The Harbor

A light breeze blew toward me. It brought with it a foul smell. It smelt of many stenches mixed into one. The smell of old trash and spoiled gasoline were common on this wharf, but that wasn't the smell I picked up. I crept around the stacks of cargo towards the source of the stench.

The smell of rust.

The smell of salt.

The smell of blood, fresh blood.

I followed the smell around more stacks of cargo and piles of junk that were so mangled it was impossible to tell what they originally were. I followed the breeze to the edge of the river where my next step would take me down a wall of concrete into the dirty water where even fish refused to live. I cursed silently at my luck. The smell was still wafting towards me from the other side of the river. I looked up and down the channel for a way to cross because it was too far for any human, even me, to jump across. I spotted a bridge about a quarter mile away. In less than a second my bow was across my back and I started to run.

The rhythmic pounding of my feet lulled me into a somewhat relaxed state. There's nothing like running to loosen your muscles and relive stress. The harbor was quiet as I ran.

When I reached the bridge I cursed again for not noticing. The bridge was for trains. Not only that there just had to be a damn train coming to block my way. I looked down the channel hopping there was another bridge close by. There wasn't. I couldn't afford to wait for the sluggish train to pass. In the time I spend waiting for it to pass the leech could be long gone; headed back to the city to find another victim. Guess I have to do this the hard way.

I backed up a few paces and took out my gloves from my back pocket. Slipping them on, I flexed the worn leather a few times. They were still strong despite their use. I readjusted my bow so it wouldn't fall.

Here goes nothing, I thought humorlessly. In a couple of strides I picked up speed and launched myself towards the support beams underneath the bridge. For a second I felt weightless then my hands hit the bar and my body weight transferred to my arms and hands. Using the momentum from my jump, I lifted my right hand and moved it to the next beam. Then I moved my left in the same fashion.

Right… Left… Right… Left… Right…

After a while I found myself on the other side. Looking down I saw the ledge.

Fuck, I swore again. The ledge was farther away than it was on the other and I didn't have a running start this time. I started to build up momentum by swinging back and forth. Trusting my body to its natural instincts I let go and let my body fly through the air; hoping it wouldn't land me an unwanted bath.

When my legs reached the edge I tucked into a roll to lessen the impact of the ten foot drop. My bow and quiver dug into my back as I rolled over but I was otherwise unscathed. Quickly getting to my feet, I started running; grabbing my bow and getting it back in my hand where it belonged.

The smell got stronger as I got closer. Adrenalin started flowing through me. I welcomed the added awareness. The breeze picked up suddenly blowing the stench with it. It was strong now, very strong. I pressed my back to a crate, took an arrow and nocked it. Then I listened. There was nothing out of the ordinary, though that didn't mean much. Leeches are good at hiding their presence. The smell was coming from the other side of the row of crates. My muscles coiled and my adrenalin spiked again. I jumped on top of the crate and then down to the other side while simultaneously drawing back the string of my bow. Eyes flashing I searched for my target. Nothing happened. Still tense I studied my surroundings. I was in an alley between two rows of crates. The stench was overwhelming my senses.

A minute later nothing had moved.

"Damn," I released the tension on the string and lowered my bow but still kept it knocked, "The bastard got away." Un- nocking the arrow, I slid it back into its place in my quiver. Then I laid my bow carefully on the ground. Just in case I was attacked suddenly it was in easy reach.

I kneeled down next to the source of the smell. The man's eyes were wide open in fear. Two puncture holes on his neck were clear indication to what had happened. The crates around him were slightly damaged and bloodied signaling the man had put up a fight.

"Allot of good that did him." I closed his lids to hide his fear stricken eyes that were frozen in his last moment of life. "Rest in peace." I murmured and then slid one my knives out of its sheath.

I hated doing this but making sure wild stories didn't circulate when the body was found was important. Carefully I slashed the man's neck where the two bite marks were, making them no longer noticeable. I added several more slashes to make it look like he was attacked and killed by the knife. After I finished I wiped the blooded knife on the bottom of my jeans. The black material made it hard to notice the stain.

Convinced that the vampire was long gone I picked up my bow, unstrung it and placed it in my quiver. The knives I carried would be better for close combat anyways.

I started to search for clues to where the leech had run off to. The man's wallet was completely looted; not even his I.D. was left. My search only came up with a light footprint in the dirt. The small print looked like a pair of converse but I couldn't be sure. Although the print was indistinct the smallness could only mean it was female. When nothing else turned up I started back toward the main hub of Boston.