Emelia woke in her rented bed in Indiana, she'd actually slept for once, what a surprise. She got out of bed and got dressed once again, and walked to a diner for breakfast, she opened the door and was welcomed by the sweet smell of fresh bread and coffee. She sat down at the nearest table and ordered a plate of eggs, ham and a coffee. She kept her eyes peeled, constantly looking for someone out of place, someone who could be a vampire. No one seemed out of character. She enjoyed her hot drink and meal, and walked out the door after paying.

She sighed, and looked around at the town, it was only six in the morning and there were already so many people bustling about the small town. She put her pocket watch back into her pocket and walked off the porch, and approached her horse, "Ready girl?" She asked the beautiful mare, the horse just shook its head and snorted. "That'll be a yes then?" Emelia asked the animal, and got on, gripping the leather reigns tightly, and settling into the saddle for a long trip to another town, Emelia didn't know where she was going yet, but she'd find a new place with a new faces, and a new monster.

She galloped out of Little Pigeon Creek Indiana and into a pathed area surrounded by fields, she admired the greens of the grass, and the colors of the rising sun. This is what made it all worth it, going from place to place, never sitting still, it can be hard work, it's never the killing. It's always been the going from one place to another, never making a friend, being alone never bothered her. But this place seemed nice, quiet, and safe. She almost regretted leaving that place, almost. But there was still so much wrong in the world she had to right.

Emelia hated the feeling of being watched, whether it was when she was riding alone, or in a bar full of drunk men, the feeling of eyes on her gave her an uneasy feeling she just dreaded, and that feeling was creeping up on her now. She looked over her shoulder to see if someone was behind her, nothing, beside her, nothing, ahead of her, nothing. She tried to shake the feeling and continue. The uneasiness went away, but she remained vigilant. She heard several galloping horses, and turned around to see half a dozen men on horses approaching her.

Emelia stayed on her horse, and watched the men slow down and stop around her. "Can I help you?" She asked, "Give us the horse" The bearded man said, Emelia scoffed, and noticed they were all vampires. "No, this horse is mine, I bought her fair and square. Now off with you before you get yourselves hurt." She stated, the men all laughed, and got off their horses. Emelia got off of hers as well, and drew the blade from her coat, and sliced a head off. The other mens eyes widened, but they attacked anyway. 

"Kill her!" One screamed, Emelia took another swipe and off came another head. The blade was knocked from her hands, so she drew her pistol, and shot one in the head killing it. One of them came from behind and grabbed her, she struggled against him, "You're gonna die for that bitch." he growled, she felt the fangs near her throat, she never even flinched. She closed her eyes and prepared for the cold. She heard a man scream, and felt blood splatter on her front, but she wasn't dead. Emelia opened her eyes and saw the other two vampires were dead.

She looked behind her and saw a man standing with his back turned to her, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. She touched her throat, she was fine. The man turned around, it was Henry. "Mr.Sturges!? Were you following me!?" She questioned angrily, "Allow me to explain." He countered, "You had best explain yourself quickly sir." She stated, "I have never met a female hunter in all my years, I was curious, nothing predatory about me following you at all, and when you were attacked, I came in at the first sign of trouble that you couldn't handle yourself in. That's all." He explained. 

"I can handle myself just fine, thank you." She replied, "Yes, clearly being an inch from death is handling yourself." He replied sarcastically. Emelia rolled her eyes and mounted her horse, "Well, if you were so curious you could have just said you were coming with instead of following me around for the past half of a day." She retorted and looked down at him, "You said you worked alone, I wouldn't want to get in your way." Replied Henry. He whistled and his own horse came into sight, a beautiful white horse, and he mounted it. 

"Are you coming along or no?" asked Emelia, "If it's all the same to you Miss Kyle, I would very much like to see how you work." Henry said, "Very well, just don't get in my way please?" She asked, clearly annoyed, "I will only help if you ask for it Miss Kyle." Henry said with a smirk. Emelia could tell he was smug about this all, she didn't have to see his eyes to know he was amused by all of this. They began their long ride to Jeffersonville. 

"To make this long ride more enjoyable, why don't we have a nice conversation to pass the time?" Henry asked, riding right next to Emelia, she sighed, "Alright, and what shall we talk about Mr.Sturges?" She asked, "Please, Miss Kyle, call me Henry." He insisted, "Alright, I will call you Henry if you call me Emelia, not Miss Kyle." She added, "That's not very appropriate, but if you insist, Emelia." Said Henry. "So, if you go by your first name, or maiden name, then that means you're not married or engaged?" Henry asked, "Correct, I don't have the time to be married. What about you, are you married or do you just have a woman whenever you want?" Emelia asked, "I was married, before I was turned, but she was killed...and now I sleep with a woman whenever I feel the need." He replied, 

"I'm sorry about your wife, what was her name?" Emelia asked, careful not to say anything to upset him, "Edeva, and her appearence was quite alike to yours." He replied, Emelia nodded and looked off into the distance, "If you're not married, when do you, relieve your stress?" Henry asked, knowing all too well he was making her uncomfortable. "That is not something I would like to talk about Henry." She said, "You said you didn't want to be called Miss Kyle, clearly you don't want to be treated like a lady, so would you prefer me to be a proper gentlemen or treat you like a male drinking buddy?" Henry asked with a smirk, never looking away from  the path ahead of them.

Emelia sighed heavily and looked at him, "You're enjoying this far too much, aren't you?" She asked, he shrugged. "I'm still- I have never...I'm a virgin." She finally said, "I knew that." Henry said, "Then why would you ask!?" She shouted, "Because I'm having far too much fun." He replied with that same smirk that seemed to always be on his face. Emelia tried to think of a good question for Henry, "Since you're a vampire, do you have any 'special abilities'?" Emelia asked, "Yes, actually. I can see someone's purpose in a way, I'm as strong as hundred men, and twice as fast as them, some vampires have the ability to become invisible, which I'm sure you already knew." He stated.

"Can you see my purpose?" She asked, looking over at the vampire beside her, "No, alas I can't. It is only a select few people so far that I've seen the purposes of, at the moment, I cannot read you." He replied, "What is the process of becoming a vampire? Can you turn anyone?" She asked, "A vampire isn't supposed to turn someone, but some do, there are others like me, we're not all bad. But the process is quite a long and painful one. After you are bitten, you pass out from the pain, and if you stay in the sun too long when you're freshly turned, you begin to blister, and your eyes never quite adjust to the sunlight, hence the sunglasses, they're not just for fashion and appeal." Stated Henry.

"There are more, like you?" Emelia asked, "Yes, more like me, vampires who feed on the sickly and wicked, and only when they absolutely need to, I haven't fed in over two weeks, usually we can go about three weeks, sometimes longer." he said, and changed the subject back to Emelia, "Why don't you like working with other hunters?" He asked, "They always get in the way, I live, hunt, and drink alone, that's just the way I've always been." She replied, and saw the town ahead of them. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you get into all this?" Henry asked, "That'll be a story for another time, Henry, we've arrived in Jeffersonville." Emelia announced.

They unmounted their horses and they headed towards the nearest Inn. "One room, with a double bed?" The clerk asked, Emelia coughed, "No, one room, two seperate beds." She stated, and then they were shown to their room. "Here you are." The clerk said, and left them, Emelia set her bag down, and sat on the bed she claimed as her own. She sighed and fidgeted with the silver cross in her hands, "I have a necklace quite alike to yours." Henry said and showed his to Emelia. "So you do, I thought vampires were affected by silver?" Emelia asked, "That's not true at all, it doesn't hurt us in the slightest, and obviously, vampires can kill each other." He stated.

"Alright then. We should scope the town out, see what we can find." Emelia said, and they left the Inn. They walked around the town, and looked at every person, it was already late and the sky was darkening fast. Emelia saw a man standing over a woman in an alleyway, She stopped, and Henry bumped into her, she looked at him and then back to the man. Emelia approached the man slowly and quietly, she hid around the corner, and threw a small blade into the back of his leg, he yelped in pain and Emelia jumped out with her blade drawn, when the man pounced on her.

Emelia was on the ground, she could see Henry standing off to the side, not doing a thing, and Emelia saw the woman had already fled. Emelia kicked the man in his private parts, and he stumbled back, she got up, ripped off the tear away skirt and grabbed her blade, and stabbed the man in the chest, then sliced his head from his shoulders. She stood over his body and her breath was heavy, a good fight always excited her. "Well, I must say you can handle yourself very well, Emelia." Henry said with a smirk as he eyed her from a couple feet away, he picked up her skirt, and handed it to her, Emelia smirked and bragged the dead vampires shoulders, and dragged him away, with the head.

They took the body quite a ways away so they could burn it. Henry watched as Emelia lit the match and threw it onto the doused body, and watched it go up in flames. After the body was nothing but ash, she kicked it around, as to not raise questions. Emelia and Henry then walked to the tavern, and got a few drinks together. As they walked back into their room, Henry said, "Working and drinking with a partner isn't so bad, now is it?". "I guess it's not that bad, although I still find you annoying and a pest." Emelia replied with a smirk, "And I still don't understand you, so perhaps we should work together more often?" Henry suggested.

Emelia took a moment, having company would be nice, "Why the hell not?" She said looking at the vampire, Henry smiled and asked "How did you get into this?", "My parents were torn apart by vampires when I was six-teen, I was an only child, so I left and vowed to kill every vampire, you being the only exception. That's why I never married, I don't have time. I still have nightmares about that night..." Emelia admitted. They stayed awake all night, and into the early morning, telling each other everything. Everything. Henry shared his story, Emelia shared hers. 

That was the first time in a long time Emelia had really let everything out, the only other person she had ever talked to like that was her priest friend, Charlie, who also happened to know about vampires. It felt good, to have a friend, someone to talk to, even if Henry did get on her nerves, Emelia knew he would be the one thing to help her sanity, Henry was Emelia's first friend in a long time, and she was happy about it. 

"Where to next, partner?" Henry asked, laying down in his bed after changing into something more comfortable, "We'll stay here a couple days, until I'm sure there are no more vampires here, nothing else to terrorize the people of this town. They we move onto the next town as usual." She replied, "You should be glad I'm joining you for now." Henry stated, "And why is that?" Emelia asked, "Because your life must have been lonely, and so was mine. We'll make a good team." Henry said, closing his eyes. Emelia scoffed and smiled, "Maybe you're right." She replied and began falling asleep. 

*To Be Continued*

                                                            They seem so perfect together, don't they?