The dark streets of the city lay deserted in the heavy rain. Though still far from the front lines of the Vampire Wars, the citizens knew that it was not safe at night. That was the vampires' method. Small numbers of them would infiltrate cities and towns, blending in among the humans, ambushing the vulnerable, leaving no trace except for the vanished ex-humans who rose again as new additions to the ranks of the vampires. Each morning, the local newspaper would report the previous night's tally, generally a few dozen, but steadily rising in the past few months. Night after night, slowly whittling down the numbers of humans. Softening up the beachhead before the inevitable tidal wave.
A solitary figure moved along an otherwise empty street. As she passed under one of the few still-working street lights, her features became clearly visible. She was very beautiful, with long dark brown hair, a tanned and high-cheekboned face, large dark brown eyes, and full, pouty lips. Her skintight black leather pants and low-cut red blouse accented her hourglass, 5'7", 130-pound figure, showing off her round, muscular ass and round, firm 34C breasts. The custom-made high heels on her knee-high black leather boots boosted her height to just under six feet. She had a crossbow strapped to her back and a sword sheathed at her slender waist. Black leather gloves covered her hands, and a small silver pendant in the shape of a cross rested on her throat.
Her name was Katarina and she was the latest in a long line of female vampire hunters. Only eighteen years old, she already had many kills notched on her belt, thanks to years of extensive training, daily heavy workouts, and the natural athletic gifts inherited from her mother's side of the family. The bloodline of vampire huntresses could be traced all the way back to the 15th century, when a Hungarian duchess had saved her castle by slaying the Transylvanian vampire lord who had been threatening it. Ever since then, the eldest daughter had continued the tradition of hunting vampires and training the next generation.
Katarina had been warned by her mother not to go out alone at night. The vampires hidden in the city were growing bolder and more aggressive, and most hunters were going out in groups of at least two or three. Not Katarina, however. Like many teenagers, she was rebellious and sassy, and confident to the point of cockiness at her ability to protect herself.
In the past five years, when the vampire problem had suddenly morphed from a minor nuisance to a genuine and horrifying threat to take over the world, hundreds of thousands of amateurs had joined the formerly small ranks of professional vampire hunters. Professionals like Katarina looked down on the newcomers, not without some justification, as the novices were often more hindrance than help, and frequently fell into vampire traps and ambushes that were some of the oldest tricks in the book. Why, just last week, a single vampire had lured eight hunters into an abandoned building with a phony cry for help and slaughtered them all. When Katarina had caught the vampire and staked it through the heart, she had found herself shaking her head at the stupidity of its victims. In her mind, it wasn't about "safety" (what a joke that had been with those fools) in numbers, it was about training and using your brain.
Now, as she walked along the wet street, Katarina suddenly tensed. Her pace did not change and only the most expertly trained eye would be able to detect any difference in her facial expression, but she was preparing herself. Vampires. Her training and genetic background had given her that sixth sense to detect them. At least three, perhaps four, about to ambush her.
They leapt from the shadows, two of them, moving faster than any human. Fangs bared, they came straight at her. Any human being, no matter how well-trained, would have stood no chance if they had been caught unawares. But Katarina was ready. By the time her eyes detected the first flash of movement, she was already drawing her sword. With a single swift swing of her weapon, she decapitated one vampire and sliced a long, deep cut across the second monster's shoulder and chest.
Knowing that the second vampire's wound would heal in a moment, she executed a powerful standing back layout, her booted foot impacting the underside of his chin. On a human, her backflip kick would have been instantly lethal, breaking the neck. For the vampire, however, it simply knocked him a step backward.
Aware that there were still more vampires that hadn't revealed themselves, she sheathed her sword and threw her body into a series of standing back handsprings into the middle of the street, backflipping away from the rapidly recovering vampire and any place for others to hide. She finished her tumbling run with a high back tuck, drawing a wooden bolt from her quiver and inserting it into her crossbow as her body rotated. Landing elegantly despite her high heels, she fired at the now fully-recovered vampire, who was rushing at her at incredible speed with his mouth wide open. Her loading of the weapon while flipping had given her the extra second she needed. Just before the vampire would have crashed into her, he crumbled into dust as the sharp piece of wood drove through his heart.
The last two vampires were already out of their hiding places and charging her. Katarina was already reloading her crossbow. She had time for one more shot, her aim still true despite the speed of the attack and the adrenaline pumping through her. One more vampire crumbled into ash. The last creature, however, crashed into her before she could adjust her focus. Knocking her down and landing on top of her, he opened his mouth, displaying his large, razor-sharp fangs. His cruel eyes focused on her elegant neck...
The silver cross pendant caused the monster to jerk his head backward. Contrary to popular misconception, it did not have the power to send vampires fleeing in terror, and only the youngest and weakest vampires would even consider retreating from it. But the little piece of jewelry did its job, buying Katarina enough time to draw her sword. As the vampire recovered and came at her again, she had just enough time for the simplest and swiftest of attacks - a stab to his chest. Unfortunately for her, the vampire simply impaled himself deeper on her blade, his fangs coming out again, moving ever closer to her throat.
Cursing, Katarina withdrew the sword with a squishing sound. As the wound in his chest swiftly healed and closed, she kicked him in the head with her big black boot, knocking him to the ground. A swift kip-up and she was back on her feet. She raised her right leg.
Too late, the vampire realized that the girl's sharp high heels were made of wood. She stomped down hard on his chest, the lethal heel staking his heart and turning him to dust.
Katarina put her sixth sense into action again. No more vampires were near. As she collected the wooden crossbow bolts she had fired and put them back in her quiver, she felt her heart rate slowly return to normal.
She approached the corpse of the decapitated vampire. Not wanting to leave trash on the street, she dusted the body with a swift stomp of her high heel. The head remained, the mouth still frozen open with its fangs showing. She picked it up and, with a powerful, well-aimed drop kick, sent it crashing through a third-story window and into one of the many abandoned warehouses that lined the street. She was glad that despite all her combat training, she still had time for ordinary sports like soccer. It was one of the few times where she could hang out with other girls her age...
Katarina continued on through the deserted streets, silent except for the pouring rain, appearing lost in thought but always on the alert for danger. For two hours she went on, up and down the roads and through dark alleys. No vampires.
She was just about to call it a night when her sixth sense again went on alert. There was something in the distance. Strangely, she couldn't tell if it was a single vampire or a whole group of them. She could usually tell...
A fierce debate raged in her mind on whether to investigate alone or call for backup, her training and common sense on one side versus her curiosity and teenage overconfidence on the other. Curiosity and confidence won out, and she turned the corner onto a narrow dead-end street, towards the danger, her heart pounding.