Interlude The vampire fell to the ground hard, wincing and grabbing the back of his head. A look of horror flooded his face and he scurried to his feet, running off deeper into the woods and dodging as many low branches as he could. He frequently turned his head back to see if she was still following him. But every time he looked, she seemed closer than the last. He turned his head again to find that whoever was following him was gone. Feeling a little relieved over the thought that maybe he had lost her; he stopped, panting from exhaustion. He bent forward and rested his hands on his knees, inhaling deeply. He clasped his right upper arm. When he pulled his hand away, crimson blood stained it. He then ran the back of his hand across his lip, spreading even more of the crimson liquid over it. The vampire could feel a sharp throbbing around his eye where she had punched him. He shot upright when he heard the snap of a branch. He turned about frantically, searching through the darkness to find whatever it was. Finding nothing, but still paranoid, he began to pick up his pace again, trying to escape the predator. He took up a full run after hearing more snaps and cracks. Finally completely out of energy, he stopped. He was panting harder, his eyes still flickering around through the thick woods. He could smell his own blood. It took over the rest of his senses. He needed food, and he needed it now, but how could he let his guard down to drink now? His only chance was to fight whatever it was. He straightened up and dusted off his torn black t-shirt. “Come out, come out wherever you are!” he called into the darkness wearily. “I know you’re there! Show yourself!” A soft, feminine chuckle came from deep in the woods, somewhere above him in the trees. “Who was that?” he asked softer, paranoia returning to him quickly. He heard a thud behind him and spun around, face to face with a woman, her features hidden by darkness. He stumbled back as her fist collided with his jaw. He grasped his stomach, doubling over, when a thick boot crashed into him. He spit his own blood out onto the brush, trying to swallow part of it down. Another kick came to his face and he fell to the ground, coughing again, more blood flowing from his mouth and lip. The woman stepped over him and took hold of the collar of his shirt, lifting his torso up off of the dirt. She drew a dagger from a holder on her back and twirled it in her hand, grinning evilly at the vampire. The light from the moon provided just enough light for the drowsy, exhausted vamp to make out the shining blade. He quickly shoved her off of him and fled from the ground and away from her. She slowly got up and dusted her clothes off. “All around the mulberry bush…“ she chimed, smirking as she took off at him again. “The monkey chased the weasel.” The vampire finally came to the end of the forest, and to a drop off. It was about a four-foot drop to the next level. He jumped down, his large, booted feet crashing into the earth. He took off again towards the cemetery. The predator reached the ledge and was quick to jump down, crouching as she hit the ground. She rose up and took off again, running far faster than the vampire. Easily she caught up to him and leapt at him, knocking him down on the soggy dirt and moss. She quickly drew her dagger back out and rolled him onto his back, straddling his chest. He caught her wrist as she drove the dagger towards him. It was millimeters from his chest. They both pushed against the dagger from opposite directions. Finally her pushed her hand and the dagger back and shoved her off of him again. He got to his feet and turned to see if the woman would bother getting up and coming after him. The woman got up, grabbing her dagger on the way. She eyed up the vampire who quickly turned and ran. She threw the dagger at him, the blade sticking in between his shoulder blades. He stopped abruptly, face going blank. His corpse collided with the ground with a soft ‘thud.’ Hurriedly, she strode up to his body, fingers flickering over the blade before she yanked it out of his body. The woman pulled a white cloth from her pocket and wiped down the blade before stuffing the dagger back in its sheath and tucking the blood stained rag into the vampire’s back pocket. R&R Please!!!