caleb rossi . (finalrepose) wrote in exsanguious, @ 2015-09-20 22:15:00 |
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As beautiful as the city could be by day, by night it was something entirely different. Shadowy, unpredictable, a little too wild. Most of its residents had no idea just how dangerous it could be, but they felt that instinctive chill as the sun went down just the same, and they stuck close to the bright lights and the crowds. They laughed at themselves, but still, they stayed where it was safe. Their instincts could recognize the risk of this city at night, even their thoughts couldn't quite rationalize it.
Caleb had been like them, once, but it had been a long time since then. The city by night was his home now, it held no fear for him. He wasn't naive enough to think that his supernatural alliances made him safe, that word had long since left his vocabulary, but he knew exactly where the danger might be coming from now. If anybody was going to drag him off into the darkness, it would be the very vampires he'd allied himself with; the rest of the supernatural underworld new better than to trespass on their territory. Carmella might lose her temper one day and kill him, but nobody else would. It wasn't safety, but in a city like this it came awfully close, and it meant he could walk through the streets at night without looking over his shoulder.
Most nights, at least.
He'd been making his way home after a late night at Rosedale, his shoes still smelling vaguely of formaldehyde and his eyes scratchy with fatigue, and at first he didn't even notice the footsteps behind him. When he did, he assumed they were human, and he picked up the pace just enough to make himself inconvenient to follow. He could run if he needed to, but he might not even have to. And then the full weight of another person barreled into him from behind, much too fast to be anything but supernatural, and he could taste asphalt and blood from a split lip before he had time to think about just how badly he'd miscalculated. Somebody in this city didn't know whose territory they were hunting on, or didn't know enough to care. They'd find out soon enough, but if he didn't manage to get free quickly, that wouldn't help him very much.
Twisting sharply, Caleb tried to throw the weight off his back, but all he could manage was to get most of the way turned over and get his face off the pavement. It was better than nothing, at least. Facing upwards he could see his attacker's unsheathed fangs -- vampire, how stupid, Carmella would have this one's head in a few days -- and at least he could keep it from landing a solid bite. For a little while.