Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 08:41:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Jugdments of a Real Dark Knight 47

Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent
chapters, will have celebrities in it.  I have no knowledge of their
sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality.  This is all
from my own mind.

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss
Whedon.  Copyright 20th Century Fox.

Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics
and Warner Bros.

X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel
Comics and 20th Century Fox.

The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice.
Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.

Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe
created by George Lucas.  Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and
Lucas Books/Ballantine Books.

I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in
case, I have myself covered.

I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from
those who do not.  I would enjoy hearing from you.  Any emails you send,
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Other stories in this universe written by other authors:
"Tales of a Superhero Band"
"Tales of the New Phoenix"
"Tales of a Young Mutant"

Chapter 47 Body Count

	After having finally disposed of the Joker, I could focus on what
was happening with Catman.  The vampire had started slow with his attacks
on humans but, as he became more visible to Batgirl and I, he ramped up his
attacks and made his murderous attacks more known, at least to the Slayer
and myself.  The two of us concerted out patrolling so we would always be
within distance of each other in case he attacked one of us.  He had met up
with Batgirl several times and found her fascinating.  The few times he met
up with me, we created a monster and I became under his control.  He was
able to read my mind and knew my identity, as well as the identity of
Lance.  Since then, we requested Kara put a spell on our home and property
so that he could not come near us.  Up till now, the spell was holding.
For how long, though, no one could tell.
	As I went through the night, I came across Christine.  I had not
seen her on campus since the beginning of November.  Now she was on the
streets not dressed very flatteringly.  But I think that was her
intentions.  She was prostituting her body, even though she was pregnant.
There are some guys that go for that sort of thing.
	I watched as an older man approached Christine and they talked for
a while.  She smiled and laughed flirtatiously.  I could tell she wasn't
used to this sort of thing.  'Why would she do something like this?' I
thought to myself.  'She knows I would help her out in anyway possible.'
	The man became a bit more forceful and grabbed her wrist.  She was
in obvious discomfort and tried to back off.  He wasn't going to let her
go.  Then, to my utter shock, he dragged her into a nearby alley.  The
people around her did nothing to stop her.  To them, it must have been
business as usual.  Either that or they believed she deserved what was
happening.  I wouldn't accept that anyone deserved being raped or attacked.
I've experienced that personally, and by God, I was not going to watch as
another was violated.
	I dropped down behind the man who was forcing his lips against
hers.  Grabbing him from behind, I pulled him away and into the wall
opposite Christine.
	"That's enough!" I stated.  "Are you okay?"
	Christine looked at me with wide eyes.
	"Are you okay?" I asked again.  She nodded her answer.
	"Son of a bitch!" the man said as he smashed me over the head with
a board.
	I stumbled away from Christine and fell to the ground.
	"Who the fuck do you think you are?  You have no goddamn business
here!  I'll teach you to meddle."
	His foot came up and connected with my stomach.  Pain shot through
my body as I felt a rib crack.  This guy was operating on pure anger.  He
probably had a wife at home, maybe even children.  And he didn't want his
clandestine liaison to be discovered.  Or he could have been a closeted
heterosexual, but how often do you ever find that.
	His foot came up again but this time I caught it and pushed him
backwards.  Then I flipped to my feet as he came at me.  Using his
momentum, I sidestepped and pushed him into a nearby dumpster.  He hit the
corner with a thud and spun around falling backwards.
	I turned around to face Christine but she was gone.  Climbing the
fire escape, I arrived at the roof and ran to the edge.  From that vantage
point, I was able to scope the length of the block and find Christine.  But
I didn't.  She was gone.
	"Christine," I muttered, "why?"

	When I returned home, I relayed to Lance my discovery.  He was
comforting and supportive.  I wanted to find her, to help her.  So the next
morning, I headed out looking for her.
	The first place I looked was the last place I had seen her the
night before.  I arrived at the street and got out of the SUV to find an
ambulance and two patrol cars at the alley.  'What the...?' I thought to
myself as I neared the commotion.  'God, please don't let it be Christine.'
	Two police officers were interviewing people nearby.  I overheard
them asking if they had seen anything strange happen through the night.
Some I recognized as hustlers and prostitutes from the previous night.
They mentioned the victim going into the alley with another person, though
they weren't sure who the other person was.
	'Oh, God, it IS Christine.'
	I tried to get into the alley, but an officer stopped me.  "This is
a crime scene, buddy.  You can't go back."
	"But I think I know the victim."
	The officer looked on me for a moment, and then let me cross the
yellow tape.  "We'll go back and you can take a look."
	"Thanks, officer," I said.
	We headed back although I was extremely nauseous over the entire
thing.  I didn't want to see Christine if she was dead.  But I couldn't go
away and not know for sure.  It was a Catch-22.
	There were other people in the alley besides paramedics and police
officers.  The coroner was present, as well as two cops from forensics.
The coroner took several pictures and the forensics were examining the
crime scene.
	I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the body.  It wasn't
Christine.  However, it was the man I stopped from assaulting her.
	"Do you know him?" the officer asked.
	"How long has he been dead?"
	"Since about three a.m.," the coroner stated.
	"Do you know him?"
	I shook my head 'no'.
	"Let's get out of here."
	The officer tried to get me away, obviously angry that I could not
shed some light on the topic.  Before I could be pushed out of sight, I did
notice that the victim had two puncture wounds on his neck.  He was
obviously the meal of a vampire the night before.
	I passed a paramedic and a police officer talking.
	"He had a wife and three kids.  Who is going to break the news to
them?"
	"I don't know.  How do you go up to a woman and say, 'your husband
was found dead early this morning by a prostitute'?  I mean, just knowing
he was in this area gives suspicion he was cheating on his wife with a
hooker."
	"And think of his kids.  What will his wife say to their children?"
	'They were just as much victims as the man,' I thought.  'Doubly
so.  Not only did they lose him to death, he cheated on his family.  Could
it be considered poetic justice or tragic irony?  His death was, in some
form, a punishment for the pain he would have caused his wife if she were
to find out about his cheating.'
	I climbed in the SUV, called Lance from the cell phone, and told
him the situation.
	"Where are you going now?" he asked.
	"I'm going to check the university to see if she's been there at
all.  I remember some faces of people she talked with.  Maybe they can shed
some light on where she is."
	We hung up and I headed over to the college to see if I could find
someone who knew her, besides me, that is.
	When I arrived, the first place I went was the cafeteria.  After
purchasing a soda, I sat at a table and drank the fizzy liquid, watching
for anyone I had seen Christine with before.  I didn't have to wait long,
as I saw several students who were in the same class Christine had.  I got
up and went over to them.
	"Excuse me," I greeting sticking my hand out.  "I'm Eric McCoy.
I'm a friend of Christine's."
	"Hi," they replied and introduced themselves.
	"I haven't seen Christine in a while.  Do any of you know where I
might find her?"
	"Not really," they said.
	"Do you know why she hasn't been in class?"
	"Just before she left, she said she was having some problems with
money.  She didn't have enough to take care of her children, plus with the
baby on the way, that made it rough.  She said she had to drop out and get
a full-time job.  She never said where she was working, though."
	"Come to think if it, I haven't seen Meredith, either.  She was
rooming with Christine for a while.  She might know where Christine is.
They lived in an apartment off campus, about two blocks away."
	They gave me the address of the apartment where I could find
Meredith and I headed over.  I knocked, rang the bell, but there was no
answer.  Reaching down for the doorknob, I found it unlocked.  Gently the
door opened and I went inside.
	"Meredith?" I called out.  "I'm Eric McCoy, a friend of
Christine's!  Are you here?"
	I found a young girl on the couch sleeping.  "Meredith?" I said as
I approached.  I sat on the edge of the couch and touched her, hoping to
wake her.  The body, however, was cold.  Turning her head, I found two
wounds on her neck.
	"Killed by a vampire," I said.  "This is SO not good."
	After phoning the police, I left the apartment and headed back to
the house where Lance was waiting for me.
	"How did things go?" he asked.
	I relayed the day's events as we had lunch.
	"It seems more than coincidence that these people that had a
problem with Christine are being killed by a vampire."
	"I don't know if Meredith had a problem with her, though."
	"It's a good possibility.  What if Christine's money problem had
been going on for a while?  Meredith might have had to pay all the bills
herself.  She might have gotten sick and tired of it and kicked Christine
out.  Christine now loses her place to live and, boom, Meredith ends up
dead by a vampire."
	"It does make sense if you put it that way."
	"Do you think Christine would have been turned into a vampire?"
	"I don't think she would prostitute herself if she were a vampire.
Vampires could take pretty much what they wanted, live wherever they
wanted, and not have to worry about getting money.  Christine couldn't
possibly be a vampire."
	Still, my mind could not dismiss the possibility.  New vampires
might not be as smart as those who have been around for centuries or
millennia.  The only other option I had was to go out at sunset and look
for her.

To Be Continued...

Only three chapters to go!  More to come!