There were surprisingly few Red Guards in the vicinity. Apparently, not many humans survived the process that the human body underwent to become a Red Guard. Most either turned into vampires or died. With everything that she had learned, Chloe was not convinced she had the best end result. At least she didn't have to drink human blood to survive. That was a win.

Quinn explained that there was a troupe of Red Guards in many of the major Catholic Cities around the world. They could be deployed to any region at any time to provide back-up to another troupe if needed. Each troupe consisted of about twenty Guards. She made number eighteen here in Vatican City, but she had only met Quinn so far. He said that the Pope had been very happy to hear about her adoption into the ranks. They were going to hold a feast this evening to welcome her.

Quinn was taking her on a tour of their training grounds, which were located in the lower rooms of the Sistine Chapel. She wondered at the fact that thousands of tourists were walking over them all day long, oblivious to the existence of the deep, dark betrayal that they were a part of. She couldn't bear to think of it.

She looked around at all of the training apparatus. She thought of every TV show that involved vampire hunters or some other-worldly war. These rooms were exactly like that. There were weapons on the walls, targets, mannequins to fight. Mats covered the floor for hand-to-hand combat practise. 

"Do we end up fighting physically very often?" she asked.

"Actually, more than half of the time," said Quinn. "There are cross bows, of course, which are very useful in fighting from a distance. Also, we have been developing a new type of bullet that has small wooden crosses attached around them. They're made of ironwood. If the marksman can hit the vampire with these bullets in the heart, then we don't have to go hand-to-hand. The problem with the bullets is that sometimes the wood burns before it reaches the vampire and the bullet is ineffectual. If we could figure out how to keep the wood from burning on a more reliable basis, then we would be able to kill from a distance more often. But we haven't quite perfected it yet. Sometimes the wood burns off and sometimes it doesn't. As a result, sometimes we kill the vampires with a long distance shot, and sometimes we don't. Of course, if we are unsuccessful then we only warn the vampire that we are coming and they usually run away."

"So close range is the way to go?"

"More dangerous, but yes. Stake in hand, of course," he smiled. "We hunt in pairs, so we can almost always take out a lone vampire."

"The vampires have strength in their favour?" she asked.

"Most of the time. It really depends on age. You will be the weakest thing out there for a few decades. So you will need to learn how to use a stake first. The rest of us will hold them down while you take the plunge."

She crinkled her nose. Nice. "What happens if they bite us again?" she wondered out loud.

"Isn't that a question," Quinn started. "We turn. Fast." 

She looked at him with her jaw hanging. 

"The virus is already in our system," Quinn continued, "so we react very quickly to a second dose. It works unlike viruses in the human body, which creates antibodies. The human body recognizes viruses it's already seen and attacks. In a Red Guard, this particular virus goes into overdrive with its second introduction. It only takes minutes for us to turn into vampires after the second bite. 

"Luckily, like I said before, not all vampires are bad. We don't change into bloodthirsty madmen in an instant or anything, but it's shocking just the same. Once it happens, you have to leave the order because the Pope believes that you lose your soul. And maybe it's true. The last Red Guard who changed couldn't get back into Vatican City."

"Is there a group of ex-Red Guards out there?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, there is. They keep an ear to the ground for us. They are sort of like double agents. It's never fun to lose one of our own. We have close bonds that aren't easily broken. Certainly not by a little bit of blood."

Chloe felt relieved for some reason. Her old life had been ripped away from her. It was nice to know that this new life would not be completely ruined if her bad luck had a repeat. "Wanna have a go?" she asked gesturing to the mat.

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, "You don't stand a chance," he said.

"So what? Let's just blow off some steam. Take it easy on my weak ass," Chloe smiled.

Quinn nodded as he took a fighting stance, "Okay, let's have a row."

She bent her knees and put her arms out, ready for his attack, "Be nice, now," she said. 

She was shocked by how quickly he moved. He grabbed the side of her neck in a flash, immediately gaining control of her head. She felt an agonizing stab of pain as she heard her neck snap. She fell in a pile on the mat. She was silent as her panic took over her body. She felt her eyes dart from side to side as she realized that she was unable to move.

"That's how you incapacitate the enemy," Quinn said with a smile.

She tried to move her head back into place and was amazed that it snapped back. After a few moments she could move her body once more. She quickly stood up, angry with Quinn, "Oh my god, Quinn! You broke my neck! What the Holy Hell?"

"Now, Chloe, Hell is not Holy. Not at all," he grinned in the face of her obvious anger. "Lesson number.... I don't know... one hundred. You heal super fast. So do they. You have to move quickly."

Taking the hint, Chloe moved as fast as she could, trying to mimic his neck-breaking motions. She grabbed both sides of his neck and tried to twist. He quickly raised his hands to hers and grabbed hold of both wrists, snapping them back. Chloe screamed and dropped to her knees. She looked at the awkward angle of her hands with a sharp intake of breath. She looked at Quinn with a horrified expression. What the Hell, she screamed in her head.

A flash of guilt came across Quinn's face. "You'll be okay, it will heal within seconds."

"Yeah, maybe, Quinn, but it hurts!" Chloe growled as she readjusted her hands.

"I know. Sorry."

"How about you actually teach me something, Quinn?" she demanded with a glare. She paused and a smile spread across her face, "Like, I'd really like to know how to break your neck!"

He let out a chuckle. "Okay." He helped her up and showed her how to grab the head and twist in just the right way. He even let her try the move out. After about her tenth try she finally felt the satisfying snap of his neck. "This is when you would stake them," he said. She nodded as she watched with some fascination as his neck reconnected. It wasn't every day you got to watch someone's neck heal itself within moments. Incredible, she thought.

"Got it. Break neck. Stake. Do you think I'll actually be able to do it?" she asked, "break someone's neck?"

"You just did, didn't you?" he asked, rubbing his neck as he stood back up.

"Yeah, but I mean a vampire. Was that good enough to do it for real?"

Quinn thought for a moment. "I think you need more practise. Maybe break my neck twenty more times and ask the question again."

They turned as they heard some footsteps approach. It looked to be the rest of the Red Guard coming to check out their newest member. Chloe felt nervous excitement as they entered the room. She glanced around with  jerky movements.

"Hey there, you must be Chloe," came the first greeting. This Red Guard was a tall, slender blond woman with bright cat-like green eyes. She wore a thick black liner and a shimmering shadow. Her lips were blood red and her teeth were perfectly white. She was drop dead gorgeous. Chloe felt a stab of insecurity, but shook it off. This woman was going to be her friend. They were on the same side.

"It's nice to meet you," Chloe said. She took a step forward and extended her hand.

The Red Guard smiled as she took Chloe's hand, "I'm Felicity. I'm pretty sure I heard some bones breaking in here."

Chloe let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah. My neck... and wrists. That was great," she said casting Quinn a sideways glance.

Felicity grinned, "I bet it was." They all gathered around and exchanged names and some bits of personal information. They seemed like a good bunch to Chloe. She could see herself getting along well with everyone and, over time, putting her life in their hands. She hoped the feeling was mutual. She supposed anyone they didn't like ended up becoming a vampire.

~~

A/N i hope you enjoyed this one! Don't forget to comment and vote! :)