The Hunted

by L. A. Banks

  “No!” She screamed again as the vision began to repeat in slow motion, Carlos’s hand caressing a full, round hip—not hers, and knocking Big Mike to the floor when he came for her. “No, no, no, no no, no no, no no! I will not, oh, Father God, not, no no, shit no, oh no! I’m not seeing this!”

  None of the team members said a word as Big Mike stood slowly, stunned at being toppled so easily, studying her with concern. But she could not stop walking, snorting the scent out of her nose, her lungs, her mind, spitting it out of the back of her throat, dry heaving, then dashing to the porch rail to give it away, mangoes and all. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she brushed past Marlene.

  “You’re a seer—don’t touch me. Not yet. This will ricochet through you.” Damali kept walking, willing kinetic energy to be a blanket. She needed space, needed a magnet to erase the corrupted mental disk and get rid of the virus in her head.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered, new tears brimming, falling, having found the tapped reservoir refilled, the dam broke. But she would not let them touch her. All the faces in the room stared at her with concern, pity, whatever expressions she couldn’t name.

  If Madame Isis were in her hand, she would have cut them to keep them back from seeing this. She turned to Kamal, searching his eyes. “You know—tell them not to touch me!”

  He nodded. “She’s a vet now, too. Saw it all. Full-blast. Oh, sweet modder of God . . . Marlene, I held it back from even you, baby. No woman should see . . . Lord.” Kamal walked away and punched the wall.

  Shabazz and Rider glanced at Big Mike, confused. JL and Dan shrugged, not understanding. Jose ran his hands up his arms as Damali paced. Kamal’s team looked like they were in shock, the question about what had happened poised on the edge of their lips, but their master had dared them to speak with a glare.

  “You know how to fight her though, right?” Kamal said as Damali found a space against the wall, leaned against it, and shuddered.

  “Oh,” she whispered, not looking at anything, unable to meet any more eyes, “I know how to fight her. Cut her fucking heart out. Yeah, I know. Already planned.”

  “Go past de pain, and past de rage, and get still,” Kamal said firmly.

  Damali laughed. New tears sprung to her eyes and fell, and she laughed harder. It was the laughter of near-insanity from profound hurt.

  “Get her some water, or something,” Big Mike said in a raspy voice. “Slap her, I dunno. But don’t let her go wherever she’s going.” He sucked in a shuddering breath and held it as Kamal shook his head.

  “Water just run it all through her like a current right now. Better she deal here den out there in da heat of battle,” Kamal replied, raking his hands through his locks, his line of vision on the floor. “Saw dis bullshit comin’ when Mar called me. Blocked it from Mar, had to. Said, self, you gitting to be too ole for dese tings.”

  Shabazz nodded. “Word, man. What we need to do?”

  Damali had stopped laughing, her gaze fixed, trying to shake the image of two panthers circling each other in a mating ritual out of her head.

  “Make the panthers go away, Kamal. Brother . . . I just can’t—” Her voice was a low, silent plea as she shut her eyes tightly and bent over, dry heaving again.

  “I can’t take it from you, gurl. Gotta run its course. You’re all Neteru now, can see deeper than any of us—which is why you gotta guard your mind at all costs. I knew the dark lover would come . . . we didn’t set a barrier for him, on account of who he was in dis triangle.”

  “What!” Rider had gotten up real close to Kamal’s face, inadvisably close.

  Kamal snarled. Rider backed away. Jose spun and went into a battle stance. Pure shock held Damali’s other guardians momentarily still. Kamal and every man on his team had upper and lower canines that were two inches long.

  “What the fuck . . .” Shabazz whispered, as Damali and the team stared.

  The room was divided in half. Kamal’s team was on one side, the guardians on the other. Kamal’s crew had bulked in size and had large canines now. Marlene sighed and walked between the lines.

  “Tell ’em, Kamal.” Marlene looked at Damali as she dry heaved, and glared at Jose. “Put it down, Jose. They’re on our side.”

  “What the hell Mar?” Damali wheezed. “They don’t need to be bulking now, and not on us!” She was in no condition to deal with this shit, too!

  “Y’all got nicked? Oh shit . . .” Rider just shook his head. “Now we gotta deal with werewolves, too?”

  “Were-humans,” Kamal said more calmly, his jawline and his team’s normalizing as Jose nervously lowered his weapon. Kamal cast a disparaging glance to his squad, and waited until they’d disarmed, appearing unfazed that the guardians hadn’t followed suit. “That’s why my crew had a problem with Jose. He’s the weaker one I spoke of, got vamp in his line—”

  “Get the fuck out of here!” Big Mike bellowed, noting that the other guardians stepped back from their own man, seriously confused.

  “It was the Dee Dee tracer,” Jose argued. “This is bull—”

  “What?” Damali yelled, not knowing which side to go toward, if any.

  “School her fast, Mar. I told you that this would come out—that you gwan hatfta tell your people ’bout dis.” Kamal had yelled the command to Marlene in frustration, but the pain in Kamal’s eyes kept all parties temporarily cool.

  “Look, I doubt Jose has any vamp in him, but he got nicked, spiritually, by his old girlfriend—but he’s healed, does daylight. That’s what your men picked up. So, drop that,” Marlene said calmly, quietly, as though speaking to people on the verge of nervous collapse. “Years ago, Kamal got bitten by a were-jag. Just nicked.” She looked away from everyone and let her gaze go out the window. “When bitten by something from the were-realms, if the bite doesn’t kill you, you’re sorta trapped between here and there.

  “That creates were-humans . . . and living weres have a chance, if they keep their karma straight, to ascend to the light when they die, unlike were-demons, which have no chance, unless deceived into the realm. Even those that die from a were-bite have a slim chance, as long as they make the right choice. That’s because the choice always remains with the living, and with those who have died unwittingly as innocent victims. These guys still have souls. Everybody in Kamal’s squad got nicked, and were brought here by their families for help. Upon their deaths, the were-attributes will flee. Their bodies and spirits normalize. Kamal set up this retreat, after his encounter, to help others sharing his same fate.”

  She glanced around. “They fight their impulses by eating nothing that contains blood or animal products. Their mission is to keep the demon elements from the were-realms at bay and away from humans. Their enemy is our enemy; their fight is our fight. They’re our allies. They’ve got a militia that hunts the demons and tracks down human victims before they turn. They are the best of the best at what they do.”

  “I’m Kamal’s second in command,” Abdul said with pride. “I do rescue-and-recovery. Thirty days after a bite, a human victim has to make a choice—to eat flesh, human or otherwise, or refrain.” He thrust his chin higher.

  “We scout the hillside, villages, and find people to help them and to bring them to compounds like this. If they go demon, then they cannot come out until the full moon, their souls are damned, they are bound to a region, and they must live down in the pit of the were-realm. They eat human flesh when they come topside every thirty days to keep their human form from decomposing back to the date of their death. If the demons don’t eat flesh, they have to stay in were-form, which means they cannot come out during daylight. They must be able to assume their nondecomposed form to blend in and scout for human victims they will feed on. They are dead; we are not. We are not demons. We are humans that have a compromised genetic structure. We live longer, age slower, but we’re mortal and can die from injuries just like any of you.”

  His gaze softened on Damali. “We’re faster, stronger, and have
sharper senses than humans. It only gets a little intense during the full moon.” He smiled and glanced away. “Then we do have to check our more primal side.”

  The tall brother that looked like Shabazz nodded. “Our urges are the same as the animal that bit us . . . it takes a lot of discipline to master and control that. That requires focus. We try to only partner with those like ourselves.” He glanced at Abdul. “Because we might not be understood. There’s a female encampment not too far away. A small sect of the Amazons used to be were-human, too. Their compound is marked by were-jaguar totems. They were guardians, like us. Used all the attributes of superior were-strength to fight evil, and were revered . . . among our clans and our colonies, they are legendary.” He looked at Big Mike. “Brother, you know what I’m talking about. They’re fine . . . tall, built like . . .” he sighed. “We generally stick to our clan.”

  “I hear you,” Mike said with appreciation. “Think I pulled one in Rio.” He rubbed his jaw, avoiding eye contact with the others. “I’m cool though, right, man?”

  “As long as she didn’t bite you. Maybe she was just from human Amazon lineage.” He shook his head. “That’s the thing . . . you just never know.”

  The two strong men on the teams looked at each other for a moment, then Big Mike smiled and glanced out the window as the guardians from Damali’s team held their breaths.

  “I’m cool,” Big Mike muttered, and wiped his palm over his gleaming scalp. “But tell me this. If the small sect of Amazons were like you guys—were also guardians, then how did the demons get them? How’d they turn?”

  “She polluted her own camp, that’s another reason we have to be so careful among the were-human clans. The whole thing was a sad act of desperation.” Abdul folded his arms over his chest and looked at Damali. “We always have two seers on our teams. An elder and an apprentice . . . that’s why I was feeling your vibe so hard. Be wary when you go out there. She’ll have a junior seer that can level dark arts, be careful of her. The older one that you’re battling is twisted, thinks she’s the Neteru now, but has probably taught her apprentice much.”

  “Yeah,” Damali said quietly, looking at Marlene. “We experienced a little bit of what girlfriend’s apprentice can do. But I had something for her.”

  Abdul paused, as though trying very hard to check himself, but lost the battle. “When, uh, I heard that you and your vampire were done, baby—”

  Before Shabazz could respond, Kamal had walked a hot pace down the guardian lines toward Abdul, making his team part for him like the Red Sea.

  “It wasn’t all his fault,” Damali said quickly, trying to avoid another disaster that could further splinter the teams or make them lose focus. “I was hurt and throwing vibe. Let’s get back to the point.” As tempers flared, she instantly became aware of the scent that had been haunting her—strong, primal, earthy, male pheromone, something stronger than human male, but not quite animal. There was too much going on before to put her finger on it, but now knowing what the other team was, she understood.

  Abdul nodded and shot her a glance that said, thank you. “Look at the moon, man,” he snapped toward their leader, as Kamal calmed down and walked away, trying to preserve his pride. “It was definitely no disrespect intended.” He walked away and stood by the door with his arms folded, indignant at the rebuff. “Can’t barely keep your own shit straight yourself, tonight. Don’t worry ’bout me.”

  The obvious peacemaker in the group, Kamal’s youngest man, Ahmad, immediately stepped between the possible combatants when Kamal whirled and snarled, backing Abdul up to stand nearly on the porch. All the Neteru guardian team could do was watch from the sidelines.

  “While here, Neteru,” Ahmad said with deference that seemed to slowly calm every male in the room, “we focus and hunt down the demons that made us. That focus is imperative—because each full moon, the demons will also seek a were-human, try to re-infect us anew, and try to get us to commit an atrocity that will allow them to trap our souls in their realms. They view us as infidels, literally, beings that have dodged a silver bullet—and we are mortal enemies with them. Vampires come for us, too, as they register us in their sensory awareness as were-demons. They make no distinction within our culture.”

  He glanced around the room. “They bite animals, too. Infect them, and turn them into familiars. The animal cannot take on human form, but the worst of its nature comes out, and it will do a demon’s bidding, will bring information, and can be a disease carrier. So, if you see an animal that is larger and more aggressive than it should be, or that hunts humans almost exclusively, it’s infected—an abomination of what the demons have altered. We hunt those, too, to put the were-creature out of its misery. Do not get the three categories confused; were-humans, were-creatures, and were-demons—each are different. We are not one and the same.”

  “And that’s why you ain’t got no real challenge from me,” Kamal said in a hard tone, now looking at Shabazz. “She can’t stay wit me, even if I wanted her to . . . or if she wanted to. There would be no future in it. One night, I’d level a bite. That’s nature. Fuck it. I’ve said all that needs to be said.”

  Kamal glanced away, swallowed hard and went to stand in a far corner of the room. Damali’s line of vision followed him, watching the shoulders of his team slump in defeat, as Shabazz seemed stunned by the man’s sudden honest outburst.

  Kamal nodded. “I run a clean operation here. I was a guardian, and hunted demons—still am, still do! I deserve respect for that, man. One got to me. Can happen to anybody. She came here before my encounter, my compound will remain a clean safe house, will be so until I die. That’s why Mar had to leave here. In my early days, newly turned, I didn’t have the restraint.” He glared at Abdul. “In later years I learned discipline. It became evident dat one day I was gonna hurt her. So . . . we let it alone. I never passed this virus to her, hard though it was not to. But when she asked for my help, what could I say?” His gaze softened as it left Abdul and went to hold Marlene’s. A sad understanding passed between them. “Vamps were following her, too. It was best.”

  The two looked at each other and glanced away, each considering a section of the barren wooden floor. Shabazz went to the window and let his breath out slowly.

  “Like wit all tings, not just the vamps,” Kamal said reverently, “it happens with us weres like dat, too. A nick that doesn’t kill releases something powerful and can pass through generations. A vamp nick infects only the human that was bitten, but if they have children wit another human, it runs through the genes. Unlike the vamps, however, because I’m alive, I can directly sire. My children wit her woulda had some of me in them, been double vamp bait, and had to live this type of life.”

  He shot a glance to Shabazz, but it wasn’t filled with rage, just defeat. The two guardians stared at each other. “So, we let it alone. So, you need to let the past between me and her rest. Me and her know what time it is—you ain’t got nuttin’ to do wit dat. I ain’t no threat.”

  When Shabazz looked away, Kamal swallowed hard, his gaze seeking the sky. “If we don’t kill, or never eat human flesh, then we are not doomed . . . but we have to keep our infection out of the generations. Every man on this team was nicked by the big cats of this region. The wolfen clans are indigenous to North America and Europe. Some of my men have come here as children ’cause of dat plague. Maybe that’s why your man, Rivera, was so susceptible to his misfortunes? Maybe he had a little vamp in him already? Like me wit da were issue. Who knows? Dat isn’t important. What is important is the fact dat he can track—because vamps and demons can smell each other immediately. Don’ be hard on Mar. She didn’t walk you into an ambush. She brought you to some people who can track demons and vamps better than anyone else on da planet . . . but also didn’t fully inform you, because you would have freaked out and never agreed to come where you must.”

  Jose appeared faint from the new information that had just been draped on the group. Big Mike put his arm over J
ose’s shoulder in a quiet demonstration of emotional and physical support. “It’s Dee Dee’s tracer, man . . . you ain’t vamp.”

  Kamal looked at Marlene’s sad eyes and then over at Jose. “Yeah, man, that’s probably what it is. But just in case me and my boys are right, and we’re picking up a diluted strain of vamp, you need to watch da kind of women that you’re attracted to. Understand? You gwan have a ting for sisters wit fangs and could find yourself turned one night. Dat boy definitely got a nose for da Neteru, and you don’t hafta be a seer for dat—the odder vamp, the master one, gwan always have a problem wit his ass.”

  He looked at Big Mike, took a long sniff in his direction, and smiled. “You best school your young blood . . . you got nicked, but cleaned out, and know da deal. I can still smell it. That master vampire gwan take issue wit him, too, seven years from now being ’round your Neteru, living wit her in da compound, if we ain’t wrong.”

  Big Mike’s grip on Jose’s shoulder tightened. “Our boy’s cool. This was just from something that went down in the States with his woman. You saw his ass roll up here in the sunlight, like Mar said. Don’t trip, and stop messing with his head, brother. We all gotta keep our heads going into this fight.”

  “You’re right.” Kamal nodded, and his squad followed suit but seemed unconvinced.

  “But you all let a goddamned master vampire up in here, too, in this twisted bullshit!” Shabazz suddenly began pacing back and forth before the window like a madman. “You have the nerve to talk to me about putting my woman at risk—and the Neteru? Fuck all this! You could have just told us what to do, then—”

  “The dark lover had to show her dese tings, man. Had to get it in her head, let her feel it, so she had something to work wit. Will save her life. Couldn’t just tell her, had to show her. Some tings you must experience to know in your soul, not just up in your head like from a book. You know dat as much as I do, brother. Dat’s how your team been schoolin’ her all along—demonstration . . . letting her taste life, den guiding the process. What about dis you don’ understand? Huh? Because of Marlene, you can’t tink straight?” Kamal sighed, weary patience laced in his breath. “You and me ain’t dat different, same tribe. So, chill. Let ego go on dis, too. Just like I had to—way before she met you.”