"For the last time, I have no affiliation with that hack, Venkman!"

Jack Fenton roared into the phone before ending the call with an aggressive press of his thumb. He sat back and massaged his temples. That had been the third phone call this afternoon alone. He knew it’d be coming after what happened in New York nearly forty years ago. They shut Venkman down, discredited his and his colleagues’ work, and swept everything under the rug.

But Jack remembered.

It had inspired his work and between him, his now wife and his college roommate, the three had gone on to create the proto-portal that inspired his now complete ‘Fenton Portal’, a gateway to the ‘ghost zone’ and the object of his tele-harassment. His initial attempts to power the device had failed, but that didn’t stop this shady government organization from wanting to acquire it.

Looking up from his mobile device, Jack put away his gloomy expression and forced a smile onto his face before he addressed his wife and children.

"Sorry, Madds. I didn't mean to disrupt this dinner you worked so hard on, no more phone calls for me today" the burly man[color=#ffffff] [/color]apologized before turning to his eldest. "How were your classes today, Jazz?”

“Dad, you and I both know you don’t care about my classes,” Jasmine ‘Jazz’ Fenton replied dryly, pushing a few loose strands of her red hair out of her face and tucking them neatly back into the teal headband she wore.

“You’re just probing to see if I saw any ghosts,” Jazz rolled her eyes, “No, Dad, unfortunately for you, my classes were painfully mundane.”

“Jazz, that might have been the case today. But I’ve been looking over maps of Portland for the past decade, and I’m very confident that your school sits on a Hellmouth.” Jack explained excitedly, “If anywhere in Portland is haunted, it’s Reed College.”

“Whatever you say, Dad,” Jazz smiled before picking away at her dinner. Jack had struggled to connect with Jazz since she had graduated high school two years ago. Jasmine being accepted into Reed was a point of pride for both of her parents, but Jazz had quickly outgrown Jack and Maddie Fenton and their ‘sick obsession with ghosts’ as she so mildly put it.

“Danny!” Jack exclaimed excitedly, pivoting the conversation toward his youngest, “I was wondering if you could help your old man tonight with powering up the portal, would love to see if I can get it running.”

“Uh yeah, sure, Dad.” Danny replied reluctantly, “I suppose I can do that.” His fork rolled a few loose peas around on his plate before Danny let out a small sigh.

“Not like I had plans anyway.”

A college freshman, Danny hadn’t exactly been an overachiever nor a popular student in high school. His grades were painfully average, his extracurriculars non-existent, and he had to live in the shadow of his popular sister who seemed to excel at everything she put her mind to.

If anything, Danny knew more about what the inside of a locker looked like, than he did the inside of a classroom.

“How about you, Jazz?” Jack asked, “Want to spend some time with the family?”

“Sorry, Dad,” Jazz replied coolly, “As tempting as that is, I have a date.”

“A date?” Maddie spoke up, “Will he be coming here to pick you up?”

“Ha,” Jazz laughed sarcastically, enthusiastically shaking her head, “No, no he will not. I’m meeting him at the library.”

“Oooh a study date,” Danny waved his hands, “Sounds hot, making out between the bookshelves, being shushed by the librarian.”

“Daniel,” Jack scolded, “That’s enough.” He stated before turning to Jazz, “If any boy is going to be taking my daughter out, I need to meet him.”

“He’s a man, Dad, and it’s just a first date, he doesn’t need that kind of pressure.”

“At least give us a name,” Maddie pried, “Just for safety at the very least,”

“His name is Angel,” Jazz replied before Danny burst out laughing.

“It’s a very common name in South America, Danny!” Jazz snapped. “You’d know that if you were more like Angel, He’s a very cultured man, unlike you.”

“I hope we get to meet him, Jazz.” Maddie smiled as Jazz stood from the table.

“Yeah, fat chance of that.”

“Cold,”

A gaunt man leaned over the body of the girl, his eyes wandering around the moss-covered forest she had been so hastily discarded in. Limbs askew, clothes torn, makeup smudged from tears. There was no care, no respect in this killing. Rigour mortis had passed, meaning the body had been left for over a day.

Odd that nothing else had preyed on its flesh.

A gloved hand slowly rolled the head to the side. The neck had been attacked, repeatedly by the looks of it. Numerous markings from a pair of puncture marks marred the now pale flesh. Whomever, or whatever had done this had missed the vein the first few times.

Inexperienced, fledgling.

The puncture marks confirmed what Blood had hypothesized, yet left many more questions. He thought he was tracking a much older vampire. This was the work of someone more recently killed.

He sniffed the air, the smell of a canine moving closer in the distance. Muttering a small incantation under his breath, Blood cast a spell to hone his hearing, the sounds of boots trodding the forest floor like drum beats in his ears while they chased the lumbering bloodhound that drew closer with every second Blood remained by the body.

He needed to leave.

Moving his hands quickly, Jason conjured himself an echo of the crime scene, storing the recreation in the gem of his ring before he beat a quick retreat uphill, back to the road where his car was waiting for him. Climbing into the seat of the ‘67 Impala, he turned the key to the heavy block engine as the black coupe roared to life.

“Portland Police!” A voice yelled from outside the car and Jason floored the pedal. The rear wheel drive sprayed gravel towards the officer who struggled to draw his weapon in time before the red taillights of the large Chevy disappeared down the twisting backroads amongst the redwoods.

“Did you get the plate?” The lead detective called to the officer from the ravine floor as the officer looked around dazed and confused.

“Sorry, Detective, what plate?”

“On the suspect’s vehicle.” The detective replied, taking a few steps forward before the officer suddenly collapsed to the ground and began convulsing.

From within the car, Blood looked in his rearview mirror. He was no fool. A black 1967 Chevrolet Impala was sure to draw attention and be easy to identify. However, a simple memory jinx on the plate meant an easy escape.

“I need medical help over here!” The detective roared, looking towards the road before attending to this officer.

There was more at work here than met the eye.

“Hank!” The detective roared, yelling for his partner, “I’m going to need help with the Sergeant, hold his head.” He ordered, “Let's see if we can stabilize him,”

“What happened, Nick?”

“I don’t know, but we need a BOLO out for a black car, sedan maybe? Large, older model.” He replied, “I think Wu got the plate before he started to seizure.”

“We need to call it in now,” Hank replied, pulling his phone out, “Dispatch, I need a BOLO for a large black sedan, older model.” Hank relayed, “I believe it was a seventies-era muscle car.”

“Copy that.” The dispatcher replied, “All units be on lookout for-”

Sirens echoed in the distance as the ambulance drew nearer, waiting on the paramedics, Nick watched the ambulance disappear before slowly climbing back down into the forest ravine and approaching the body.

“How close were we?” He asked, looking at the lead examiner who only shook his head in response.

“The victim has been deceased between twenty-four and thirty-six hours based on what I can gather here. Like the others, she appears to be completely exsanguinated.”

“Damn,” Hank responded, “Another drained of blood, I hate this case.”

“Hopefully units flag the car, but until then we might have a killer that revisits their kill sites.” Nick mused, “Be good to have some unmarked units in the areas where we discovered the other bodies.”

His eyes wandered the treeline back towards where the suspect’s vehicle had sat on the road above. Clenching his jaw, Nick took a deep breath before turning back to Hank.

“I need to visit a contact, let me know when they’ve had a proper look at the body.” Hank smiled, slapping Nick on the back as the younger man turned to leave.

“Will do, and tell Monroe I said hi.”

“Hey, I expected you to call about an hour ago.”

The cheery voice answered as Jason put his phone on the holder mounted to the dash of the Impala. Merging onto the 405, he geared up before finding a pair of cars to coast between, doing his best to drive casually while still in a hurry.

“I need to see the other bodies.” The raspy voice replied, half of Blood’s mouth moving while the left side was firmly clamped down on a cigarette. He took a long drag, the sound echoing over the speakerphone before the woman responded again.

“Y’know those things will kill you right?”

“I wish.” Blood scoffed, “The other bodies, Liv, I need to see them. Can I come to you?”

“Yeah, don’t see why not?” Liv’s voice was carefree, “If that’s what you feel you need to do, I just knew the local authorities wouldn’t know what to do with this case. Just heard they’re bringing a body in, take it you found another?”

“Trail was cold, body had been there at least twenty-seven hours. But you were right to call me.” He took another drag off the cigarette. “You’ve got a vampire, though I fear he’s made a fledgling.”

“What makes you so certain it’s a ‘he’?”

“Body was female, you noted the others were as well. That pattern suggests a male.” Blood replied. “Plus, female vampires are more subtle than this, this almost feral, primal even. I’m betting a male.” He explained, “Have you tried taking a peek yourself?”

“I was waiting for you, there’s unspoken rules about these sorts of things. If a zombie was found out meddling in the affairs of a vampire…” Liv’s voice trailed off, “You know the monarchy wouldn’t take kindly to it.”

“Let’s pray he’s rogue then.” Blood replied, “The monarchy and I don’t exactly see eye to eye and the other guy’s really not a fan of politics.” He flicked his blinker on, changing lanes before taking the next exit while continuing to speak.

“You don’t think he’s an assassin looking for a slayer?” Liv asked, pausing before elaborating her thought, “They’re all college-aged, young, physically fit.”

“A war between the council and the monarchy wouldn’t be good for anyone. If he is an assassin, then it’s fair game to take him out.” Jason pulled the large car around another corner, noting his distance in relation to the medical examiner’s office.

“I’m going to ditch the car, the Detective almost saw me earlier, I had to jinx an officer.” Blood muttered, pulling into an alley that was just wide enough to open the black coupe’s doors. “He should recover.”

“Should?”

“Human minds are fragile.” Blood stated matter of factually, “Is the lead detective going to be a problem?”

“Burkhardt?” Liv responded, Jason noted the change in her voice. That immediately confirmed his suspicions. “Burkhardt gets the weird cases, but he makes collars,” Her voice trailed off again, “I’ve never liked the way he looks at me. Like he can see through me. You should be careful.”

“Lucky me.” The door creaked open as Blood stole away down a pair of narrow stairs. The smell of embalming fluid and ammonium was overpowering before he entered through the door left unlocked for him. Inside the petite woman with snow-white hair stood between a pair of examination tables, each with the autopsied body of a woman atop them.

“You don’t have a lot of time, the uniforms you just left behind in the forest are making their way in with the latest victim. I imagine Burkhardt and Griffin will be here shortly looking for answers.”

“I need to see the bite marks,” Blood remarked, bypassing Liv before pouring over the pair of bodies. With care, he turned the head of the first girl, a single point of entry from a pair of fangs marred the carotid artery. He nodded with a grunt, spinning around and examining the second body, only to find the same.

Blood’s brow furrowed.

“How far apart were these two found?” He asked with a guttural tone.

“About three days, with the body today being only two days from the last of these,” Liv replied while reading over her notes. Blood buried his hands into his jacket, pushing his shoulders forward while heading for the door. Liv’s eyes went wide as his quick exit, reaching to stop him only to be met with a cold response.

“He’s escalating, and he’s made a friend.”

The hiss of the brakes echoed down the empty street as the bus came to a stop outside of the Amity Park Neighborhood Library. Jazz stood from her seat, walking what felt like an eternity through the nearly empty bus. A hooded figure intently watched the lithe young woman as she walked past him, flashing a broken smile toward Jazz before she hurriedly departed onto the sidewalk. The air brakes releasing sent out another loud hiss, causing Jazz to jump before taking a breather and looking around the vacant street. A faulty street light flickered above her head casting long, eerie shadows between the intermittent spurts of darkness.

Rubbing her arms as the night breeze sent a chill down her spine, Jazz looked up at the library, the warm glow from inside seeped out its windows and added a luminescent glow to the building’s surroundings while illuminating the adjacent allies enough to see the subtle luminescent gleam of eyes staring back at her.

A low mew relaxed Jazz as the alley cat walked toward her, its tail slowly twitching as both Jazz and the cat cautiously sized each other up before the cat ultimately decided that Jazz was worth approaching. Rubbing its face against her shins and ankles, it purred excitedly hoping to entice pets from the young redheaded woman. Leaning down to pet the black cat, Jazz smiled at the small creature, only for it to suddenly bear its fangs and bite her hand before fleeing back into the darkness.

Jazz cursed under her breath before nursing the bitten hand, turning to approach the library only to walk straight into the chest of a man nearly a head taller than her.

“Are you okay?” He asked, Jazz looking upwards, relaxing as she smiled towards a face that could have been carved from marble. Statuesque and chiseled, his strong jawline cut almost a heroic figure beneath empathetic eyes that never seemed to leave her. If he were to tell Jazz that she was his whole world, she’d be a fool not to believe him. Short hair adorned his head, carefully styled, though somewhat retro in Jazz’s opinion, all atop a body that could have made Adonis blush. However, the man hid it beneath a billowing long coat only further adding to the intrigue and mystery.

“Angel,” Jazz managed to reply in a breathy gasp, “You snuck up on me,”

“Did the cat draw blood?” He asked, taking her hand and examining the wound, Jazz could have sworn he almost looked disappointed when the skin of her hand wasn’t even broken.

“No, thankfully,” The younger woman replied, withdrawing her hand, her cheeks turning several shades of crimson at his attention. “Just caught me by surprise is all.”

Angel’s intense gaze followed from her hand, tracing her neck to the flushed cheeks before he awkwardly turned towards the library door and gestured towards the building.

“Shall we go inside?” Angel suggested, “I don’t think we’ll learn anything about the Spanish Inquisition out here,”

“You’re cute, but you do realize that was just a front to see you again,” Jazz smiled, “I do have the internet at home,” She added wryly before tapping a finger to Angel’s nose and entering the building. A small smirk crossed his face as he followed before her, his eyes drawn to her neck as Jazz adjusted her hair, pulling it away from the tender, ivory skin. The faint scent of vanilla and lilac suddenly caught Angel’s nose and for the briefest second, his eyes flashed red.

Finding a small nook in the back so as not to disturb anyone, Angel pulled a chair out for a Jazz, before taking a seat opposite of her. Leaning across the table, the pair stared into each others’ eyes for several moments before Angel reached across and took hold of Jazz’s hands and broke the silence between them.

“So what do your parents do?” He pried, his intense gaze feeling like he was looking inside Jazz, analyzing her every moment and thought as she shifted uncomfortably at the question.

“Promise not to laugh, but they’re ghost hunters.” Jazz reluctantly admitted, “It’s been a constant embarrassment for most of my life. It was cute when I was five, but now…” Her voice trailed off as Angel gave her a small smile.

“So you don’t believe in ghosts then?” He asked, an innocent smile disarming Jazz as she blushed again before answering.

“I wouldn’t say, ‘don’t’, I don’t know, there’s too much compelling evidence to ignore that the supernatural couldn’t exist. But, what my parents do, it’s borderline obsession,” She replied, “Do you…” Jazz hesitated, “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Oh,” Angel feigned surprise at the question being turned around on him. Jazz studied the man across the table from her curiously, only noticing now how under the warm light of the library she could see so many bluish veins from beneath Angel’s nearly translucent skin. The dark hair warded away the intrusive thoughts of asking if he was albino, but Jazz had never seen skin so unique as Angel’s.

“I stopped believing in ghost stories a long time ago,” He lied with a dry chuckle, “Though I’d still be curious to see the sort of equipment ‘esteemed’ ghost hunters such as your parents use in their day-to-day.” He added as Jazz pulled her hand back.

“You don’t have to be a dick about it,” She snapped, “They’re still my parents and they deserve respect,”

“Jazz,” Angel started as Jazz began to gather her things.

“I’m sorry, it’s late and maybe this was a mistake after all,” She looked at Angel, clearly upset as she feigned an apologetic tone. “I should get going-" Standing, she turned to leave before Angel locked eyes with her.

“Sit down.” He commanded, his gaze holding Jazz as she suddenly hesitated before suddenly she shook her head.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do.” She retorted, “As if,” She added clearly disgusted before storming out of the library.

“Jazz, wait,” Angel protested, chasing after her, “I wasn’t trying to insult-”

“SHHH!” The librarian on duty suddenly interrupted, stepping between Angel and Jazz before the door closed behind the young redheaded woman.

Stepping back out into the cold of the night, Jazz took a deep breath, pausing to pull her coat on as she checked the bus schedule. With her date cut short, she’d be waiting quite a while for the next bus and ultimately decided it’d be better to call a ‘Whizzer’ for a ride. Leaning back against the library wall, she tucked herself around the corner, into the alley in case Angel came chasing after her. If she hadn’t been looking at her phone she might have noticed the figure creeping up behind her in the dark before it was too late. Her phone suddenly clattered to the ground, the screen shattering as it met the cold asphalt.

A stifled scream was lost in the howl of stray dogs barking before Jazz was dragged into the darkness.