The train ride was long, at least three hours. I gave a deep sigh, three hours and I would be in Russia, three hours and I would be that much closer to killing the man I loved, the man I would risk my life for. The question now is can I do it? We had talked about it before, the day in the back seat of the van before shopping. We both decided that death was our choice if we ever became strigoi. However, I don't think either of us ever thought that this would actually happen, especially not to him. He was a god among us, my god.

It was times like these that I hated, these long silent rides. I had experienced many in the past few weeks in Europe. Long train rides are the easiest ways to travel, but it was in these silent compartments that people were capable of thinking, and right now thinking was the last thing I wanted to do. I was on a mission that had to be completed at all costs.

The train seemed to slow down as the minutes ticked by, making this ride even longer than it actually was. The scenery outside was beautiful, but I was too on edge to really admire it clearly. Sleep is what I really needed, who knows how long it has been since I last had a good night's sleep. I needed it terribly, but with sleep come dreams, not just any dreams, but dreams of him. Dreams of that night in the cabin, all our practice sessions, the way he used to look at me and the feel of his big arms wrapped around me. But now it's different, every time I see him looking, it's with crimson eyes. I tried to shake these memories away, but they still haunted me, I doubt I will be able to get a good night's sleep until this job is done. Tired of just sitting here drowning in my thoughts, I decided to wander the train, perhaps get a bite to eat, it had been thirty-six hours since my last meal, and even then it had been interrupted by unwanted visitors.

Flashback

The streets were quiet, most shops were closed by this time of night, except a few stores here or there, one store in particular that was open was a small grocery store. I really shouldn't stop to eat, but just at that moment my stomach grumbled, guess a little bite wouldn't hurt. I walked in, meeting the smile of an old German lady. She spoke something that I assume was hello, I returned her welcome with a nod and made my way to the back towards the drinks, chips, and sandwiches. While scanning the aisle quickly, I grabbed a water bottle, and a ham sandwich, at least I think that's what it was, and headed back up to the counter. The lady rang up my goods, and I quickly paid her, hurrying back out into the cool night air.

It really isn't smart to stay in one spot for too long. Just as I had eaten half of my sandwich, nausea struck me. I reacted quickly, grabbing my silver stake from my side and turned around only to come face to face with two strigoi. They both stared at me with hungry eyes. The first was a tall muscular male, with blonde hair; the other a petite woman with long black hair tied up in a messy bun, both, with blood red eyes. The male spoke "Well well well, what do we have here?"

"Looks to me like a late night snack," the female cackled lightly.

The female took a step forward; too close for my liking. I lunged forward, clearly catching her off guard and slammed the stake into her heart. She shrieked and withered in pain only to collapse dead to the hard, cold ground.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!!" her male companion shrieked.

Fast as lightning he ran towards me, a great deal faster than I was. I had already pulled out the stake and was ready to strike him as well. However, before I had the chance, he plowed into me, knocking me down and forcing the stake out of my hands. He kicked me in the stomach forcing me to scream out, the pain was horrible, but I wasn't going to fall that easily. As he went to kick me again, I beat him to the punch by throwing a kick of my own right to his groin. He staggered back in slight pain, giving me just a couple seconds, but that was enough, I snatched up my stake and plunged it into his heart. He slumped to the ground dead like the other. The nausea feeling was gone, but I looked around just to be sure. Then I noticed my food wet and soggy on the ground. Nice, so much for dinner.

End Flashback

That sure hadn't been fun, but by now I was used to killing strigoi. I can't even count all the ones I have killed on this journey, although I can count the bruises and scrapes they have left on me.

As I meandered the hall I finally found a trolley filled with delicious foods, I bought some chips, two sandwiches, and a bottle of water. I returned to my compartment, ate my dinner and then drifted off into a restful sleep. The next thing I knew, I was being tapped on the shoulder with someone speaking to me in Russian. I hadn't realized I was here yet. The sleep had been good, and thankfully it had been dream free. I grabbed my bag and headed off the train, the station was practically deserted, I guess not many people like to travel at three am. Working my way to the exit, I was hit with an overwhelming feeling. My stomach was going crazy, the nausea was so excruciating that I nearly fell over, spinning around I came to stare straight into four pairs of glowing red eyes.

"Well isn't this a lovely welcoming party," and I prepared myself for a fight