Darkness in the Low Country Ch. 02

"Why don't we ask other for help? There are the rogue hunters like Edward. I hear he is in Atlanta." The younger man asked.

Ran knew he was pushing the Bishop's patience. This was an old argument between the two.

"No, Ran, we do not need any rogue hunter's especially someone like Edward. He hunts and kills for money and pleasure not for God's work. The subject is closed.

The Bishop handed Ran a large brown envelope, "Now to matters at hand."

The Bishop waited for Ran to look over the contents of the envelope. Ran opened the envelope and pulled out several photographs and looked through them. To anyone else they would have been just pictures of a very pretty young lady of about nineteen as she walked the shipyard at night on the Cooper River. She was very petite, had long black hair, alabaster skin, and dressed as a lot of young girls would dress. These series of photos she was wearing knee high black boots, a red blouse, and a short red and black plaid mini skirt. Ran looked at a close up picture of the girl that caught her dark eyes.

"She is very pretty." Ran commented.

"Yes but you know they can all appear attractive."

Ran nodded, it was true. There was a myth that all vampires became attractive and seductive once turned but that was not true. Their appearance remained the same after they were turned as it had before they died. They reason for the myth was that vampires could compel people to see them as attractive and seductive but in truth they were just as they had been in life. If the vampire was ugly when living they would have been ugly in their undead state.

"Yes, but you know what I mean. They can't compel the camera so she is naturally pretty." Ran paused and looked at the photos again, "And...she looks so innocent. Are we sure she is a vampire?"

The Bishop ignored the comment from the young man. He knew of Ran's vices and over looked them because the young hunter would never allow his own personal habits and vices get in the way of doing God's work.

"Yes, one of Nathan's creatures took these photos."

Ran looked up, "What else do we know about her? How old is she? Any special abilities she may have? Has she killed or worse turned anyone yet?"

The Bishop shook his head, "We don't know anything about her besides these photos. Nathan has not been very forthcoming with any other information about her. Either he does not know her, which is most likely the case. If he does not know her then that means she can't be too old. You can help with that with your special...umm...talent. I don't think we can expect any information from Nathan for the moment, with an apparent power struggle within his Kiss. As far as killing anyone or turning anyone; we know she had not turned anyone and no evidence of her killing anyone when she feeds but three bodies have turned up in the last several days. Two in the Cooper and one in the Ashley. The ones in the Cooper where men and the one in the Ashley was a young woman. But no evidence suggested this one had anything to do with it."

Ran nodded, "But that does not mean anything. They are good at camouflaging their kills. So what's my assignment? Find where it sleeps and kill it or just kill it?"

"The first. We don't know anything about her so don't confront her. Follow her for a few days, find out where the thing sleeps during the day, and then we kill it. Rowland and you."

Ran nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency, but I can handle her myself. I don't need Rowland."

The Bishop shook his head, "No. We don't know enough about her. Don't go cowboy on me again, Ran. Just follow her and gather information. She seems to like to feed along the ship yards where the cargo ships come in. Now go home and get some sleep and start tomorrow night. And I mean get some sleep, son. No more umm...entertainment until we finish this mission. Come by the church tomorrow before you go out and I will hear your confession. And go easy on the weapons when watching her. Just follow her no contact."

"Yes, Sir."

The Bishop stood up and so did Ran. Walked around his desk and extended his hand and once again Ran kneeled on his left knee and kissed the Bishops ring. When he rose up the Bishop hugged him quickly.

"Be careful on this one, son. Something about her just does not seem right and what seems to being happening inside Nathan's Kiss concerns me more than a little. I...I don't want to lose you, Ran."

Ran smiled and nodded, he had a great deal of affection for the man who saved her from life as an orphan and maybe worse. "Yes, Your Excellency."

The Bishop sat behind his desk again as Ran opened the door to his office.

"Oh, Ran, still having the nightmares?"

Ran turned her head, "Yes, Sir. They are getting more frequent. I know they mean something but I don't know what."

The bishop nodded, "Yes me as well. I have researched out records and nothing. I sent a request to the Vatican to have them research it as well and so far they came up blank. We will figure it out, don't worry."

Ran smiled, "I know you will, Sir."

Ran left the room and after he did the large bookcase in the right of the office slid open to reveal a secret doorway. Monsignor Rowland stepped through the passage and stood in the center of the room.

"You should tell him." He spoke to the Bishop.

Chapel waved his hand in a dismissing manner, "Why? What good would it do? And why the concern for him, you never cared for the young man even when he was young."

Rowland nodded, "Yes that is true. I don't like the way he dyes his hair, I don't like the clothes he wears, and his sexual encounters with men are an abomination to God. But he is still one of us and I respect him for his skill. Your love and fondness for him clouds your judgement. You should be honest with him."

"And tell him what? That I have no clue why has these nightmares or why his has special abilities that help him doing God's work. They are a gift from God and nothing sinister. No more on this Rowland, if I tell Ran the truth about her parents and sister what good with come of it? No more on the matter. You may leave now."

"Yes but tell him what we suspect."

"No, if he is what we may suspect, and it's just may I must remind you; then he will be in great danger even with just suspicion; danger nor just from vampires but others as well and I am very fond of that young man regardless of his vices."

"Yes but his mother was one and you were fond of her and Ran's father as well." Rowland said with a hint of contempt in his voice.

The Bishop ignored the priest and picked up the photos and put them in his bottom drawer of his desk and then started reading over his sermon for Mass the next day. Rowland sighed; he knew when to stop talking and that he had just been dismissed.