Over the next few days, Sarah spent more time with Malik. She constantly reminded herself of what he truly was, it was easy to overlook his predatory nature when he oscillated from horrifying to relaxed or cheerful. Malik had wanted to dive right into the modern world, absorbing himself in every piece of technology that he could; however, Sarah pointed out that doing so would actually hinder him more than help him. Forced to slow down, Malik found himself being slowly educated as he became more enamored with the evolution of society.
"No more horses and wagons, just metal objects that travel at impressive speeds."
"They're called 'cars'".
Despite the three busy days of education, Malik had not forgotten his deal. After the third day of showing him around the city, Sarah was scared out of her mind when a sudden rapping occurred at her bedroom window. She quickly crossed her bedroom and flung it open as Malik sat on the branch of the giant oak tree.
"Are you crazy? If my grandmother or aunt see you, there is going to be hell to pay!"
"Not for me."
"Yes, for both of us."
"Do you want me to kill some people or not?"
Sarah was exasperated. She was still struggling with her guilt and her conscience. Not only had she released a pure monster into the world, she couldn't control him, and furthermore she had lied to her family multiple times. This wasn't like her and despite being terrible at manipulation, her grandmother had bought the 'lover' facade hook line and sinker.
"Yes, we just need to be discreet, that's all I'm asking."
Malik simply shrugged, he looked incredibly bored and Sarah had an inkling that if they didn't get moving soon, he may wind up doing something horrible just to pass the time and entertain himself.
"Let's go."
Sarah quickly threw on some shoes and clambered out of her window, joining Malik on the thick tree branch.
"Who is our first target? Or do you want me to just start killing every undead creature I find in the city?"
Sarah glanced at him and he wore an expression that clearly said he was fine with either option.
"The guy who killed my brother, he was a big man with a thick beard. I think he was a biker and he said something about his boss. I'm honestly not sure how he didn't notice me when I caught him in the alleyway next to the bar."
"What is a biker and a bar?"
"A biker is a person who rides a motorcycle, it's like a car but in the shape of a horse… kinda. A bar is our modern word for a tavern."
Malik nodded as if this made perfect sense to him. "Very well, take me to the bar. We will start our hunt for this man there."
***
The bar was the same as the night James had died. It was old, rough around the edges, and clearly catered to a less than savory crowd. People milled about the place, leaning against walls that had peeling green paint while a jukebox blared classic rock from across the room. A few pool tables lay scattered around the place but the main draw was the bar area itself. A thin but attractive man was busy mixing drinks for a trio of women.
"This place is hardly the same thing as a tavern. For starters, it's falling apart. Also, we didn't have sticks to poke balls with."
"Thank you for the history lesson, can we move on?"
"So demanding, it must be a family thing." Malik gave a cryptic tease and Sarah filed his comment away for later, she still hadn't pressed him about her ancestors mainly due to a significant lack of courage.
As they entered the bar a large security guard stopped them at the door, "21 and older only. Lets see your ID."
Sarah started to shuffle nervously from foot to foot, she hadn't brought her wallet which didn't matter since she was only nineteen years old anyway. Malik didn't even know what a driver license was so no surprise there.
Malik eyed the security guard then proceeded to ignore him. Over the last few days of spending time with him and teaching him, Sarah had come to recognize some of the looks he often wore. This particular look said he was disinterested in the guard and had already dismissed him as less useful than a house plant.
The guard, a very muscular man with a crew haircut and watery blue eyes placed a large hand on Malik's shoulder. "Hey pal, I'm talking to you. ID or get out."
Malik looked pointedly at the man's hand and quickly grabbed it with a speed that was so fast, Sarah hadn't even seen his hand move.
The guard hollered in pain as Malik twisted the man's hand, dropping him to his giant knees. "Are we finished?"
"Why not just compel him," Sarah offered quickly, looking around at the patrons who were slowly becoming aware that something was going on.
"I suppose, killing him wouldn't be much fun anyway, he's human."
Malik leaned down over the guard, his blood red eyes meeting those watery blue eyes directly as he let go of the guards hand. Malik's slitted cat-like pupils constricted and became even more narrow, "you saw our ID's, we are old enough to be here. You will apologize and then leave us alone."
His voice was hypnotic and despite him not directing his ability at Sarah, she could feel the heavy presence of his energy in the air between them. It gave her goosebumps while the guard became momentarily slack jawed before composing himself and standing.
"My apologies for the inconvenience sir and madame, please enjoy the services of Dirty Dave." The guard nodded and went back to his post by the door.
"So that's compulsion?"
"Pretty much."
"That's actually kinda cool, what all can you do with it?" Curiosity colored her voice, she had seen similar things like this in movies and television shows but witnessing it up front in real life was a different experience entirely.
"I can make mortals do whatever I want within reason. I can't compel them to kill someone or kill themselves. I am limited to fairly simple commands and memory alteration."
That was actually good to know Sarah thought to herself. She gently grabbed Malik's hand and led him to the bar. She had a feeling that the bartender would probably know who the man was and where they could find him. Malik offered no resistance and was more interested in watching the other patrons play pool.
"Excuse me sir, can we ask you a few questions?"
"Depends, what are you wanting to know?" The bartender looked suspicious and he kept glancing at Malik's eyes, unsure of what to make of them. No doubt he would think they were simply weird contact lenses but that didn't explain the odd look in Malik's eyes.
"I need to find someone. I can pay for any information you could give us."
"Who and what for?" The answers were short, clipped, straight to the point.
"A large man with a thick beard, wearing biker clothing. Said something about a boss and I'm pretty sure he frequents this bar. We are trying to find him because…" Sarah actually didn't have a good lie in store for that question. Racking her brain for a possible excuse she noticed Malik leaning over the bar and grabbing the bartender by the front of his grey tee shirt.
"Big man with a beard and rides bikers. Where is he?" Crimson eyes locked onto the bartenders and Sarah saw the man shudder in response.
"He means the guy rides bikes, not bikers."
"Whatever." Malik responded while watching the bartender squirm like a worm caught on a fishing hook.
"Okay look chill, the guy you are looking for comes in every other night. He works for the guy who owns this place. I don't know his name but he's due any second now, he does a lot of behind the scenes muscle work, that's all I know!"
Malik released the bartender who sighed in relief. His eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone who matched that description.
"I guess we need to wait then." Sarah took a seat and watched the door as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She was really going to go through with this, she would have her revenge tonight, at least against the one directly responsible for her younger brother's death.
***
It was nearly 2 A.M. when a large man entered the bar. Malik had been standing still like a statue for the last couple of hours, waiting patiently for his prey to arrive. Sarah had been busy sucking down Sprite and hoping against hope that Malik wouldn't cause a scene in front of everyone. He knew better right? She wasn't sure about that.
"He looks like your brother's killer." Malik pointed out, nodding in the direction of the large biker man who was busy chatting with some fellow bikers at a small table.
"Let's formulate a plan, we need to get him-"
Malik walked off, saying nothing as he gracefully strode to the small dirty table. The large bearded man looked up quickly at his approach and the other occupants backed away, reaching for hidden weapons in their leather jackets.
"What the hell do you want? This the Red Stinger territory, fuck off." The large bearded biker had slightly bared his fangs, it looked like some kind of show of dominance. Malik rubbed his chin with his fingers, as if he was deep in contemplation.
"I want your name and the names of the people you work for."
The bearded man laughed heartily at that while the rest of the nervous men at the table awkwardly joined in.
"Why in the ever loving fuck would I tell you anything? You smell like a vampire and with those eyes you couldn't be anything else. If you don't know the boss then that means you must be young and new. The Red Stingers run this city. If you want to keep hunting then you'll need to pay a monthly tax."
"Where is your boss so we can pay the monthly tax?"
Sarah asked as she peered out from behind Malik. Seeing this bearded vampire up close filled her with rage and her anxiety began to climb. Her breathing quickened as memories of Jame's death surfaced vividly in her mind. Her heart began to race and she felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Malik noticed her growing panic and hyperventilations. He turned away from the bearded biker and knelt down in front of her, placing a hand softly on her shoulder.
"Sarah, slow down. Deep breaths, focus on me."
Sarah's wide eyes found Malik's and she tried to see him clearly but her vision was blurring, she felt dizzy and the room was starting to spin.
"Hey girl, are you alright? Wait… you look familiar." The bearded man had stood up and was peering down at her over Malik's left shoulder. He had a look of concern on his face as he tried to remember where he had seen this human before.
Malik said nothing to the bearded man, he simply reached up with his left hand and grabbed him by the bushy beard. Giving a sharp yank the biker's head was brought lower and he was now eye level with Sarah. The other guys at the table quickly stood, drawing guns and pointing them at Malik.
"You move, your friend dies."
"Hold on guys, wait a second!" The bearded man hollered out in pain as he tried to pull away. It was no use, Malik's hand was like a steel trap and the harder he pulled the more pain he caused himself.
"Sarah, focus on the mission. Remember why we are here. This piece of shit killed James."
Malik's mention of James penetrated through the haze of panic. He remembered her brother's name. Before this evening, Malik had dismissed James as a brat not worth his time yet oddly enough, he remembered the name Sarah had given him. Sarah began to suspect that Malik was not nearly as cruel as he wanted her to think. As she focused on her suspicion and on what Malik was saying, she felt her breathing slow down. Her heart was beating easier now and the room was no longer starting to spin. The rage was still there though, burning away like a fire that refused to be quenched.
"Good, very good! I'll make a hunter out of you yet." Malik gave her a proud smile and Sarah didn't know how she felt about it. She wasn't sure she wanted Malik to feel proud of her.
"Wait… that's where I recognize you from! The alleyway, the little boy I ate." The bearded man had a look of surprise on his face as the revelation bulldozed its way through his mind.
"Did I give you permission to speak yet?" Malik gave a sharp tug and the bearded man again hollered out in pain.
"You mentioned your family hadn't taught you any offensive magick like hexes or curses. I'm going to fix that tonight."
"No." Sarah's voice was firm and defiant as her gaze hardened.
Malik gave her another small smile and his eyes communicated something complex, something Sarah was having a hard time deciphering at this moment.
"I may not always be around to protect you or fight for you. If you learn how to harness your magic, truly harness it, then you can save lives. No one else has to die like James, isn't that the point of this crusade?" Malik was matter of fact with no hint of mockery or teasing.
Her gaze softened as his words drilled into her head. Had she been able to use magic offensively, could she have saved her brother? Doubt joined with the anger, eating away at her insides.
"Your family failed you and they failed James. If they had taught you properly, none of this would have happened and you both would still be living peaceful lives."
Sarah took a step back at Malik's judgement against her family. "What do you know about saving people? Have you ever lost someone you couldn't protect?" Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes and her voice cracked as she struggled to contain the whirlwind of emotions spinning within her.
Malik's eyes softened and his expression shifted to a pained look. "I wasn't always an abomination."
Sarah nodded as she understood. Malik had been in her shoes before, he knew exactly what she was going through. What had happened to him and his loved ones, it must have been bad if he chose to become a monster that even vampires feared. Shaking her head, she pushed away those distracting thoughts. Steely resolve had settled in and she hardened her heart, she knew what she had to do and Malik was right. That little voice in the back of her mind that was warning her to ignore him was blocked out as Sarah took a few steps forward.
"What do I do?"
"Prick your finger and place it against this bastard's forehead. Listen to the blood and you will know."
Sarah did as he asked, using her trusty safety pin that she always carried. Blood magic was her speciality and she was ready to push it to new limits. The man tried to pull away again and began punching Malik with everything he had. Malik ignored him, it was like being hit with snowballs, irritating but not painful. As the man struggled Sarah placed a bleeding finger in the center of his forehead.
There was a few seconds of silence as her heart beat through the tip of her finger. She forced herself to drown out the bar around her, something that was fairly easy since most of the patrons had already ran out of the building when Malik instigated the fight. Through the silence an image appeared in her mind's eye. An arrow forged from blood was the answer that her blood was giving her. Picturing that arrow in her mind's eye as clear as she could, she felt a small stinging sensation in the tip of her bleeding finger. Magic filled her arm and she could feel the energy vibrating, waiting for the command to be released.
"Why?" She asked, staring into the man's horrified and panic stricken eyes.
"What?" His voice was cracking and the men behind him were shuffling nervously, unsure of what to do. They feared moving due to Malik's threat but they also felt as if they should do something, anything to help their friend.
"Why did you kill my brother and leave me to live?"
The man looked ashamed as his face reddened. "You weren't my type."
There was a squelching sound that was quickly followed by a cracking noise as an arrow of blood flew through the man's forehead. It traveled out the back of his head and embedded itself into the wall behind him. The blood quickly lost its shape and began to slide down the wall, looking as if someone had thrown dark red paint against it.
Rivers of crimson poured down onto Malik's shoulder and he once more beamed at her with intense pride. Sarah felt nothing, just emptiness and a sense of being cold. Jame's face swam into focus and he looked disappointed in her. She pushed it aside and returned her attention to the remaining thugs that had gone into a full blown panic.