**originally posted in 2008**
There's been so much that's occured, that sometimes I can't keep all the details straight in my mind. I don't remember some of what occured after Michael and I ended up back in California. I don't know what led to him getting killed anymore. It was so long ago. At least it was for me. But he's dead now too. They all die, everyone but me it seems. His death somehow led to me getting involved for a brief time with a mage, who strangly enough, liked to create lightsabers out of flashlights. It was rather amusing. Met her a club, Michael was already dead by then. She nearly attacked me. The joys of being undead around other supernaturals is unperileled, let me tell you. I apologize again for the disjointed fragments of my history that you're receiving, but alas, short of allowing some Tremere access to my skull and memories to draw them forth in more detail and order, this is what shall be put forth. The mage and I, her name I don't recall, traveled together for a time. She followed me to one of the more bizarre places, in New York City, or a post-apocalyptic version of New York City. It was dark and most buildings weren't even standing anymore. The ones that were looked as if they hadn't been used for decades. There was no electricity. Now, bear in mind, I had only passed through New York City on my first arrival to this country, but had been impressed by the sheer enormity and magnificence of the city as a whole. To see it become so degenerated was truly shocking. We found ourselves approached by a very skittish group of survivors, who dragged us out of the open and into an abandoned office building. There were fires going in the deepest area of the building, the part farthest removed from all entrances and exits. Strangely enough, I wasn't afraid of the fire like I normally would have been. Instead I was able to appreciate the warmth and comfort of the glow instead of running in abject terror. While now I can realize that as strange, at the time I didn't really notice it. Not long after we joined this ragged band of survivors, I became quite violently sick to my stomach, heaving blood up everywhere. It was excruciating. I lay there for I don't know how long before I was able to pull myself up and crawl over near the fire to grab some water to clean myself off with. So much blood everywhere, I don't think I ever fully comprehended how much I ingest and carry in me on a regular basis. More so than a normal human because it's the only substance I can derive nutrients from. So strange to lose so much blood and not die. . . . but I digress. As we sat there, huddled in the near dark with our, well allies I suppose, we found ourselves under attack by the strange creatures of which I have no names. That was when I found that our allies were werewolves. As they shifted into their strongest form, I found myself moving faster then I thought possible. I know that others of my kind can move faster then normal, but it's not been a gift I've been given. Also, usually, in order to use our gifts, we must use the blood in our systems and at this point I had none.
We managed to repell the intruders, but some of our group were injured severly, too and including my traveling partner at the time. None of us knew how to help her, so gravely wounded was she. I remember fumbling with some bandages, not really sure of what I was doing, just not wanting her to die, mostly because I didn't know what was happening to me and who I might have to fight here, and somehow I managed to heal her. Later I found out that the Curse of Cain somehow operated differently there. I was still a vampire, just not in a way that I was familiar with. I don't pretend to understand it and there's not really anything to be done about it now.
We discovered that the world had been overrun by a group of werewolves that called themselves Black Spiral Dancers. Twisted, apparently, by werewolf standards. Evil, my guess would be they are the werewolf equivalent to what we consider the Baali to be. They were to be performing a ritual a few days hence, at which they were supposed to rip open the fabric of space and allow a realm that overlaps ours into it. It was amusing, but I carried a sword for this. I had no other weapons that I could use. Any natural weapons I may have had, I wasn't familiar with. We attacked as they started the ritual. Megan and I stayed as close together as we could. We noticed that one of the leaders of these Spiral Dancers was wearing a large amber collar. She noticed us, just as we noticed her. The rest of the battle seemed to fade away and there was just the three of us. I stood frozen for a moment as Megan and the she-wolf charged each other. It wasn't until I saw Megan get her back ripped open that I was able to shake off my shock. I lunged at the she-wolf as she was turned away from me. I recall realizing that there was something strange going on in the battles around us as they started to become background noise again. They were all moving in a circle around us as we faught. The Black Spiral Dancers and our allies together, even while they battled each other. There was a rift that started to open over our very heads, and though I don't know what was on the other side of that, I was terrified of what was about to come through. However, at that moment, Megan managed to catch the she-wolf unawares with her magic and she stood before me held within invisible bonds. Megan was screaming at me (such a bossy young girl really) to finish it. The sword moved and sliced through her neck, causing the amber collar to fall at our feet. The world itself started spinning around us as Megan and I fell to our knees, hands covering our ears in an attempt to silence the inhuman shrieks of anger coming from the rift hovering over our heads. Then all was silence and there was noone but Megan and myself. Not the other Black Spiral Dancers, not our allies, no one. I found myself unable to move, and Megan grabbed my arm, then reached out with her other hand and clutched at the collar, and before I knew it we were being transported away from there. The last thing I remember for a long time afterwards was that neither Megan nor I had been in control of the sword when it sliced through that she-wolf's neck. And then only blackness.
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