Under the Crescent Moon

Under the Crescent Moon


A young girl stumbled, coughing, out of the side entrance to Selenia, (an obscure back alley night club popular with the twenty-something college crowd in the city) and into the dark alleyway. A single yellow lantern bulb and the pale crescent moon above gave off the only illumination in the dark, dingy alley. Clouds of cigarette smoke billowed out the open door after her, obviously the cause of her departure. She stooped low on the sidewalk, her small hands braced on her knees in an effort to regain her breath, long ropes of her auburn hair swinging forward over her bare shoulder to shield her face. After a few moments of coughing, her breathing returned to normal and she straightened, tossing her hair back over her shoulder with a jerk of her head.
The sickly yellow glow of the dim lantern bulb cast just enough light to illuminate her features. She was short, barely 5’2”, and thin. Her pale skin contrasted darkly with her wide dark eyes. Her auburn hair fell in a shining ginger waterfall down her back. She wore a dark crimson skirt that she’d belted with a wide strip of black leather, its rounded brass buckle glinting dully in the lantern light. Her cream halter was sprinkled with a print of red roses and offered little protection from the chill wind blowing through the alley. In her right hand she carried a short black coat made of a thick, heavy material.
Clouds covered the thin crescent moon above, robbing the alley of its meager light. The girl shivered in the deepening gloom and hurriedly pulled on her coat, wrapping it tightly around her body as though to ward off the shadows as well as the cold. She peered down both directions of the alley with a slightly bewildered expression on her face, before shrugging and heading off toward the left end of the alley. A dark figure smirked evilly as it watched her from the recessed shadows of the alley, its pointed teeth glinting palely in the dim light. The figure laughed silently to itself, an expression of wicked glee on it pale features, as it watched the girl’s departure.
She shivered as the wind blew harder, raising goose bumps on her exposed legs, and tugged her coat tighter around her body as she walked down the alley, her black three inch heels making hollow clicking sounds on the broken pavement.
"Why didn’t I listen to Lexis when she told me to wear pants?” She thought. The girl sighed, shaking her head. She knew why she hadn’t listened. When Lexis mentioned that Sam was coming, her only thought was of what outfit would secure his undivided attention. She’d wanted to impress Sam, hoping that for once he’d notice her. Instead he had all but brushed her aside after a casual hello to enjoy the fawning attention of a long-legged brunette.
A loud crash broke through her thoughts and she shrieked, swinging around wildly. Wide eyed with fright she peered into the shadows behind her. Nothing was visible except for a rusty olive green dumpster and discarded refuse scattered haphazardly around the alley. She half-turned toward the end of the alley, reluctant to lose sight of the way behind. As a child, her mother had told her frightening stories of women who were followed into a dark alley and kidnapped or worse. This was not the place to think of stories like those and be able to retain her calm. Something rustled loudly in the shadows near the dumpster and she jumped, stifling a scream. She stared at the shadows, frozen by fear, waiting for whatever had made the noise to make an appearance. A sudden shrill squeak seemed deafening in the silent alley, and she whimpered involuntarily. She sighed in relief as a rat crawled out of the garbage beside the dumpster, the source of her fright. She laughed silently at herself for believing her mother’s stories.
“Oh thank God. It’s just a rat. I’ve got to stop listening to Mom.”
She watched the rat as it sat back on its haunches and sniffed the air, before shaking her head and continuing down the alleyway.
The rat watched her go, its beady black eyes glittering brightly. Its whiskers twitched as the wind blew the scent of her perfume to its sensitive nose. A heady mixture of mandarin, cardamom, and patchouli invaded the air. The rat chuckled silently to itself as it returned to its human shape, safe from her gaze now that she’d continued down the alley. He’d nearly tipped his hand by his eagerness to keep her in sight and had accidentally knocked over that crate, thereby alerting her to his presence. He’d quickly shape-changed into the innocuous form of a rat, lessening her alarm. He mourned the loss of the energy needed to make the change, but in the grand scheme of his plan he conceded that the loss was inconsequential. The chase would soon begin in earnest. After all timing was everything. He stalked silently down the alley after the girl, keeping to the shadows. Her bewitching scent was enough to lead him toward his prey.
She was beginning to get restless. The scare she’d received earlier had rattled her nerves and she was quite sure that it hadn’t taken this long to reach Selenia from the street when she and Lexis had arrived there. She turned right into the next alley and stopped. As she’d walked, the industrial concrete and steel that made up the outside of Selenia and the surrounding buildings had given way to crumbling red brick walls of old abandoned shops. The small, dust clouded windows dotting their surfaces offered no clue as to her whereabouts. The rusted metal doors bore no signs or offered any insight as to what they led to. She sighed dejectedly and looked at her feet. She was lost. She looked up and gazed around the alley, hoping for some to appear and lead her on her way. She continued to walk on in hopes of coming across a familiar sight on the next street.
She turned left at the next corner and clamped her eyes shut against the sudden brightness of the burning fire barrel before her. She blinked rapidly, unbidden tears clouding her vision, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness after the gloom of the previous alleyways. She blinked one last time to clear her vision. Her eyes widened in fear as she caught sight of the three scruffy youths crouching low around the barrel. They wore frayed, overly patched clothes that were a hodgepodge mix of popular styles from the last three decades. They raised their eyes to her as she stood before them, staring openly in dread. One boy, a dark haired youth with sallow skin, smirked at her and let his gaze wander from her face down the length of her body and back up.
“Well, well, boys,” he said, a malicious smile breaking out across his face as he got to his feet, “what have we got here?”
The other two boys stood as well, laughing at the first boy’s comment.
“What do you think we should do with her, Brick?”
This came from the shortest youth. His stringy, dirty blonde hair covered by a tattered, olive green hat fell down over his face, throwing it into further shadow. He stared at her out of bruised, sunken eyes which glittered lasciviously at her out of his dramatically pale face. The girl backed up a step and knocked into someone’s chest. Her arms were seized in an iron grip, and she gasped as she realized that one of the boys had snuck around and behind her. She went rigidly still with fear, sweat breaking out on her brow. It seemed her mother’s stories might come true tonight after all. The other two boys drew closer to her and she writhed in her captor’s grip, desperate to break free. The boy behind her only gripped her arms harder, bruising her soft skin and lifted her off the ground so that she couldn’t get the leverage to heave herself away.
“Where do you think you’re going, huh?” the boy behind her leaned down and whispered in her ear. “We’re just getting started. You can’t leave before the fun starts.” He ran his tongue along the shell of her ear, making her wriggle in disgust. She jerked as the shortest boy reached out a hand for her. He ran a rough finger down her cheek, tracing the contours of her neck as he lazily trailed his hand down toward her arm. She stiffened at the touch and gasped as his ragged nails caught painfully on her skin. The boy laughed at her pain and dug his fingernails into the skin of her wrist, making her cry out in pain.
“Hey, watch what you’re doing! It wouldn’t do to scare our guest too much. We don’t want her to faint,” Brick said in a mockingly courteous voice.
“Yeah, sure, Brick. It’s not like anyone’s gonna care about her way out here. God knows the cops don’t patrol out here anymore. Not like we’re gonna get caught if she screams,” the short boy scoffed.
“Oh, she’ll scream,” Brick grabbed a handful of her auburn hair as he spoke, “they all do in the end.” He yanked on it sharply, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Well, Brick, who’s gonna get her first?” the boy behind her asked, desire clear in his voice.
Brick chuckled at the look of fear on her face. “Why not share?” he suggested cruelly, smirking at her all the while.
The other two quickly voiced their assent, and they all laughed at the look of undisguised horror on her face. The short boy began to yank open her coat, buttons flying through the air. Frozen as she’d been earlier, this galvanized her. She shrieked, twisting and kicking violently, her legs flailing. She caught the short boy solidly in the chin. Her heel scraped the side of his neck and left a long bloody scratch. He flew backwards, knocking over the fire barrel behind him. Burning refuse tumbled out, splaying small fires across the alleyway.
Brick slapped her across the face. “Why you little – OOF!” Brick gasped as her foot hit him squarely in the stomach. He stumbled and clutched at his stomach, winded. The boy holding her growled and threw her across the alley. She slammed face first into the brick wall grunting in pain and then pushed off the wall. She turned toward her attacker, just in time to see his fist come flying toward her. She ducked and the boy swore loudly as his fist connected with the brick wall. He pulled his injured fist to his body and cradled it near his chest grasping it in his other fist in pain. She kicked him soundly in the knee, and he sank to the ground, shouting in pain. She took off at a dead run in the opposite direction, determined to put as much distance between herself and her attackers as she could, and hoped that neither of her heels snapped under the pressure.
“What are you doing, you fools?” Brick wheezed at the two other boys. “Go after her!” The short boy took off immediately, already recovered from his fall. The other boy followed at a jogging limp, favoring his injured knee. Brick leaned against the wall and wheezed, attempting to regain his lost breath.
“When they catch her,” he thought, “I’m gonna make her pay.” He bent his head, coughing violently. A shadow fell across him, blocking what little light was being given off by the overturned barrel. He raised his head, expecting one of the other boys. His eyes widened in surprise and fear as he saw the being before him. He didn’t even have time to scream.
She ran blindly, stumbling on the rubbish that littered the alley. She heard the staccato beat of multiple footsteps and risked a glance behind her. Two of the boys were following her, the short boy and the one who’d held her in his arms. Brick was nowhere to be seen. The short boy was closer to her, but the other was catching up quickly. His knee had obviously stopped hurting enough so as not to hinder him in the chase. She turned forward and tried to make out something, anything, in the gloom ahead that she could use to slow them down.
There! Near the next rusted metal door was a green plastic trashcan. She slowed a bit and grabbed its handle as she ran by. She yanked it sideways and let go. She smiled to herself when she heard its satisfying crash and the boys’ curses as they had to slow down and pick their way over the spilt rubbish.
She kept running, the click of her heels on the cracked pavement echoing the frantic beat of her pulse. She breathed deeply, trying not to gasp as pain shot up her legs with every step. She heard the boys’ feet pounding on the street behind her, spurring her on as the baying of the hounds encourage the fox to flee. She looked back once more. They were gaining on her; the short boy was less than twelve feet behind her.
She pitched forward suddenly, crying out as she screwed her eyes shut in anticipation of impact. It never came. Instead, warm gentle hands grasped her under the shoulders, stopping her descent and righting her. She froze in the stranger’s grip, her head shooting up to look at them, panic setting in at the thought that Brick might somehow have cut her off and caught her. But the face of the man holding her was not Brick’s. She only glimpsed his dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes before a shout from the boys behind her caused her to jerk around in fear. The stranger frowned and pushed her behind him, shielding her with his body.
“Hey, let her go, you freak!” the short boy yelled. “We had her first.”
The stranger raised an eyebrow, “Oh, really? And just what are you going to do if I don’t hand her over?” he asked archly.
The boy who’d held her earlier scoffed and sneered, “We’ll beat you up and then take her. C’mon, man, she’s not worth the trouble. Save yourself the pain and hand her over.”
The man scoffed, “I don’t take kindly to threats, boy. I believe she’s much happier away from you and I intend to see she stays that way.”
The boy growled at the man’s condescending tone and lunged toward him. The man sidestepped and thrust the girl away from the scuffle.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into, boys. I advise you to step back now,” the man said, rolling up his shirtsleeves as both boys circled him.
“Ha! You haven’t got a chance, old man. There’s two of us and one of you. Think that little idiot over there’s gonna be any help? You’d be better off with a mouse as a partner than that,” the short boy taunted, pointing to the girl by the wall.
“It seems as if she was quite capable of escaping the two of you once already. I’d say the odds are rather tipped in my favor as you couldn’t even best a girl,” the man taunted mockingly in return.
The enraged boys flew at him as though to tackle him. The man sidestepped the shorter boy, tripping him up as he did so. The boy fell to the ground, severely winded by the impact. The man turned then and caught the other boy’s fist as he tried to punch him. He gripped the boy’s arm and tossed him bodily over his shoulder and into the wall of the alley. The boy hit hard and then slumped to the ground, out cold. The short boy scrambled to his feet, took one fearful look at his friend’s prone body and bolted. The man straightened and brushed off his shirt before turning to the girl who stood pressed against the wall, eyes wide with shock.
“Are you alright?” the man asked. The girl stared at him for a moment and then nodded shakily.
“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Thank you for helping. I didn’t think I was going to get away.” The man walked over and held out his hand.
“How did you end up with those two anyway? If you don’t mind my saying so, those boys don’t really seem like your kind of company,” the man said, a bit of humor coloring his voice.
The girl placed her hand in his and let him pull her away from the wall. She smiled a bit as she spoke. “They’re not. I got lost on my way home and took a wrong turn.”
“I see,” the man nodded to himself. “Well then, would you like an escort then? In case anymore unsavory characters appear? It’ll be much safer for you if I’m with you.” He offered her his arm in a gallant gesture. The girl smiled shyly and took his arm.
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” She gave him a grateful look.
“Well, then, let’s be on our way.” He led her away from the prone form of the boy who still lay slumped against the wall.
“Where did you come from anyway?” he asked as they walked down the alley.
“Selenia, I was there with a friend. She got…distracted though and I left.” That wasn’t the whole story, but she figured the highly abridged version would be enough for him. After all, he was a stranger and gallant or not she knew nothing about him. She didn’t even know his name.
The man stopped walking suddenly and she lurched forward a bit, swinging on his arm. He laughed a little and then gave her a slightly apologetic look at the curious and slightly annoyed look she gave him.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I just realized I haven’t even told you my name.” The girl stared in amazement. “It’s like he read my mind.” she thought in awe.
He slid his arm out of hers and took her hand. “I’m Aulain,” he said, looking straight into her eyes as he bent to lay a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.
She didn’t speak for a moment, caught in his gaze, and then blinked and shook her head gently as though coming out of a daze.
“Talia,” She answered breathlessly as he straightened.
“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl, it suits you.” He inclined his head to her and gave a roguish wink. She smiled and ducked her head, looking down at her feet. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and hoped that he couldn’t see it in the darkened alley. She looked back up at him when he asked, “Where can I take you then, fair lady?”
“Could you take me back to the street? I can get a cab back to my place from there.”
“Sure, I know a short cut. You’ll be on your way home in no time,” he said, leading her down a wide, open alley on their right. They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Talia used this time to study the man walking beside her. He was tall, well over six feet, and pale. His skin had an almost sickly pallor to it, but she supposed it had nothing to do with illness. There just didn’t seem a likely reason for it after his display of strength and vitality in her defense earlier. The tips of his dark hair just brushed his shoulders, as it shined in the meager light given off by the crescent moon above. His dark eyes seemed to drill into her very soul when he looked at her. They seemed to search out every secret buried in her mind. It was an unnerving trait, but his charming and polite manner banished the nervousness produced by his gaze.
Aulain tried to contain his laughter as he walked beside Talia. The naïve little chit was so trusting, even after her encounter with those vicious boys. He smiled to himself and ran his tongue over his teeth. This girl was proving to be more entertaining than he’d originally thought she would. He’d hoped for a decent chase at the least tonight, but he’d received quite the floorshow this evening in addition. The appetizer he’d taken from that alley thug had restored the energy he’d expended earlier in hiding his presence from her, although it had only whetted his appetite. Now, after the scuffle with the two other boys he was feeling ravenous. As much fun as this hunt had proven, he wanted nothing more than to pounce on his prey rather than finish the chase. He’d not eaten enough tonight by far. He glanced at Talia, his gaze inexorably drawn to the pulse point of her neck. His teeth ached with his desire to simply have his meal where she stood. He could almost hear the blood pounding through her veins, the drumbeat of her steady pulse enticing him with its befuddling rhythm. He clenched his jaw tightly, reigning himself in. It wouldn’t do to attack her too soon, not where people might hear her screams and come to investigate. And besides the risk of interruption, striking too soon would ruin the flavor of his meal and then he’d leave unsatisfied and have to hunt again. That was an action he had no intention of repeating this night, especially as it was so close to dawn. The few meager hours left before sunrise would not leave him enough time to hunt and return home. He’d be caught out in the day, defenseless, and assuming he survived, he would be very weak. “Soon,” he told himself silently. “Only a bit farther and then she’s mine.”
“I thought you said this was a short cut,” Talia said, suspicion coloring her voice. “For a ‘short cut’ it sure is taking an awfully long time to reach the street.”
Aulain growled inwardly. “Why is she getting suspicious now, when I’m so close!” he thought furiously. He strove to compose his facial features into some semblance of calm. He didn’t need to alarm her anymore than she already was. He didn’t want her to start running now after all. “It’s just a bit farther. Just a few more alleys and we’ll be there,” he cajoled, the honeyed sweetness of his saccharine voice tangible enough to attract flies.
Talia stopped walking, removing her hand from the circle of his arm and stared guardedly at Aulain. Sure he’d saved her earlier, but how much could she really trust him? After all, he was as much a stranger as those foul boys from earlier, and it could be that he was simply much better at hiding his agenda. For all she knew he was luring her into a trap that he’d set up for whichever unsuspecting girl he met tonight, and she’d unknowingly won the prize.
“Come on,” he jerked his head toward the end of the alley and walked forward a few steps before stopping and looking back at her. “Really it’s just a few more streets.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.
Talia shook her head and stepped backwards, her auburn hair swinging around her face. “Look, I’m grateful that you saved me earlier, but I’d appreciate it if you just told me the way and let me go on my own.”
Aulain sighed audibly before speaking. “All right, though I don’t see why you won’t let me accompany you.” He pointed toward the opposite end of the alley from where he stood. “Go all the way down this alley, turn right and go halfway down. There will be an alley on the left. Head to the end, you’ll come to a cross roads. Make sure you go straight, because the other paths will take you into the seedier parts of these back alleys, and you don’t want to end up around the people that hang out there. If you thought the boys you ran into earlier were dangerous, then you wouldn’t last five minutes down the other streets. After you go straight at the cross, keep going straight for a while. Eventually, you should reach the street,” he directed. The coldness in his voice made shivers run down Talia’s back. She hadn’t meant to offend him, but she was frightened enough that she didn’t care at this point.
“Thank you,” she replied as she walked forward and edged past him, trying not to let her discomfort show on her face. She walked at a normal pace to the end of the alley and turned right. Then she quickened her pace, wanting nothing more than to be away from this horrid place and hoping that her clicking heels wouldn’t be loud enough to give her away.
Aulain smirked as he watched Talia walk down the alley. He congratulated himself on his spontaneous plan to give her the wrong directions. Now she’d end up at the dead end regardless of the fact that he could not lead her himself. Now all he had to do was follow her to make sure she didn’t stray from the path. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Had there been someone in the alley to watch, they would have seen his form ripple as though suddenly liquid. The wavering form seemed to be absorbing the gloom of the alley, becoming darker than the very shadows. It thinned and stretched, begging to hover above the ground as it lengthened. Moments later, a thin, nearly imperceptible raven colored fog filled the alley. It wafted in the still air, drifting as though blown about by a supernatural force. It rose quickly from the ground and flowed fluidly up the side of the building. It reached the roof and stopped. The shadowy fog fluttered and slowly changed into the form of an ebony furred wolf. The wolf sniffed the air and took off at a trot across the rooftops, following the scent of Talia’s perfume down the maze of alleys.
Talia walked as quickly as her impractical choice of shoes allowed. All that running earlier had damaged the heels of her shoes and she was afraid they’d break if she put much more strain on them. She reached the left most alley, halfway down this one just as he’d said, and turned the corner. As she did so, she felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle, as though someone were watching her. She looked behind her, but no one was there. She scanned the windows that dotted the crumbling building around her, but they were so grimed with dust that if someone were watching from behind she couldn’t see them. She quickened her pace, jogging now, and kept her eyes on anything that she thought a person could hide behind.
He watched her, the frightened little lamb, frantically darting her eyes from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of danger but unaware that her doom lingered on the rooftop above. His mouth watered as he watched her dart down the alley. He followed on silent feet until she came close to the alley crossroad. She glanced behind once more, walking forward cautiously. He pounced, landing lightly on the pavement behind her. He stalked her, hackles rising, and let out a bone chilling howl. She shrieked and turned, screaming as she spotted the salivating wolf. He lunged after her and she took off at a dead run, panic setting in as the ravenous animal closed the meager distance between them. She sprinted straight down the alley before her, frantic to escape.
Talia searched frantically for somewhere to run to that would lead her away from the vicious animal pursuing her. Her panic grew as it closed in on her. She could feel its putrid breath fanning against her legs as she ran. Its growl was almost deafeningly loud behind her as she leapt forward, dodging holes in the pavement. It snapped at her heels, teeth gnashing, as she landed. She shrieked and ran faster, praying that her heels wouldn’t snap and leave her at the fell beast’s unlikely mercy. She gripped her side as a muscle cramp made her wince in pain. She didn’t have long to concentrate on it, however, as the animal behind suddenly leaped forward and slammed its furry body into her knees. She screamed as she landed flat on the pavement, the animal’s razor sharp claws raking the back of her left calf leaving three deep bloody gashes in its wake. She pushed herself into a sitting position and clasped her leg with her hands, hoping to reduce the pain and bleeding. The wolf backed off and circled her where she lay half sitting on the pavement. It growled as it circled her and lunged at her in a maliciously playful manner, licking its muzzle and slavering in anticipatory glee.
Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision as she frantically tried to keep her eyes on her canine attacker. She jerked wildly, throwing up her right arm, cuffing it in the muzzle as it suddenly lunged and snapped at her. She screeched as its razor sharp teeth sank deeply into her flesh and a burning pain erupted in the length of her arm. She began hitting the wolf frantically with her left fist, her self-preservation instincts taking control. The wolf let go of her arm and growled angrily, attempting to frighten her into submission. It yipped at her and cuffed her upside the head with a paw, sending her careening into the wall behind her. She screamed and then fell abruptly quiet as her head struck heavily against the brick. Her limp body slumped against the wall, the forceful impact knocking her out cold.
The wolf nudged Talia’s prone form with its snout, assuring itself that she was unconscious. It backed away and sat down, its feral golden eyes never straying from her prone form. A sudden breeze ruffled its black fur, and in a flash of light Aulain was crouching on the pavement. He laughed maliciously at the bloodstained girl and kneeled, pulling Talia’s limp form onto his lap.
"Such a pity,” he said softly, false remorse lacing his voice. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight, my darling,” he sighed, “Oh well, can’t have it all I suppose.” Aulain softly traced the line of her jaw with his finger, running it down the side of her throat and stopping at her pulse point. He cocked her head to the side with a gentle prod, baring her slender throat to his hungry gaze. He bent his head and ran his tongue along the length of her neck. He groaned in pleasure.
“Such a delectable little morsel, it’s really too bad that I can’t turn you into one of us. I’m afraid you’re simply much too innocent,” he teased in a regretful tone.
“Well, I got a fine chase out of you anyway. I thank you for that at least, my dear, but now I’m afraid it’s time to say adieu.” He kissed her gently on the brow and said mockingly to her, “You won’t feel a thing, darling, I promise.” He bent his head and bit roughly into the artery at the juncture of her neck. His razored fangs tore jaggedly at her skin, releasing her precious essence into his waiting mouth. He moaned in delight as her scarlet blood coursed down his throat. Finally, after long minutes had passed, he pulled away from her and looked down at her now deathly pale face.
“So beautiful…even in death.” He took her face gently in his hands and kissed her tenderly, leaving crimson stains across her lips and cheeks as he pulled away. He laid her against the wall and propped her into a sitting position. He smirked in wicked amusement at the picture she made with her blood red lips, rosy cheeks, and porcelain face. She looked like an oversized version of a child’s discarded doll, a lifeless picture of sheer innocence even after all that she’d suffered this night. He drew his hand over her cheek in a final caress before rising and walking slowly away. A shrill wind blew at his clothing as he walked, starkly outlining his body as he melted into the shadows and disappeared into the night. In the sky above clouds blew across the moon revealing her slender fanged smile to the night and casting her meager glow onto the world below. Her light fell upon the city, urging her precious children of the night to seek their rest as she slowly sank beneath the horizon.

FINIS