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I looked up at the warehouse with anticipation and what I hoped was a warrior's appraising eye. The windows had been smashed, a torn curtain flapped in the wind like a flag. I slowly pulled my sword out of it's sheath expecting someone to jump me, someone, something. What I didn't expect was the nothing that continued to happen.

"Ok," I muttered "If you won't come out to play then I will bring the game to you." I hoped that I sounded more confident than I felt. I tried to bolster my courage by ensuring that I was ready for battle. My Helm Of Darkvision was firmly on, my Armour +5 was firmly strapped to me, covering my shoulders, chest and legs. Bracers of Accuracy and stout boots were comfortable. I smiled as I found that it had worked, I was feeling better, which was a good thing as it had taken me countless battles to get all of this stuff. The fact that it was all drainpipes and cardboard and a bicycle helmet didn't make the feeling lessen. After all it was just a game . .

I walked in the warehouse door, turning on the light on my "Helm Of Darkvision" and looking around. I was slightly startled to find that the place looked completely and thoroughly trashed. I jumped as one of the other players tripped over a can and then, as silently as I could I dashed up the stairs to the second level of the warehouse.

It was as I was stalking the second level that I bumped into Sebastian, the longest running member of the group, and he wasn't alone. Sebastian smiled and introduced me to his friend.

"Hey Trisha, I'd like you to meet the new member of the group, Eddie" I smiled at Eddie and said hello, taking in what he was wearing. I was surprised again that evening because Eddie wasn't wearing the usual gear, infact what he was wearing was black, gleaming leather high heels, black leggings with a blue wraparound shawl as a skirt-type affair and a matching blue, billowing highwayman shirt. His fingers were tipped with black nail polish and his face had been stylishly made up in blues and greens. He winked one mascara'd, stunning blue eye at me and bowed with much waving of the arms. I hid my smile.

"A vampire?" I asked a bit suspiciously, turning to Sebastian "Did Tomas allow this?" Tomas was our Dungeon Keeper, however it was Eddie who answered.

"Tomas felt that it might add a new dimension to the game." He grinned showing cleverly attached fangs "And so now I am Vampire Overlord Eddie" Sebastian grinned and said "Tomas fell short of a name so he's V O Eddie" I shrugged and started to fade back into the dark, turning off my "Helm" "Well if Tomas says so" After all you can't argue with the Dungeon Master.

I did my best stealth mode and crept away but to be honest, I'm not too good at being quiet. Waiting a while, I stood in the middle of the second floor and yelled at the top of my voice "Olly olly oxen free!" chuckling quietly when people yelled back for me to shut up. I jumped when the echo of my chuckle came back, it didn't sound like my chuckle at all and since when had this warehouse had an echo? I decided that, even though as a warrioress I wasn't afraid, I might go and find some other people to be around.

I was groping around in the darkness when I came upon Tomas. He was sat behind a huge box looking out of the window, I sat down next to him, silently sliding my plastic sword onto the floor next to me. I looked at him and then looked out of the window, it was quite a nice sight, the moon was shining clear and proudly in the sky, stars glimmering brightly. When Tomas didn't say anything I decided to break the silence.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Tomas didn't reply, hands clenched around his DM pad of paper. The sight seemed to hypnotise me, something was running down the paper, a black line seemingly appearing on the page. I won't say that I wasn't frightened, however I was also curious so I reached out with one hand and smudged the line. Tomas said nothing and I brought my trembling hand closer, something inside of me knew what that line was, I examined my blood stained finger closely, wide eyes turning to Tomas, he had two holes in his throat. I giggled and shook the limp form.

"Tomas, you can't play the game, you are the Dungeon Master" He fell to the floor, refusing to speak to me. "Be like that then" I said and got up, grabbing my sword as I did.

I turned to stalk off into the warehouse and stopped dead. There was Eddie, all vampified and surrounded by people I didn't know, well all except the one at his feet, that was Sebastian. I swung my sword in front of me and did my best warrioress pose.

"Vile demon I have come to rid the land of your foul prescence" I said, it wasn't original, I'd used that line a hundred times before, but it was a fairly good line to start off a good/evil game. Eddie smiled at me, all teeth and charm and waved his hand vaguely.

"And you expect me to just sit back and allow you to take my throne from me?" He chuckled, sounding suspiciously like the echo earlier "I think not, little one" He raised one painted hand and beckoned towards me, I shuffled forwards, like one reluctantly answering a summons that they cannot ignore, all vamipres hold this power in the game. The shadowy people moved restlessly and I stopped, confused.

"Who are they Eddie?" I asked, dropping out of character, my sword point drooping to the floor. He looked a little surprised and I smiled, only an experienced gamer is used to someone dropping out of character at the drop of a hat.

"You do not expect a Vampire Overlord to not have minions do you?" He chuckled again "Now be a good dear and play the game won't you?" Something about the way he said that chilled me. I shook myself and raised my sword, he was good at playing a predator.

I smirked and did not move towards him, he seemed to have forgotten that he wasn't beckoning me anymore and therefore I did not have to move.

"I seem to notice that all your minions are male, Overlord Eddie, "I stated, watching those dazzling blue eyes pale in confusion "I'm not entirely sure that I've heard of a Gay Vampire Overlord"

He frowned at me, those eyes turning all at once cold and angry. "I am not gay" He said quietly, the "Minions" stirring again, this time sounding more sinister than before. Sebastian was watching me, his tongue flicking over his lips, his blond hair falling past his shoulders. I tore my gaze away from my friend and turned to Eddie, who was radiating fury. I was impressed by how good a gamer he was. He smiled once, coldly, and said "Let the hunt begin"

This was my cue to run like hell, and I did so, nearly breaking my leg as I literally flung myself down the stairs to the first floor and heading for the office block, a place so full of hiding places it was amazing. I heard Eddie's minions howling like wolves and then tearing for the stairs. I ducked into the first office and turned to block the door with a desk, leaving the door open. I then pushed a second desk into the middle of the room and stood up on top of it, waiting patiently in my warrioress stance for the fight.

It was Sebastian that I saw first, his grey eyes turned down to the desk and then, looking at me, he casually backhanded the desk out of the way. My heart lurched, something was wrong, no one could do that to a desk, expecially the one that I put in front of the door, I'd made sure it was heavy. I waved my pathetic attempt of a sword at Sebastian, who chuckled, raising a corner of his mouth to show off his fangs. As the light glinted off of them I knew for a fact that they weren't fake and my heart made a desperate bid for freedom. I fell to my knees on the desk, dropping the sword, and all hope, to the floor. I am not a couragous person in real life, which is why I play them in the game, so I did the only thing that made any sense to me at the time. I held out my arms, wrists together and facing up, hands open and I said the only prayer I had "I yield"

"As you should" Eddie purred as he walked into the room slowly. I refused to look up at him, I was too afraid. Hands ran over my body, I looked up to see Sebastian, who was busy ripping my toy armour off of me. I ventured enough courage to peer at Eddie and instantly wished I hadn't. The amusement that he had had about him earlier had vanished, leaving Eddie with all the warmth of a glacier. His blue eyes locked with mine and the world vanished for a moment, his nose barely an inch from mine when I came back to my senses.

"Not the prettiest that I have had" He said, his surprisingly warm breath tickling my cheek and I flinched, stung by his insult.

"How about the most feminine?" I retorted angrily, recieving a harsh slap for my troubles. Unwisely I said "Well you look like a girl so it's not surprising that you hit like one" This time he backhanded me across the room with a growl.

"Be silent, prey" He said furiously. He glided down to his hands and knees and slithered across the floor to me like a snake. He stared at me for a moment, intense blue eyes raping my soul bare. "I don't know whether I want to kill you quick or make you suffer" He stated as if he was saying how lovely the night was. I glared back out of my one good eye, the other was swollen and bloody.

"I don't care what you do as long as I don't have to hear you prattling all night" I said, I knew that I wasn't coming out of this alive and that knowledge made me bold with words. He growled in fury and slipped in to tear at my neck with his teeth, he moved back to look at me, blood smearing his pouty lips and staining his teeth red. I cried out in pain as his teeth dragged through my flesh and he chuckled, blood coursed down my neck and seeped over my shoulder, Sebastian and Eddie's minions moving closer. Eddie smiled at me again, that ice cold smile of his and I smiled back, feeling strangely warm, tired and safe.

"I win Eddie" I whispered faintly, eyes closing "I win." My soul burst free of my body and shot upwards to the sound of Eddie's roar of fury.

It took the police several days to sort out the carnage in the warehouse and still they came out of it with no idea what had happened. A news report told of a local girl ripped to pieces by a mysterious attacker and a grim, yet confusing, message written on the wall in blood: