by Eric Asher
“Great, so when’s my flight?”
“I will take you there, tomorrow night. For now, relax, get some rest.” He patted me on the shoulder, the Vander equivalent of a warm hug and walked away.
The trip home wasn’t as simple as catching a flight. I woke up and my things were already packed. I hadn’t come with anything but my purse and an empty lunch bag but I was leaving with two duffel bags full of equipment and a suitcase with new pieces to add to my wardrobe. I needed combat-ready clothing apparently.
Vander came moments after the sunset and grabbed my things.
“What time is the flight?” I asked as I followed him from the room.
“There isn’t one.” He laughed.
“What?” I stopped and stared at his back. “So, I am not going home?”
“Yes, you are going home. I told you, I am taking you home… just like I brought you here.” He turned to me and waited for me to resume walking.
“Not that freaky transport thing.” I whined. I hated it and he knew it.
“Fastest way to travel.” He grinned brightly.
Vander had explained his travel method to me. It was a gift given to him by a friendly witch. Not all vampires could do it, and not all vampires could claim to have a witch as a friend. It was true that times had changed the balance of their relationship. They worked together to patrol the evil in the world, but they were a long way from ever being referred to as friendly species.
We landed on the rooftop of my apartment. Thank god there was available access and no one currently enjoying the warm summer night. I was told that the landlord often allowed rooftop barbecues. I had yet to partake in one, considering I'd spent less than three days in my lovely little abode.
As I settled down inside, Vander performed his perimeter check. When he returned, he told me he found evidence of bloodsucking visitors but nothing that suggested they were still near. Vampires left a signature, in the air, a disturbance in the energy around them. It would fade in time. I asked him to stay with me for the night. I figured there was no sense in playing tough. He agreed, but would obviously have to make his leave before the sun rose. I didn’t see the point in attempting to get back on a normal human schedule. This new job would have me up all-night and sleeping throughout the day. I may as well have been turned into a vampire myself, though I must admit, I was in no hurry to experience their particular aversion to the sun.
"Here." Vander handed me a long wooden case as he sat down on the futon beside me, it was one of the few pieces of furniture I’d acquired.
"What's this?" I took it from him reluctantly.
"A gift." He smirked and let it go. I opened the case to find a white stake. It was beautiful. I stared at the intricate designs carved into it and looked from it to Vander and back.
"Wow." I touched it. “This is beautiful.”
"You're a protector now. You deserve a real stake." He smiled again and this time I could feel the warmth. He was cold to the touch but inside of him was something more. I stopped myself from analyzing it further.
"No one else had one like this." I pulled from my memory of the night before and could not remember one team member wielding a stake so beautiful, not even Vander.
"This one is special.” He said softly.
"How so?” I inquired further.
"It belonged to your father." His words hung in the air wrapped in their own pause, complete silence.
"Really?" My fingers ran across the surface of the wood. Tears came to my eyes. "You knew him?"
"Yes. I fought by his side many times."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" I choked on my words but held my composure. If I freaked out on him, he might have changed his mind about telling me anything about the topic.
"I didn't want that to become the focus. I knew you'd have questions and want to know more. You needed to be fully absorbed in your training. Now that that it is complete, well I figured you should know." His answer was honest as always and after a moment of thought, I agreed with his decision. I wouldn’t have been able to think about anything but gaining knowledge of my parent. Forget training for defense maneuvers and communications, my mind wouldn’t have processed any of it.
"What about my mother, did you know her as well?" I asked calmly.
"Yes." A small smile lifted the corner of his lips, a pleasant memory.
"Tell me about them please." I pressed.
Vander gave me what I asked of him and he spent the night telling me about my daring father and ballsy mother. He’d fought by my father’s side but they were so much more than teammates, they were friends. He helped my father protect my mother while she was pregnant with me. He delivered me to safety when they both went missing. If it weren’t for him, I might have been taken by the enemy or worse. He told me that my laugh was the same as my mother and my strength and determination mirrored my fathers’.
I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder, after hours of storytelling, and woke up in my bed firmly holding on to my pillow. The sun felt warm across my face, and I smiled because I knew it meant a certain level of safety. He had to have opened the curtains before he left because I had always preferred to keep them shut. I stretched across the bed to remove the kinks from my body before I finally climbed out of bed. My cell phone was vibrating on the desk indicating an incoming call. I looked at the screen to see the face of my friend Mark displaying brightly.
“Hello?” I asked as I yawned which stretched out the word.
“Finally, you’re back! I thought I saw the light on in your apartment last night but I wasn’t sure. How was your trip? When can we meet up?”
“Yes I am back and the trip was good. I am free now if you are.” I had nothing else to do and there was no threat of vampires lurking in the daylight, so Mark would be safe in public with me. It hit me hard that this was something that I would have to do now, monitor my friends and family and be careful of the times I spent with them lest a bloodsucker try to snatch them up as revenge. I nearly spit out a quick cancellation but decided not to.
“Great, meet you at Crackbucks in about an hour?” His chipper voice indicated that he had already had his first cup(s) of coffee.
“Sure thing.” I hung up the phone laughing at his nickname for Starbucks. He loved the stuff but said he felt more like an addict than a coffee-enthusiast. He had to have a fix at least three times a day.
I dressed in jeans and a grey tank. No, I refused to acknowledge the fact that I mirrored my trainer in fashion. Whatever, it was cute. It was still warm out, though I had very nearly missed the entire summer thanks to my impromptu trip and I wanted to take advantage of being able to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.
“Oh my god, girl! Did you go on a vacation or to boot camp?” Mark said loudly as he poked at my arms. “You picked up some guns while you were away.” He mimicked a body builder and flexed his arms.
“Uh, yeah, I guess I did a bit of working out.” I playfully punched him in the shoulder and started walking back towards the coffee franchise.
“A bit? Child please! Look at your butt in those jeans! I say you did more than a bit!” He slapped my ass as we walked and whistled. Mark could be a bit much sometimes but that was what we all loved about him.
“Okay, okay.” I waved him off.
“It’s so nice to see you, summer has been the pits. I thought I would have you by my side, all plans ruined!” He did his fake whining as we sat down at the table sipping our iced coffees.
“I am sure you managed.” I laughed at his pathetic attempt at a guilt trip. “You’re supposed to be better at that by now.” I mimicked his pout.
“Whatever child. Anyway, yes I did manage to make it through my woes. The sad post card here and there got me through it.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” I blew him a kiss, pretended to catch the kiss, and placed it to his butt. I couldn’t help myself, I laughed and loud. The woman typing away at her laptop two tables over sneered at me. “I swear this
place is like a damn library.”
“Tell me about it, and the heffa always takes the best seat!” he said loudly eyeing the woman and then returned to me. “No worries, we all need to take time for ourselves. What about your job?”
“Nope.” I sipped from my drink.
“So what are you going to do?” His question was genuine. Mark was my poppa bear; he always questioned my safety and wanted to be sure that I was okay.
“I will be doing a bit of freelance and contract work. I already picked up a pretty lucrative opportunity with a private client.” I had rehearsed that line repeatedly in my head, because I knew it would be the first thing he asked me. It was a good thing I had opted for a career in design, that would be easy to believe, and no one would throw too many questions my way. No one really cared about that stuff anyway. Besides, I could still do some freelance, it would be a lot easier to handle with my new schedule.
“Well good for you honey! At least the bills will be getting paid!” Mark shot me a high five and spent the rest of the evening grilling me about my vacation and asking me about any hot guys I met. For a moment, I found myself describing a certain vampire in my attempts to feed him something good. I quickly backtracked and changed the topic.
FIRST ENCOUNTER
Weeks had passed with no incidents worth really phoning home about. I had been sent on a few missions by myself but they were minor and Vander wanted to test my ability. Eventually he would have to return to his normal routine and I would basically be on my own. A rogue vampire here and there would step out of line and it was my job to put them back in their place. Vander told me he sensed something bigger was near, and after the second week, as my instincts continued to improve, I sensed it as well. Whatever it was, it was lurking, hiding in the background waiting. The disturbance of energy only continued to grow and each time Vander would try to zero in on it, he would miss it by only a few moments.
“How long will you stay?” I asked Vander as we walked through the large downtown park known for its large metal bean sculpture. I had just taken care of a new baby vamp. He had been made and unleashed without training. This time he was given a warning, next time he would be taken down like all the others.
“I’m not really sure. I won’t leave until I am sure you will be okay.” He stared up at the night sky.
“You don’t think that I can handle myself?” The intention was for him to believe I was joking, but I really wanted to know his answer. What did he think of my ability?
“That’s not it at all, trust me.” He dropped his head so that he could look at me. “You said you can sense it too, something is near, and it’s not leaving. If anything, I think it is getting closer; its presence is a lot stronger than it was when we first returned. That last time, I was just a few seconds away from it.”
“You think this thing will show its face soon?” I found myself scanning our surroundings as if whatever it was would just pop up and say hello.
“Quite possibly. I have put in a call; a team will be here soon enough. We can’t wait for this thing to strike; it’s time to go on the hunt.”
“Until then?” I checked my watch. There was still plenty of time left before the sun was to rise.
“We continue on as we have been.” He started walking again and I followed his footsteps.
“Are you going to continue to sleep in the basement or opt for swankier digs?” Vander had been holding up in an abandoned storage room in the basement of my building. The room had been locked for years because no one ever utilized it. Apparently, a brutal murder had happened there. It made for a creepy feel to the entire building but hell the rent was cheaper. College kids didn’t really have much to store fresh out of school anyway so no one was worried about it... Most of the tenants ended up moving out before they ever accumulated anything worth storing.
“It’s not that bad, and I have added a few personal touches...”
“It’s actually pretty disturbing. What if someone decides to pop in? There are actually a lot of humans who have this sick obsession with visiting places of murders and terrors to see if they can sense ghosts.”
“They won’t, I had my witch friend put a repelling spell there. If they get too close, they get sick and are mysteriously urged to go in the opposite direction.”
“Good thinking.” I had asked Vander before to reveal the identity of this witch friend who was always working her magic in his favor and he denied my request. He said it was a part of their arrangement. No one was ever to know who was aiding him. It protected them both.
“I haven’t been around as long as I have without having some sense about myself.” He shrugged as we reached that famous bean. This was the second time we had been there. On our first visit, I was made to listen about how humans knew nothing of art anymore. He had centuries under his belt and he’d seen some historic works of art. He said that “this silver bauble” didn’t measure up.
“I suppose not.” We headed towards back towards the busy streets of the city and away from the lake’s cool air. Fall was definitely approaching. It was late, and the park was technically closed, but to us that meant nothing. Apparently, it also meant nothing for a few others who appeared in the distance. I noticed them about half a second after he did. Three vampires approached us slowly. “I take it they aren’t friends of yours?” I looked at him from the corner of my eye.
“You would be correct in your assumption.” He took on the stance I recognized from training. It was time to fight.
“Great.” I reached back, placing my hand on the stake at my side.
They charged us in unison. This was a planned attack; one that Vander was prepared for. He quickly dodged blow after blow and made solid contact with his own fist. They split up, the two larger men went for him while smallest of the three, a female, came for me. Once again, instinct took over, and with a move I didn’t realize I knew, I jumped. With my legs around her head, I flipped her onto her back, slamming her into the ground. Quickly, I pulled my gifted white oak stake from my holster and plunged it into her chest. I didn’t wait to watch her die. Once I heard the familiar sigh of death sound from her heart I moved to help Vander who was in no need of my assistance. He had taken out the two men who had attacked him and was standing above their bodies.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, as I moved towards him. My appraisal of him was unnecessary but I did it anyway. It was protocol. He looked me over as well. Neither of us was injured.
“That was a warning call, or a simple hello. Those three didn’t just decide to attack us for the fun of it; they had orders to do so.” Vander pulled out his cell phone and put a call in to the local cleanup crew. The cleanup crew consisted of human and vampire alike. They came to retrieve any remains that were in need of disposal when an open fire wasn’t necessary. We couldn’t risk a human finding and reporting them to the local authorities. We moved the bodies to a hidden area, the spot that Vander had designated during his call.
“So there will be more of them coming for us.”
“I would bet the bank on it.”
Vander was right. Over the next few weeks, we were hit almost every night. Wave after wave of rogue vampire puppets who followed their master’s orders attacked us. Three nights into this, we had back up. Once they realized it was no longer just the two of us, they would send in more. We made it through the weeks with only one casualty.
“When will this end?” I asked the question to no one in particular as I stood over another body of a vampire that had fallen by my hand.
“As soon as whoever is pulling the strings wants it to.” Scott, one of the other protectors said as he pulled his own kill towards the pile to be burned.
“This is senseless! We are killing off all of their numbers, how does this prove anything?” I watched as he and another grabbed the man who lay at my feet and added him to the pile.
“These are fresh turns. They barely know how to control themselves. Whoever is doing this is turning humans so that t
hey can be slaughtered. It’s a sick game.” Vander appeared, wiping blood from his hand.
“I thought you said we would go on the hunt? When do we start hunting? How long are we going to let this go on? We have killed nearly a hundred of them in just a few short weeks. If what you are saying is correct, the lives we are ending are human lives. Innocent humans who have no idea what is happening to them. We are supposed to be protecting these people!” I found myself yelling at him and took a step back. I rested my hands on my hips as deep breaths helped to calm my rage.
“You’re right. The sun will rise soon. Rest up. Tomorrow we go; we find whoever is behind this.” He turned from me, his own frustration revealing itself for just a moment before his face was hidden.
THE HUNT
Our search took us away from the city and into the suburban wastelands. Where farms once thrived, there were still a few actively producing the goods that the community required. We stood outside of the building; the rundown old barn looked as though it would fall over with the next gust of wind. The scent that wafted forward reminded me of the abandoned warehouse where we had that first mission. They were in there. Vander issued his command through a series of signaled hand gestures. We all moved forward just as we did that night, each taking our position in the predetermined formation. I could tell immediately that something wasn’t right, something about the air, the heavy weight of it on my skin. I looked around me to see if anyone else could sense the disturbance but before I could say anything, they all ran forward. There were too many to count. The vampires came from all angles.
Vander was knocked down and I was cut off from my team, surrounded by at least 10 vampires. I was prepared to fight to the end. Instead of a fight, I received a kick that pushed me to my knees and a bag was tied over my head. My hands and legs were quickly tied to prevent me from defending myself. I fought, but they carried me away. A male yelled about making sure I wasn’t hurt. About three seconds later, my back slammed against the ground. I heard the voice of a woman and the sound of fighting. A moment later a pair of arms wrapped around me and I felt the whirl of air as she transported me away from the field and away from Vander.
