The Vampire's Coven: Part 1

'Derelict buildings. Why am I always investigating derelict buildings?'

The thought ran through Katherine, or Kate Bishop's mind as she carefully made her way through the ruins of a burnt out building in downtown Los Angeles. Adjusting the intensity of the flash lights that had been attached to her glasses, all the girl could see were the decaying support beams that had come down months before and remnants of various knick-knacks that had decorated the homes before arsonists had destroyed the building. According to the information she had been able to gather, the building had been the targeted by one of the many gangs that roamed LA. She didn't know why it had happened, Kate didn't particularly care. So far, all Kate knew was that the building had been a meeting place for one of the many gangs that made Los Angeles their home, there was only a slim chance that the building had any connection to her current investigation.

Stepping into a fire gutted apartment, Kate checked the number on the door. It was burnt and stained with ash, but the number was still there: Seventeen. With that in mind, she walked on through into the living space. Panning her vision from left to right, Kate looked at the damage inflicted. The walls were streaked with soot and ash, furniture had been left in a ruined state. There were a few shelves resting against the wall, their contents reduced to burnt fabrics and ruined picture frames, the original pictures having been destroyed. Scattered pieces of paper rested on the floor all around her, but Kate paid them all no heed. She wasn't there looking for scraps of paper.

She was looking for any sign of her missing person.

It was the latest job she had taken to help make ends meet. Ever since her father had cut her off, her work as half superhero, half detective had helped pay the bills and keep both herself and her ever faithful companion Lucky fed. It wasn't bad work. Kate kept herself active and her mind sharp. It was something the former Young Avenger excelled at. She had to get away from New York though...

Clint had become increasingly difficult to work with.

Dismissing the memory, Kate carried on with her job. She had been contacted three days before in regards to a missing persons case. Normally they wouldn't have piqued her interest, but work was work and it paid the bills. That and Kate hadn't had any work for a week. She needed the money.

As she walked through the home, Kate stopped after a long creaking noise came from underneath her feet. She applied a small amount of pressure down on the floorboards with her boot. She had to be careful, they weren't the most stable of boards to walk across. Every step caused the boards to creak. With that in mind, every move she made was carefully planned. Kate quietly cursed to herself. It was a wise move to be cautious, but she didn't want to spend any more time than she had to. “Damn derelict buildings.” Kate muttered to herself, voicing her displeasure at the current situation. Her earlier thought coming to mind as she looked down the hallway. She was starting to question the information she had been given, but this was the first lead she had found since starting the investigation.

-X-

Three nights before...

“Please, Mr. Marshall, take a deep breath and take your time.” Kate had insisted that the man sit down when he had come to her apartment. It was a modest space, enough room to store her items and live a comfortable life alongside her dog Lucky. That evening Mr. Marshall had appeared at the building and continuously pressed the buzzer for Kate's apartment. He was a mess. Jittery and shaking, the man appeared to not have slept in days. Kate had given him a cup of tea, hoping it would calm him enough to explain what the situation was.
Kate was sitting opposite the man. She was worried for Mr. Marshall. He looked like he had been through enough already. His clothing was stained with sweat and looked worn. At least a few days, Kate estimated in her mind. The suit he was wearing was creased and the white shirt looked almost grey. It definitely hadn't been changed recently.

“Mr. Marshall?” Kate looked over towards him, watching as the man slowly nodded his head. By Kate's guessing, he was afraid for himself, or someone else. That would explain both the jitters and his wide eyed appearance.

“Apologies... I...” He stuttered the words. Mr. Marshall was still emotional about whatever had happened. He slipped into his jacket pocket, producing a small photograph of a blonde woman with green eyes and fair skin. She looked beautiful. “This is my wife, Elizabeth. She's... she's been missing for the past week.”

“Have you gone to the police?”

“Yes, though that was five days ago.” The man had seemed to regain some of his composure, he was still shaking but he wasn't stuttering as much. “They don't seem to want to bother with looking for a lost wife.” That gave Kate some idea of what might have happened. Missing wives and spouses were common, though she would never speak her thoughts out loud as to why they had gone missing. Part of her wondered if the woman might be sleeping around, having an affair with another man.
Mr. Marshall explained everything that had happened. The arguments they had previously, the argument they had recently. The strong words that had been spoken in anger by both parties. Kate was building a picture of it in her mind, she wanted to try and get a measure of Mr Marshall. It would help with any possible investigation. The man stopped for a moment, slowly pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. Kate noticed that he was crying. There were tears running down his cheeks. She got up and went to get the box of tissues, setting them down in front of the man as the tears started to flow.

“You don't have to rush Mr. Marshall, take your time.” Kate assured him while sitting back down. She reached to the side of her seat, scratching the back of Lucky's head as the dog sat and finished off a slice of left over pizza from the night before. “You said that arguing is a regular occurrence for the pair of you. What normally happens?”

Mr. Marshall wiped his eyes with a tissue before sitting back on his chair and shaking his head. “She would leave the house for a couple of days. Every time she would see her mother, let her know what has happened, then Elizabeth would phone me. This time though there was no phone call. I got in touch with her mother, but she hadn't heard from Elizabeth either. That's when I went to the police. They told me that they had other matters to deal with, none of them included a missing wife. They said she was probably screwing some other guy, or some other girl.”

Kate frowned. While she had entertained the notion that his wife might have used the arguments as an excuse to leave and sleep around, she would never say it out loud unless she had actual proof. Had it not been for that small fact, Kate would have declined and referred him to someone else. Mr. Marshall looked as if he needed a break, and Kate would be more than willing to help him out.

“Mr. Marshall, I am going to need your wife's mobile number. If I'm fortunate, I should be able to track its signal.”

“You won't be able to trace her phone I'm afraid.” From his other inside jacket pocket, Mr. Marshall produced an Iphone in a pink case and handed it to Kate. “She always takes her phone with her, no matter what has happened. She'd never leave the house without it.”

There was no power in the phone. Kate tried switching it on but nothing happened. She had a charging cable in the apartment, she'd have to get it plugged in before taking a good look at the phone. Good job she had a program that would unlock the phone for her. There was no real way of determining what passcode was used. If one was used that is. “Mr. Marshall, I shall discover what has happened to your wife, I promise you that. Do you mind if I keep hold of the phone?”

“If it helps you find Elizabeth, then please go right ahead.”

“Thank you.” Kate got up from her seat and walked over to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Now you need to head home and get some rest. I shall call you when I have any developments.” Kate assured him before helping him up.

“Oh... thank you, thank you for everything.” He was tearing up once again, but they were a mixture of joy and sadness. He looked over his shoulder at Kate as they went to the door, a small but appreciative smile running across his face as he left the apartment building.

-X-

Present moment...

Kate had often wondered how the police chose which cases to focus on. She couldn't remember a time since coming to L.A in which she had faith in the LAPD. They had been a little hesitant in accepting her as both a private detective and a superhero, citing previous incidents with people announcing themselves as superheroes and working within the city. For the first few weeks of arriving in L.A, the police had monitored Kate's apartment building.

Perhaps they had heard what happened in New York when she and Clint teamed up with the Merc-with-a-Mouth, Deadpool.

'Blow up one electrical substation and suddenly you have a reputation.' Kate thought dryly, before a grin spread across her face when she remembered the fun she had using the bazooka.

'Stay on track Kate.' She told herself mentally before getting back to the task at hand.

Kate moved from the living room towards the bedrooms. She stepped into the master bedroom, looking around but like the rest of the apartment, the walls were fire blackened and the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. The bed was burnt to a crisp, the vanity and wardrobes destroyed. Kate panned her head left to right, letting the light shine over everything, but nothing revealed itself. She was about to move on, but Kate's flash lights revealed a small slither of silver sticking out from beneath the ash. Kneeling down, adjusting her bow and quiver of arrows so they didn't scrape along the floor, Kate picked it up and held it into the lights. It was heavier than she had expected. A long piece of metal, possibly silver, with the word 'love' engraved on it. The piece was curved slightly and Kate guessed that it had been part of a bracelet.

It appeared that she was on the right track after all.

When she had eventually logged into the phone, there was a photograph of a bracelet. It had been a gift from her Richard, according to her social media page. Amongst the find, there had been a few comments in regard to the recent arson attack. One message stood out amongst the others. A conversation between Elizabeth and a friend about the apartment complex revealed that she and Mr. Marshall lived their before the engagement. Another set of messages had mentioned meetings with an unknown person, some were dated after the arson attack. Kate was definitely on the right track.

Still, the question remained; where was Elizabeth Marshall?

-X-

Under the pale moonlight, standing in the pouring rain that had been falling for the past day, a small group stood overlooking the remains of the burnt out apartment building. There were seven in total. Six were female, the seventh a male and had been forced to his knees and flanked by two of the women. All but one of the group failed to wear a hood, though despite the weather, no one was bothered by it.
The woman without a hood up stood away from the others. She stood on the ledge of the building, one foot propped up on the tiles, her gloved hands resting on the raised knee. She looked down on the burnt building, watching with a smile as the woman within moved through room after room. The stranger was tall and lithe, dressed in a pair of black trousers, the cuffs of the legs tucked into thigh high boots. A white long sleeved blouse clung to her body, plastered against her skin in the rain. Crimson hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Dark eyes gazed on, following with inhuman accuracy the human woman walking from the bedroom she had been investigating. Lips painted blood red slowly curved upwards in a smile. Things were falling into place perfectly. Much better than she could have anticipated.

“Please... I played my part so will you let me see my wife?” The voice belonged to Mr. Marshall who struggled in the grip of the two women that held him back. Despite their size compared to the man, they were far stronger than he could ever be. Both were dressed in skin tight leather trousers and tops, both had skin as pale as the woman at the ledge. The only difference was their hair. One had raven black hair, the other had blonde. “Please!”

“Oh hush now Mr. Marshall, there is no need to shout.” Her voice was cultured, sweet like honey and yet alluring at the same time. She turned away from the ledge of the roof and walked towards the man. Her eyes looked over him, seemingly wondering whether or not to oblige his request. A moment passed, before she shrugged her shoulders and clapped her hands. The girls flanking Mr. Marshall stepped away and stood to one side, allowing him to get up and stand. He was taller than the others but that made no difference. He was intimidated by the six leather-clad women.

“Where is my wife?”

The woman said nothing, instead indicating for the hooded woman to step forward. Her head, along with the rest of her body was covered by the cloak she wore. Delicate hands reached up from beneath the material, pulling the hood back. Golden blonde tresses spilled out from the cloak. Pale skin, ruby red lips and green eyes told the man that he had found the woman he loved.

“Elizabeth?”

“Hello Steven.” she responded in a low voice before discarding the rest of the cloak, letting it fall to the floor and revealing the form of his wife. “Miss me?” the woman asked before she was embraced by Steven, his arms wrapped around the woman as if he was never going to let her go. She didn't return the embrace though.

“Where have you been... I was worried sick!”

The comment seemed to amuse Elizabeth, who merely grinned and with strength not seen before, she forced Richard from her, shoving him to the ground. “Like you cared.” Elizabeth responded, her tone cold and harsh. She was changed somehow. It was only when Steven had stopped himself from crying did he see what Elizabeth was wearing. Unlike the others who wore a mixture of leather and silk, Elizabeth was dressed in something far more unique. A long black gown covered her body. The gown was long sleeved, the bodice stopping around her ample bosom. The overall image made Elizabeth resemble something from a Gothic horror movie. There was a major difference in Elizabeth though, and it wasn't the gown she wore, or that she was as pale as the other women surrounding him. It was the two bite marks that were present on her neck. They had healed though, nothing thing more than scar tissue now. Upon seeing them, one thing that came to mind: Elizabeth was a vampire.

“What did you do to her, you bitch?” Steven shouted at the top of his voice. He wasn't expecting what came next. Elizabeth struck out with speed and she slapped Richard across the face. It was hard enough to leave a bruise on his cheek, and it sent Richard sprawling to the floor again.

“You shall not speak to the mistress in such a tone you insolent worm!” Elizabeth snarled. She was about to strike him while Richard was on the floor, but the mysterious woman's hand gentle hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and a soft smile stopped Elizabeth from continuing. She was enjoying the reunion that she had helped create. “He disrespected you Mistress, he must be punished.”

“Your loyalty and compassion are truly respected, my dear Elizabeth, but if I punished everyone that disrespected me then I wouldn't have many loyal followers.” she responded, stepping closer to Elizabeth and cupping the blonde haired woman's chin in her hand. She brought Elizabeth closer, leaning in and kissing the woman on the lips. It was long, sensuous and with Richard watching, it had the attended effect. It got Richard worked up.

Angry for what had been done to his wife, Richard pushed himself up from the ground and charged towards the pair of them. No one went to stop them though, they didn't need to. As soon as Richard was close enough the woman lunged out, her hand clamping around the man's throat, lifting him into the air with ease. She and Elizabeth separated though remained close enough to stand together. The crimson haired woman grinned, her fangs could be seen poking out from her bottom lip. She glanced at Richard and proceeded to carry him over towards the roof-edge, lifting him high into the air and grinning at him.

“I must thank you for your role in this, Mr. Marshall. And take heart while you can, for Elizabeth shall be living in luxuries you could never have given her. I have one last task for you before death fully embraces you.” With her fangs extended, she dropped Richard briefly before holding him by his shirt. Without warning, she bit deep into Richard's neck, drinking deep the blood. Her eyes became pinpricks of what they were as she took in the blood, fuelling her strength and quenching her thirst. She had not drunk blood since turning Elizabeth nights before. When the woman was finished, she looked on at Richard who hung limply in her grip. He had died, but there was still life in his eyes. Richard's flesh had turned pale, and he moaned quietly.

“My gift for you, is a small taste of what it is means to be a vampire. You shall die tonight, Richard, but your death shall serve the greater good of my coven.” she wanted the girl in the building before them, and her thrall was the best way of achieving that goal. It was doubtful that the archer was strong enough to defeat a thrall, but if she survived then it would weaken her. Then all that remained was to go in, and turn her to their cause. “Now go! Fly my pretty!” In another display of inhuman strength, the vampire flung the near-feral vampire to the building. The creature shrieked as it travelled through the air.

-X-

Kate had exhausted all possible ideas of what might be found in the home. Apart from the sliver of bracelet she had found in the bedroom, there wasn't much else to be gained from investigating the building. Stepping out into the hallway, Kate let out a deep breath. She hadn't found much, but it was more than what she had achieved before. This was good. It was progress. All she had to do was find the next step.

One idea that had come to mind was the unknown number that had appeared on Elizabeth's phone. If she could trace it, then she would be able to find out where it came from. The only problem was that the LAPD wouldn't help her. She hadn't the chance to make a connection with the police department. Not enough to ask them to look into the number and try and find a number. The only option after that was getting in touch with the Avengers. With Clint. That would be her last resort. Kate might strike lucky and find someone willing to help her. There had to be a decent cop in Los Angeles. Kate was willing to believe in that at least.

Deciding to call it a night and pick up her investigation in the morning, Kate made her way towards the stairs and the careful descent to the ground floor. She stopped, when the piercing shriek was carried through the air. Immediately Kate was on edge. She had bow in hand and an arrow drawn taught against the string. There was the sound of cracking timber and the thud of something heavy rolling across the floor. Whatever had happened was above her, and Kate had to check it out. She didn't think it was human. If it was, and it made that sound, then the first thing that came to mind was either a mutant, or a human with super-powers.

She hoped it wasn't Venom or Carnage. Two psychos that Kate was ill-equipped to deal with.

Moving towards the stairs leading up into the building, Kate slowed her pace as she turned the corner. She aimed her bow, keeping the arrow taught and ready to fly at a moment's notice. She had equipped a standard arrow with a keen edge and a hollow point. She didn't know what she was dealing with, and if it was a monster, she doubted a standard arrow could do anything. But she could hope.
Slowly walking towards the apartment that the creature crashed through; Kate calmed herself. Her heart was beating rapidly, she had never encountered anything like this in Los Angeles yet, so this was a new experience. But it was a learning experience. Moving a collapsed door out of the way so she could get on through into the area, there was what sounded like panting. It reminded her of Lucky after exercise. Whatever had crashed through into the building was either exhausted, out of breath, or something not human. Most likely the latter, Kate thought as she did a room by room sweep. Normally she would have called out, try to make contact, but she didn't want to reveal her location.

Walking into the living area, Kate's eyes widened at the hunched creature that was stood in the middle of the room. It was grunting, as if trying to speak. It hadn't noticed Kate yet, or if it had, the creature hadn't acknowledged her presence. It was sniffing the air, definitely like an animal, almost simian in its gait and posture. Kate aimed the arrow at the creature, but she couldn't take the shot. Not without knowing what she was dealing with. Taking in more of the creature's body, Kate noticed the clothing on its back. It was human... or human like. It was a suit, a very familiar suit. At that point, Kate realised who it was.

“Richard? Richard Marshall?” she asked quietly. It seemed to get the creature's attention and turned. Blood stained the collar of the shirt and the shoulders of the suit jacket. It let out a guttural grunt and showed off a mouth full of needle sharp teeth. Whatever had happened to Richard, he was no longer human.

“What the hell?” she asked, lowering her guard for a moment, before raising it and letting an arrow fly as soon as the creature that was once Richard charged for her, snarling and showing its teeth, and claws out in front of it.