Homonus Nocturna - Chapter 2 - Life, Love and Lycanthropes

Eli bolted up the stairs of his apartment building, hastily pulling his key from his pocket, and after fumbling with it in the lock for a few seconds, managed to open the door to his apartment, rushing inside before slamming the door shut, locking and latching it. After completing this, Eli ran to each window in turn, locking it as securely as possible, and closing the curtains for good measure. He didn't want to be found any time soon.

Taking every precaution, Eli also switched off every light, and sat in total darkness, cellphone in hand, ready to call the police at a moment's notice. Not that they would believe him, but he could at least draw enough attention to himself to warrant sending an officer to his apartment, who would in turn, call for back up.

As Eli sat, his mind began to race with all of the new revelations. He had found out that vampires and Lycans were not merely the stuff of stories, and he had just encountered one of each!

There was also something else bugging Eli, a specific statement made by Tritoch, the Lycan commander.

"But now it seems we are enemies. All because of you."

"Me..." Eli said quietly to himself "...what the hell did I do? And why do they both think I'm so important?"

So many questions and so few answers. It was all beginning to get a little frustrating for Eli, as he knew they only two people who could answer his questions were Tritoch, and Melody, the vixen who had stolen his heart, and scared him senseless. He knew which one he would prefer to get his answers from, but for now, he would much rather stay in the safety of his apartment.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Melody had been running at a full sprint in her search for Eli. She didn't stop to catch her breath until she reached a familiar location, the restaurant from earlier. She sat herself down onto the bench, breathing heavily, trying to think, when a very unwelcome person decided to waddle over.

"Welcome back dear, table for one is it?"

Melody looked up, and saw that her waitress from earlier in the evening, was still working, and obviously, still disgusted at Melody, for no apparent reason.

"Did Mr Marshall scare you away? Or did he realise that he was far too good for you?"

Melody didn't like her talking about Eli that way. "Leave him out of this!" She yelled.

With a glare, the waitress spoke again, in her insulting tone. "Watch what you say, as I can have you barred from this place." She said, trying to sound threatening.

This woman was really starting to get on Melodys nerves. She strode up to the waitress, her eyes changing from their usual hazel colour, to their vampiric sky blue counterparts. The waitress, now a little frightened, tried to take a step back.

"I wouldn't want to eat here again anyway..." Melody said coldly "...not while a miserable old bint like yourself is working here."

"How dare you!" Shrieked the waitress, who then tried to slap Melody across the face, but, being too quick, Melody grabbed the waitress' paw in mid slap, and shoved her backwards, so that she fell on her rather large backside.

Melody was in no mood to argue with anyone, especially not her, but seeing what she had done, Melody bolted, suddenly thinking that maybe the club where she first met Eli would be a good place to check to see if anyone there knew where he lived.

As she ran away, the waitress got to her feet slowly, pulling out a cell phone from the front pocket of her apron. She dialled a number, and spoke clearly to the person on the other end of the call "Hello, Police? I'd like to report an assault."

She was not going to let Melody get away with making a fool of her like that.

* * *

Back in the park, atop the hill, the large Doberman that was Commander Tritoch was beginning to stir.

Now was one of those times when he was truly thankful of his accelerated healing ability, as a blow of that force, if inflicted on a regular Anthronian, would have taken their head clean off their shoulders.

Tritoch groaned as the wound at the back of his head closed up, the small splinters from the wooden plank forcing their way out from under the skin, causing him to wince.

"She's gonna pay for that one" Tritoch thought to himself. "How the hell did I not see that coming?"

Not that it mattered now, as his wound had fully healed, and the pain in his head, and his stomach, had faded away.

Struggling to his feet, Tritoch stretched out, making his joints crack. He looked around for any sign of Melody or Eli, but, finding none, began to sniff the air, hoping to catch a residual scent trail, and sure enough, he found one, the smell of an elderflower perfume, mixed with sweat. If he followed it, it would lead him right to Melody, who would in turn, lead him to Eli.

Tritoch meandered forward, following the scent, his legs stiff after his unscheduled nap. As he moved, this quickly went away, until his pace picked up enough so that he could run at full speed, on all fours, like a true Lycan.

It wouldn't be long before he found his target.

* * *

After another few minutes of solid running, Melody arrived at the bar where she first met Eli, 'The Emporium'. The place seemed to be pretty busy, as there were a fair number of people hanging around outside the entrance, drinking, smoking and generally having a good time.

After catching her breath, Melody approached the door, only to be stopped by a rather skinny looking security guard, perhaps a little too skinny to be working in such a position.

"Sorry my love" He said, with a rather more high pitched voice than Melody was expecting. "It's a private party tonight, so unless you're on the guest list, you can't go in."

Melody sighed, she had to get in, and once again, she was going to have to use her vampiric abilities to make sure she got her way. Clearing her mind, she opened her eyes wide, locking the guard in a deep stare. She could feel him bending to her will, he was obviously fairly weak minded, making it difficult to resist her persuasive ability, known as 'Glamouring' amongst the undead community.

Speaking in a flat monotone, to fully put across her will, Melody said:

"This is my party, so I don't need to be on the guest list. Why don't you go on your break?"

The guard stood there, absorbing Melodys instructions, his face devoid of any emotion. After a few seconds, he returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Thanks my love, please enjoy your party." He said, before walking away.

As he did so, Melody overheard a voice coming over the walkie talkie he had attached to his belt.

"Be advised, Police are looking for a vixen, early twenties, wanted in connection with an assault. If you see her, apprehend her immediately, an officer is on his way to check the club."

"Uh oh" Melody said as she entered the bar. She knew most of the police force was somehow affiliated with the Lycans; some officers were merely working for them, whereas others actually were Lycans.

Melody wandered over to the bar, scanning the faces of everyone there, to see if there was anyone she recognised from the other night, that may be able to tell her where Eli lived.

Melody was getting desperate, so she prepared to ask the barman when he came along, to see if he knew Eli. However, the barman in question, was not who Melody had expected.

"Heya Mel!" Said the barman as he wandered over, "How's the date going?"

Melody could have leapt across the bar and punched him in her current mood. The Barman in question was a friend of Melodys, another vampire by the name of Blaine. A husky with an athletic build, and who enjoyed flirting with everyone, seemingly unable to stop himself. His fiery red hair made a perfect contrast to his yellow tinged eyes.

"How the hell are you working here now?" Melody whispered to him.

"Just started today" He said with a laugh "If you're looking for your target, I know where to find him, saw him running home, looking absolutely terrified might I add. So, I followed him, he lives in the apartment block down the street, number 7B. Aren't I helpful?" He added with a wink.

"There you go again with the flirting! Give it a rest!" Melody scolded him "But...thanks for the info, today really hasn't been going to plan, and I need to find him. I owe you one."

Blaine smiled, but this didn't last long, as he had spotted a police officer making his way towards them.

"Looks like you're gonna owe me another one, that Lycan Nathaniel is on his way over, you'd best get your ass out the back door".

Melody span around, and sure enough, she saw him. A snow leopard, in full police uniform, was making his way over to them, through the crowd. Going by the name of Nathaniel, this Lycan had only been turned last year, so only being taught that vampires were the enemy.

Melody moved behind the bar, and slipped into the kitchen, much to the annoyance of the other bar staff. She ran over to the back exit, hitting the bar to open the door, and found that doing so, set off the fire alarm.

Hearing the alarm go off, Nathaniel knew that Melody was trying to escape, something he could not allow. He broke into a run, knocking the party goers who were heading for the exit off their feet.

"No you don't!" Blaine yelled, as he jumped out from behind the bar, raising his arm to catch Nathaniel running, effectively clotheslining him, knocking him to the ground with a loud thump.

Not wanting to get himself killed however, Blaine immediately ran after Melody, out the back door, and down the road in the opposite direction, to go get his car.

Back in the bar, Nathaniel was pulled to his feet by Tritoch, who had stormed in upon hearing the alarm.

"My apologies commander, I was attacked by another vampire, seems she has gotten in help". He said.

"No matter, she will lead us right to him" Tritoch said with an evil grin.

Melody sprinted down the road, quickly reaching the apartment block, rounding the corner to the adjoining alley. Before finishing her run, she leapt onto the fire escape, zipping up whole flights of stairs, till she reached the seventh floor.

Peering in the window looking into the corridor, Melody quickly identified apartment 7B, and ran around till she found an appropriate window to enter.

She reached down and tested it, only to find it had been locked, as she had expected. Not wanting to break in and draw more attention to herself, she gently tapped the window, hoping Eli would answer.

Inside the apartment, Eli was curled up in a ball on the sofa, not wanting to move. His day had started out so well, and now he was being chased by two different monsters.

Upon hearing the tapping at the window, Eli almost jumped out of his fur. They had found him. But which one? Eli knew which he would prefer to see outside his window, but he was still unsure as to whether he wanted to see her again.

The tapping came again, louder this time. It could be Melody, wanting to explain herself, but then again, it could be Tritoch, pretending to be Melody, as opposed to smashing the window and claiming his target.

Eli knew what he had to do. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, then made his way over to the window, taking a hold of the curtain with his free paw. "That better be you Melody!" He said aloud, before ripping open the curtain.

Thankfully, it was Melody on the other side, who looked at him, at first relieved that he was ok, but then alarmed, as she spotted the knife.

Eli quickly put the knife down, and opened the window, allowing Melody to enter. After relocking the window, he grabbed the knife once again, out of caution.

"What the hell is going on? I need answers!" Eli shouted, waving the knife around madly.

"Of course you do, but I don't have much time to explain! Tritoch and Nathaniel will be here any minute! I have to take you somewhere safe!" Melody pleaded.

"Nathaniel?" Eli asked, another fearful look spreading across his face. "There are two of them now!?"

Eli paced up and down, tightening his grip on the knife. "If there isn't time, then give me the short version, then, if I believe, you... I'll go with you."

Melody sighed, trying to come up with a quick yet informative explanation of why all this was happening to him.

With a quick look out the window, showing no Lycans around, Melody began. "You see, at first, the Vampires and Lycans were allies, always ready to support each other in a fight. A few years ago, a demon named Ragnarok prophesized a war between two superpowers, meaning the Vampires and the Lycans, and that one person, after being turned, would lead that side to victory. That's why I needed you, but I wasn't expecting you to be so..."

"So what?" Eli asked.

"...so attractive, and kind." Melody continued. "You really don't deserve to have all this thrust upon you, but if I hadn't of found you when I did, then someone else would have."

Eli nodded in understanding. "If anything, I'm glad it was you that found me. But I'm happy the way I am. I'm sorry, but you'll have to fight this war without me, I want nothing to do with it." He looked down at his feet, feeling as though he had really let Melody down.

Melody grabbed Elis wrist. "But if you refuse, they'll..."

"...kill you?" Said an all too familiar voice.

Eli and Melody span around, to find Tritoch and Nathaniel standing there, their faces showing a look of smug victory.

"Lucky Nathaniel here is a cop; he's seen many times how robbers jimmy open a lock, so repeating it himself wasn't hard." Tritoch took Nathaniel's handgun from his holster, and pointed it at Eli. "Like before, you have two choices. Come with us, and help us win the war... Or stay here with Melody, and die."

As he said this, Nathaniel had moved around behind Melody, restraining her. "If you struggle, Commander Tritoch will shoot your boyfriend over there, and none of us want that, now do we?"

Melody remained still, throwing murderous looks at Tritoch.

"So what's it gonna be?" Tritoch asked, getting slightly agitated.

Eli couldn't think, should he go with Tritoch, and be made a Lycan? No, he didn't want that at all. He'd rather die, but Melody wouldn't allow that to happen. She was surely thinking of some way out of this. Maybe he could start her off with a cunning plan to escape?

Eli moved towards the kitchen, setting his knife down, and turning on the gas on the stove. "You're going to kill Melody right? Then why not make it look like an accident?"

Melody couldn't believe what Eli was doing. Had he really chosen the Lycans over her? No, that can't be it, he was planning something, she could tell. She remained silent, as if waiting for a signal.

"I like the way you think" Tritoch said, smiling. "Sorry Mel, looks like he's made up his mind."

"Indeed I have" Eli replied, giving Melody a wink. Her cue to begin.

Melody bared her fangs, and sunk them deep into Nathaniel's arm, causing him to howl in pain, and release his grip on her. In the sudden confusion, Eli grabbed a hold of his knife, and jabbed at Tritoch's wrist, making him yelp, and drop the gun.

However, nobody had expected it to go off. A bullet flew from the barrel, straight into Elis chest, making him crumple in a heap on the floor.

Melody leapt around, punching Tritoch, her sheer vampiric strength knocking him into the stove, after that she grabbed Nathaniel, throwing him on top of Tritoch.

She ran over to Eli and hauled him onto her shoulders, and as she made her way to the window, picked up the gun, and fired.

"Forgive me old friend" Melody thought as she smashed through the window, falling down to the alley below.

As they fell, the windows of the apartment blew out in a flurry of bright orange flame and glass. The bullet Melody had fired had indeed found its mark, igniting the gas from the stove, and completely obliterating Elis apartment, and everyone still in it. Proven by the death screams she heard from Tritoch and Nathaniel. Not even they could have survived that.

Melody hit the ground hard, Eli slipping from her shoulders, blood pumping from the bullet wound in his chest. He wasn't going to last must longer.

A sudden screeching of tires was heard as Blaine rounded the corner in his car, flinging open the back seat door, yelling "Get your asses in the car!"

Wasting no time, Melody jumped in, pulling Eli on top of her, slamming shut the door as Blaine sped off, away from the fire.

As the car went through the city streets, Blaine peered back to see Eli almost unconscious in Melodys lap.

"Aww hell! If he dies we're screwed! You know what you gotta do!"

Indeed she did, the only way to ensure that Eli survived, was to bite him. Now was her only chance to ensure that the Vampires got the advantage they needed.

"You gotta save him Mel! Whether he likes it or not, you gotta bite him!" Blaine shouted over the roar of the car's engine.

"Please..." Eli groaned, almost losing consciousness "No... I don't wanna be a..."

"I'm sorry..." Melody said, baring her fangs "...but I have no choice."

And with that, she lunged forward, plunging her fangs into Elis neck.

As soon as she did so, Eli began to spasm. He was going into shock. She drank a small amount of blood, then quickly pulled her head back, as Eli shuddered violently in her lap, the vampirism spreading through his veins like a wildfire.

After a few more minutes of this, Eli passes out, and was still. The change had begun.

Melody and Blaine sat in silence for another few minutes, until Blaine finally piped up.

"You ok?"

"Do I look it?" Melody snapped back coldly.

"Heh, sounds like you two have had one hell of an evening. Bet it was fun though, am I right?"

Melody leaned forward, smacking Blaine over the back of the head.

"Just keep your trap shut and drive!" She yelled, clearly annoyed.

"Okay, Okay, whatever my ladyship wants." Blaine said, rubbing the back of his head, and then slamming his foot down on the accelerator pedal, allowing the car to speed off into the night.

Today had been a rough day for Eli, and unfortunately for him, they weren't going to get any better.

Homonus Nocturna will return with Chapter 3 - Resisting the Change