Darkness Follows (Book Two)

*Jett’s POV*

Everything had gone into a mad mess in the headquarters recently, we were being worked harder than we had ever worked in our lives, a team was sent to try to find Taylor and the group that had left, but they were not found, no trace at all.
But what we found really strange was the fact that there had been no sightings of vampires or werewolves, not one. The patrols were growing restless; everyone was getting anxious about what was happening, was it the calm before the storm?
The only people that seemed calm were the lovebirds Blake and Aala, they were always together and Blake was his jokey happy self like 5 years before, he tried to cheer everybody up when they were down, taking on the hard job with so much passion.
I had taken into running every day, I ran everywhere to keep my fitness up, working out at the gym and working on my weaponry skills, Tony joined me in this, we ran quietly never talking.
Today I decided to run on my own, to gather my thoughts, but instead I bumped straight into Felix.
“Sorry Felix, didn’t see you”
“You do seem awfully distracted lately, what’s the matter son?” Felix asked, patting the ground as he sat.
I sat next to him slowly.
“Well?” He asked
“I’m scared, I miss Charlotte, the group seems to be getting smaller every-day I don’t want to lose anyone else, haven’t we lost enough? Sometimes I wish that I could just be a human, completely oblivious to this supernatural world”
“Yes but what of those that do find out about us, brainwashed by the government, told it was a hoax, an experiment. Jett, you are a great hunter, you excel your years beyond my own, there is little more I can teach you, and if your group works as a team and the hunter race clan together we shall defeat these dark looming creatures. Trust me. Charlotte has gone, yes, but she still lives, she may be a vampire but can you see that changing her, other than a thirst for blood and sharp pointed fangs” Felix grimaced at the thought of Charlotte as a vampire
“But what if she has changed?” I ask
“Then why do you think she just stood there when she saw you, surely if she had changed she would have killed you straight away. Snap out of it boy!” Felix said to me, it made sense.
“Your right, I need to get Tony” I said standing
“Why?” Felix looked confused
“Tony is short of giving up, I need to boost him up, and it’s time we all came together” I said before running off towards the gym where I knew Tony was.
I found him quickly using the weights.
“Tony, I think it’s time to get the group together yet again”
“Why? What’s the point Jett, we are going to lose” Tony said solemnly
“For god sake Tony snap out of it! Meet me in room 202, the meeting room in half an hour” I said running off before he could protest.
I ran to get Alex and Dakota first, finding them in Alex’s room, in a very compromising position.
“Oh God! Sorry guys, I’m not looking! Room 202, in half an hour, be there!” I said with a hand over my eyes as Dakota gasped in surprise and Alex chuckled a yes.
Next I was to get Blake and Aala, I found them in the cafeteria, and they were also there with Katrina.
“Guys, we need a meeting, meet at room 202 in... 25 minutes” I said, I went to tell Alejandro my plan. He agreed and I took off to room 202.
The others arrived just on time along with Katrina, Alejandro, Sandra and Felix.
“Right, firstly before any of you talk, shut up and listen” I told them
“We are all suppose to be back as a group but we all seem to be still as far from each other as possible, Alex, Dakota, Blake and Aala all you guys have been interested in is each others’ tongues and bodies, and Tony you have become quiet, never saying a word to anyone, you’ve given up, we can’t have that! I will agree I haven’t been great myself as I have been running and working out all the time, but we have all got to snap out of this state! Yes Charlotte and Taylor have both gone, but we are only strong together! Plus if Charlotte had gone bad do you really think she would have just watched me from such a close distance, I think there is still good in her! I’ll admit Taylor has gone dire but she is also one of us, I say we work together and find them both! They are part of this group, not some outsiders” I said gallantly
“And how are we supposed to find them? A search group has already been out, you yourself have been out before” Tony argued
“But we haven’t all been out together as a team, another search group is not going to know signs of our friends better than us” I said back
“It’s true, when I have lost a member of my team before, we found it easier to find them than people who do not know them” Katrina said, I looked towards Tony
“So, what, we are going out as a group, trying to find them, when they could be in a middle of a army of beasts... yeah bloody great idea” Tony said sarcastically
“And you would just prefer to sit here while they come to kill us all?” Alex said
“That is NOT what I said” Tony got angry
“It is basically what you’re saying Tony, you’ve given up because you saw your future with Charlotte, and now Charlotte’s not here you can’t see a future at all. But what if we got her back? Would you see your future then?” Dakota said, Tony looked lost for words, his eyes brimmed with tears he was holding back
“We will find her Tony, you have to keep trying” I said with my hand upon his shoulder
“Thank you Jett, all of you, you’ve woke me up, you’re right we will find her, we’ll find my love of my life” Tony said standing taller
“So when do we start?” Sandra said, everyone looked at her and then to each other
“As soon as possible” I replied and every one nodded.
“I shall have supplies and trucks ready for your departure, Sandra, Felix and Katrina shall you be joining the young ones?” Alejandro asked
“Yes” they all replied to him.
The rest of the day consisted of making plans, we decided a route in which we would take, and part of it would be on foot as it was filled with trees and bushes which we would not be able to get the trucks through. We would leave in a few days so we could fully prepare for our search.

Weapons collected; ammo and supplies packed and everyone had eaten and prepared for the journey ahead.
“Be careful my love” Alejandro whispered into Katrina’s ear softly.
“Don’t worry my darling I shall be fine, and we shall find our daughter, I will not come back without her” she said back
I walked up to Katrina slowly giving them time to have a last embrace.
“Katrina, it’s time to leave” she nodded following me to the exit of the headquarters where the others were standing.
“So where do we start?” Aala asked looking at our map
“Taylor took trucks and headed that way, so I guess we start there” I said as the others nodded in agreement, we got into the trucks we had been given by Alejandro heading in the same direction as Taylor and the others had gone.
After 20 minutes Felix hauled the truck to a stop.
“There’s something in the tree up front” He said pointing towards a large oak tree
“I’ll go” I said, climbing out of the truck, Tony came out of the second truck behind us.
“What’s going on?” He looked confused
“Something up ahead in the tree”
“I’m coming with you” he said walking with me towards the tree.
We got to the tree weapons poised, but it was still unclear what the object in the tree was. It was pale in colour, thin and looked as if it was rotting.
“I’ll climb up” I said, already starting up the tree, I climbed the tree easily, and it quickly became apparent what the object was, the smell was rancid, the smell of rotting flesh made me gag. All that was there was the middle section of a body and an arm.
“What is it?” Tony shouted up. I dropped out of the tree the smell becoming unbearable, I went to the side of the tree, vomiting.
“Jett, shit what was it?” Tony said as he placed a hand on my back
“r...rr...rotting... rotting body” I stuttered slowly standing
“I’m going to go up there, check it out, I have a stronger stomach” Tony said
I walked slightly away from the tree, Katrina walked up to us with care in her expression.
“What happened Jett dear?” She asked, Tony jumped down as she said this
“That truly is disgusting” He said
“What is?” Katrina asked
“There’s a rotting body in the tree, no telling what it was before though, looks like it was ripped apart so I’d say it was either a human or hunter” Tony told her, Katrina gasped with a hand to her mouth, even though we were always exposed to violence there was occasions where it was such a shock to us still.

“We should bury the body” I said to Tony and Katrina
“Do you want to go get it then?” Tony smirked
“Tony, leave him be, Felix and I shall do it” Katrina said before leaving to retrieve Felix with Tony and I trailing behind.
“Wimp” Tony said pushing me playfully, as I caught myself on the ground, looking down I saw something small and shiny. I picked the object up, seeing it was an earring, it was a small black skull and cross-bone stud.
“Tony...Look... Isn’t this Taylors?” I asked showing him the stud
“Well holy shit, yeah it is, looks like we are definitely on the right track” He replied as we walked to the trucks.
“What’s going on Tony?” Alex asked him
“There’s part of a body in the tree, Katrina and Felix are burying it and I found Taylor’s stud” He said. I smacked him around the head.
“I found the stud!” I said to them
“Details details” he replied with a casual wave and a smirk

It didn’t take long for Katrina and Felix to bury the rotting pieces of flesh and bone, they used a piece of tarpaulin to wrap it in so it was easier to move, soon enough they had buried it and bowed their heads in respect before getting back to the trucks.
Alex, Dakota, Aala and Blake were scouring the area for any other signs of Taylor or groups’ of hunters and beasts.
“Guys we have tracks from footsteps heading east towards wooded area” Blake called through the coms.
“Okay guys lets’ get back to the trucks and head that way as far as we can, then we’ll go on foot” Sandra said back
“On way back now” Blake replied.
Getting back into the trucks we headed east, the woods were engrossed in shadow, darkness loomed in the air as we got out retrieving our supplies, heading on foot through the dark looming trees.