This is a work of fiction. No resemblance to anyone or organisation, is intended. This work of fiction is copywrited, 1997, by Patrick J. Sullivan.

Chapter 2

Most of us had been human, at one time or another. Living our unhappy little humans lives. Untill something stumbled, slithered, crawled, or swooped upon us. And bit us, or seduced us, or did whatever it is that particular breed does to propagate the species. And then we were one with the Night.

I remeber being human. I remember a little army she-brat. A glorified and decorated war hero who gave up her soul to seek revenge on her tormentors. I'm glad it happened... not that I had any choice at the time. But I'm glad anyway. I am so much more... complete, now. I never imagined that the Dark could hold so much...love. I was amazed, at first, at the compasion the Nighters have for one another... have for me! They weren't trying to destroy me. Others yes, but not me. They said that I was already one of them. Even before I was bitten. I never knew love in my human life. Only pain and abuse and suffering. But here, love surrounded me, enveloped me. We loved each other, and the land we lived on, and even the sun which... although it could destroy us... kept the land alive.

I was something of a prize for the Nighters. Previously, they had only succeded in turning millitary personal into Ghosts. I was the first to be turned to something else. A Vamp to be exact. I managed to pass myself as human for a while. With my BDUs and Bars and side-arms, I had access to all of my old... haunts... every pun intended. I gathered information then. Plans for the UV-bombs, supply deposts for Anti-UV suits. My body was flawless, now... and I used it to get what I needed. Men had always wanted me... a lot of women, too. Now they couldn't resist me. Even the most faithful of spouses would eventualy give in to me. I was the first undead Matta Hare. But humans are nasty smart. I couldn't do that for long without being found out. I think I scared them at first. None of the Nighters had ever infiltrated, before. I think that's what made it so easy, at first. Then they set a trap for me. A State big-wig with lots of secrets. But I smelled something funny. He was too eager, too easy... I smelled... bloodlust. I broke his neck and went to mist. Out the window, just before UV flooded the room. Out the window and one with the Night.

So that was the end of my undead superspy days. But we got a lot of good info. Taking ques from my millitary training, we organised little commando raids on the human supply depots. We got the anti-UV suits which really pissed off the Breathers. Seems the suits could protect us as well as the humans. The UV-Bombs couldn't hurt us anymore. Scratch one Breather super-weapon. We could even go out in the daytime. We had a limited number of the suits at first, and no tech to fabricate more. So we formed a special squad to be the ones to get 'em... My squad. We camped just outside of D.C. in the predawn hours. We hastily pulled down our goggles at the first sign of daybreak. If any UV actually made it past our irises, it would flash-fry our brains. We almost forgot why we were there as watched the sun come up. Some of us hadn't seen a sunrise in two hundred years or more. It was astonishing and mesmerising. I understood then, why moths fly into candle flames. I had to stop myself from tearing my goggles off and staring directly at it.

The screech of metal on metal brought us back to reality. Little ports in the city wall were opening up and the sniffers were being deployed. We would be the first Nighters to see sniffers and live. Of course, I had seen them before. I had helped deploy them before. The came out of their lairs, low to the ground, four-legged little death machines. They didn't have much of brain to speak of, mostly metal and wires and circuts. The other Nighters gasped as they saw the viscious little cyborgs. Sure, we hunted living things for sustinance, all creatures did. But we respected our prey. We respected life. These things were an abomination... a travesty of life. They deserved the name "undead" more than we did. We let them get about 1000 yards from the walls, and then toasted them. We could here Breather screams from inside the walls. What a kick to hear that! The daytime was no longer theirs. Now they would fear the day as much as they feared the night.

Loosing the sniffers hit the Breathers pretty hard. They had lost the tech to build more of them. And the hosts, "dogs" I think they were called, were all but extinct. Poor dumb animals, forced to fight in a war that isn't theirs. The Breathers have a nasty habit of doing that. We started moving up the cost... hitting cities as we went. Taking out their sniffers and grabbing more uv-suits. Even had the chance to turn a few Breathers to our side as we went. I managed to Vamp a few other GIs. More soldiers for the cause. Completely under my control. After NYC we going to move west. I got very good a running little side missions, hunting GIs. I figured that, by the time we got to Chicago, I'd have my own private army. I made sure we acuired enough uv-suits for the new troops. A few of them couldn't take it and flipped out... tore off their goggles in the sunlight. They set good examples for the others.

I started wondering about the whole control thing. Where was the guy who turned me? Why wasn't he excersising his control over me? After that night, he just left me there. I've never seen him again. I decided not to worry about it for now, I had bigger fish to fry. We made insignia for our squad. Replaced the patches that the Breathers had put on the uniforms. The other Nighters always welcomed us warmly when we came through. You could hear the thoughts in the night air, "here comes Vamp Squad, lay out the welcome mat". I had to chuckle every time a I caught a whisp of, "There goes those wackos, running around in the daylight". My right hand man, the first GI I had turned, also became my lover. He was so sweet. He'd bring me tasty little treats that he picked up during the night. He was a good hunter.

More Later