Behind the Veil by Brian Duvall (little red riding hood ebook free TXT) 📕

Jasmine strolled down the alley, water dripping from rusted pips sticking out of brick skyscrapers. She held the wounds on her wrist, blood dripping onto the wet cement. That bite was deep. She cringed, her veins burned. She could feel the pain moving like a liquid, replacing her blood. Jasmine fell to her knees as a man in a trench coat approached her. He smirked and bent down, grasping her wrist. Jasmine yelped as he bit into her flesh, his eyes blood red. She squirmed as she saw her vision blacken, and soon fell limp.

The man stood, the fresh blood dripping from his mouth. He smiled down at the lifeless corpse.

Trent slammed his fist against the brick wall, "Damnit!" The eviction notice rustled in the wind. He sighed and pushed his glasses up. Trent walked into the dark and run-down stairwell and began ascending the path. He pushed the door to his apartment open, Vincent was blaring an obscure indie band, his hand moving swiftly with a brush in grip.

"Your later than usual, find a new boytoy or something?" Vincent chuckled and sat the brush down.

"Very funny. I was out trying to get a few extra bucks to pay this thing we have called rent." Trent sat his messenger bag on the torn sofa.

"You know, I always saw eviction notices as more of a suggestion.." Vincent fell on the seat next to Trent.

"Well Vin, let's see how Hannah thinks about it when she's dragging you outside."

"Oh so hostile. As if I'm going to let our bitchy landlord take away our heaven on Earth!"

Trent chuckled, "You and your heroics..." He stood up and walked over to the kitchen, examining the fridge.

"One day I will finally have a heroic movie moment, just you watch me Trenty!" Vin chuckled and followed behind Trent.

"A job would be very heroic, save two ambitious spirits from losing their Fortress of Solitude." Trent grabbed some left over take-out and placed it in the microwave.

"You know I'm more into-" Vin was interrupted by the abrupt darkness that overcame their aparment.

"Please tell me you paid the power bill..." Trent groaned.

Vin stared at the window grimly, "I did. Someone cut it.."

Trent hesitated before laughing nervously, "This is some joke right? An elaborate prank? What, is Franky going to burst through the window in a hockeymask?"

The power flickered back on, but Vin's uneasyness was unwavering. After a few minutes he relaxed, "Must of been some jackass trying to use more power than he's got." Vin smiled warmly.

Trent frowned, unconvinced, but shrugged it off as he heated up his leftovers.

Vin walked over to his easle and began painting again, Trent sitting on the sofa and eating few-days-old noodles. Vin's work was of a woman with corpse-pale skin, his usual gothic style. Her hair was dark black and spread out in every direction, as if she had fallen on the ground. Her eyes were wide open, but emotionless, as if someone drained the life out of her body. She wore a grey dress, which almost looked skin-tone on the girl, with red blotches splattered across it. Her arms were crossed over her chest, much like the old vampire movies depicted Dracula arising from the dead.

"Well, while you keep painting Madam Frankenstein, I'm going to sleep. Night." Trent stood up and threw the leftovers away, walking to his room.

 Vin watched as Trent retired to the bed and stood up as the door closed. His eyes, a bright ocean blue, shifted and warped into empty black abyses. He walked to the window and sniffed deeply, the cat's scent was still fresh. Vin hopped out the window and slammed into the pavement. A woman in a black corset and half-jacket awaited him. She wore black skinny jeans with leather boots. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, her eyes hidden by thick sunglasses. Her rose red lipstick popped out against her pale skin.

"Long time no see Stacy..." Vin spoke coldly, his voice deepened.

"I see you're still playing house with that human." She giggled and strolled over to him, her cat tail swinging behind her back.

"On the run from Animal Control?" He spat at her.

She hissed in retaliation, "I will claw your eyes out demon boy!"

"Try it and I'll devour you, flesh and soul." He turned his head to her, his blond hair swaying with his movement.

Stacy walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, gripping tightly, "You don't seem so please to see me."

He shrugged her off, "That's because I doubt you stopped by for a friendly visit."

She sighed and stood straight, facing Vin, "Locke wants to see you."

"What does he need with me? Doesn't he have that Incubus?" Vincent inquired.

"I didn't ask, I only promise him I'd get the job done." She chuckled and ran a finger across his neck.

"Well, sorry to tell you that I'm not going anywhere." Vin started to walk off.

A loud, high-pitched whistle blasted Vin's ears. He yelped and gripped his head, slowly falling to his knees. James walked from around the corner, his snow white skin and hair battling with his jet black suit. Vin let his head meet the sidewalk as he saw his vision began to blue. He dropped his eyes and drifted out of consciousness.

James smirked, "So this is him?"

Stacy nodded, "Now help me load him into the truck."

Trent's eyes slowly opened, his mouth widening in a yawn. He sat up, his hair falling over his eyes. He brushed the brown lock to the side and stood up with a groan. He made his way over to the bathroom and flipped the light on. He stared at his reflection and shouted, "Vin! Wake up!"

He frowned at the silence. Trent walked into the living room supsecting to find Vin asleep on the couch. He looked around the room, "Where is he?" He walked over to the window overlooking the fire escape. He stepped out into the morning air, the sun already shining in the sky.

"He's probably already left for the day..." Trent sighed and walked back inside to grab his bag. He slung the srtap over his shoulder and walked out the door. The sounds of horns honking as classic New York traffic filled the street drowned out the cawing birds. Trent stepped out onto the sidewalk and hailed a taxi.

The cab pulled to the side, allowing Trent to get in, "Thryn, please." The driver nodded and drove off towards the coffee shop.

Trent pushed open the door, Claire was already serving the usual corporate America workers looking for their morning buzz.

"You're late again." She said without looking in his direction.

"Traffic is shit, you know this." He hung up his coat and put on his aapron.

"Then take the subway," She looked up at a customer,"Five-fity, sir." The man nodded and paid her.

Trent stepped behind the counter,"Busy morning rush, eh?"

Claire sighed,"It's a new fiscal quater, of course they're going to be rushing."

Trent groaned as he set drinks on a serving tray and dispensed them to the customers.

As the last customers made their way out the door, Claire turned off the neon "Open" sign, "Finally..."

Trent chuckled, "Honest pay takes honest work."

"Like you'd know anything-" She was cut off by the sound of the door opening. A man in a long trench coat walked inside the shop, a fedora covering his face.

"What are you doing here?" Claire stood straight.

"You used to be so welcoming Claire.." The man spoke, his voice deep and rough.

"You used to not slaughter humans in the streets." Clair spat at him.

Trent's eyes widened, "Humans...? What? Is he not human?" He chuckled nervously.

The man looked at Trent, "Is this the human that Vin was with?"

Claire stepped between them, "He's under the protection of Thryn."

The man groaned and threw off his coat and hat, his skin stone.  Wings of granite sprouted from his back in rigid movements, "Don't interfere Claire!" The man's voice sounded inhuman.

Trent backed up to the wall, "What...what....huh...he..."

Claire cursed in Latin, "Great... just what I needed; another mess to clean up. Damn you Grig!" She poped her neck, the sounds of bones cracking filling the shop. She lept on all fours, her legs shortened and her face stretched. When she landed, a white wolf was in her place.

Grig darted at the wolf, a sword of stone forming in his grasp. Claire lept up and headbutted his shoulder, his arm cracking and crumbling off. Claire landed and whimpered, but prepared to charge again. Grig ignored her and walked towards Trent. The wolf launched itself at Grig, breaking through his chest. His entire body fell to dust ontop of Trent, who was frozen with fear.

Claired walked up to him, a human again, "Come on."

Trent looked at her wide-eyed, "What the Hell are you?"

She groaned and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the shop.

 Vince struggled his wrists against the metal chains, "Damnit! Release me at once!" The empty chasm echoed his voice back and forth. The faint sound of dripping water was the only clue to where the prison was. Vince sniffed the air and groaned, "You couldn't of held me hostage in a decent prison?" He pulled against the chains once again, only to be interrupted by the sounds of footsteps.

"My my... you've grown a temper." The English accent filled the air, its sweet and soothing sound containing a noticable venom. A man, in a black suit with a white undershirt and blood red tie, stepped into Vince's view. His dark skin was dotted with sparkling points of glitter in the design of a butterfly's wings around his right eye.

"I tend to be a bit pissed when you kidnapp me!" Vince shouted at the man, his writs bloody from the metal rubbing against them.

The suited-man chuckled, "Do you know what these walls are lined with?" He ran his soft fingers against the crumbling rock. He looked to Vincent, "No? I took the liberty of infusing gunpowder into the mix." 

Vince's eyes widened, "You'd die too. You're bluffing, Giddian!"

Giddian laughed, "Am I now? A Pheonix can consume itself in a fire, an explosion won't be any worse than a bug bite." He looked at Vince, a spark in Giddina's eye.

Vince sighed and sat down, letting his arms drop and the chains rattle against the floor, "What do you want?"

Giddian crouched down infront of him, "Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to torture you? Sadly, that's not our scenario. Locke wantsyou alive and healthy."

Vince spat at Giddian, "I'm not going back to that psycho!"

Giddian launched a firey ring into Vince's chest. Vince yelped and jumped back into the wall, his chest searing with pain. "I reccomend you behave, Vincey." Giddian smiled.

Clarie and Trent ran until the reached an old subway station. Claire pulled him down the steps, water dripping from several segments of the ceiling. Rats and bugs scurried away as the two descended into the chasm. At the bottom of the stairs, several people of varying ages, races, and builds were huddled around a fire. They stood up once they saw Claire, "What happened? Was Vince there?" A large man