Chapter 21

Steve arrived at St Patricks hospital where Louis White was hospitalized. For a hospital, the place wasn't so busy. A pregnant woman crouching in pain and what appeared to be her husband talked to the receptionist at the lobby. A nurse came to their aid and the woman was wheel chaired away. Five people sat in the lobby and each was reading a pamphlet.

Steve headed straight to the receptionist, "I'm Steve Rodolf and I'm here to see Kelvin White."

The acne faced ginger headed receptionist typed something into the computer. With a bored look on his face, he said "Room 29, fifth floor."

Steve got into the elevator and headed there. Waiting for him was a doctor. He immediately guessed who Steve was.

"Mr. White has been constantly asking for you. You have come earlier than expected." the doctor said to him.

"And you must be Doctor Patel." Steve shook hands with him.

"Why yes I am. Please come this way." he led Steve into the room.

Steve unconsciously cringed at Louis who was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Louis was connected to an oxygen tank and other wires. His eyes swollen shut and both of his arms gone.

Dr. Patel leaned down to Louis and whispered into his ear. He then glanced at Steve, "I have let him know that you are here. Please be aware that he has trouble in hearing and speaking so try not to strain him." he said and left.

Steve walked closer to Louis, and took the seat right next to him. He heard Louis breathing slowly, and cleared his throat. "I am here as you requested, Louis."

With a frail voice, Louis responded, "It took you long enough."

"Why did you want to see me?" Steve got down to business.

"You ever heard of the Packet brothers?"

Steve's heart skipped a beat. "Err yes, I am aware of them." he said, trying his best not to sound nervous.

Louis grinned with his bruised lips, "Those bastards are responsible for what you are seeing here." he coughed only to groan in pain, "I don't have much time left so I'll cut to the chase. Those three are responsible for Whitney's death. I know this because I was an accomplice to her murder," he coughed again but violently.

Steve got up stared down at Louis tensed.

"I don't know what she did to them but what I know is that I was promised $47000 if I ruined her career. The night she was killed, I was told to deliver her alive to a cabin in the woods for an extra $3000. Those assholes took her and told me to wait for my money."

Unable to take what he was hearing any longer, Steve walked away, took off his glasses and wiped his face with his hanky. His suspicions over his brothers were right after all. He scowled and clenched his fists.

"I know that this is difficult for you to hear but let me finish. Weeks went by and those mother fuckers didn't give me my money. I threatened them and they finally did. Unfortunately, the money was fake and had a bomb in it. My point is, they decided to kill me off. "

"What?"

"I know I am trash but those three are worse. If I die, at least let them rot in jail. You should know, however, that they are not working alone. They are working for a powerful vampire. This vampire is - "

Louis coughed uncontrollably, helplessly wheezing. Steve rushed to his aid. Louis body bounced on the bed with every cough. It was an agonizing deep cough that left him barely gasping for air.

"Tell me! Tell me, fucking damn it! " Steve screamed impatiently.

Steve heard the dreaded heartbeat monitor give a straight constant beep. Steve desperately shook Louis but his mouth remained agape with no signs of breathing.

"No, no, no!" Steve shouted, "Can I have a doctor in here?! Help! Help!" he exclaimed in panic.

Dr. Patel and three nurses rushed into the room. They immediately separated Steve from Louis and forced him out of the room. Through the little glass on the door, he saw the nurses put a cover up Louis' face.

Steve was left shaken as he slowly walked back to the elevator. Louis' last words kept ringing in his mind. He wondered why they even killed Whitney to begin with. Perhaps the mystery vampire had a grudge against her. But who was this vampire?

Steve sat in his car too upset to drive. His hatred for his brothers grew even more. He cursed the day he was born into such a messed up family. His father was a drunk who abused his mother. She lost sanity and hacked him to death.

When he was 8-years-old, his mother committed suicide by hanging herself. His brothers brought him up into the life of crime. They brainwashed him into believing that it was okay to hurt people. It was always survival of the fittest with them.

Just when he thought that he couldn't hate them more, they beat up one of his close friends to death.

The sudden sound of his phone interrupted his thoughts. Steve slowly pulled out it from his shirt pocket, "Hello Asher," he answered, and took a deep breath as he waited for her to speak.

'Steve, something terrible has happened.' she replied, crying.

Steve sat up straight with his eyes wide, "What is it? What happened?"

'Paul is, is... d-ead." she stammered in her cries. "His head was found in his flat and his body was found d-downstairs in the middle of the road.' she wept even more.

"What?" Steve gasped.

'I'm at the police station right now.'

"Stay right there. I'm on my way."

Another ruthless murder occurred. Another person died like a dog. Steve wondered what the world was coming to as he raced down the road.

***

Whitney sat on a huge rock in a Savannah hill of Kafue. Rocks were held up high in the air, floating all around her. She had her legs folded, and her hands placed at the center. With her eyes closed, she meditated.

She breathed softly and tried hard not to break her attention despite Melonina's lousy singing. Whitney's eyebrows twitched and she gritted her teeth. Wrinkles formed on her forehead.

"Urgh!!!" the rocks shoot in different directions, some of them hit unsuspecting critters. "Why is this so hard?" she exclaimed.

Melonina jumped down from a nearby tree, "Wow, you are doing great."

"I am not in the mood for your sarcasm." Whitney snappily remarked.

"I am not being sarcastic. Look, in an attempt to master one technique, you have mastered another."

"You mean the thing with the rocks?"

"Yeah, sorta. Well, you are supposed to focus your gamarax on your birthmark but you have focused it on things around you. Focusing gamarax on things around you comes in pretty handy in battle. Very impressive for a none pure." Melonina praised with a soft nod.

Whitney sat in a more relaxed position while Melonina looked up at her, "You have been referring to me as a none pure since morning. What is the difference between you and I?"

"The difference between us pures and you, a none pure, is how we came to be darkas gods. I was born one and you were created with the queen's power. Gamarax manipulators designed and formed a new faceless body for you. Queen Sharaina put your soul into it and imprisoned it by filling your body with her power. Your new body took up some properties of your soul, so that's why you still possess the same face and body type."

"Does this mean that my real body is -"

"Dead and decomposing?" Melonina cut her off, "Yes, it is."

"My soul is yours, darkas god."

"Wise decision," Sharaina got up and pulled out her dark sword.

Whitney widened her one good eye at Sharaina approaching her with her sword. In a split second, she pulled Whitney off the ground and plunged the sword deep into her belly.

Blood poured out of Whitney's mouth. She gripped Sharaina's shoulder in order to support her weak knees. Her vision blurred as she took in the excruciating pain. Sharaina forced the sword up and Whitney gasped.

Bringing her lips to Whitney's ear, she whispered, "See you soon."

"Wow, so that's what happened." Whitney commented in thought after the flashback of the night she met Sharaina. It baffled her so much that she had forgotten the horrific part of getting killed by her.

"Akirexer," Melonina called and Whitney lifted her head to face her. "Because you are a none pure, it is of extreme importance that you get stronger because unlike pures, you are not immortal. Pures hibernate when severely injured but none pures die."

"Oh, I see. This is still difficult for me though." Whitney sighed.

"Why don't you do this then? Think of the reason why you want to get stronger. Let that lead you into activating your weapon." Melonina suggested.

"It's just so hard." Whitney threw herself on the ground with a loud sigh.

Melonina shook her head disapprovingly with crossed arms, "There are bigger problems than your failure to meditate, Akirexer."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Akirexer lazily asked as she stared at the clouds in the sky.

"Well, for example, the problems in my marriage because my husband went rogue just after our wedding. I hardly ever see him and he almost never keeps in touch."

Whitney sat up and raised her brows stunned by Melonina's sudden openness. She parted her lips to speak but Melonina's grunt froze her words.

Melonina motioned her chin up, "Do you know the last time I saw him, mm?" she asked.

Whitney slowly awkwardly shrugged.

"Three years ago. Three fucking years ago."

"Why are you still with him, though?" Whitney softly asked her with concern.

There was nothing but silence as Whitney waited for her answer. After what felt like an awkward eternity, Melonina dropped her gaze in thought.

"I love him." she whispered in shame. "I have loved him since we were little." this time a smile lingered its way and brightened her face. "I'm such a fool."

Whitney got back into her meditating position. "No, you're not. He is the fool and he most certainly doesn't deserve you." she winked at her and closed her eyes with a grin. "I want to try out summoning my weapon again. Do not disturb me with your horrible singing this time." she snarled, giggling.

"Sure, I can't make any promises though," Melonina cheerfully replied.

****

"Alright gang, as you know we have a new objective which involves us stealing the Infinite Medallion from a vampire." Waxx said to the attentive Serial Takers.

It was about time Waxx explained the heist to them. The time to begin it all had arrived and neither of them wanted to waste anymore time.

"As you know, I encountered this vampire once in Dark Star. It was so fast and powerful that even I got defeated. Next thing I knew, I woke up floating down a stream." Waxx wiped imaginary tears. "Fortunately, I was able to spot the medallion before I went unconscious and I immediately recognized it. It is the famous medallion that was owned by darkas gods for millions of years until it went missing for the last 2000 years."

"What is so special about this medallion?" Derrick asked Waxx and Daisy nodded in agreement. As humans, this was news to them.

"It has the ability to grant any wish." Bruce answered him instead.

Josh rubbed his bearded chin, "I heard stories about it growing up. The legendary King Raglan acquired it from Green but it was lost during the reign of his son, King Meelzib." he proudly added with a smirk.

"When Queen Sharaina came into power after defeating Meelzib, she put a bounty of a billion pearls on the medallion." Bruce added his voice to the conversation.

"This is why we have to take it from that vampire." Waxx insisted with excitement. "Unfortunately, the whereabouts of this vampire are unknown but do not despair, we have leads on three idiots who work for it."he turned to Daisy, "Do you have the data I requested?" he asked.

"I sure do, Waxx." Daisy answered confidently and handed everyone identical folders. "They are Danny, Billy and Jack Packet; famously known as the Packet brothers."

"So, are we supposed to use them to lead us to their boss?" Josh asked Waxx.

"That's the plan. As soon as we know where the vampire is, our next plans to steal the medallion will commence." Waxx plotted, grinning.