Prologue
The huge oak double
doors flew open as a young girl pushed through. "Sanctuary!" she cried,
her dark hair falling in her face as she ran down the center aisle, rows
of pews on either side. "Sanctuary!"
An aged, balding priest stepped out of a back room.
The young girl, wrapped
tightly in her black cloak, stopped when she reached the man. "Father,"
she said, panting, "Please, I need sanctuary."
"What seems to be the
problem?" The old priest yawned and rubbed his eyes. Why couldn't this
have happened when he was awake and not getting some much needed sleep?
The doors flew open
again, slamming against the wall. Three tall figures barged in. The tallest,
Darius, stepped forward, grinning mischievously. "Come now, Denison." His
grin grew wider, exposing his fangs. "Come back, love. I promise, no harm
will come to you."
"Good God," the priest
muttered under his breath, clutching the crucifix around his neck.
"Please, Father, you
must grant me sanctuary," Denison begged.
"Denison, do you honestly
think a priest will grant sanctuary to a back stabbing blood sucking vampire?"
Darius walked forward, his cronies following right behind.
"Vampire?" The priest
gasped. "Be gone,
"No! Please!" she pleaded,
near panic.
The three vampires
advanced, each grinning mischievously. One knocked the old priest out of
the way.
Denison stepped back,
away from them. Her mind raced as she looked around for something... The
door! She took a few steps back, turned, and sprinted fro the door behind
the altar. She heard the pounding of feet not far behind her as she slammed
through the door, and locked it.
"Denison!" Darius yelled.
The other two lifted a Saint Catherine statue and began ramming the old
door. It wouldn't last long.
Denison stood for a
minute to catch her breath. The stairs at the back of the room lead to
"Denison!"
She sped up as running
footsteps could be heard close behind on the wooden steps. Then she was
i the bell tower. A small room in the highest tower, the massive bell hanging
in the middle.
"Now what?" she muttered
to herself.
"Denison, love, there's
nowhere to run." Darius stood at the top of the stairs. Denison stood on
the other side of the tower, looking over the ledge. "It's time you were
punished."
Denison climbed up
on the ledge. "Go to Hell, Darius." Then she jumped.
"She's crazy!" Darius
peered over the ledge. "What the...!? That's not possible!" He grabbed
the nearest man by the neck. "Find her!"
The two men ran down
the stairs. Darius peered out once more before following.
After a few minutes,
Denison climbed out from under the ledge and into the bell tower. If her
heart could beat, it would be pounding in her chest.
"Shit, man, that was
close," she muttered under her breath. Then her eyes glanced out at the
horizon. "Oh, fuck!" The sun was slowly beginning to rise.
Denison climbed out
on the ledge again and jumped to a nearby rooftop. Then she headed in the
toward the still dark part of the sky, her back to the light horizon, and
slipped into the shadows and out of sight.
Chapter 1