The firestorm has quieted. The radio only cracking sporadic with commands and cries for help. The gunfire no more constant storm but contained to small instances of violence in the distance. The wind caries ash like gray snow. Melissa stumbles through the choking smoke as she runs, clutching her ribs as she moves over wreckages. Her breath comes in short rasping bursts and her right arm shakes uncontrollably. “Alex! ...Alexander!” she calls out horse and desperate. The only answer she gets is the echo of her own voice. Bouncing back distorted and changed.
“he's gone songbird. They all are.” the voice is smooth, mocking her despread attempts to get away. She stops as his aura suppresses hers again. The air feels heavy, to thick to breath. The draws her sidearm. The safety clicks as she gets ready. Knowing it will not help. His laughter ripples through the shadows, bouncing from wall to wall. Feeling more like it is coming from everywhere rather than from one place.
“So fragile. So Loud. A fledgling scared of slaughter.”
Melissa moves again, turning trying to get away from the sound. But the vampire's voice keeps shifting, keeps twisting, the acoustics playing tricks on her perception. Every attempt to listen only disorients her more. “You reek of sound” the voice comes from one direction “you wield death.” it calls from another “but you don't belong to undeath. How curious” he whispers behind her ear. She spins around. Her hands trembling on the trigger. “Show yourself!” she finally shouts. “As you wish little songbird” and with an amused chuckle he steps from the smoke. Beautiful and monstrous, his pale blue eyes glinting with amusement. He looks not much older than her, maybe 20 but has an air around him that betrays his age. He is dressed in a modern business suit. Black, with a white shirt and a red tie. Like he expected a meeting and not war when he got ready for the day. Fresh blood staining his cuffs like jewellery. He gives her a formal bow “You can call me Silas, until I break you. Its only polite”
She shoots, sending Shrieking Lances and tries to claw at him with Spectral Strike. But he moves, faster than sight, vanishing and reappearing. Behind her, beside her, above her. Each attack of her only finding empty air. His answer only laughter.
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Then... pain. His gloved hand grabbing her wrist, twisting it until it snaps. The gun clatters to the ground as she screams. Dropping to one knee she presses the hand to her chest. “hush there little bird. I'm still listening.” He circles her, studying her aura like she is a puzzle he intents to solve. Melissa forces herself up. Willing herself to stand, still clutching her broken wrist against her chest. Gritting her teeth she pushes against his aura as it crushes hers. Knowing it is futile but refusing to yield. “You like screams? Fine. better listen closely” she plants her feet, inhales. The air trembling around her. Her aura flairing violent enough to make him curious. He tilts his head, intrigued. “Oh? Are you going to sing for me?” She does not answer as the world stills. Blood starts to flow from her eyes, ears and nose and her body starts to whither as she sacrifices everything she has left. Then sound returns all at once. A blast of pure resonance tears through the ruins. Not just a scream, but a force of soul. Smoke twists away, walls buckle and shatter. Spectral voices sound from all around, like echoes of the dead and fallen. They join her scream, answering the Banshees Wail.
Silas eyes go wide as he staggers under the pressure. His nose and ears bleeding from her force and his aura sputtering under the spiritual assault. For the first time his smirk dies.
“You!” he snaps as her scream ends. He lunges, enraged. No longer holding back, no longer playing. But before he reaches her a streak of white fire intercepts him. another network operative, a blade of flame drawn. The clashes between him and the vampire sending shock waves through the ruins “Get back rookie! Move!” he shouts at her but Melissa barely reacting, the backlash of feeding so much of herself in to the wail scouring her soul as she collapses. Her world spinning in deafening silence
Through her fading vision she sees silas retreat. Limping, furious, half his face scorched of by white fire. The silver ranker kneeling beside her. “What the hell was that scream?” he asks, looking her over. “i made him listen.” she says before the world goes dark on her.
