THIS IS NOT THE END

(Amy's Chronicles - Book I)

Chapter 1

Author's note:

I want to thank Sarah aka Star, from The Lost Cave, who corrected my work on this book. I really enjoyed writing this and, believe me, I never thought it would become so long - five books in total! With a thought for my beloved Amy: thanks to you, I realised an old dream.

Disclaimer:

All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc... are the property of their respective owners. The boys do not belong to me, unfortunately. The original characters and plot are my property. I'm in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warnings: Like the book and the film that inspired my writings, this story is rated R and contains blood play, character's death and violence.

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I found him on the cliff.  He was watching the quiet sea and was waiting for me, sitting on the cold ground with his legs hanging over the edge. I recognized him immediately. He was exactly the same as I remembered. His white-blond spiked hair looked whiter in the moonlight. I smiled, remembering that vampires never grow old, vampires never change.

It was about midnight.

“You're late!” He said angrily, not even glancing at me. He didn’t need to take a look at me to know who was approaching.

“Sorry,” I answered.

I was there because he asked me to come but I wasn't sure it was a good choice. I should have stayed home watching television and eating pizza. I should have ignored his “call” but I was too curious. I was in my bathroom, having a delicious shower when I heard his deep voice saying we should meet again.

His voice was only in my head. Some normal people would think they were going crazy but I did not. I knew he could play mind tricks. It reminded me of when he made me believe that I was eating maggots instead of rice. I smiled at me in the mirror. It was a funny joke, after all. But he never had to play with my mind to let me know things. He was always kinda “connected” to me, as if he was supervising me. It was unperceivable and I often thought that I was a bit paranoid. How could he supervise me, sleeping all day long?

I haven’t seen him for months, but I couldn't act like nothing ever happened. It was over my forces. Since our first meeting, my life was definitely not the same anymore. Despite my fear, and my desire to avoid him, I was overwhelmed by the compulsion to see him again.

He stood next to me and it gave me shivers but didn't want to show it. I knew he was dangerous, he was able to kill me right now as fast as you say goodbye… but it was too late to change my mind, I was there.

“Where are your friends?” I asked curiously, fearing that they could be close to the place.

“They're hunting.” He just replied.

This idea disgusted me but I tried to act as if all of this was normal, as if it was usual to me.

Not far from there, we could hear the multiple noises carried by the wind from the Amusement Park. There were lots of potential victims, and that was where they usually have their dinners. I shivered again. I couldn’t imagine them feasting on other young people.
 
“Do you know why I called you?” he asked.

“I’m not really sure.” I waited a few and then continued. “I guess you need my help!” I said, remembering that he had already asked for my help before.

He turned to me and stared at me as if I was his breakfast. His eyes were so blue. I couldn't look away, I was locked to them. I suddenly realised that I was unable to move. He was so attractive and so scary in the same time.

“Just stay calm, he needs you, he's not going to kill you, not now,” I told myself.

“You're right, I won't kill you,” he said.

“For the moment!” He added with a vicious smile on his face.

“What do you want, David?” I said, trying to ignore the fact that he was reading my thoughts.

“I want you to find who’s killing my boys,” he said quietly.

He was asking that as if he was requesting a cigarette. A cigarette, what a good idea! I suddenly desired one more than anything but I remembered I quit a few years ago.

“What?” I asked, surprised.

“Steve was killed two nights ago,” he informed me.

I tried to remember which of his boys was Steve, but David saw in my eyes that I couldn’t remember him.

“I’m sorry,” I just said. What else could I say?

“Steve’s body was found behind the comic strip store, a stake planted through his heart,” David explained.

“So, he was alone! I thought you always stay together…” I said. I wanted to add “like animals hunting in group” but I thought I’d better keep it for me.

“He had a… ‘date’ that night. That’s why we weren’t with him,” he answered.

“A date?” I asked in surprise. I couldn’t imagine the vampires doing something else than sucking blood.

“What do you think? We are not only beasts, we are still men!” He said with an angry voice as if he had to give me a reason. I guessed he read my thoughts when I tried to imagine a vampire and a woman making love together. He came closer and I stepped back a little.

“Do you want me to show you?” He proposed viciously. Once again, I was locked to his eyes. I breathed deeply.

“Are there any witnesses?” I questioned. I did not want to hold a long conversation on the subject.

“I was the one who found the body but I don’t know if there were witnesses or not.”

“Do the police know about this?”

“No!”

“Why?”

“I couldn’t let the police see the body. We are not human and we have stopped growing old the day we were turned!”

“So what?”

“If a friend went missing when he was twenty-one, then turned up many years later, dead and still twenty-one, how would you react?”  I looked at the ground. It was a stupid question.
 
“Help me to find who the slayer is… you won't regret it.” I briefly wondered what he could offer me but I had a more important question.

“Why me?” I was genuinely astonished.

“You were Jenny's friend, I thought you could do this for her.” He turned back to the sea.

That was right, I was Jenny's friend before she became one of them, before she introduced me to David. She probably thought it was a good idea to introduce me her new friends, even if they were vampires. She always said that they wouldn’t touch me because she was one of them and because they knew she'll kill them if they did.

Jenny was right, they never had touched me. But she wasn't alive anymore, if I can call this “alive”.  She killed herself one day because she couldn't stand being a monster anymore. Since she died, David had stayed away from me… except when he needed my assistance. And tonight, he was standing in front of me, watching down to the waves. I couldn’t stop looking at him, noticing how beautiful he was. He was always so attractive and irresistible. It was quite strange to think that he will never change.

“Evil shouldn’t look this good!” I silently told to myself, hoping he did not catch this thought. I would have been really embarrassed if he ever did.

“Will you help me?” he insisted.

“Is it a joke? This is a lot different from what you usually ask me!” I said.

I paused a moment, then continued: “I won’t help you to kill someone! I do not want to be involved in a murder.” I couldn’t believe it.

“You just have to find him. I am the killer!” He didn’t need to point it out, I was aware of that.

“It’s exactly the same!” I protested.

He turned his evil face to me, showing me his fangs for a fraction of a second. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he mocked.

“Sorry, David, I can’t.” I said turning away.

“Jenny used to say that I could trust you,” he said. I turned back to him.

“She used to say the same about you,” I replied with a sigh. I knew he was right.

“Then it must be true!” He answered with a soft smile.

“You were in love with her, weren't you?” I did not know why I asked, but I suddenly felt very stupid.

He did not answer my question.

“What matters now is that crazy guy who believes he can fight us. Well, Amy, you work for the local newspaper, you must have information about the slayer, you must have heard about the acts of a new killer in town, tell me?” He continued with the same tone. His voice was deep and hypnotic. He was serious, he really wanted my help. He called me, simple human! That was the first time which he called me by my name. He used to call me “Jenny's scared friend”.

“Was I still so scared?” I asked myself. Not really but I won’t say that I completely trusted him now, he was a beast after all.

Once again, he was right. I worked for the local newspaper but I was quite new there and I was not in charge of the criminal affairs. I wondered what kind of things he wanted me to find.

“I’m not sure that I will find something… huh… I mean about a slayer…” I started. An unreadable expression crossed David’s face and I realised that I was afraid to say no to his request. There was another important thing that Jenny used to say: “David is the leader and he does not support anything that is refused to him”. I had never refused to help him before.

And in fact, I also didn't know how to explain him that “normal” people were refusing vampire's existence. He came closer and caressed my cheek with the back of his right hand. And I could feel his cold pale skin on mine and, once again, it send a shiver down my spine.

“Come on, you're my Loïs Lane,” he said with a soft and tempting voice.

“But you're not Superman,” I answered a bit too quickly. It was a stupid joke and I regretted it immediately when I saw how it angered him.

He grabbed me under the arm and looked deeper in my eyes.

“Do you think I’m not serious? Do you think I can’t fly? Who do you think I am?”  He was lifting a little and I get more frightened but said nothing. I noticed the smirk on his face.

Suddenly, he pulled me toward the cliff edge. My feet slid on the crisp ground as I was trying to escape. I tried to get out of his strong grip and he tightened it a little more. Unexpectedly, he stopped, still holding my arm. I briefly thought he would leave me alone and sighed with relief. But it was just to extend the torture. He looked deeper into my green eyes, smiled viciously and started to pull me again. He was a real predator and I realised how much he loved to play with his prey. I was so close to the edge. I heard the sounds of loose stones falling to the ocean below. I tried to grab his coat but couldn’t. He was going to throw me down and I was terrified.

“NO!”  I finally yelled.

He smiled with satisfaction and released me. I fell heavily on my butt. All my pride was now gone. He landed softly.

“Enough,” he said. I stood up and I stepped away a little, brushing my clothes.

“See you tomorrow. I hope you will have my information. Go back home, now,” he ordered, staring at me.

As I opened my mouth to answer, he disappeared quicker than my eye could follow.

He left me alone on the cliff standing in that warm summer wind. I was not sure I was safe there and thought that I’d better leave.

“You'd better go before my friends come back,” I heard in my head again.

“God, am I really getting crazy?” I wondered. No, I knew David was warning me.

I just went back to my car, hardly trying not to run. I got in and drove back home as fast as possible. I wanted to get away. I wanted to pretend that I hadn’t met him tonight, but I knew David wouldn’t let me. I did not know any more about him, but I knew what he was able to do. Jenny had often told me.

Without saying anything, I had accepted his request and I had to do what he wanted now.

There was no other choice, no turning back.

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