I flew so fast my eyes could barely register what was in front of me. How did they get to them so fast? Why did I have to be so far away? Please let me get there in time.

All the buildings looked the same. I searched my memory, used my nose. I arrived at the building with the correct numbers. I saw the bars I had bent on the correct window and flew inside.

"Emily! Robert! Where are you?" I called out to them, but there was no response. I couldn't sense them, nor discern any sound of them in the building. They were no longer calling for me, which meant they had been silenced.

Damn it! I had failed them! I told them I would protect them and I was now a liar. Who could have possibly taken them so quickly!?

There was a smell, familiar and ancient. I should have known! Lord Umber had been here. He kidnapped them both in a blink. I knew he would torture and play sick games with them until they divulged everything they knew of me. And when they didn't have much to say he wouldn't believe them.

I had to save them. I couldn't let history repeat itself. Too many innocents died by these bastard's hands. I would be their reckoning.

Out in the hallway, I heard someone who was exceptional at sneaking about. I only just noticed them. Someone so well trained must work for the vampires. I would conduct an interrogation.

I was so angry. I let my guard down. I bolted into the hallway to surprise them.

As soon as I entered the hallway a powerful boom shocked my senses. A bomb? No, I knew this smell.

It was garlic.

I desperately tried to fan away the light brown particles that surrounded me. A bomb made of garlic?

The powder consumed me, and burned like holy fire. It's essence had turned to vapor and entered my mouth and lungs.

I fought, tried to move and slash the man who stood before me. It was futile. My body failed me. I collapsed as the man stood over me. My eyelids were so heavy. I could only force them to open every other minute.

The man had ashen white hair, and appeared fairly aged. He was dreadfully strong for an old human. He made quick work of putting my immobile body in a black bag. The bag was lined with silver, and closed by a most incredible contraption. The man simply grabbed one end of the bag, and brought his hand across the length of the bag. A mysterious metal hum accompanied the closing of the bag.

I was in the dark once more, shrouded in silver. I never thought I'd be here again. But this time I wasn't afraid.

The man had thrown me on some wheeled mechanism. I could tell we were moving with haste to some unknown location.

Had he the intention, this man could have killed me. He had me dead to rights. He needed me alive.

It took some time, but my body healed back to wholeness. Though that garlic explosive was a nasty weapon. And here I was told garlic no longer existed. I must confiscate the rest of these weapons. They would aid me in the destruction of the vampires at the masquerade ball.

It took forever, but I came to a stop.

The minuscule metal bindings of the bag slid open. My attacker looked down at me. He slipped the bag off me.

My hands and legs were bound in a silver chain. I don't remember when that happened.

"Finally awake, eh?"

"I've been awake for some time."

"You've been out like a light since I hit you with that grenade yesterday."

"Is that what it's called? A grenade?"

"Garlic grenade. My own invention."

"Fascinating. Tell me, do you have more?"

"I used the last one on you. I'm afraid garlic is extinct."

Damn. "That is a dreadful shame. I was hoping to acquire some."

The old man moved to a nearby table, covered with various weapons effective against vampires. "You're not from around here are you? After what you did to those men at the docks you set off a code red. That's an unknown vampire alert. You wouldn't know this, but every vampire alert for the past thirty years has been a false alarm. Just jumpy guards. Imagine my surprise when I caught a glimpse of you. I hacked the security cameras, followed the commotion to that apartment and look what I found. I've been waiting thirty years to get my hands on a vampire who wouldn't be missed. I guess it's my lucky day."

"And what would you need a vampire alive for?"

From the table, the old man procured a large needle of silver attached to a glass tube. "You're going to help me kill all the vampires."

"Are you a vampire hunter?"

"The last. I'm the last vampire hunter. My family hunted you wretched monsters down for generations. Everybody else believes the propaganda. They think all the vampires are dead save for a couple ferals roaming the scorched earth. Damn idiots. Every facet of government is controlled by the bloodsuckers. We'll always be cattle to them. And I'm going to kill them all, one by one."

He moved over to me and looked for a nice open patch of skin. He began to aim the needle toward my person.

"This certainly is your lucky day."

"Don't worry about trying to save yourself. I need you alive. I promise you'll be the last vampire I kill."

"We share a common goal."

He tried to push the silver needle into my flesh, but the needle bent and tarnished.

"Oh, silver won't work on me. Silver and I are old friends."

Fear sparked in his eyes as he realized the silver chains weren't actually restraining me. He ran to his table and pulled out what must have been some petrified wood. "Stay back," he yelled.

I moved very slowly to be less threatening. I took the silver chains off from my wrist and legs."Don't you see? We're on the same side you old fool."

"I would never trust a vampire."

"Just listen then."

I told him everything. About my wife and son, the vampire who turned me. My banishment to the depths of the ocean. My solemn vow to kill every vampire and then myself. Escaping the black salt into an unknown future. The boy and mother I met and how they were kidnapped. I told him I knew that tonight every vampire would be attending a masquerade ball. "That is where I will strike," I said. "I will kill them all in one fell swoop, or else the cowards will run and hide. I'll rid this world of them in one night, but I need your help."

My regale of agony seemed to give him pause, though I don't think I won him over. He had a bone deep distrust of vampires, as any smart person would.

"I lack the proper means to kill them. You told me the garlic grenades were no more, tell me by what means did you intend to kill them?"

"Why should I tell you? I still don't believe you."

"Please. They took a woman and boy who are dear to me." I got on my knees to beg. "I need your help vampire slayer. Give me the tools and I will accomplish our great mission."

"I've never seen a vampire beg," he said to me. "There's only one way this gets done." He stood over me. "I need you to turn me."

"What?"

"I'm getting old. I can't fight them like this. They'll rip me to pieces. If you turn me, I'll be stronger, faster. Hell, we can take them on together."

"No."

"I'm not asking. You've got to turn me."

"You don't know what you're asking, old man."

"Sure I do. The strength to kill my enemies."

"I still mourn the day my humanity was ripped from me. No! I will never turn anyone."

"Your ears working, bloodsucker? You want this team-up to work, you gotta turn me into a vampire!"

"Never."

The old man returned to the table and grabbed another grenade. I recognized the small weapon this time. "I lied," he said. "I'm not out of garlic grenades. This one is a hundred times as potent. This won't knock you out, it'll kill you in a heartbeat. I don't care how strong you are. If you don't turn me, I'm gonna stick this where the sun don't shine and send you to hell."

"Do it old man! Your weapons won't prosper against me! You could walk the sun into this room and I would smile. I won't die until I've killed every vampire. So do your worst. And when you're done, and all your weapons have failed, I will find new weapons. I will be victorious no matter what."

"You won't turn me?"

"Never!"

He set the grenade down. "I had to be sure I could trust you," he said.

"You tested me? Well, have I earned your trust yet, slayer?"

"Call me Axle. And no, I still don't trust you. But I don't not trust you, either."

"Axle. Well met. But we are wasting time. The boy and mother are in danger every second. Tell me. What weapons do you have that will kill the vampires?"

He slowly raised his hand, and pointed at me.

"Yes, I plan to kill them. But what weapon–"

"Your blood."

"What about it?"

"It's what I was trying to extract before you broke my beautiful silver syringe. Which was not easy to make by the way." He revealed on his table a hundred strange darts, pointed with silver tips. "It's taken me decades to get enough silver. Makin' 'em was hell. You see, vampires can't feed on other vampires. I've seen it before. An angry bloodsucker, so pissed at his comrade, he couldn't resist sucking him dry. The bastard went feral almost instantly, writhing and screaming. The sucker popped."

"Popped?"

"Like a balloon."

"What's a balloon?"

"He exploded. Blew to pieces. There's some kind of reaction when different vampire's blood mixes. A violent reaction. Your blood is the weapon. We just gotta fill the tranquilizer darts I specially made. Load the rifle, shoot the dart into any vampire, and it's night night."

I picked up a dart, and felt its weight in my hand. "I won't need your musket to shoot them."

Axle laughed. "Musket? Damn, how old are you?"

"It's hard to remember. But I did play a decent game of darts in my day. I will throw them better than your musket can shoot."

"Just one problem: you broke my syringe."

I presented my fangs and bit my wrist, causing a deep gash. The old man jumped and ran to grab a large glass container. I filled the container, then another.

"Aren't you getting dizzy?" Axle asked.

"I heal very quickly."

Axle used his tools to fill a hundred or so darts. He saved a few for himself, just in case. He had fastened three belts into holsters for the darts. Bandoliers, he called it. I wrapped one around my waist, and two across my chest.

"Where is the governor's mansion?" I asked Axle.

"I'll show you right to it."

"No, I can't lose you Axle. They will smell you from a mile away."

"Nonsense. These assholes think they're safe. Nobody's made a move against them in centuries. They'll never see this coming."

"You have to stay back. Let me do this."

He kicked the ground. "I'm giving you these weapons, but make no mistake. I'm going to be keeping an eye on you. I get the feeling for one second you're betraying me, I'll hunt you down and kill ya."

"You are smart not to trust a vampire, Axle. But there won't be any surprises tonight. Now. Where is your finest tailor?"

"Come again?"

"I'll need a suit and a mask for the ball."

"Buddy, there hasn't been a tailor in ages."

"Then I guess I'll have to acquire an outfit the hard way."