by Jeff Gunhus
“Eh, what’s this?” Bocho said.
“Step aside, Ratling,” one of the hunters behind Lucas said. “Go fix some porridge for your kid hunters.”
“Shhh, Rico,” Lucas said, his lips curled into a smile. “You’ll upset the man. He’s our guest.”
“Why you little…” Bocho stepped forward, but I moved sideways and blocked his path.
“They’re baiting you,” I whispered to him. “Don’t fall for it.”
“Lucky I don’t wipe that smirk right from your face, you little mug-wump turd,” Bocho said.
T-Rex snorted out a short laugh then tried to hold it in, turning bright red. I have to admit, it was funny, but I could tell from Lucas’s body language that there was nothing humorous about what he and his guys were doing.
I met his eye. “Is there a problem?”
Lucas nodded. He slowly held up a fist, then uncurled his index finger to point at Eva. “That’s a problem.” Then he moved his finger to Daniel. “And that’s a problem.”
The hunters behind Lucas shifted from foot to foot, nearly bouncing with energy. Two of them had their hands on their guns. Clearly, they were ready for a fight.
“And why are they a problem?” I asked, although I figured I knew the answer already.
“We don’t allow Creach into our camp,” he said. “We don’t allow Creach to live if we can help it.”
“The only good Creach is a dead Creach,” the hunters behind him said in unison. Their faces showed a weird delight in the words.
“Well, you’re right then. That is a problem,” I said. “Because you’re talking about my friends. And I don’t like it when people threaten my friends.”
Lucas licked his lips, giving the impression of a snake testing the air.
“Lucas, the Colonel is gonna hear about this. An’ he’s not gonna like it,” Bocho said.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Lucas said. “Who do you think ordered me to put these two monsters in the dungeon to begin with?” He waved his men forward. “Take them. If they resist, put them out of their misery.”
5
As the hunters surged forward, the six of us pulled our swords and knives, ready to defend ourselves. The hunter with his hair slicked back, Rico, was the first to pull a gun from his shoulder holster. Eva reacted so fast, I almost missed the movement. One second I was pulling my sword from my side, the next Rico was screaming at the top of his lungs, clutching his wrist and dropping to the ground.
Eva stood next to Lucas, Rico’s gun pointed at his head. “Put them out of their misery? Who do you think you are?”
If Lucas was surprised or nervous about the tables being turned, he didn’t show it. He stared right at me, ignoring Eva and the weapon in her hand.
Rico was on his knees, cradling his arm against his stomach. It was bent at an unnatural angle. Eva had broken it like a dry twig.
The other hunters had their guns out, pointed at both Eva and Daniel, but their poker faces weren’t as good as their leader’s. They looked an equal mixture of scared and confused, not sure what they were supposed to do next.
“Tell your bloodsucker to stand down,” Lucas said to me.
“Tell her yourself,” I said, enjoying the moment. “She’s right next to you. Or didn’t you notice?”
Lucas pressed his lips together until they turned white. His body tensed, and I realized he was about to make a terrible mistake.
“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” I said. “I doubt you could have taken Eva when she was just a hunter. Add the fact that she has supernatural speed and strength, I’d say you have about zero chance of surviving if you try to take her on.”
“What do you want us to do, Lucas?” one of the older hunters said. “I have the shot.”
Lucas stared me down. I did my best to stay calm, but I didn’t like the look in his eyes. This wasn’t a rational person I was dealing with. It was someone who only thought about winning. No matter the cost.
He gave me a wink. “You asked for it,” he said. “Rico, I want you to–”
“Stand down!” barked a voice from behind me. “Right now.”
The hunters lowered their guns so fast it was like someone had hit them with an electric charge. Eva was the only one who didn’t move.
Even though I was reluctant to take my eyes off Lucas for even a second, I took the chance and glanced over my shoulder.
The man who’d given the order was older than any of the hunters I’d seen so far. He was just under six feet tall, but he was so broad shouldered that he seemed like a beast of a man. He wore the same black pants, shirt, and jacket as his men, but his muscled body filled them out so that they were tight across his chest and arms. His thick neck was corded with muscles and stretched the opening of his collar. He had a squared face with a pronounced jaw, and a military-style buzz cut.
But what was most striking about him were the burn marks and scar tissue that crisscrossed his entire face, making him look like an old piece of armor that’d seen more than its fair share of battles. One deep line started near the corner of his mouth, went up his cheek, and then across his left eye and ended at his hairline. The eye itself was gone; whatever Creach claw left its mark on the man’s face had taken the eye out along the way. There was no patch or a fake eye. The socket had just been sewn shut so that the folds of skin were left puckered in the center.
I guessed I’d just met the Colonel.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the Colonel shouted. He glanced at Eva. “Put the gun down.”
Eva ignored him. She cocked the hammer back expertly and pressed it harder into the side of Lucas’s head. I knew she was a weapons expert, but I thought her skill was limited to swords, spears, crossbows, and all the other regular tools of our trade. Somewhere along the line, Eva had learned about guns too.
“I don’t think I will put it down,” Eva said. “Especially since this nice young man told me you were the one who told him to lock me up.”
The Colonel planted his feet in a wide stance and put his hands on his hips, looking to me like a cross between a pit bull and a rhino. His single eye never stopped moving, as if it were pulling double duty to make up for its long-lost counterpart.
“Lucas, do you want to explain yourself?” he said.
Lucas struggled to break free of Eva’s hold, but I knew from experience that her grip was like steel. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“You told these people that I instructed you to detain them?” the Colonel asked.
“No, sir,” Lucas said. “Just the two Creach.”
The Colonel took two steps closer, his eye finally stopping its darting back and forth to laser in on Lucas. “And did I give you such an order?”
Lucas paused, and Eve nudged him with the gun. “Go on. Answer the man.”
Lucas shook his head. “No, not specifically. I meant that our usual protocol is to–”
“Treat our guests with respect,” the Colonel said. “Especially hunters who have sacrificed even their own humanity for the cause.” He nodded to Eva and Daniel. “These two are heroes. We don’t lock up heroes in our dungeon, do we, Lucas?”
Lucas hung his head, all the bravado gone. “No, sir.”
“I think apologies are in order, don’t you?” the Colonel said.
Lucas’s head snapped up at the suggestion, a brief flare of anger on his face. But it disappeared quickly. I couldn’t see the Colonel’s face from where I stood, but the look he gave the younger man had an instant effect.
“I apologize,” Lucas said.
“You bet you do, you little twit,” Bocho said.
The Colonel held up a hand to hush Bocho, and to my surprise the big man fell silent. The Colonel then waved his hand in the air, telling Lucas to keep going.
“I apologize for saying the Colonel ordered me to detain you. That wasn’t the case.”
“There,” the Colonel said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s press the restart button.” He nodde
d to Eva. “That would require you to lower that gun, Miss. If you don’t mind.”
Eva looked at me and I nodded, aware the Colonel was watching the exchange with interest. She lowered the gun and pressed the release on the side, so the cartridge of bullets dropped to the ground. Then she pulled back on the slide and popped out the round in the chamber. Once she did, Daniel, Will, Xavier, and T-Rex lowered their weapons.
“Here you go, Lucas,” Eva said, handing the gun to him. “It’s been a real pleasure.”
Lucas snapped the gun from her and then tossed it on the ground where Rico still groveled in the dirt, holding his broken arm.
“Why don’t you take Rico to the infirmary and get that arm looked at?” the Colonel said. His tone made it clear it wasn’t a suggestion, but that Lucas we being dismissed. “I’ll take care of our guests.”
Lucas pulled Rico up to his feet and, after a scowl in my direction, they all walked away toward a building on the far side of the yard. Once they were gone, I turned to the Colonel.
“I need to speak to Master Aquinas,” I said. “Can you take me to her?”
The Colonel extended his hand. “You’re Jack Templar,” he said. “An honor to meet you. My name’s Lockhart, Colonel Trevor Lockhart. You can just call me Colonel. Most people do.”
I shook his hand. I didn’t trust the man as far as I could throw him, and judging by his size, I probably couldn’t even get him off the ground. But I wanted to calm things down until I spoke with Master Aquinas. And, like Bocho said, we were the guests here.
“We’ve traveled a long way,” I said. “And we’ve been through a lot. That was kind of a rough way to be greeted.”
The Colonel nodded. “Lucas is a good soldier. Leans forward a little too much sometimes, but I’ll take that over a handwringer any day. Wouldn’t you?”
He stared me down, making me think the question was loaded. I decided the best answer was no answer at all.
“Can you take us to Master Aquinas?” I asked again.
The Colonel gave me a long, hard look. I guessed it wasn’t often that someone ignored a direct question from him. I returned the look, trying hard not to let my gaze wander over to the empty eye socket.
He finally broke the silence. “Of course,” he said. “She sent me to bring you to the meeting inside. She would have come herself, but I’m afraid the stairs give her some trouble.”
“Is she sick?” T-Rex asked.
The Colonel shook his head. “She was injured during the attack on the farmhouse in Spain.”
“Is it bad?” Xavier asked.
The older man seemed to mull over the question. “I’ve known Aquinas for a long time. I think it’s worse than she’s letting on.”
“Won’t take her medicine,” Bocho blurted. “Won’t rest the way she needs to. Maybe you lot can talk some sense into her.”
With this news, I was really eager to see her. I turned to the Colonel. “With all due respect, sir, I’d like to stop talking and get moving.”
“Of course,” he said. “But only you right now.”
“I don’t think so,” Daniel said. “We’re not splitting up. Not until we have a better idea of what’s going on here.”
“What do you mean, what’s going on here?” the Colonel asked. “We’re preparing for war, that’s what’s going on here. And in war there are generals and there are soldiers.”
“I thought you were only a colonel,” Will said.
The Colonel clenched his jaw. When he continued, I heard the strain in his voice like he was using every trick he had to control his temper. “The meeting I’m taking Jack to, the meeting where Aquinas is right now, is for the leaders of the Black Watch. I’m sorry, but we can’t have a bunch of… of… younger hunters at the meeting.”
“Why don’t you say what you’re really thinking,” Eva said. “You can’t have anyone with Creach blood at the meeting.”
“Young lady, I’m not accustomed to having to explain myself. You better think twice about–”
“––about what?”
I stepped between them. “Easy. It’s okay, Eva,” I said. “Let me go talk to Master Aquinas and get the low down. You guys get our stuff out of the truck and get some grub. Do you have something cooking, Bocho?”
“Always do, you know that,” Bocho said.
“I agree with Daniel. I don’t think we should split up,” Eva said.
“Can you give us a minute?” I asked the Colonel.
“Of course,” he said, walking a few paces away.
I leaned in as the guys gathered around me. “I don’t like the vibe here any more than you guys.”
“It’s downright creepy, if you ask me,” T-Rex said.
“Yeah, it’s like we’re the bad guys,” Will said.
“No, it’s just me and Daniel,” Eva said. “You heard them, the only good Creach is a dead Creach. That’s all they see when they look at us.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And that’s why we have to be careful here. They have guns and really bad attitudes, so let’s not go around kicking dirt in their eyes.”
“I want to do more than kick dirt at them,” Daniel said.
“Get some food and get our gear out of the trucks,” I said. “But don’t unpack. I don’t think we’ll be staying long. And stay together too, all right?”
I looked at each of them until they nodded. Eva just stared back at me. “All right?” I asked again.
“No, it’s not all right,” she said. “But I’ll do it anyway. Only because I want you to see Master Aquinas as soon as possible so we can get out of here. Tracking down the Lord of the Zombies seems like it’d be safer than staying here.”
We broke up our little huddle and I walked over to the Colonel.
“Everything settled?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “Let’s go to this meeting you were talking about.”
“Right this way,” the Colonel said, pointing to a small door in the main building. As we walked, he said, “I have to admit it’s a weird feeling having you here.”
“Really? Why’s that?” I asked.
“Your father and I were very close once,” the Colonel said. “Best friends actually. I would have done anything for him.”
I was shocked by the revelation. “I had no idea.”
“Why would you?” he said. “It was a long time ago. Before you were born.”
“Do you know how he was captured?” I asked, feeling my stomach churn with the possibility of at last getting answers about my father. “Do you know what happened?”
The Colonel kept looking straight ahead. “I know exactly what happened,” he said. “He fell in love with the wrong girl. And that led him to make some very bad decisions.” He looked over at me and pointed to his missing eye. “By the time it ended, none of us were left unmarked.”
I wasn’t sure what he was implying. My confusion must have registered on my face because he traced his scars with his finger, hesitating over his missing eye.
“I got this storming Ren Lucre’s castle. The same night your father betrayed the Black Watch.” He stopped and turned toward me. “But don’t worry, the sins of the father are not the sins of the son. I don’t hold it against you.”
I swallowed hard, not knowing how to respond. The idea of my father as a traitor, or fighting his best friend, was something I just couldn’t digest. The Colonel seemed to enjoy my discomfort. He smiled and slapped me on the back like we were old friends.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s see what plan the leaders of the Black Watch have come up with to stop Ren Lucre’s army. I’m sure everyone will be interested to hear what you have to say.”
He ducked into the door that went into the keep. I stood there for a few seconds, too stunned to move. But the idea of seeing Master Aquinas and getting some answers from her got my feet moving.
I just hoped that when the truth finally came out about my father, it wouldn’t be something terrible.
I felt nervous. Maste
r Aquinas had protected me from the truth for a reason, but I still wanted to know. No, I needed to know.
I stepped into the keep and followed the Colonel, already worried that I would come to regret my search.
6
The inside of the keep was poorly lit. Instead of flaming torches like there’d been in the old castle of the Academy, there were electric lights strung on an exposed wire. There must have been a generator somewhere on the property because there certainly was no way the power company offered service to creepy, isolated castles up in the mountains. But they weren’t wasting much electricity, spacing out the lights so darkness stretched between each patch of faint light.
The stone passage felt cold and dank. We entered a spiral staircase that twisted up into the higher levels. I counted three floors before we stepped out into a small room. Three narrow slits in the wall allowed some natural light in, but not much. It was enough to show a large metal door set into the far side, guarded by two of the Black Death hunters. They eyed me carefully.
“At ease,” the Colonel told them. “This is Jack Templar. He’s not a threat to us.”
At the mention of my name, the two guards looked even more unsure about my presence. Maybe they also picked up the Colonel’s dismissive tone. He might as well have said, He’s just a kid so don’t worry about him.
“After you, Jack,” the Colonel said as one of the guards opened the door.
The room beyond blazed with light. It was a shock after the dimness of the rest of the keep. A hum of activity filled the room; clacking sounds, beeps and whistles of machines, and low voices speaking in clipped tones. As my eyes adjusted, I saw what looked like a command center from one of the old war movies my Aunt Sophie used to watch. A large map showed where armies faced off against one another, and generals moved pieces around as if they were playing chess.
Black Death hunters sat in rows of communications stations with headphones on, working switches and dials on old-fashioned radios. They jotted down notes, and younger hunters grabbed them, ran across the room, and disappeared through another door in the back. Supervisors paced behind the radio operators, watching closely.
