by Phil Wohl
Belinda added.
Daniel scanned Kayla's body and then said, “I can have this… I mean, him, out of you in five seconds. Within ten seconds you will be back to normal after I infuse your body with fresh cells.”
“Oh, that sounds a lot better than going to the hospital!” Kayla exclaimed.
A nervous Maxwell added, “Yeah, a lot better.”
“All right, let’s get to work. Vampires, we stay right here and help Blake with his research. Joe, Valerie and Brandon, you guys work on alternative strategies. Everyone else put on your swim trunks, because it’s free swim!” Hartwell stated.
The hunters left the room and then came back in only moments later in various forms if swimming attire. Thaddeus wore an old school, one piece outfit, complete with an attached tank top and shorts; Drew and Carla were wearing the latest in surf and board-sport apparel; Sharon sported a U.S. swimming one piece and Aaron wore a tasteful knee-length suit; but, the mood in the room shifted once brother and sister, Cal and Emily Brewster, made an appearance.
Emily, who never professed modesty, wore a skimpy bikini with a thong bottom, which left nothing to the imagination. Equally as revealing was Cal, who nearly took some eyes out with his red Speedo suit.
Cal noticed the eyes on him and said, “Too revealing?”
As he zoomed out of the room and put on a black Speedo, “Better?”
“Calvin, there are children in the room!” his father Thaddeus stated. “Maybe something a little less drafty,” he added, as he grabbed a towel and placed it around his almost-naked daughter.
“Wow! Those images will be burned in my memory. Wish I could swap out my hard drive,” Daniel said. He then turned to his aunt and uncle and said, “You two are toned! Just a little too much information for me, that’s all.”
Emily wasn’t going to give up on her bikini, but this time she came out with a more suitable cover-up.
“It’s not every day we get to swim… at least, willingly.”
Cal reentered the room wearing swim shorts that kept his ‘boys’ well hidden.
“Better?” he said to the room.
“Better!” the room replied.
On the other side of town at the Beach Haven Inn, Alexander Lowery was greeting and organizing his charges coming in from all over the world. They were all-too-happy to reconnect with their father, as well as long lost brothers and sisters, most of which they were meeting for the first time.
It had been a rather active 150 years for a vampire that had completed a few laps around the globe. A life in death spent procreating the race, instead of simply draining people of their blood and moving on. He spent more time with most of his converts than he did with Hartwell, who got the abridged version of the vampire’s handbook as Lowery’s hunters were in hot pursuit.
Braden Lawrence had always been in a thorn in Lowery’s side up until the day he took up residence at the bottom of the ocean. It had been a peaceful 25 years for Lowery not having to plan his every move around the pursuit of his hunter. This lack of interference also made him a much more dangerous predator and willing rival for Hartwell and family.
Lowery’s minions were quite large by number, but they definitely lacked the edge necessary to sustain a lengthy assault. The goal would be ridding the earth of Samuel and his parents, first and foremost, and then wiping the slate clean by eliminating anyone associated with the unholy union of vampire and hunter.
It was also interesting how unaware Lowery was about the intricate details of Hartwell’s vampirical family tree.
“I sired Hartwell and he sired his son Daniel, who was Nathaniel - albeit a dead Nathaniel - when I came into the picture,” Lowery said to Ellison and a score of vampires hanging on to his every word.
“Daniel and his protector had a son they named Maxwell, and here is the tricky part,” he said looking to add a little drama to jack up his constituents.
“Maxwell fell in love with his hunter… and she is pregnant with their child.”
A gasp could be heard throughout the room as reaction of the unholy alliance spread. Most of the vampires did not bother to ask questions when their dark lord requested their attendance. They fully realized that if Lowery wanted to see them, then just being seen would be satisfaction enough.
Many of the vampires had either flirted with the enemy, or more-than-flirted with the enemy during their years as a vampire. But, to cross the line and not only fall in love, but to produce another… that was more than just an error in judgment, it was a crime punishable by death among vampires. Although there were no written rules to prohibit such an action, it nonetheless went against everything that was unholy.
“Hartwell has stood idly by while his coven has defied generations of unspoken rules that are rarely every broken!” Lowery proclaimed. “He spent his century as a vampire producing only one addition to our superior race! One lowly teenager who has no more power than any of us has in our sharp fingers!”
The crowd grumbled in distaste, as the angry mob was now tuned into Lowery’s frequency.
“We must quickly wipe these people from our great earth, so we can go back to strengthening our ranks!” Lowery stated as the crowd roared.
“Thank you all for coming to my side, my children.”
The crowd chanted, “Lowery! Lowery! Lowery!” as the papa vampire felt the pride of a thousand satisfied parents.
Lowery had so little interest in Hartwell leading up to his discovery of the Max and Kayla coupling, that he was unaware of Hartwell’s 100th death, his mortality, and then his rebirth as a vampire via the fangs of his son, Daniel. His lack of attention to detail also confused his protector, Abraham Ellison, who wondered aloud how Hartwell’s ‘family’ had grown exponentially.
“I understand the siring of the kid, and then the protector and hunter that came on stream, but some of the other numbers aren’t adding up?”
“You worry too much!” Lowery exclaimed, as he tried to change the subject. “Does it really matter if they have 10, or 18, or even 50? We have an army and they have what amounts to a nice little club.”
Although Ellison was still confused by the extra parts, he decided to do what he always did, by giving in to his vampire. After all, it wasn’t his place to set the record, or his vampire, straight.
“You’re right, boss. What chance do they really have?”
“Amen!” Lowery exclaimed, with his hands raised over his head like a preacher.
ELEVEN
“What chance do we really have of surviving this, Thomas?” long-time protector, Garrison Phillips, asked his vampire.
Hartwell was never at a loss for confidence, even in the face of certain impending doom.
“What chance did we really have of surviving any of this? Of being reborn after our lives were extinguished and we were left to be merely mortal?” Hartwell started. “I think we - and by ‘we’ I mean me - have to be willing to take a few shots for the greater good here.”
“Greater good?” Garrison questioned. “And, by greater good, do you mean, your greater good?” he asked in a half-kidding tone.
Hartwell smiled, “There is no me anymore, my friend. The only time I will say ‘me’ going forward is if I have to make a sacrifice that will benefit us all. We need to figure this thing out before we can mount a serious attack. If we are willing to accept our fate and surrender our minds to a superior opponent before they even attack, then we have surely lost more than just the battle before the first blow is struck.”
Gary pondered the statement, “So, what do you suggest we do?”
Hartwell was resolute in his determination, “Dig, dig, and dig. And when you get tired, dig some more. I have no problem taking the initial hits, because we still have the majority of our lives left.”
“Seventy-two to be exact,” Garrison stated.
“So, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to give up a handful of those while we find a way to Lowery. He can’t h
ave many lives left, but there is no way that we can go shot-for-shot with them every day. He’s going to have so many layers of bodies in between him and us that it will be impractical of us to go conventional with this fight.”
Gary smirked, “Since when has it been like you to go conventional?”
Hartwell laughed, “Never. Not even when I didn’t know you.”
“Do you trust Hartwell?” Emily asked her brother Cal.
Cal was confused by the straightforward question.
“What do you mean, do I trust him? What is trust, anyway? I don’t think this is about him, Em.”
“Then what is it about? Because I’m about to lay it all on the line for someone I despise.”
Cal simplified things, “Would you do it for Kayla, your granddaughter?”
“Would I do what, put my life on the line? In a heartbeat!” she said, answering her own question.
“Because it’s only through semantics that Hartwell is involved. The real attack is coming toward your granddaughter and that huge baby in her belly.”
Emily was concerned, “How are we going keep her and the baby from danger?”
Cal had a reaction for every action, “First off, I believe if Hartwell dies then the day’s conflict ends.”
“How many lives does he have left?” she asked.
“About 70, give or take. We could give a bunch without jeopardizing our lifestyle.”
“And then?”
“And then the fight begins. We have 14 days to figure out what happens after that.” He thought for a moment and
