Penny's Choice

by Annette Archer

  “Officers,” Charles said to the campus policemen.

  “Librarian over there thinks she saw you two running down the stairs and were the first to sound the alarm about the fire.”

  “Yes, officer, my boyfriend and I were, well you know, taking a study break...” Penny then winked at the officers. “I know the library isn't the place, but like, when the mood hits, it hits, ya know?”

  “Uh-huh, and did you see anything?” The shorter officer asked.

  “Like what? Vampires? That's part of the reason that I got so hot in the library...vampires are so sexy, ya know?” Penny could tell that Charles was trying to not laugh at her dumb coed spiel, but the officers were eating it up.

  “No not vampires, like did you see anything real?” The taller officer probed her for better information.

  “But vampires are real,” Penny replied, making sure to look totally aghast that not everyone believed in vampires.

  Okay, well just for arguments sake, was there anything that you saw other than vampires?” The officers rolled their eyes at each other. Penny was glad that they thought she was an idiot.

  “Well, there was only one other person up there with us. I mean, he was, ya know, not with us, but he was some ragged homeless looking guy. He didn't have all his teeth; it was gross. Almost ruined the mood, but vampires...” Penny started off on a rabbit trail. She could hear Charles suppress a chuckle behind her.

  “And sir did you see this same guy?” The short officer asked as he took down notes on pad of paper.

  “Yeah,” Charles replied. “He was pretty gross. Seen worse after an all-night kegger, but he was still pretty gross.”

  “Do you think that you could describe this man to a sketch artist?” Both officers asked almost in unison.

  “Ooo, a sketch artist!” Penny said.

  “Sure, man,” Charles said, trying to continue with his best frat guy impression. He was not nearly as good at this game as Penny was, but he was passable. It worked to their advantage that cops usually look for non-supernatural answers to crimes. The cops wouldn't have believed that the fire was started by three vampire hunters even if Penny and Charles had told them the truth.

  Charles and Penny spent the rest of the night in the police station describing a half toothless version of their friend George back in the brotherhood. The police decided that the homeless man was probably responsible for the attack on the librarian and the fire. They said they would probably never know because the library was a complete loss. The firemen said they had never seen a fire spread so violently. They had such a hard time just containing it to that one building that their mission went from putting out the fire to containing the fire.

  Penny and Charles returned to the brotherhood sanctuary in San Jose. Penny received a small slap on the hand for using an unauthorized weapon, but was congratulated for being creative with the cover-up. It showed she could adapt and think on her feet.

  Her next mission would be strictly supervised.

  (CHAPTER 5) The Party

  Penny sipped a dink, relishing the taste. It was pleasing, melting on her lips. Normally at 18, she would not be able to consume alcohol, but not in the Brotherhood. She was an adult and could do whatever she wanted. She sighed and placed the drink on a nearby table. She eagerly glanced at the people dancing. She had to keep alert in case any vampires came out. After the incident with the library, Penny had to beg to get put on this team. And even then, she was just the decoy. It had been almost three months since the she burnt down the UGA library. She had been praised for her quick thinking, but was still put on probation. She was, though, allowed to train in the use of the fire guns. She enjoyed shooting the gun and the Brotherhood, especially the High Warden, was quite impressed with the accuracy of her aim.

  She leaned against the walls and straightened her treacherously tight, little red dress. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back and the excessive high heels made her legs go on for hours. Classical music was played by a small ensemble as unsuspecting human twirled around the floor. She felt confident.

  "A vampire has entered the ballroom," Charles said, his voice echoed into her ear through her electronic earring. She raised her head to search for Charles and found him standing at the opposite end of the room; he met her gaze with his sexy eyes and nodded at the door's direction.

  "Another two entered. Get ready, Penny," he said through his collar. Charles had insisted that he go on the floor with her. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't trust her to do a good job, or if he just was concerned for her safety.

  Penny had an incredible urge to grab her small wooden daggers out of the back of her dress and get rid of the vampires. Even though her aim was impeccable, she was still not allowed to carry the fire gun into combat. Too much risk of civilian casualties. Just as Penny calmed herself down, a tall man with curly mousy brown hair caught her attention. He wore the standard tux and his hair flowed around his neck. He looked around twenty, which was only a few years older than Penny. She would never forget his face. He had been there the night that all of her trouble started. When the vampire turned his direction to her and met her gaze, a friendly smile appeared on his face and he raised his hand as if he were saying hello. She felt her face grow incredibly hot. Who exactly was he?

  “Charles, that one there, he's the one,” Penny said through her microphone. She started to tremble and braced herself against the wall.

  “What?” Charles replied.

  “The one with the curly hair...he's the one that shoved me in the closet...the one that was there that night!”

  “What, that one?” Charles said looking over in the vampire's direction.

  “Yes,” Penny said. Her composure started to fall apart. She wasn't ready to face him yet.

  “Oh great,” Charles said. His voice was filled with irritation. “Listen Penny, you stay away from him! You hear me, don't you go anywhere near him.”

  “What, but...”

  “That's an order,” he said curtly. He then stalked directly over to the vampire, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him down a hallway. He must have muffled his microphone because Penny couldn't hear anything that he was saying to the vampire. Penny would have thought that Charles aggressive behavior with the vampire was strange, but she could barely remember her name at the moment.

  She found a chair and sat down. Her head swam around the room. Emotions flew her. She went from rage to hopelessness then to confusion in just a few seconds. His face brought back scenes from the last night she had spent with her family. She had tried so hard to forget them.

  "Charles, I'm heading to the bathroom," she whispered into the microphone. “I need to collect myself.”

  “Fine,” he said in a muffled reply. “Stay out of trouble.”

  She wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes and found herself in a very long dark hall, far off from the ballroom. She spotted a door labeled 'Private'. She blinked. Was this a vampire room? Maybe she could find some information on that vampire. Her mind was still not working fully right. She turned the doorknob and twisted it hard, but it didn't move. She sighed and blinked again. She smashed the door with great energy and it opened with a loud crack. She smiled. At least smashing things made her feel a little better. She looked around the area, there was a light in a corner, but it the room was still mostly dark. She moved quickly to a filing cabinet filled with what would hopefully be vampire files.

  Her hands searched desperately for anything with her name on it or maybe that Priscilla vampire or even something on Thomas. She grabbed a file and was about to open it when suddenly two hands wrapped through her arms from the back keeping her from moving. She felt a hot breath on her back.

  "Girls like you shouldn't be alone in a place like this." The voice was happy and playful.

  She breathed sharply. Thomas! His touch made her more goosepimply than Charles's ever did. She tried to banish the thought from her head, but she was just so glad that he was here and Thomas' skin was
just so smooth. Maybe he could help her with her problem, especially since Charles wasn't there to get in the way.

  "Thomas," she said, then she turned a little bit and caught sight not of Thomas, but of the vampire from the ballroom. She found herself staring into breathtaking blue eyes. She struggled to get free, but it only made him tighten his hands on her arms. She thought about screaming, but she was afraid it would bring more vampires instead of help.

  "Is this your office?" She said, trying to get her arms out of his clutches.

  The vampire gave her a sly grin when she turned her head around.

  "No," he replied, his voice sent chills down her. She wanted to grab her daggers and pierce him straight through the heart. She waited for him to sink his teeth into her neck and finish what he had started months ago.

  Her mouth was dry and her eyes widened. She couldn't let him bite her; she had to fight for her family. She had to escape. She stomped on his instep as hard as she could, make him groan. She took that as a chance and slipped away from his grasp. She sprinted for the door, but he blocked it. He was much faster than her. She ran over to the other end of the room. So much for an escape.

  "You... stay away from me, or just get it over with!" she said about in tears. She didn't what was wrong with her. She should have immediately lunged at the vampire.

  The stranger replied with another grin. "Penny, come on, you really shouldn't be in here," he said. "Don't make me fight you."

  What, he knew her name? He must have been listening in that night.

  She reached into the back of her dress to pull out her small wooden daggers that she kept hidden there. She should have brought her wooden stake, but she hadn't thought it necessary before.

  "Look you," she said, "We either do this the easy way, or the hard way."

  He laughed gently; the sound made her heart flutter. What was wrong with her? Now she was getting all woozy over this killer?

  "What if I pick..." The vampire carefully walked towards her, "The hard way?"

  She could hear the playfulness in his voice. He wasn't scared. Didn't he know that she was in the Brotherhood? That he shouldn't mess with her? He was being far too playful to be a normal vampire.

  "You asked for it," she said, raising her daggers over her head.

  The vampire simply moved closer to her. "Bring it on then," he said with a childlike smile on his lips.

  She moved quickly, jumping on a chair, using it as a spring board to tackle the vampire. She landed right on top of him, which seemed to surprise him. She threw him off his feet. She raised the daggers and pushed him down onto the floor. When she was just about to aim the weapon at his heart, he caught her arms and turned her over on her back. He was on top of her, pinning her to the floor. She couldn't move and every breath took extra effort. She stared up into his beautiful face and gritted her teeth.

  "You really are a crazy one," he said, audibly entertained. "Boy does Chuck know how to pick them!"

  She struggled to get free, and then he turned her over so that she was facing the ground and her long blonde hair fell away from her neck. She thought was the end of her for sure. Suddenly, he let go of his grip on her. Then she heard voices echoing down the hallway. More vampires would come into the room any minute.

  "Stay out of sight," he said, pointing to a couch on the near wall.

  She nodded and walked over and hid behind the couch hastily. She felt like a fool right away. Did she just follow his order? He may have sounded like Thomas, but he wasn't. Then another thought entered her mind. Maybe that was Thomas. No! Maybe this was all a vampire trick? Should she trust him?

  Oh, Penny, you're so dead, she thought. She bit her lip and gripped her daggers tightly. Why not just go attack him right now when his back is towards her? Even if the other vampires came in right then, she would at least have revenge for her family.

  The door opened just as Penny had hidden herself behind the couch. She remained deathly still while the vampires spoke.

  “What did that human want with you?” A female voice asked. “He was rather forceful.”

  “I don't know, something about his girlfriend,” the vampire responded.

  “What? Did he think that you stole his girlfriend?” Another female voice said. Penny recognized this one from the massacre too.

  “Shut up, Priscilla,” he replied. “I took care of it, Matriarch.” His voice changed tone when he spoke to the Matriarch. Penny froze. She was in the room with a vampire matriarch and two of the vampires that had killed her family.

  “Fine, what happened to the door?” The Matriarch asked pointed at the busted door frame.

  “Sorry, still don't know my own strength sometimes,” he said, shuffling his feet.

  “Ugh, of course, only you, Clumsy Bat,” Priscilla said, taunting the vampire.

  “Priscilla, mind your tongue. I seem to remember you taking more than a decade to get a hold of your abilities,” the Matriarch said. “He's also one of the best fighters we have.”

  “Thank you, Matriarch.”

  The two females walked out the room. After the coast was clear, the vampire peeked his head over the couch.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “No,” Penny responded, getting to her feet rather shakily.

  “Sorry,” he said holding out his hand to help her. She refused it, but ended up tripping on the side of the couch and falling into his arms.

  “Penny, I think you should sit down for a minute,” he said as he placed her delicately on the couch.

  Penny did not know what was happening. She knew for sure if the Brotherhood was to catch her sitting on a couch in the arms of her family's killer that they would for sure kick her out. And then where would she be? Back with her grandmother?

  “Penny, Penny, where are you?” Charles said through her ear piece.

  “She's in a back office with me,” the vampire responded for her. Penny could hear an annoyed grunt on the other end.

  “On my way, we've got trouble and gotta get out of here,” Charles said.

  One moment later Charles burst through the room. He did not look happy, but he didn't have his weapons drawn like Penny expected.

  “What did I tell you?” Charles said, yelling in her direction.

  Penny was about to stutter a response for why she had wandered off and gotten into trouble again, but the vampire cut her off.

  “Ya know, you're not my boss...fine, I'll leave her alone and let her get eaten by vampires in the future, okay?” the vampire threw her to the ground. “Why do you always have to be such an uptight bastard?” He ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  “We need to go,” Charles grabbed Penny by the arm and dragged her out of the room.

  “Ow,” Penny cried as he hands dug into her arm. She would have protested more, but she was really confused.

  (CHAPTER 6) Vampire to the rescue

  Penny regained her mind enough to start asking a million questions. She was irate and wanted answers to all of her question right then and she wouldn't let Charles weasel his way out of answering this time.

  "Penny pipe down,” he said. She rolled her eyes and then followed his eyes. He was concentrating on to something, trying to catch a glimpse of something in the forest. She decided that maybe now wasn't the best time to pester him with questions. There seemed to be danger in the making.

  "Come here," he gave her his hand. "We have to move now!” His voice turned very serious. His hand gripped hers, but before they could take another step a horrific roar bellowed through the woods.

  "What in the world was that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

  "More werewolves," Charles said angrily and dragged her towards the car.

  Out of the woods twenty huge vicious beasts, over four times the size of a man, surrounded them. She gasped and tightened her grasp on Charles's hand.

  She peered at the beasts who wanted to rip off their heads. They snapped their jaws and glared.

  "How are we goin
g to fight them all?" she asked. They came prepared to fight vampires, not werewolves.

  "We, Not we... you are not ready to fight a werewolf,” Charles said. Before she could point out that she had already killed one, he stepped forward.

  She thought he was going to fight all of the werewolves, who towered over him. They would tear him to shreds. Werewolves were tough foes and one man could not fight even one alone. In the car, there were three of them. Plus, the car had provided some protection. They were out in the open, face to face with the werewolves.

  A wolf leaped in her direction, but another body flew from behind them and smashed the wolf against a tree. Penny fell to the ground from the impact. She was dizzy and couldn't stand up. She needed a moment to collect herself. When she looked up to see who had taken out the werewolf so easily, she saw the person she had least expected to be there to help them: the vampire who had killed her family.

  "Penny, Charles don't move," the vampire ordered, Penny nodded, too dumbfounded to argue. Why was he saving them? Did she smell like tuna noodle casserole?

  The wolves’ howling shook the ground beneath her feet and raised the hair behind her neck. Penny was horror-struck as the werewolves flew at the vampire in the midst of them. The vampire's gaze was calm on his beautiful face. She thought that he looked a touch like Charles. Penny couldn't believe how amazing he was in a fight, his moves were elegant, graceful, and beautiful.

  The vampire moved extraordinarily fast, it was hard to keep track of him in the fight. He didn't think twice before he pounced on them. He caught a werewolf's head and snapped it off its shoulders. Blood squirted out of his neck. The vampire changed his targets to a very powerful looking werewolf, but to her amazement he finished him off in a second or two.

  He kept them as far away from her as he could. He fought two or three werewolves at a time. He punched one in the face with so much power that its head practically exploded. The vampire grabbed another’s lower jaw and tore it apart. Then a split second later he snapped another wolf’s neck. Werewolf blood flowed all over the vampire’s face.