Chapter 2: In The Worst of Times

People always say that in the worst of times you discover what is truly important in life; your family and those around you who love you. I don't agree with that statement at all. How does this proverbial "they" know that family and those around you are important to everybody? And do you really think about your family when you're being mugged or raped or when your house is on fire? None of those things have ever happened to me, but I assume that family would be the farthest thing from my mind. The actual act of surviving the ordeal with all body parts intact would probably be my top priority.

But that doesn't really have anything to do with anything.

It was an ordinary night. I went to bed around 10:00 as usual, and fell into a dreamless sleep almost instantly. I assumed that I would wake up in the morning as I always did, at 9:00 or so and in my bed. Safely in my bed. And alone. Let's not forget alone.

None of those things occurred. I woke up in the middle of the night, or so I later found out, on a cold hard floor, feeling less than safe. And I wasn't alone. Oh no, I wasn't alone at all. There was… something in the room with me. This sounds so cliché. The stereotypical kidnapping sequence. Well, nothing can be stereotyped if it hasn't happened at least a few times before. What can I say? My life can't always deviate from the norm, now can it?

I couldn't quite tell what was in the room with me until that something grabbed my arm and pulled me up. He/she/it must have noticed that I was alive and breathing, and was now going to take me to its master/kill me/explain to me why the hell I was in this room and not my bed.

It didn't speak, of course. The stereotypical wordless guard, yes? We walked down so many dark corridors that I could hardly keep my feet moving, let alone try to figure out where I was or where we were going. I had a feeling that I had never been to this place before. I mean, why would I have been to a cold, slimy, harsh, prison-like place before? We're not counting school of course. Still, I couldn't help feeling that there was something familiar about this place.

We walked for hours and hours it seemed, although it was probably only a few minutes. We emerged into the light so suddenly that I was practically blinded. The thing holding me chose that perfect momen to let go of me, and I was so disoriented that I fell over. After a few moments of lying flat on the floor, I realized that the buzzing sound I was hearing in the background wasn't a figment of my imagination; it was the sound of laughter. They, whoever "they" was, were laughing at me. I immediately felt the blood rush to my face. I almost never blushed; my face was a pristine white at all times. It must be how off the wall I'm feeling right now. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if I took a basic 2+2 addition test right now and failed it, I mused, rubbing my head and attempting to stand up. After a few moments, and a lot more laughter, I made it.

"This is the girl that's going to save us from the Necs?" a voice whispered.

"She might side with the Necs you know," another voice whispered.

"Yeah, but who would really want to side with them? I mean, come on? How un-cool are a bunch of old geezers?" another voice asked, a little louder this time.

"Don't say that! The Necs are everywhere…" the first voice whispered.

"Paranoid idiot," the second voice hissed.

"Am not. It's true you know! My sister's best friend was killed for saying something just like that in her own home! Her own home god dammit! You can't even think anything bad about the Necs. Who knows whether they're listening or not?" the first voice ranted. My eyes soon cleared, and I saw that the room was populated by a great deal of… people.

But that's the thing; they weren't people. I could have sworn… they had really, really long front teeth. Almost like… I dismissed the thought of vampires immediately. No such things existed. I may not have been the most scientific of girls, and I do so love my fantasy novels, but come on. Vampires? There was no way I would believe that.

How unfortunately wrong I was.

"All of you, shut up!" said another voice. This time I identified it immediately; it belonged to the tall, black-clothed man standing apart from the circle of others. There was a good 3 feet space on either side of him, separating him from the rest of the group. He was obviously the leader.

"Yes, do shut up so I can get some answers, okay? Now, could someone tell me why I'm here and when I'm leaving?" I asked, being braver than I usually would be. I don't quite know what got into me, but I think it was a good thing to say. The "boys," as I would come to call them, would gain an inkling of respect for me because I spoke up to their leader. Really though, when I think about it now, it wasn't that big of a deal. After all, they had said that I was the one who would save them from "The Necs," whoever they were. If I was going to save them, they wouldn't kill me no matter how annoying I got.

The leader-thing smirked and said nothing. I later learned that most people who had said something like that would have gotten off easy if they were just permanently crippled. This leader-thing truly ruled with an iron fist. Not literally, because his fist was made of normal skin, but in the figurative sense.

"I would love to," leader-thing said. "This is the Underworld. It's where the different non-human species live. It's the city streets of New York, only underneath and much less… human."

Now I was seriously freaked out. What kind of wackos had I been kidnapped by? They thought they weren't human, or something like that. I decided to play along for a little while though, just to see whether I could glean any truth from this mess.

"And what are you? Vampires? Werewolves? Demons? Alligators? And what kind of cheesy-ass name is 'The Underworld'? It sounds like something out of some tacky B movie," I asked.

"Werewolves don't exist stupid. We're vamps," one of the whispering trio told me. The leader-thing glared at him and then at me.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with the name Underworld," the leader-thing informed me, moving his head back and forth and glaring between me and the man/vampire/thing from the whispering trio.

"Are you kidding me? It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" I responded, laughing at little at the sheer stupidity of the whole situation.

"It's not like we had any choice in the name. The Necs probably thought it up," another of the whispering trio mumbled. The leader-thing immediately stopped glaring at me and set his eyes on the man/vampire/thing who had just spoken. But it was too late to stuff the words back in his mouth; I was already on to my next line of questioning.

"And who are these Necs that you were talking about?" I asked, still playing along. I managed to keep from laughing, although it was rather hard.

"Necromancers. We're fighting a gang-war against them. You, my dear Stella, are the key to us winning," the leader answered, shooting the vampire who had piped up before a dirty glance.

I was shocked into complete silence. Me, the key to winning a war between these "vampires" and "necromancers?" That "vampire" had said it before, but I hadn't really been listening that well. Plus, he was just a lowly underling. Why would he know what was actually going on? That was my reasoning anyway. But the leader? If he said I was supposed to win them this war against the "necromancers," then they all really must have been under the impression that I was going to do just that! Even if this whole necromancer vs. vampire thing wasn't a load of shit (which is what I was pretty sure it was), how could I, Stella Anderson, 20-year-old college student, do anything to help either of them? There was nothing special about me!

"Ah, but you are wrong. There is something special about you, although what it is I cannot say. It all depends on which side you choose," the leader informed me. Had he read my mind? No, of course not, he couldn't have. There was no magic, no mind-reading, and certainly no vampires or necromancers or Underworld.

"Are you almost done with your little game? Because I would really like to go home," I said. Now I was getting annoyed. Who were these people anyway, and why were they bothering me? Couldn't they find anyone else to play with? I wasn't going to allow it.

The leader just smirked at me and shook his head. "I knew you weren't going to believe me, so I brought in a little reinforcement. Maybe, someone you know and trust? Well, there's nothing I can do tonight then. Now…Dominic?" he asked, looking at the demon from the whispering trio, the one who had spoken only a few moments before.

"Yes Master Reykjavik?" the vampire, Dominic, asked, stepping out of the group of other vampires and closer to Reykjavik. What kind of name was Reykjavik anyway? Isn't that the capital of Ireland or something? What a great name for an all-powerful leader, I thought.

"She needs to get back home safely. Can I count on you to do it correctly?" Reykjavik asked, staring sternly at the cowering vampire. Dominic was shaking as though he was standing with no coat in -200 degree weather.

"Of course Master Reykjavik," Dominic insisted. He waited for a few moments as Reykjavik deliberated internally. Finally, after a few moments, I got bored with this deliberating and began singing the Jeopardy tune. I guess vampires, or at least supposed ones, watch television, because they knew exactly what I was doing. Once again, Reykjavik just smirked at me. It was only a few more moments before he nodded to Dominic. I don't know why, but as he walked towards me, I passed out.

I woke up seconds later, or so it seemed, lying in my bed at home. "It must have been a dream," I told myself, looking at the clock. It was 5:00AM, and I felt like I hadn't slept a wink, when I had really slept for 7 hours. "I guess I'll just go back to sleep then," I muttered, snuggling back under my covers and falling asleep instantly. This time, I didn't dream.

Go on to the next part:

Chapter 3: That Which Is Familiar  (13+) In which part Stella makes a shocking discovery and receives proof that vampires exist #959508 by Fantasy