Dossier: 'Chance'

[Chance]

The sound of rushing water could be heard in the distance as he walked down the street as almost an entire year had passed since he arrived in Harper Rock. He hadn’t realized it had been so long already and the city had changed so much during that time that it had become difficult to recognize as the same city. So many people had left and more and more shops seemed to close or simply be abandoned it seemed, the city looked more and more like an old horror film rather than a modern city. Even the boarded shops were broken into and the goods stolen and it didn’t take long for it to happen.

The street lights or the ones not broken out were on as he made his way towards the bridge. Paper wrappers tumbled across the street as the cool breeze swept them from one side to the other in what seemed like a never ending cycle. Nothing around was open and no one seemed to be out in the street yet but it was early still and he preferred it that way. He enjoyed more of the city at these times, the quiet was rare but peaceful and the sounds of running water had always calmed his nerves and allowed him to think clearer or not think at all sometimes but that was rare.

The bridge came into view as he turned the corner, he thought back on the past year since he turned. It had been an intriguing time to be certain. He had learned so much about the vampire race, his new race to be certain but he quickly learned how segregated his race was. Still unsure on how many were around anymore as many or maybe even most of his kind seemed to be hiding in one way or another but he couldn’t say for sure. In the first few months here he had been constantly pick pocketed, stolen from, and outright attacked by a number of vampires and without any provocation from him for as far as he knew. That no longer mattered to him, he wouldn’t hold that grudge anymore nor was he the easy mark that he once was. He wasn’t as powerful as his sire or many of the other vampires he had met lately but he no longer considered himself a fledgling either.

He stood on the bridge and took in the sights as he looked first upstream and then downstream. From here he could forget the troubles of the city as he enjoyed the early spring air. A small amount of ice formed on the edge of the water where it moved the least. The street lights twinkled like little stars in the ice as he leaned over the railing and looked down into the water below. His sire had taken him under her wing and helped him significantly for months with plenty of good advice not to mention some impressive gifts let alone being brought into her family.

He checked the area again to make sure nothing changed before he swung his legs over the railing to drop onto the bank below, he landed easily and quietly. He walked down the bank just a bit before he bent down onto one knee to sort through the small rocks onto the ground until he found two smooth rocks that fit nicely in his palm. He flipped it over gingerly in his fingers as he sat on his heel and checked the still dark morning sky. He knew he didn’t need to rush but he couldn’t waste too long either. The city had slowly deteriorated since he arrived, residents seemed to leave or disappear in droves. Looting started happening frequently around the city and the criminal elements seemed to grow everywhere in the vacuum created by the leaving residents.

For himself he had sunk himself into the seedier sections of the city and had tried to keep some of the places in check but without any real success at all. The months passed while he stalked around some of the larger troubled areas, without him realizing it until now. The police had given way to the military with all the undead around, but all seemed more focused on the vampires around town now. With the criminals unchecked and the new laws in effect, the outlook for the city didn’t look good without some kind of intervention of some kind. The whole atmosphere around the city started to feel more like a powder keg that was set to explode with the whole microchipping law. The stone in his hand was sent flying across the river as he pondered the problem.

He flipped the second stone from his left hand into his right, smoothly it drifted right up onto his forefinger. He slowly raised himself up and leaned over before he swiftly swung his arm forward and realised the stone which quickly skipped its way across the water leaving ripples in the water. His own sire seemed strong enough but he had no idea if other lines ran the same way or not. It had taken a while but he eventually realized that they were as disorganized as everyone else in the world and most just did as they liked. No better than the humans of the city quite honestly. He wondered if current events could be enough to pull enough of them together for the good of all, but only time would tell. Until then he would continue what he wanted and help how he could, he often found his way into the police files to delete the evidence on friends or other vampires to keep the suspicion down on the rest of them for now. Of course there were always exceptions for every rule and the one or two vampires that really ground away on his nerve….

The city life started to increase as the first tinges of the sky subtly lightened, which he knew would be his que to make his way to safety. He had paid that price before and it wasn’t an experience he cared to repeat, ever. Before he could be noticed he vaulted up and over the bridge railing and without pause he headed down the street the way he had come while he mulled the decision of buying an apartment over in his head. It had been many years since he called anywhere home but maybe he should, the bank account could probably manage it with enough left over to hold him for a short time he suspected, so it really couldn’t hurt to look a little.

His phone materialized in his hand as he decided to text his thrall with instructions for the day. “Can you send me a list of real estate in the area, please? If possible within a day or two. Thank you.” She would have it ready for him by nightfall he was sure but politeness seemed to encourage her helpfulness.