Adeelah: African Vampire Queen

"Buffalo, New York, now there's a city where I wouldn't send my worst enemy, I'd just shoot him instead," Chief Michel Montague said, and the stocky, dark-skinned, taciturn Haitian made a gesture of distaste. After walking around town for an hour, and seeing so many boarded-up houses, he felt like hopping on the nearest bus, train or plane out of there. Seriously, the recession had hit Buffalo badly, and unfortunately, the city now had even worse problems.

"I hear you, Chief," replied his companion, a tall young man named Aziz Eyadema. Freckle-faced, green-eyed and brown-skinned, sporting a thick Afro and a month's worth of beard, Aziz Eyadema was the Chief's latest apprentice. The last one the old man would train in the way of the Hunters. They met three years ago in the City of Boston, Massachusetts. It was fateful coming-together, a fearsome event neither of them would ever forget...

A pack of vampires whom the Chief had been hunting for quite some time holed up in a warehouse near Aziz's family's house in the South End. The vampires invaded the Eyadema residence, and during the ensuing battle, Aziz's parents, Wahid Eyadema and Wanda O'Bannon-Eyadema perished, along with his younger sister Mala. Since then, Aziz and the Chief had been on the hunt for the vampire responsible, while hunting other monsters along the way...

The two of them had been hunting monsters all over the continental U.S. and even parts of Canada. They took out a werewolf horde in the Canadian Yukon a few months back, and there was also those ghouls they exterminated in Vermont. Aziz and the Chief had done a lot of good, but they wouldn't rest until they took out Adeelah, the vampire responsible for the death of the Eyadema clan...

"It's always better to hunt vampires during the day, my lad, at night they're too formidable even for us," Chief Michel said, and Aziz nodded in agreement. They had been walking along Wyoming Avenue for quite some time, and come up to a large brownstone building with an odd name. Vive La Casa. Once upon a time, it was a house of hope, a refugee center catering to immigrants seeking to cross over to Canada by way of Port Erie. Now, it was just another abandoned building in a seedy area of Buffalo...

"I couldn't agree more," Aziz replied, and the Chief looked at him, and sighed. Aziz Eyadema had changed a lot over the past three years. The former baseball standout at UMass-Boston once dreamed of playing for the Boston Red Sox once his college days were over. Growing up as the son of an interracial couple wasn't easy for Aziz, even in supposedly liberal Boston. The young man remembered the looks his African Muslim father and Irish-American Catholic mother got while he walked around the mall with them...

Aziz Eyadema wanted to make his parents proud, and saw a viable career in professional baseball. During his fourth year with UMass-Boston's varsity baseball team, scouts from the minor league baseball world came calling. Aziz thought he was going to the top, but fate had different plans. Aziz's world ended the night a group of vampires invaded his home, and killed his family. The young man was severely wounded, near death, actually, when the Chief came in, guns blazing...

"You're too late, old man," said Adeelah, the lead vampire, as she held Aziz by the throat. The Chief looked at Aziz, helpless in the vampire's grip, and hesitated. As he choked to death, Aziz marveled at the strange young woman's strength. At first glance, Adeelah seemed to be a tall, gorgeous young African-American woman with neatly braided hair, clad in a black leather overcoat and Capri pants. That's how she appeared when she came to the Eyademas door, pretending to have been in a car accident, begging for their help.

Aziz's father Winston Eyadema answered the door. The tall, burly African Muslim retiree, who once worked as a fireman, took pity on the harried-looking young black woman and invited her inside while he called 911. Big mistake. The moment the family patriarch invited her in, Adeelah the vampire grabbed him and sank her fangs into his throat. As Aziz's mother and sister screamed in fright, Aziz bravely intervened, but Adeelah batted him away easily, then opened the door...

"Come inside and feast, my friends," Adeelah said, and Aziz's eyes went wide when he saw two other vampires at the door, a tall, burly young Latino guy and a slender young Asian woman with short, spiky dark hair. Ruiz and Akemi, Adeelah's long-time vampire acolytes, stormed in and made short work of the Eyadema family. Aziz managed to get his father's gun and squeezed off five shots, but they had little effect on the vampires.

"This one's a fighter," Akemi said, smiling nastily, and the Japanese vampire rushed toward Aziz, but Adeelah beat her to it. Seizing Aziz by the throat, Adeelah lifted him off the floor and was about to drain him dry when the Chief came in. Aziz watched as a short older black gentleman stepped in, guns drawn, and without much hesitation, he shot Akemi and Ruiz. When the old man's bullets struck them, however, Akemi and Ruiz went down and did not rise. For the bullets were silver...

"Shit, I'll kill you, Montague, but not today," Adeelah screamed, and she tossed Aziz at the Chief like a ragdoll before taking off, moving at superhuman speed. Aziz lay on the living room floor, stunned by what he'd just seen. As he slowly rose, he looked at the mutilated bodies of his father, mother and sister. With tear-filled eyes, Aziz looked at the Chief.

"I'm sorry for your family, young man, but I swear I will avenge them," the Chief said, as he helped Aziz to his feet. The young man looked hard at his unexpected savior, and Michel Montague was surprised to see grim determination mixed with grief in his eyes. This one's a fighter, the old Haitian thought. Aziz's next words later proved him right, in so many ways...

"No, sir, we will avenge them," Aziz said firmly, and Chief Michel Montague looked at him and nodded grimly. Since that day, they'd been on the road together, hunting down and exterminating the monsters that humanity refuses to believe still exist. Werewolves, vampires, and other monsters of unknown origin. The stuff of myth and legend. Creatures that prowl the night, disguised as ordinary people while looking for victims. How Aziz hated them...

In another part of Buffalo, NY, the vampire Adeelah lay in bed, deep inside the basement of a family she'd slaughtered. Although housed in the body of a twenty-something, attractive young black woman, she was far more than she appeared. The body she presently inhabited was but the latest in a long line of host bodies. Of course, her enemies didn't know that.

"Welcome to Buffalo, old man, I see you brought the young hunter with you, I got a surprise for you," Adeelah whispered, her supremely keen mind, far more capacious than that of any human, reaching out across the distances to that of her sworn enemy. Over the years, Adeelah had been hunted by numerous men and women. They'd always made the same mistake. Underestimating her...

"Witch, get out of my head," Chief Michel Montague cried out, and Aziz gaped in shock as the Chief suddenly doubled over in pain. Rushing to the old man's aid, Aziz grabbed his shoulders and helped steady him to his feet. The Chief looked at Aziz, and for a moment, his eyes seemed vacant. The old man shook his head, and looked Aziz up and down, seemingly disoriented...

"Chief, are you alright?" Aziz asked, as he clapped Montague on the back, and the old man nodded, though there was still a haunted look in his soulful dark eyes. The younger man looked at his mentor, disturbed to see the man he'd trusted to have his back for the past few years rattled so badly. This was rather disturbing for Aziz on so many levels...

Aziz had seen Chief Montague take on all kinds of monsters and dispatch them without so much a hint of hesitation, and yet, just a few seconds ago, the old man briefly appeared to tremble. Chief Montague seemed shaken, but he got hold of himself and flashed Aziz a brave smile. The old man insisted that he was okay, but Aziz wasn't buying it.

"What is it, Chief? What did you see?" Aziz asked, and Chief Montague looked at him and sighed. There was a haunted look in the old Haitian man's eyes, and his face seemed hollow. Chief Montague bit his lip, something he did when there was something awful going on. Whatever was bugging the old man, Aziz knew that it wasn't good.

"Adeelah, she's here, and she knows we're coming, the vampire bitch just lashed out at me mentally," Chief Montague said, as he rubbed his index finger against his head. Aziz looked at the old man, flabbergasted by what he'd just heard. From the onset, Aziz knew that finding the vampire who murdered his family wouldn't be easy. Adeelah seemed smarter and more ruthless than the others. Still, Aziz didn't know she could communicate telepathically...

"Seriously? What's with Adeelah? She is different from the others," Aziz remarked, and Chief Montague nodded gravely. The two of them continued checking out boarded up house after boarded up house, and found absolutely nothing. They left Wyoming Avenue and headed down Humber Ave, which proved equally fruitless. After wandering down Cambridge Ave for some time, they decided to call it a day.

"Let's get back to the hotel and get some rest," Chief Montague said, and Aziz nodded. They took a cab, and headed to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The old man slept while Aziz took a shower, and then went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. The E.B. Green Steakhouse seemed nice enough, and Aziz went to get himself a steak and fries. Hunting down monsters all day sure made him a hungry lad...

"Can I get you anything, sir?" asked the busty red-haired waitress as Aziz sat down, and took off his coat. The gal wore a tank top and short skirt, and had a million-dollar smile. Aziz smiled at her, looked at the menu and ordered a steak and fries, with two beers. The Chief didn't like it when he drank, even while off-duty, but tonight, Aziz decided to kick back. Hunting vampires at night was a fool's errand. The undead were in their element, and fighting them on their own terms, well, that was akin to suicide. Tonight, Aziz planned on relaxing a bit...

"Thank you kindly, ma'am," Aziz said politely as the waitress came back with a pitcher of water. All that walking around a snow-covered Buffalo while looking for abandoned buildings that may or may not contain slumbering vampires certainly wore Aziz out. The waitress, whose name tag read Madelyn, looked him up and down and smiled, hand on her hips.

"You're welcome, handsome, say, where are you from? I know that accent," Madelyn said in a flirtatious tone, and Aziz smiled and began flirting back. As the night rolled on, Madelyn kept finding reasons to come back to Aziz's table. The young man found her most attractive, and welcomed her attention. It had been a while since Aziz spent time with a woman. The Chief tended to be a killjoy in that department...

"I live nearby, if you want to come up for some tea," Madelyn whispered into Aziz's ear, a couple hours later. Madelyn's shift ended and they left the restaurant, and hit the in-house casino. After losing a hundred bucks at poker, Aziz was feeling kind of low, but Madelyn seemed determined to cheer him up. Not that he was putting up much of a fight...

"Sounds like a plan, cutie," Aziz replied, and he and Madelyn ditched the casino, and headed for her apartment building a few blocks away. They walked the stairs to her apartment, and once inside, Madelyn showed Aziz what she was truly made of. Grabbing him by the collar, Madelyn kissed Aziz full and deep, and he embraced her, pawing at her tank top drunkenly. This was going to be his lucky night...

"You are going to taste good, handsome," Madelyn whispered, even as she kissed Aziz's neck. Aziz smiled, thanking his lucky stars. They tumbled onto her bed, and Madelyn climbed on top of Aziz, admiring his muscular, masculine form. The brother looked good, she must admit. Aziz pulled her close and playfully smacked Madelyn's big ass, causing her to giggle.

"Right back at you," Aziz replied, and he kissed Madelyn full and deep, then began making love to her. Madelyn sighed happily as he caressed her breasts, sucking on them gently while fingering her pussy. Aziz laid Madelyn on the bed and licked her from her head to her toes, burying his face between her shapely legs and eating her pussy like a champ. Madelyn's delighted squeals filled the apartment...

"Let me ride you, and don't slack off," Madelyn said, later, as she climbed back on top of Aziz, who grinned as he put his hands on her hips. Aziz looked at the gorgeous, horny woman who straddled him and he thrust his hard dick into her pussy. As Madelyn began grinding against him, riding him real hard, Aziz was a bit puzzled by how cold her body felt, but he wasn't about to complain...

"Hmm, ride me, sweetness," Aziz said, and Madelyn laughed. A second later he was screaming in pain, for Madelyn suddenly sank her fangs into his neck. Aziz felt the life draining from his body, and as he fell to the floor, he watched as a startling transformation came over Madelyn's body. The pale-skinned, freckle-faced, curvy redhead became a tall, curvaceous young black woman with a crooked smile and downright fierce eyes...

"Adeelah," Aziz whispered, and he instinctively reached for his silver-bullet laden gun, but realized he'd left it in his hotel room. As Aziz's vision began to blur and he felt weakness spread across his body, he saw a wicked smile on her beautiful face. The tall black female vampire stood victorious over her enemy and smiled, pleased with herself. Biting her wrist till she drew blood, Adeelah pressed it against Aziz's mouth, until the poison of her immortality dripped into her foe's mouth, transforming him...

"Rise," Adeelah said, a few hours later, as Aziz opened his eyes, which were crimson, like those of all newborn vampires. The young man rose, and looked at his maker, confusion swirling inside of him, along with hunger. His senses were much sharper than he remembered, and he could smell and hear better than before. To the point that he had to focus to avoid being distracted by the sensory overload...

Adeelah looked at Aziz and smiled, pleased with her handiwork. The young biracial man looked simply magnificent as a vampire. He raked his tongue over his sharp fangs, then spoke. There was some next level shit going on here, and Aziz wanted, no, needed some answers. Trying to catch his breath, Aziz discovered that he no longer breathed. Once he got over the shock, he managed to speak...

"What have you done to me?" Aziz asked, and Adeelah went up to him, and gently laid her hands on his broad shoulders. Aziz felt confused and hungry, and confusing emotions swirled within him. Before him stood Adeelah, a particularly dangerous vampire, and the one responsible for the death of his family. He should attack her on sight, yet he couldn't, for some reason...

"I am your maker, Aziz, for now, you are under my control," Adeelah replied, smiling mischievously. The vampire woman raked her tongue over her wicked fangs, fangs far longer than those of any vampire Aziz and the Chief had ever come across. Aziz simply stood there, unable to do anything else. Adeelah had her hooks into him, and for the time being, there was nothing he could do about it...

"What do you want me to do?" Aziz asked, and Adeelah smiled, and without another word, she told him, via mind-to-mind communication, told him exactly what she expected of him. Dread seized Aziz like an icy fist, and if he could have screamed in pain or anguish, he would have. Unfortunately, Adeelah had him under her thumb, and he was her puppet...

"Bring me the Chief's head, then I'll set you free," Adeelah whispered into Aziz's ear, right before winding him up like a toy and setting him loose on the streets of Buffalo, New York. Exactly four hours after he left the Hyatt hotel room, Aziz returned to the hotel. He smiled at the clerks as he walked in, and took the elevator to his room. Walking inside, he found his mentor, Chief Michel Montague, fast asleep.

"Do it," Adeelah whispered into Aziz's mind, and the nascent vampire stood at the foot of his mentor's bed, and gazed at the slumbering old Haitian man. Aziz froze, and hesitated. Cursing Adeelah's hold on him, he fought against her mind control. Closing his eyes hard, he gritted his teeth, and clenched and unclenched his fingers. Dammit, he had to find a way to resist the witch!

"No!" Aziz shouted, and Chief Michel Montague's eyes fluttered open, and he turned to see his mentor standing over him. Only Aziz didn't seem quite himself. The young man's eyes were bloodshot, and...oh no. Aziz looked at the old man and bared his fangs, and watched as Chief Michel reached for the silver stake lying on the nearby nightstand.

"Aziz, oh lord, you're one of them," Chief Montague shouted, even as he swiftly rose to his feet, brandishing the silver blade. Aziz looked at the blade, then at his mentor. The young man, no, young vampire made no move to attack the old man. The Chief's hand trembled. He knew what had happened. Somehow, his protégé had been infected and turned into one of the undead. Chief Montague knew that he should kill Aziz, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it...

"Do it," Adeelah said, as the hotel room doors swung open, and the tall, alluring vampire stepped in, finely dressed, and smiling gleefully. Aziz looked at her, as did Chief Montague. The vampire snapped her fingers, and Aziz watched as his hand seized the Chief by the throat, and the old man gasped and let go of the silver stake. Unable to resist Adeelah's indomitable will, Aziz began choking his mentor.

"Aziz, don't, you're better than this," Chief Montague managed to say, even as Aziz's hands began squeezing the life out of him. Adeelah approached them, and stood a meter away from the dying Chief, a smirk etched on her lovely features. The vampire gently laid her hand on Aziz's shoulder, and glared haughtily at Chief Montague as the life began fading from him...

"Aziz is mine now, old man, your apprentice will make a magnificent vampire, once he's done killing you," Adeelah said, and she was still smiling when Aziz suddenly let go of the Chief's throat, seized the silver blade and plunged it into her chest. A look of pure shock blossomed across Adeelah's beautiful face, and the vampire screamed in pain. Moments later, as Aziz and the Chief looked on, Adeelah turned into a pile of dust...

"Die, bitch," Aziz said angrily, and he looked at the Chief, then at the pile of dust Adeelah had become. The old man looked at his apprentice, and saw that he had truly become a vampire. Now and forevermore, Aziz Eyadema would be one of the undead. A drinker of blood. Unable to die unless he was staked, beheaded or burned to death. Immortal for almost all intents and purposes.

"Thank you for saving my life," Chief Michel Montague said, and Aziz nodded, then handed him the silver blade. The young man bit his lip, drawing blood with his new fangs. The old Haitian looked at Aziz, sighed and then tossed aside the blade. What the Chief was about to do went against all the rules of the Hunters. For thousands of years, men and women chosen by fate to hunt down non-humans always made sure they killed their partner should he or she become 'one of them.' Chief Michel Montague decided to let Aziz go...

"You're not going to kill me, Chief?" Aziz asked, and the old Haitian man shook his head. There was shock written all over Aziz's handsome face. The young vampire had been bracing himself for a swift death, and was definitely not expecting mercy from his mentor. The Chief nodded, and Aziz smiled and shrugged. Just like that, he walked out of the hotel room, and out of his old life...