Innocence Lost

Innocence Lost is a collection of short stories that chronicle the tales of the midnight assassin, Raven Quelhaven; a “young” vampire assassin. David (writing under a pseudonym) began Innocence Lost in 2005, as a way to further develop his creative writing skills.  Based in the same dark and disturbing world as Shadowed Kisses, Innocence Lost explores the immortal life of Raven Quelhaven; a character first introduced in the Shadowed Kisses tale, The Beginning of the End.

The following introduction to Innocence Lost, Welcome to my world, was originally published on the 4th September 2005.

Welcome to my world

My life didn’t turn out as I expected. Indeed, it never really went anywhere before I died. That was when everything changed, my new life as an immortal assassin… forgive me for jumping ahead a little, I guess you could say it all started 20 years ago…

***

Rain poured down on the city of London, as Emily made her way down the poorly illuminated streets to club “Gothik.” It was sad little cliché club, with terrible music that sounded like someone smashing a guitar rather than playing it, yet Emily couldn’t get enough of it.

Emily was dressed for the occasion, black leather mini skirt, a black low cut top, and a long black leather overcoat, which she pulled round herself to protect her from the rain. Her long back hair, plastered against her face, make up running down her cheeks. It was how they all seemed to dress in club “Gothik,” and you just didn’t fit in if you wore anything else.

Arriving at the steps of the club, Emily stopped as the security guard checked her for weapons. In a strong cockney accent he told her she could go through. Passing through the main doors, it took a few moments for Emily to adjust to the noise, and the low lighting, before making her way through the crowd to the busy bar.

Finally getting a drink, she made her way to one of the darkened areas, far away from the dance floor, and sat watching the crowd as she fixed her make up. It was then she noticed the gentleman in the corner, hidden almost completely in the shadows, looking out onto the dance floor, almost as if he was looking for something.

Emily had seen him before, on numerous occasions. Usually he was in the private section, a different woman at his side each and every time. Tonight however, something was different and she couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was.

“Hey, tall dark and brooding…” Emily called to him. “Can I get you a drink?”

The man came over, took a seat next to her and smiled softly, his brown green eyes twinkling.

“Thank you for the offer, little one, however I’ll have to decline.” His eyes scanned the crowd again, and then fixed on something. He grew visibly tense. “If you have somewhere else to be tonight, kiddo, I’d suggest you go.” His voice was dark, and gravely, he was still looking at the crowd as he got up to leave. And just like that he was gone, melting into the crowd on the dance floor.

“Don’t worry about him, darlin’. Old tight pants there doesn’t know a cute little morsel when he sees one.” came a voice to Emily’s right.

Looking up she saw a man, dressed in a similar attire to her own, with black leather pants, instead of a skirt and dark brown eyes that Emily instantly got lost in.

“Drink up sweetness” he placed a glass on the table in front of her “I feel we’ve got a long night ahead of us,” he said with a wink.

***

It felt like hours had passed, and although Emily could have sworn that she’d only had two drinks this evening, the world was shaking from side to side. She couldn’t even remember the name of the man she was with, which definitely wasn’t like her at all.

He’d led her outside, the cool night air failing to snap her senses back into place, as he led her round the back of the club. The music still so loud that the dull thumping of the beat was making the walls vibrate.

“Where are we going?” Emily said, in a sleepy tone.
“We’re going to wonderland kid, you’ll love it, I promise,” he almost seemed to be laughing, as he tightened his grip on her wrist.

Moments later, Emily was slammed back against the wall. His lips against hers, she could feel one of his hands pulling her skirt up, and the other lifting her hands above her head, holding both of her wrists in place. She knew that it was wrong, and she knew that she didn’t want to do it, but Emily felt powerless to stop him, the world still spinning and flipping.

He was paying close attention to her neck, little kisses, and twirls of his tongue. It tickled and tingled, and Emily wanted more. As his teeth sank into the tight flesh of Emily’s neck, she gave out a weak scream, barely audible even in the alley way, it took all her strength to make that much noise, and she could feel herself getting weaker, slumping back against the wall.

“Little young for you, isn’t she Winter?” a low voice called out.

He let go of Emily, who slid down the wall to the floor, barely able to keep herself upright.

“Wait your turn man, there’s plenty to go around.” Winter called back, looking around to find the source of the voice.
“You know, there are rules to the way we feed,” the voice called out again, it rang off the walls of the alleyway.
“Don’t give me that ‘masquerade’ crap; the council don’t know what they’re talking about.” Winter was getting nervous, and pulled out a gun from his back pocket. Security it seems, had somehow managed to miss it.
“That won’t work…” The voice trailed off, as Winter aimed the gun down the alleyway, to the apparent source of the voice.
“Fuck you man, fuck this follow the rules bullshit.” Winter let off a few rounds, the sound of them ricocheting, echoed off the walls.
“Winter Cranmere, you have been found guilty of breaking the masquerade law on a number of separate occasions. I have been sent to bring you to justice.” The voice was persistent even as Winter fired off the rest of the guns clip, hitting nothing but the walls of the alleyway.

Moments later, Winter shrieked with pain, as a sharp wooden stake was driven through his back until it came out through his chest. A stunned expression on Winter’s face, as he looked down at the stake, moments before dissolving into dust.

Emily couldn’t believe her eyes as Winter turned from flesh and blood, into nothing more than dust that carried on the breeze. The world was fading around her, was it real?

The source of the voice, the man she had met earlier that night, crouched down beside her. Placing two fingers on her neck, he checked her pulse.

“Can you hear me kiddo?”, he said, opening her eyes to look at her pupils.
“Yes…” Emily’s voice was weak. “What’s happening to me…?”
“You’re dying; he took too much from you”
“Too much?”
“Save your strength, little one.”

***

He told me that he could save me, but the choice had to be mine. I was 18, I didn’t want to die. He tasted me, just like Winter had, though I don’t know if it was because I was dying, or if it was just him. But when he bit me, it didn’t hurt. I remember tasting his blood too, shortly before the world turned to black around me.

When I woke up, I was in his home. He’d turned me, the only way he could save me. He explained that I couldn’t go back to the world I had left, something I really only learnt when I went back to my father. Their world rarely accepts our kind, and our world is constantly at war with each other.

For the next ten years, I trained heavily with him. I picked a new name for my new life, and accompanied him on many of his missions. I too became a vampire assassin, working for the council, and doing their dirty work.

Although it’s been ten years since I set foot back into his home, I have been summoned by him for reasons unknown to me. I guess I will find out what it is that Angelo wants, when I get there.

My name is Raven Quelhaven, welcome to my world.