"What the?" Ezra looked around in the sudden darkness. Fortunately, his vampire vision was sharp enough for him to see in theplete dark.


    Beside him, the red eyes of bothdies glowed in the dark. He could only assume his eyes were also glowing.


    He looked out the window to see that the beautiful sight of First City''s skyscrapers and greenhouse towers had been reced by a dark canvas that swallowed up any light in the vicinity.


    "What''s going on?" He asked.


    "It''s a ck zone." Olivia whispered as thedies stood to face the door. "We''re trapped."


    "You''ve got it wrong," Genesis stretched her hand and with a blood red sh, a wicked looking battle axe appeared in her hands. With its dark metal polished to a mirror shine, it glowed softly in the dark. "We''re not trapped. She''s trapped."


    "Don''t be an idiot. It''s Sarah!" Olivia hissed. "She''s a Third ring vampire. She''ll kill you before you can blink."


    "You''re third ring too, aren''t you?" Genesis yawned.


    "Not right now, no. One of my rings is…upied."


    "Wait, what?" Genesis turned sharply to stare at her.


    Boom!


    The door to the apartment blew off its hinges, sending smoke billowing into the apartment.


    Click! ck!


    Click! ck!


    Sarah walked slowly into the room. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two outcasts and a man? It seems like one of you got lucky."


    With her glowing red eyes, flowing red hair and prominent fangs on disy, she looked like a monster bathed in blood. The image was further entuated by the beautiful suit of gleaming armour she wore which was made of a dark red metal which somehow managed toplement her bright red hair.


    Olivia held out a hand. "Stop where you are Sarah. You don''t have to do this."


    "Of course I have to." Sarah scoffed. "When someone kills my friend, I''ll stop at nothing to have my revenge. Step aside Olivia. This doesn''t concern you."


    Olivia sighed. "Unfortunately, I can''t. I already signed a contract." What looked like white giant metallic feathers slowly materialized, one in each hand. She held it out like twin des.


    "So be it." Sarah whispered.


    Whoomph!


    A ming sword appeared in her hand. The de was filled with a blue me so hot, the concrete beneath her feet was starting to melt. Fortunately, the heat didn''t seem to extend for more than a foot around her.


    Ezra took a few steps back. This wasn''t the time for him to charge forward recklessly. There''s a difference between being a hero and being stupid.


    With surprising speed, Sarah charged at Genesis.


    ng!


    Their weapons met each other and with a crack, Genesis'' axe crumbled to dust. Before Sarah could capitalize, Olivia was there with her deadly feathers. Instead of using them as swords, she threw them like throwing daggers.


    While a few pinged off Sarah''s armour, she was forced to leap back as Olivia aimed for her exposed head. With a huff, a helmet grew over her head,pletely sealing her in armour. With only glowing red eyes peeking from the slit of the ornate armour, Sarah looked like an avenging demon.


    "Thanks!" Genesis grinned as two huge battle axes materialized in each hand. "She caught me off guard for a moment there."


    "Save the thanks for after you survive." Wings made up of the same feathers in her hands burst out of Olivia''s back.


    The floor cracked as Sarah rocketed towards the duo, swinging her sword with the force of a freight train.


    Genesis and Olivia weaved between her attacks. Instead of fighting head on, they used their weapons to redirect her sword, with new weapons appearing whenever one was damaged.


    Fast! Ezra was shocked at first when he realized that he could follow the fight with his eyes until he remembered that he was now a vampire too. The sight in front of him was like a disagreement between goddesses. It was a miracle that the building was still intact.


    As Olivia deflected another strike, Sarah crouched and bashed her with the shoulders of her armour, sending Olivia flying. Leaving another crack on the floor, she rocketed towards Genesis.


    Crash!


    A wall of feathers appeared out of nowhere, slowing Sarah down for a second. Long enough for Genesis to escape from her vicinity.


    Where did the walle from? Ezra stood with his mouth open. Even though he was also a vampire, he had no idea how they were doing the things they did. He flexed his hands as he stayed out of the way, hoping for a superpower of his own.


    Back at the battle, Sarah shredded the feathery wall, followed Genesis, undeterred and shed with her ming sword.


    Olivia appeared, catching the swing with a single white wing. The sword cut through the wing before getting stuck at the middle. With her second wing, Olivia shed, cutting a long gash through Sarah''s armour.


    Sarah fell back, leaving her sword stuck in Olivia''s wing. "Not bad for a former guard." She examined the gash as her armour began to repair itself. "It''ll take more than that to bring me down."


    "Give up Sarah. You can''t win this." Genesis taunted.


    "Says the battle crazy idiot who still haven''tnded a solid hit on me." Sarahughed. "Over my dead body."


    Whoomph!


    Another ming sword appeared in Sarah''s hand. This de glowed even brighter than the one Olivia had removed from her wing and was now holding.


    With a battle cry, Sarah attacked. She whirled around the room with Olivia frantically fending off her attacks. The sound of steel on steel echoed as thedies fought. Sarah jumped, spinning in the air as the tip of her sword began glowing ominously.


    With a thrust, a thin line of fire emanated from the sword, cutting its way through Olivia''s chest.


    Using the stolen sword in her hand to block the fire, Olivia stopped it from cutting into her heart.


    Taking advantage of Olivia''s momentary injury, she dashed towards Genesis. Her strikes appeared, lightning fast and Genesis struggled to keep up as her axes kept shattering. "ept your death. I know you''re running out of vitality." She sneered.


    "Worry...about... yourself...first." Genesis gritted her teeth.


    With a sudden twist, Sarah deflected Genesis'' axe, wrenching it from her grip. With a single stroke, Genesis'' arm was separated from her shoulder.


    "Arrrgggghh!" Genesis screamed in pain as her flesh was instantly cauterized.


    Sarah lifted her sword to the sky for the killing blow. As the de descended, a terrifying pressure enveloped the room. The ming sword radiated an aura of inevitably. It was like nothing could stop the sword from severing anything in its path.


    Thwip!


    ck threads burst out of Genesis'' back, stuck to the wall and pulled her out of the way.


    Boom!


    The sword sted a hole a foot deep into the floor and the room shook.


    Olivia suddenly appeared behind Sarah and stabbed. Turning swiftly, Sarah jumped out of the way like she had eyes at the back of her head.


    Olivia threw the ming sword at her like a spear and as she crouched to dodge, a ck fog erupted out of Olivia''s hand, encasing Sarah as the fog solidified into a square box made of ck shadows. Olivia had trapped Sarah in a ck zone of her own!


    "Let''s go!" Olivia yelled, the wound on her chest already healed. Ezra and Genesis, whose arm was regrowing slowly, quickly followed her.


    With a grunt, Olivia tore a hole in Sarah''s ck zone using her wings. Using the opened space, the trio rapidly left the apartment as the breach gradually repaired itself behind them.


    With their safe housepromised, they had to take their chances with the unsafe world.


    What a day to be a vampire.