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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 7:28:15 GMT -6
The walls of the alley were dripping from the water pipes, mold and plants growing in the cracks and crevices of the concrete. The floor of is was covered in puddles and other pools of water. If there was only one word to describe this alley, it would be "dank". There was a half moon hanging overhead in the midnight sky, casting an eerie light on the slums of New York. There were no stars in the sky; there never were, here. The neighborhood had been picked for the importance of its inhabitants; people always went missing in the slums. No one here would be missed.
The hippo-like nose of the first one snuffled near the ground. It drank in the bouquet of the street, smelled everything that had passed by here in the past week and more. But this creature was not interested in the past, it was interested in the now. It was called 21359 by its owner, and it was its master's favorite, it was sure. 21359 was arrogant, for its species. His grass-green fur rustled in the breeze of a car going by, but it ignored this. He had the scent he was looking for, and he was on the trail. Time to call the pack.
He turned his head and let out a crow-like CAW, calling his pack. And they came, all seven of them, following their leader. They crowed back at him. 21359 bolted after his prey, a teenaged boy, late going home from a date. If the Hive had any say in it, he would never make it home.
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Post by Edward Primrose on Jul 13, 2009 7:48:06 GMT -6
Edward was walking slowly towards his home, somewhat wishing Serena would catch up to him. Though he knew inside that she wouldn't. She was fascinated by humans, and though they used to be humans, things had changed so much than two centuries ago. He sighed. It was all that vampire's fault. They wouldn't be here now, had it not been for him.
Edward heard a noise from somewhere far off. He sniffed. It seemed there was...something hunting a human. He hopped up onto the roof of a building and in a second, ran to the other side. There, he saw a cross between a dog and a sabre-tooth tiger. "Well, if that isn't the strangest thing....NOW I've seen everything." He jumped in front of the human boy and hissed. "Leave him alone, fiends..." He didn't know what he was going to do if they didn't understand English.
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 8:00:20 GMT -6
His pack didn't like that. They fussed and let out eagle-like screeches at the vampire, but didn't attack. It wouldn't be worth attacking, they figured. This man, though moving, was already dead. They could smell that on him.
21359 was the leader of the pack, and because of this, had been given the most intelligence by William. He could speak in simple sentences, could understand English. The creature lowered his head, twisting his elongated neck in the direction of Edward. His ID tag earring with his number on it swung with the movement. "Dead-man-that-is-not-dead," he said, his voice gruff, his speech somewhat garbled sounding. "Why stop hunt? Hive hungry. Hive need meat."
This sent up a cry from his pack. "Meat! Meat!" they called, voices like cavemen: primitive, beast-like.
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Post by Edward Primrose on Jul 13, 2009 8:20:00 GMT -6
Edward smiled bitterly. "Well, good, someone knows English. I doubt we'd be able to figure this all out without confusion otherwise." He looked at the rest of the pack and then back to the leader of the group. "You can get meat elsewhere. The deli market has ham, turkey, beef and other meat. Why don't you go there? Trust me, it's much more tasty." Edward was sure the human behind him was totally freaking out by the talking animal and calling the person in front of him a living dead creature.
"I understand you want food. You can't get it here."
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 8:38:15 GMT -6
21395 shook his head, a growl emitting from his throat. "Fresh meat," he murmured, a smirk playing on his blunt jaw. The pack began to whisper, moving amongst themselves, shifting about.
"Hive kill... Hive kill..." came the whispering, a few of the Hive making bird calls. 21395 kept his attention on the vampire, red eyes locked on Edward's gold. "Hive need blood. Master send us hunt, send us get food for queen. Master angry we do not bring food. Queen angry we do not bring food. Pack get punished." His eyes narrowed as he lowered his neck and set his feet wider apart; a defensive stance. "Pack will get prey."
The boy behind Edward was shaking; sweat rolling down his face. The pack of Hive could smell his fear, and it only agitated them more. 31002, 21395's second in command, moved to stand beside her leader. Her chocolate-brown fur bristled, and she bared her sabre teeth at Edward.
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William Simms
Civilian/Human
Mad Scientist Creator of the Hive
Puts a whole new twist on "Crazy Cat Lady..."
Posts: 65
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Post by William Simms on Jul 13, 2009 10:07:12 GMT -6
Will sat in his lab, looking at the monitors tracking his "babies." They seemed to have run into a complication of sorts. He let out a sigh. "Come on, my little ones," he said to no one. "Your queen is hungry."
He wasn't worried. He was confident in 21395. Meanwhile, 1‡001, the queen was beside him. Will reached down and scratched behind her ear. "Don't worry, precious, dinner's coming soon." He cracked a sinister grin.
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 10:32:31 GMT -6
The queen let out a purring sound, rubbing against her master's legs like a large, terrible tabby cat. Unlike most Hive, who were colored in greens and browns, colors that would be perfect camouflage in the wild, the queen was a pristine snow-white color, with blue markings on her muzzle and paws. Her mind was only a single step below her master's, making her much more intelligent then the average human. 1∞001 twitched an ear, sending a signal through the hive-mind to 21359.
Almost immediately, 21359 stood at attention, eyes blinking and looking around. Get the prey, by all means possible. Taking no time to hesitate, he barked a command at 31002, who responded as quickly as he ordered. The female Hive took a leap at the vampire, thumb digits extended to wrap around his throat. While Edward was surely distracted, 21359 and the rest of the pack hurtled around him, speeding up so fast they seemed to disappear then reappear behind him. One of the pack members, a forest green male, ripped out the scared boy's jugular vein. The blood splattered onto the concrete, and as immediately as they had acted, the pack slowed down, now mostly behind the vampire, with the members of the lower ranks still standing in front of him.
The ruby-colored liquid had a calming effect on the pack, the opposite of a feeding frenzy. This was for their queen, for the Master. Like all good pets, they wanted to make the Master happy, and now that they had what he wanted, he would surely be happy. 21359 smiled, pleased with himself. He padded over to the dead child and ripped off an arm, then turned his attention back to this dead-man-who-was-not-dead. How would he react? Surely he would understand the need. How could someone not?
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Post by Edward Primrose on Jul 13, 2009 15:19:05 GMT -6
Edward was caught off guard as he was pushed off and claw-like hands found their way around his throat. His teeth came out then and he grabbed the claw, biting down as hard as he could on the forearm before kicking it away. He stood up and looked at the teenage boy...dead. Damn it! I didn't save him.... Anger surged through his veins.
"You shouldn't have done that, doggie." With that, he went at the one closest to him in the front, totally forgetting that there was more than those in the pack. He grabbed at one, and kicked at another. He felt confident that he would be all right.
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 15:43:32 GMT -6
The creatures of the Hive, as a general rule, had terrible tempers, and didn't like it when members of their packs were attacked. 21395 snorted angrily as his subordinates were attacked. The one the vampire had kicked swiveled his head in a lightning-fast movement and latched on to the vampire's leg with his sabres, letting out an annoyed screech. The grabbed one struggled with all his force, making a lot of noise in the process. A couple of the other launched themselves at the man, mouths wide open and claws extended all the way. 21395 swiveled an ear, sending a message through the hive mind to any other pack leaders.
In fight. Send backup.
Even if the vampire was a match for one pack, he wouldn't be able to handle it when there were three or four of them.
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William Simms
Civilian/Human
Mad Scientist Creator of the Hive
Puts a whole new twist on "Crazy Cat Lady..."
Posts: 65
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Post by William Simms on Jul 13, 2009 15:55:38 GMT -6
William scowled at the monitor. They'd gotten their meat, but had run into a bit of trouble. "This problem will have to be eliminated, won't it, precious?" He told the queen. William sent an order, other packs should arrive soon.
He sighed. "This...'obstacle' may be giving one pack trouble...but let's see what happens when that one is joined by a few more..."
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Post by Edward Primrose on Jul 13, 2009 16:06:32 GMT -6
Edward felt the bite on his leg, and used the creature he was holding to hit the one latched onto his leg and hopefully disengage himself from them. He looked up and saw some more coming up at him. He jumped up onto a large trash bin and then moved behind some others. He was limping, though, not as fast as he was.
"Okay...so you got a bite in me. That's all you're going to get." With that, he lunged at some of the others to the right, and he kept fighting. "I'm going to win, you realize that, right?" He said as he threw one back against the wall.
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 16:16:49 GMT -6
The queen stared up at William with calm, blank eyes. She returned her attention to the monitors, watching her "subjects" fight. She didn't really show any hint of anger or frustration. One way or another, she would be fed, and she knew that. Right now, there was no need to fret.
21395 let out a laugh, watching as his subordinates fought. Anyone thrown down got up a second later, barely scathed. "Dead-man-that-is-not-dead, our strength you have, but numbers you do not. Running is good choice." As he said this, a few screeches came from a bit off. The other packs were arriving, as planned. Three of the leaders stepped into the alley, light reflecting off of their eyes in an eerie manner.
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Post by Edward Primrose on Jul 13, 2009 16:27:01 GMT -6
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Dead-man-that-is-not-dead has a name. Edward. Try calling me that next time you speak. And I won't run. Running only shows weakness. And if I stop you now, then no one else will get murdered by your teeth and claws." He charged at the nearest one again, only this time, he threw dirt in its eyes, in hopes to distract the others.
He had heard screeches from a bit far off, but thought nothing of it. "Your time ends here and it ends now. It ends with me."
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William Simms
Civilian/Human
Mad Scientist Creator of the Hive
Puts a whole new twist on "Crazy Cat Lady..."
Posts: 65
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Post by William Simms on Jul 13, 2009 16:36:09 GMT -6
William chuckled. "The other packs will surely come out victorious. You will eat very soon, precious. My babies will be home soon enough. Hmm...maybe they'll even bring home whatever's slowing them down."
He continued stroking the queen's fur, still grinning. His creations were far superior to anything of earth.
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Post by The Hive on Jul 13, 2009 16:44:21 GMT -6
The four new packs slowly filtered into the alley, surrounding the vampire as best as they could. A murmur, a mere whisper, went through the entire group. The same two words, repeated over and over.
"Hive, Hive... kill, kill..."
"Edd-wahrd," 21395 said, showing trouble with pronouncing the name. "You had chance. We gave chance. This your fault."
"Hive, Hive... kill, kill..."
He bared his teeth, then pounced upon Edward.
And then, the rest of them leaped, a mass of claws and fangs and muscle, all concentrated on the central object, all concentrated on the vampire Edward. Calls and roars came up from the Hive, anger filling each and every one of them.
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