The back door of Ultrakeen club clicked shut behind me, effectively cutting me off from the only life I had ever known. I realized my hands were shaking and stuffed them in pockets, taking a deep breath to help steady my nerves. I regretted it instantly, coughing and choking on the grungy fumes that the cluster of nearby clubs produced. I had forgotten how bad it was. It had been awhile since I'd last been out here...almost two months since my last escape attempt, in fact. I suppose that made me an expert.

Gods. No wonder they laughed at me. I scowled at the dark, grimy alleyway behind the club and started moving forward. I was a wannabe revolutionary, all talk and no walk. Well, tonight was going to be different. Marta had seen to that. Her words still echoed in my head, yet another high handed speech about maturity and patience. Bullshit. I'd spent my whole life waiting to be free of fear. So far, I hadn't managed it. But she'd ejected me from the Dreamers, no mistake, and that meant I was out here with no protection. I was as good as dead if one of the vamps found me. Maybe it was better that way. I might be walking into hell itself, but at least out here I had a chance. It was a slim one, but I was going to take it.

Readjusting my hat so it covered my face as much as possible, I paused at a street corner, bathed in red neon from a floating martini sign that had been redone to show a glass full of blood. There was a small crowd gathered outside the door, but the alleyway behind the building was clear, and would take me out onto the streets a little ways from here. I took a moment to steady my nerves, then began my journey.

The alleyways behind all the clubs twisted and turned in on each other like a sick spider web, but it was a web I was at least partially familiar with. It didn't take me long to make my way to the old business district, once one of the most prosperous sections of Haven City. That, of course, was back when people cared about businesses and money. Before the masters had taken control. Now it was just an endless sprawl of dark, abandoned buildings, harboring an endless parade of half starved, strung out vampires, looking for any excuse to kill something. Walking down the path to hell, indeed.

I lied to myself and told myself that I wasn't afraid, hoping that somehow I could cope with the cold terror that was slowly twisting its way around my heart. It didn't work. I kept my mind occupied with keeping an eye out for any wayward vampires who might take notice of me, but as long as I kept to the shadows, didn't run, didn't make any loud noises, and most of all didn't show my face—for no one would ever mistake a human for a vampire up close—I would be all right. The rest of the time my mind entertained itself by making up imaginary beasts roaming the shadows I clung to, inventing grasping hands and watching eyes. Actually, that last one might not be so imaginary. More than once I caught a glimmer of something staring out at me from the darkness, and I could hear breathing as I passed sometimes. My hands were slick with sweat inside my jacket pockets, but I knew as soon as I let go of the fabric, they would start shaking again. I kept going.

I had overheard directions to the Eastern gatehouse from my fellow bunkmates at Ultrakeen, and knew that was where I would need to go if I wanted to reach the edge of the Shield. Technically, the Shield could be breached at any point, but my human ancestors had apparently not foreseen the Wars, and had built Haven City right up to the edge. The Eastern Gatehouse was the easiest and safest way to get through the Shield...well, if you discounted the guards, of course. I had no idea how I was going to get past them, and honestly every time I tried to think of a plan my brain shut down completely, gibbering with fear. The best I could come up with was a half assed story about being on some sort of delivery schedule for The Master, but a part of me knew that it would never hold up. I would just have to think of something when I got there.

It wasn't long before I realized that I'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. My pace slowed as I tried to get my bearings, my heart racing all the while with mounting terror. The more I walked, the more I felt like I was strolling into the open mouth of some hideous beast, an unknowing sacrifice climbing onto an altar with a knife coming down behind me. I could hear them rustling around in the darkness, watching me. My eyes couldn't catch them, but I knew they were there. My fear got the better of me and I rushed forward, catching myself on a curb. I wheeled and stumbled into something soft, something that grunted as the impact hit it.

A sudden scream from up head stopped me dead in my tracks, hovering on the edge of a dingy halo of light thrust into the darkness by one lone street lamp. There were noises all around me, but I couldn't see anything. I didn't dare step out into the light for fear of being recognized. My heart was racing and I felt sick, sicker than I had inside Ultrakeen. Marta's words about patience and learning the nature of my world echoed in my head, torturing me. Gods, why hadn't I listened? What had I been thinking? I'd never come this far before. My other escape attempts had lasted barely an hour before I'd gone rushing back to my comfortable niche underneath The Master's boot heel. What was wrong with me? So what if I was a slave? All humans were slaves. And I had one of the better jobs. I wasn't forced to pleasure my master, or a ration meant for the slaughter houses. I was just a dishwasher and a servant boy. I had been safe, usually well fed, and surrounded by other humans, one of whom had actually given a damn about me. And now where the hell was I? A warm piece of bait wriggling helplessly out in the cold emptiness of space, death on every street corner...waiting... where was my anger now? What good had all my righteous indignation done me, anyway? This wasn't freedom. This was just another god damn cage, and an ugly one at that.

I turned around, ready to go back, when they emerged.

Three women and four men, vampires all, suddenly stepped out into the light. No, wait. Not all. The women were different somehow, almost familiar... I sank back into the shadows, pressing myself up against one of the brick buildings, praying they wouldn't see me. They were laughing, stumbling through the alley like they were drunk, and I could see streaks of red on the women's necks. The men were wiping their mouths and eying the women hungrily, and as one of them pinned one of the women against a nearby wall I realized suddenly the screams I'd heard earlier weren't ones of fear. I swallowed and looked away, trying not to be sick. The other five members of the group milled around aimlessly while the other two were busy, chatting a little.

I was desperate to get away, but they had me trapped between two street lights, and there was no telling if the bum I'd run into earlier was still on my trail. As long as I stayed in the shadows, I had a chance, but if they saw me in the light, I was as good as dead. Helpless, I decided the only thing I could do was stay hidden in the shadows and watch for my chance.

"Come on, baby, just a little longer..." said one of the men. He reached out and stroked the dishwater blond hair of a woman dressed in a red halter top and black miniskirt, trying none too discreetly to push her towards the same wall as her friend, who was currently making noises that would have put a stuck pig to shame. Red pretended to warm to his touch, but backed away, towards her other girlfriend.

"You want more, you've got to pay more," she said, wiping a finger across her bleeding neck. With agonizing slowness she brought the bloodied finger to her mouth and licked it. "This kind of fun doesn't come cheap." I saw the man shudder, his eyes going wide with undisguised need while Red laughed. I cringed, suddenly realizing why the women looked different. They were half-breeds, most likely leftovers from the breeding program that had ended when I was a child. Their dirty blood was rare in the richer districts, and barely human enough to keep the vampires sustained, but out here in the slums it was enough. Until tonight, I'd never seen one up close. Lucky me.

The man, presumably their ringleader, stepped towards Red again. "Look, we'll be back tomorrow night. Just give us a little now on credit and we'll pay you double next time."

"Yeah! We've been here every night for the past week! You know we're good for it," said the other male. He had an ugly scar on his chin and cold look in his eyes I didn't like.

Red shrugged, casually twirling the long dark hair of one of her girlfriends. "Sorry boys, but tonight's our last night. This isn't easy for us, you know." She tapped the wounds on her neck. "Gotta rest up, otherwise the ride isn't any fun. But we'll be back next week, don't worry." She smiled. "You'll survive."

Something in the expression of the men suddenly changed, and I felt my insides twist. I'd seen that look before. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Look here, little girl, this is our party and we're going to tell you how it goes. We've paid our dues, now give us what we want." said the ringleader. He reached in his pocket and with a soft click, unsheathed a dark, ugly knife. Coldeyes grinned, which made him even uglier, and did the same. Meanwhile, the third male, who'd been silent so far, brought out something that looked like an old hypodermic needle, filled with poison or some kind of sedative.

Red's seductive attitude changed instantly. She whipped out a small knife of her own from somewhere in her outfit, and her girlfriend did the same, hissing a little as she did so. By the wall, the screams changed pitch abruptly, and I heard something go crunch.

"If you think you can push us around, you're mistaken," growled Red. "Last chance. Get lost."

"On your knees, bitch, before I get ugly," snapped the ringleader. He and his buddies all took a step forward and raised their weapons, ready to kill.

No more words were exchanged. The only sound was a shriek from Red as she lunged at the ringleader's throat, knife glimmering in the pale light. He grunted and slammed his fist into her face, using her own momentum to send her reeling backwards. At the same time, Coldeyes took on the dark haired woman, grappling with her as she went in for a low blow. More crunching sounds and a loud grunt came from over by the wall.

Red got to her feet from the ringleader's blow just in time to dodge a swing from the Needleman, who had come up behind her. Her spine cracked and twisted at an angle that would have killed a human, and introduced her knee to his stomach. He grunted, but didn't crumple. With the same motion, Red reached behind her and kicked Ringleader in the face as he came in for a blow that would have hit her in the back. He hissed and spun away into the shadows for a moment. Red turned back towards Needleman, but was too slow this time. He made a wide swipe and managed to nick her left arm with the needle. Red hissed in pain and cut into his cheap shirt with her knife, drawing a little bit of blood. Her victory was short lived, however, as whatever concoction he had in the needle took hold almost instantly. She stumbled backwards and lost her balance just long enough to give him the opening he needed. The syringe was discarded and a knife appeared in its place, going into her gut with a sickening sound. The Needleman smiled as their eyes met, hers wide with fading horror, his with twisted pleasure. He grasped the knife and pulled it upwards, slicing open her torso. I could hear the bones cracking even from where I stood. After that, they passed into the shadows where I could no longer make out any details.

At that precise moment, the girl by the wall emerged, notably lacking a partner. She leapt on the back of the ringleader, who had come up behind the Darkhair and Coldeyes and was about to wring Darkhair's neck. He snarled and twisted back and forth until he managed to throw her to the ground, where she landed on the concrete with a sharp gasp, winded. The ringleader grinned and reached down, grabbing her neck and snapping it with one hand. He stood, calmly straightening his shirt, and went to the aid of Coldeyes, who was apparently not as battle savvy as his friends, for he was still grappling with the now disarmed dark haired girl. At almost the exact same moment, the Needleman reappeared, smiling madly and literally dripping with blood. The sight of him caused her to falter, which gave the Ringleader his opening. In the split second of her distraction, he grabbed her by both arms and pulled them back in their sockets until they popped. She let out a blood curdling scream of pain and sagged against Coldeyes, her struggles ceasing instantly.

The ringleader smiled, letting her broken arms flop uselessly behind her as he caressed the back of her head, using his knife to toy with her hair and cut it off in chunks to make her flinch. Needleman joined in the fun, stroking her cheek with a blood soaked finger, giggling a little as he watched her friend's essence mix with her tears.

Suddenly, I realized that my way was as clear as it was ever going to get. I could hear them feeding off her in the darkness, and it took everything I had not to be sick on the spot, but I had to get moving. My thoughts felt like they were slogging through mud. Everything was spinning around me, and there was a chilling sensation creeping up my spine. Those monsters had killed three of their own without even a second thought or regret. If they were willing to do something like that to members of their own race, what hope did I have? The Master was never going to take me back. It didn't matter if I crawled on the floor and begged him. I was as good as dead the moment I looked up at those women attached to table twenty.

So I did the only thing I could think of. It was as much an act of defiance as it was a risk.

I ran for my life.

Time became irrelevant. All I could sense was what was inside of me. I felt my heart drumming in my ears, felt the slow burn in my lungs and legs as years of a slave's atrophy made themselves known. In a way it felt good. For the first time in my life, I was feeling pain that wasn't being inflicted by someone else. It was my pain. My choice. Odd sensation, that.

I turned a corner, hoping it would lead me to the right place, but not knowing for sure. I was just running blindly now, waiting to see what would stop me. Would it be death? Would it be freedom? Maybe a brick wall?

"You there! This area is protected in the name of Chancellor Veshan! Stand and identify yourself!" Shouted a voice.

Shit.

I stumbled to a halt, shielding my eyes against the bright search lights I found suddenly trained on me. I heard footsteps surrounding me. Helpless and blind in front of the light, I lowered my head and stuttered the first thing that came to mind. "D-delivery, my lords."

Something cold and stiff jabbed me hard in the gut, and another hit me in the back. Guns. I fell to my knees, trembling and weak. They had guns. Pointed at me. Somehow all the bravery I'd been filling myself with up until now fizzled away into nothing before the starkness of reality. I had survived one killing field and walked straight into another one--and this one wasn't going to let me go. So much for the brick wall theory.

I felt the barrel of a gun push against my chest. "Bit late at night for a delivery, don't you think?" said a voice.

"Not to mention there really isn't anywhere to deliver goods around here..." said another voice, this one at my back. He chuckled softly. "Unless your delivery has something to do with the edge of the Shield? You wouldn't be running away would you?"

I could feel a combination of sweat and grime dripping slowly down the back of my neck. The air here at the edge was thick and humid, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. It was suffocating. "Of course not, my lords." I lied.

"I think that your master would be very disappointed in your behavior this evening," said the front man. As he spoke I could hear him starting to smile.

There was another chuckle from behind me. "Oh yes. Very disappointed. I think we would be horribly remiss in our duties if we let such a shameful thing happen to one of our brothers, don't you, Sisko?"

This time there was no mistaking the sound of lips being wet, and the dry, rattling hiss of hunger that hid behind each word. "I do indeed, my friend. I do indeed." Sisko snapped his fingers and the search light vanished, leaving me alone in the dark with my worst nightmare. There wasn't time to think, or react, or even pray. Their hands were on me as soon as the light was gone, one pair at my neck, the other pair tearing away my bag, my jacket...the smell of fetid, rotting breath, hot on my skin, claws, dragging across my flesh, drawing blood...

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Run, Peter!"

I grabbed my pack and scrambled to my feet and bolted before I even understood the words. Behind me I heard shouting and the shrieking hiss of a wounded vampire. Something wet and sticky splattered across the back of my neck and my bare arm. The searchlight snapped back to life and swiveled wildly across the empty lot to somewhere behind me. More shouting, more footsteps, more gunfire. I heard a few more solitary bangs before the noise was drowned out by automatic fire. The Shield, barely visible in the evening light, shimmered a mere fifty feet away from me, but I couldn't go yet. I had to help her. Without thinking I turned on my heel and looked behind me.

My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't heard wrong--it was her voice. Marta, alone in the dark with her gun, about to be buried by a dozen hungry vampires, stood her ground without flinching. I shouted her name and she looked up, meeting my gaze. I could have sworn I saw her smile. Then she disappeared behind a mass of angry monsters.

They killed her.

I ran for my life while they did it. I heard no sound as I left her behind, only the growls and curses of the guards as they ripped my surrogate mother to shreds. She didn't scream, didn't protest. Every fiber of my being cried at me to turn back, to help her, to save her, but I heard her voice in my head telling me to keep going, and I listened. The part of me she had raised was smart enough to know there wasn't anything I could do for her now.

Thirty feet. Twenty feet. The Shield got closer and closer. Suddenly I heard shouting, and the searchlight swiveled towards me again. I could see its glow behind me out of the corner of my eye as it followed my footprints, trying to find out where I'd gone. Gunfire rattled through the air as they tried to get in a lucky shot. Soon they'd succeed. Fifteen feet. Ten. Five. My lungs felt like they were going to catch fire and explode right inside my chest. Something in my arm hurt. Sweet stars, I was really going to make it...I was going to be free...!

I threw myself across the shimmering threshold with a cry, pushing through the intangible barrier of the Shield and out into the real world. A feeling like being dipped in ice water flowed across me, seizing my muscles and making the pain of running feel relatively comfortable in comparison. I flopped onto dusty ground like a suffocating fish, desperately willing my body to keep moving. The vampires couldn't cross over for very long without risking death, but the funny thing about bullets is that they don't really care if they're alive or not.

Frantic, I dragged myself across the dusty plains of the Waste on hands and knees while my body caught up with my terrified mind. Behind me I heard the shouting get louder, and suddenly the gunfire returned. Clouds of dust kicked up next to my head as they shot at the ground where I writhed, getting closer and closer. I tried not to scream, whimpering quietly to myself, praying to any being that would listen to save my miserable, pathetic life.

Inch by inch I pulled myself into the darkness. Out here it was real darkness. There was a night sky above my head, with stars in it that weren't obscured by the constant cover of manufactured smog. There were no blinking neon signs here, no search lights, no guards. I couldn't feel my legs or hands any more. I wasn't even sure if they were still working, only I still seemed to be moving. Gasping for breath I lurched forward, pack hanging off one shoulder, dragging on the ground, kicking dirt into my eyes until I was crying mud-laced tears.

Eventually I realized that I couldn't hear the shouting any longer. No more bullets went whizzing by my head. Everything was suddenly so quiet. Had I died and not realized it? I looked around. Dust, and rocks, and emptiness. No, this wasn't the afterlife. This was freedom. This was my new world. This was what Marta had died to give me. I cried out wordlessly into the empty night until I was screaming. Tears ran down my face and I didn't bother to stop them. Gradually I realized that there was a very real, very sharp pain in my left arm, and that the wet feeling trickling slowly down into my palm wasn't sweat. I stared at the bullet wound and started laughing. All that blood and no vampires to feed on it. What was the world coming to?

I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.