side. It was the crunchy painful feel of a wound she knew would reopen. Heating up a wet washcloth, Ember pressed the warm compress against the shirt trying to loosen the forming scab. Slowly working the wound Ember managed to pull it away without too much trauma to the already painful cut. Throwing the shirt in an empty trash bag, Ember stood there trying to see the extent of the wound. After a few moments of some tentative prodding, the wound was declared painfully but not fatal. Thankfully it was also in an easy area to patch by her self. The last thing she wanted to do was call Vicki to come help her with another injury.

Vicki was the most amazing neighbor in the world from her point of view. The short bubbly brunette slept during the day and worked on and off at night as a hospice nurse. So Vicki could diagnose, patch, and medicate anything. Ember viewed this to be the biggest perk of living where she did. The second best thing about Vicki was her willingness to help Ember out without too many questions. The first time meeting had been rough.

Ember could remember putting her keys in the door trying to hold pressure on the gushing wound. The fear of loosing the limb hadn’t been as intense as the fear of the vampire outside of the apartment building waiting for her to need an ambulance. But, Vicki had been the only neighbor up. Her voice had come through as she pulled Ember into her apartment, then rushed back into her apartment for her pack. The woman with green eyes had gone into motion working in a flurry trying to stop the bleeding. Within a few minutes Vicki was scowling and reaching for the phone to do just what Ember had to avoid.

“No ambulance.” Ember had choked out.

“You need a hospital to make sure you haven’t lost too much.”

“No ambulance.”

“It isn’t self inflicted. So how?” Vicki demanded.

“I was trying to save a kid. I find runaways for a living. It doesn’t always go well.” Ember gave Vicki the only answer she could.

After that Ember had made sure to get to know Vicki. It was important to know the people who save you. Likewise, Vicki had made it a point to look in on Ember. After a couple knife wounds and a bullet that needed to be dug out, Vicki stopped asking questions. The only one she continued to ask was if Ember had found the kid. Most of the time, Ember got to come home with an answer. But, on occasion Vicki was also the person to share a beer with when the day hadn’t gone the way she wanted. But, tonight Vicki was out working with a client and the wound just needed a few butterfly bandages to pull it closed. With a final, patch Ember considered her amateur medical experience well worth the few hours she had spent watching Vicki.

The bathroom door opened and Ashley came out looking more like the child that had been describe to her. The girl just stared around like a nervous cat. Opening the freestanding closet Ember changed quickly into something more presentable. The dark denim jeans, a white button down tailored shirt, and a pair of black heels gave off a better image of professional.

“You’re burger is in the kitchen. We need to talk a little before your mother shows up.” Ember turned to the girl.

“O… Okay.” Ashley seemed to brace for some sort of impact.

“I am not going to hurt you. But, you know things now. Your mother is going to have questions. And, they aren’t going to be easy to answer. I don’t want to tell you what to do. These are decisions you will have to make. And, there are a few ways to go with this. I will go with whatever you choose.” Ember led Ashley to the small kitchen table where her burger and a soda sat.

“You can tell your mother the truth. This is an option. It is hard for people who have never seen things. People have been taught that the scary things don’t exist, and for most people that lets them feel safe. You can tell your mother that it was gang related and she will accept it. Tell her it was cult related is also an option. You can also tell her that you got pulled into something you can’t talk about, and I will tell her it will be best for the both of you if it never comes up. No matter what you want to tell her, I promise that you can always call me to talk to about it. And, if you want someone else to talk to I know someone you can call. If your mother insists on a therapist I know one, you can give her. The woman was also attacked and she knows how you feel. I suggest that you talk to her after this.” Ember need Ashley to know that there were people on her side and who understood.

“I can’t tell her can I?” Ashley asked quietly.

“You can. But, vampires are hard to believe in for people who haven’t experienced it. If you want to be able to talk to her about it, you can tell her it was a cult that acted like vampires. It is close to the truth and your mother will accept it.” Ember tried to comfort the girl. The girl seemed to hold onto that option. It was the look of decision that Ember was used to reading in people.

“Okay.” Ashley accepted the story.

“I do want you to talk to my friend. You have been through something traumatic.” Ember knew what it was like to be cut off from the outside world. It was painful how isolated you could feel even in a crowded city.

“Okay.” Ashley accepted again.

An insistent knocking interrupted Ember’s thoughts. Crossing the room Ember stepped out into the hall without letting the woman in. Mrs. Harris stared at her confused. The woman’s thin face resembled the girl in her kitchen. The same high cheekbones rested under similar almond eyes.

“Is she alright? Where is she?” The woman threw questions at her.

“She is inside. She is shaken from her experience. So I need you to know a few things, before we go in. It will help you in helping her. Your daughter was targeted by a local cult. The leader is a guy who lost touch with reality. He has a habit of targeting people then isolating them.” Ember started off slowly.

“Oh god, my poor girl.” The woman looked as if Ember had hit her.

“You need to know that when he pulls them in he breaks down their hold on reality. He encourages his followers to go out and find others who would be easy to pull in. The rough part is that since his control works based on isolation, he has most of his followers brainwashed into thinking they are vampires. When Ashley tried to get out, they turned on her. I got her out. She has a few bite marks, but no serious physical damage. But, I have a friend who is a therapist. She specializes in this. I want to give you her number. She will talk to Ashley and help her move past this experience. She is extremely good.” Ember laid the ground work for Ashley.

“Will she be okay?” Mrs. Harris was almost in tears.

“I think she will. Ashley is more responsive then most I find. With a little help, I think she will be better. Just be calm around her. Let her know you are there for her. She might act a little distant at first, but that will end when she comes out of shook.” Ember was honest. Ashley was holding together better then most. The worst cases never spoke again. They just retreated into safe world they constructed and never came out again.

“Thank you, Ms. Moore. I can’t begin to thank you enough.” The woman exclaimed as she through her arms around Ember. The hug surprised her and Ember had to bite down on her lower lip to avoid wincing at the pain in her side.

“You are welcome. I am just glad I had good news for you.” Ember smiled.

The scene inside played out as they always did. Ashley’s mother darted over to her. The woman pulled her child up and into a hug that would never be filled with more love and compassion. Ashley cried for the first time since her escape. Ember nodded to the girl letting her know that she had already covered the hard points for her. The mother insisted that her child come home with her, and like all truly scared children she accepted. Ember handed the Mr. Harris a small piece of paper with several business cards. It was the best post traumatic packet, Ember could give the woman. Then before walking them to the door, Ember slipped her reloaded gun in the waistband of her jeans hidden under her shirt when the two weren’t looking. There wasn’t a reason to scare the two of them any more then they already had been. And, at the same time there wasn’t a reason to walk out naked after having pissed off three very petty vampires. Getting them back into the woman’s white SUV had been easy. And, with another round of thanks, Ember had both of them pointed towards the interstate that would take them far from the danger that would hunt Ashley. It was another case with a happy ending.

Walking back into the building, Ember passed by the long line of mailboxes and collected the bills she knew would be there. With this case, Ember would be able to make rent, pay her bills, and have a little left over. It was the first time in a few months that Ember wasn’t trying to figure out where the next job was going to come from. It would be nice to have a little something she could spend on something that wasn’t weapon oriented. Back in her apartment, Ember crawled into a soft baggy pair of pajamas and settled down for a well-earned deep sleep.

Drifting off into an electrically induced cocoon of bliss, Ember focused on the feeling of completion. The child was safe, the mother was happy, and life for the moment was better. The sharp electronic leash on her nightstand demanded attention. Opening one eye, the touch screen of her iPhone lit the room up. The background of a Guinness warned her that she wasn’t going to get any sleep.

“I know it’s late, but I have someone here that needs to talk to you.” Vincent’s voice came across the line cutting her off as she tried to say hello.

“Vincent, have you already talked to them?” Ember asked resting back on her pillow.

“Look sexy, it is in your line of work.” Vincent said urgently. Ember sat straight up and went into motion.

“I will be there in five minutes.” Ember said giving the man a time frame.

The warning had been simple. When a man, she viewed as an uncle called her sexy, there was something horribly wrong. So Ember got up and changed quickly opting for simple clothes that she could move in. Grabbing her guns, the hunter set out to fix whatever was going wrong. The idea of something that went bump in the night holding her uncle was enough motivation for her to miss a few hours of sleep. Within minutes, Ember was in her Camaro heading towards her uncles Irish pub.

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