Samantha Marks

Name: Samantha Marks
Nickname: Sammy, Sam

Age: 21

Species: Human
Sex: Female 
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Height: 5'3"
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Green

Past

Samantha was born into a well-off family. It wasn't her parents' finances that are being spoken of here, through her father being a lawyer and her mother a doctor made them very comfortable within that regard. It was the love and devotion they showered upon each other as well as their precious little girl was where their real wealth laid. There was never any doubt within anyone mind how much they adored Samantha. She was the center of their world--the sun rose and set with her. She was far from spoiled. They never hesitated to punish her for any wrongdoing, or simply enforce rules. They just wanted to give her the love and support that their own parents denied them growing up. Neither of her parents had what one would call a happy childhood and they wanted to ensure that Samantha never knew the same horrors. When she was nine years old their family of three turned into a family of four when her little brother was born. 

The birth of her brother filled Samantha with endless joy because she had been wanting a sibling for as long as she can remember. She took to the role of big sister with such zeal that any concern that her parents might have had expending their family was quickly vanished. She was always willing to give her parents a helping hand with her brother whenever they needed it. Now, there should be no mistakes it wasn't all rainbow and sunshine where sibling relationship was concerned. There was times Samantha became frustrated with her brother, and her parents always knew when she needed her space even when she never expressed the need aloud. When Samantha was fifteen, her happily little world came crashing down around her.

In many ways, she blames herself for what happened. Her family might still be alive if she hadn't wanted to stay at the resort that the nightmare occurred. Deep down she knows she isn't to blame. She hadn't forced them to stay there in any shape or form. She had only shared her opinion when she was asked where she wanted to spend the family vacation. Her parents always made a list of possible destinations for the family to visit and allowed their children to share which one they were interested in seeing before they made a final decision. Her brother who had developed a strong fascination with marine life only wanted something within driving distance of an ocean. There were several destinations on that year's list that fit his bill, but there was something about that resort that drew Samantha's attention. Perhaps, it was her own obsession with antiquity that called her.

The first week of their month long stay at the resort went by perfectly, but then a guest arrived that made Samantha and her parents feel uneasy. There were no obvious reasons why this new guest should invoke such a negative reaction within them, and after debating whether or not they should leave the resort it was decided they would give this newest guest the benefit of the doubt and stay. They did tell their children that they would be polite and courteous with the new arrivals but not overly friendly. Sammy did her best to follow her parent's rules, but despite her better judgement she found herself extremely intrigued by the new arrival and found herself spending a great deal of time with him. While her parents weren't happy that she was disregarding their rules, they understand she wasn't doing it to spite them. Still, this didn't mean they would ignore her disobedience, and when they noticed the manner, this stranger regarded their daughter they really cracked down by refusing to let their children go anywhere without them.

Much to their dismay, Samantha snuck out of their room to spend time with this stranger. Some part of them wondered if they were overreacting, but when others within the resort made it clear they shared their opinion regarding the stranger, they decided they reacted justly. Those whose rooms were located near his spoke of the horrific sounds that came from his. A few--including Samantha's parents-- requested that he be removed from the premises, but the owners refused to remove anyone simply for being disliked. Soon everyone within the resort begun to turn on each other. At first, it was just things they done while at the resort they bickered over, but soon they were accusing each other of things that the others had no way of knowing. Quite a number of these things were truly horrific. The first death happened not long after. Everyone pointed fingers at everyone else, and it was within that moment Samantha's parents decided that perhaps it was time they take leave of the resort.

They debated for a few moments whether or not they should urge the others to do the same, but eventually concluded that it would be best if they kept their plans to themselves, and in the dead of the night they packed all their belongs into their car and begun to drive away from the resort. After driving for some time, they found the resort looming before them. Confused, they sat there staring at the building for a few moments before deciding they must have gotten turned around somehow. They sat out once again, only to find themselves right back at the resort. This time they were really confused as they were really certain they hadn't made any wrong turns. They kept trying, a few times they kept straight, but no matter what direction they drove they always found themselves back at the resort.

Samantha and her family became distraught over this. They had no idea what was happening. There had to be a logical reason for why they kept coming back to the resort. They concluded they must be tired and decided they would go back to their rooms and head out in the morning after they had gotten a good night rest. They found the stranger waiting for them with a smug expression upon his face when they returned. Samantha's father demanded to know what the stranger found so amusing, and the stranger's answer that he found his attempts to take his wife away to be charming outraged her father. He knew right away who the stranger was referencing, and he screamed at the stranger to stay away from his daughter and told him that it was only over his dead body that Samantha would be his wife.

The stranger only spoken response to that was a simple resounding that can be arranged, and another guest stepped forward and slit his throat. There was no question within Samantha nor her mother's mind who was responsible. They didn't know how, but they were certain that the stranger had somehow influenced the man who killed her father's actions. Her mother was torn between flinging herself upon her dead husband in grief and protecting her children by getting them as far away from this stranger as possible. Her desire to protect her children overtook her and she took them into the resort and locked them within their room, uncertain what else to do. Samantha tried to call the police, only to discover that the line was dead. They stayed within their room for several days, but her mother's behavior became more bizarre with each passing day.

She was certain that the stranger was whispering within her ear, telling her to do unspeakable things. There were many times she would spin around to confront the stranger who she was certain was standing behind her, only to find empty air. Sammy couldn't blame her because while she didn't have the sensation of him whispering within her ear, she did have intimate dreams involving him that left her shaken with how realistic they seemed when she woke up. It was, also, through these dreams that she learned what transpired within the rest of the resort. It was simply put a chaotic nightmare where any dispute was quickly settled with blood, and any slight was a killing offense. Sammy knew what she was seeing within her dream was truly happening, and she knew the stranger was responsible for her seeing them. He was trying to convince her to come to him and take her proper place at his side.

He knew how much seeing other suffer affected her. Samantha was always described as a beautiful soul whose very presence lit up the room, and he believed that she would give herself willing to him to end the others' torment. However, he lost any chance of that when he killed her father. She was going to put a stop to his nightmare, just not in the manner he hoped. Armed with only her wit and determination. she set out to do just that. Leaving her room to find any clue she can about the enemy and how to defeat him as well as ways to help the others currently being tormented by him. During her exploration, she discovered a spell that would keep him out of her mind. She tried it on herself to see if it worked before, she attempted it upon her mother and brother. 

She, however, never would get the chance because when Samantha awoke the next day, two things became blatantly clear. The first the spell had worked she didn't dream about the demon and the second was her mother rocking with her brother dead within her lap muttering how this was the only way she could save him. Sammy stared at the scene before her in horror before managing to ask her mother what she had done. Immediately, her mother ceased her rocking and muttering and turned her attention towards Sammy. There are no words to describe the feeling that rose up within Samantha when her mother looked at her because the eyes that were looking at her were not her mother's. Some part of her hoped that her mother would try to kill her like she had her brother, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. Sure enough, her intuition proved correct when her mother seized her wrist and dragged her to the demon to give Samantha to him. She pleaded with her mother not to do this. She pleaded with the demon to let her them go--everyone within the resort. She would come back on her twenty-first birthday and marrying him. These words went upon deaf ears. 

Much to Samantha's horror, the demon not only marry her but consummated their marriage right in front of everyone. It was only after the deed was done did Samantha's mother snapped out of whatever haze she had been within, and begun to sob, begging the gods for forgiveness. The demon laughed and told her the gods cannot hear her here and suggested she might beg her family's forgiveness instead before parading her dead husband and son before her. Horrified, she immediately leapt to her death off the balcony of a nearby room. It is unclear how much time passed before her rescue came. However, until that moment the demon kept Samantha at his side, forcing her to watch him torment the others within the resort to death and taking her whenever he wished. That wasn't the worse of it, the most horrific part was that even in death the others didn't know release. The demon somehow bound their souls to that place and continued his torment of them.

Her savior came in the form of a demon hunter who had caught wind of the demon's presence. How he never shared, but he was very surprised to find Samantha very much alive. It was he who revealed to Samantha the truth of what she was dealing with, or rather confirmed them as Sammy had her suspicions. While he had been shocked to discover the demon hadn't killed her like the other it didn't stop him from completely what he had come to the resort to do, and that was get rid of the demon. After that deed was done, he took Sammy to the nearest town and left her alone to figure out what to do with the broken pieces of her life. She found her way back home, moved in with a friend whose parents regarded her as another daughter and attempted to put the nightmare behind her, but everywhere she looked were reminders. It wasn't just things that reminded her of her dead family, but demonic presence as well. Try as might, she couldn't ignore the fact there were monsters that dwelled within the dark, waiting for the moment to seize the unsuspecting. 

The final straw came when she discovered that she was with child. There was no doubt who the father was, and strange as this might sound, she had no desire to get rid of the unborn child. She didn't know why, but she loved the life growing within her. Everyone seemed to have their opinion on why. Some attributed it to her loving nature, claiming that she could never blame someone for the circumstance of its conception. Others claim that it was merely a trauma response, that her rapist had really fucked with her mind making her unable to consider the possibility of getting rid of her unborn child even if she had wished. A few even suggested that the horrors she experienced never happened, and she had made everything up to hide the sinister role she played in her family's death.

Her adoptive family decided to take her away because they knew how much those words impacted Samantha due to the guilt, she harbored over what happened. They made it perfectly clear they supported whatever decision she made regarding her unborn child, and they willingly agreed to adopt her unborn child when she made the request. However, they didn't hide their confusion over the request because as far as they were concerned, she always had a place with them. She only told them I know with a sad little smile. It was only after she gave birth to her son that they came to understand the reason for her request via a letter she left behind. She told them of the monsters she saw lurking behind every corner. and her desire to protect not only her son but everyone else from these monsters. She didn't want anyone to know the horrors that she did. She understood that it was dangerous work she sought, and she likely will be killed sooner than later. She realizes that she cannot save everyone, but if she can save just one person that will be enough.

And while she understood there were many single mothers who balanced work and motherhood perfectly fine, Samantha didn't want to take on the role knowing that any day might be her last and leaving her boy without anyone to care for him within the world. She couldn't stay because she didn't want them--any of them--to be hurt by her calling. There was no doubt within her mind that the monsters she'll hunt will go after those she cares about to get back at her.  It was for this reason she will not seek them out. and she hopes they can forgive her. They could tell her son about her if they wished or simply raise him as their own. The only thing she asks is they love him extra hard for her. 

Present

Samantha was a lone hunter until she was eighteen then Ashleigh Knight found her. She was impressed with Sammy's skills, with the fact everything she learned about the art of hunting she taught herself--mostly through trial and error. She asked Samantha to join her organization called The Black Knights. They could use someone of her talents. At first, she refused. She didn't trust this strange woman standing before her and even if her offer was legit there was also the fact that she didn't want to get close to anyone, fearful over how they might be hurt because of any affection she might hold for them. However, the other woman eventually won Samantha over by proving herself more than capable of handling herself when she helped Sammy save her son from demons who decided to kidnap him despite Sammy's efforts to keep her connection to him a secret.  It wasn't the fact that Ashleigh had helped her, but the fact it was her help that was very instrumental in saving her son. She knew if it wasn't for the other woman both she and her son would have died.

Yet, in spite what Ashleigh had done for her son, she still harbored some hesitation over joining her organization. She made it clear to the other woman she was joining on a trial basis only and if at any time she didn't like what she saw she was going to leave. Ashleigh accepted these terms. The difference between The Black Knights and other hunter organizations that Sammy came upon quickly became clear. The biggest being all of The Black Knights were females. Sammy had seen groups where all the hunters were male, but this was the first all-female group she encountered. Another rule was Ashleigh insisted they took a day job. 

At first, Sammy didn't understand the reason for this even when Ashleigh explained that taking these jobs helped them keep their humanity, she didn't completely get it. However, it didn't take her long to figure out what Ashleigh have meant. Putting themselves out into the community helped keep them connected to what they were fighting for. Too many times have Sammy encountered hunters worse than the monster they hunted. She decided to become a physical therapist. She wanted to help those who have suffered some kind of tragedy even if it wasn't the supernatural kind. While she has only recently received her license, she feels that this would have been her calling if the existence of monsters hadn't been brought to her attention.   

She has come to love all her fellow hunters like sisters and would defend every single one of them to her dying breathe. However, she has grown especially close to one named Alexandria Black. The two of them are often found together both on and off the field. While she has opened up a great deal to those within the group, she still holds those outside The Black Knights at a distance. She isn't overtly cold to those outside the group, but it has been mentioned that she has a wall that makes it difficult to get to know her. Mostly, it is those who are seeking to form a non-physical intimate relationship with her. 

Pictures

Face portrayed by: Charly Jordan