Hunter's Strike

All the windows in both cars splintered at once as a deafening wave of sound washed over them. Angie instinctively ducked down, her arms over her head. After the explosion subsided, her ears were still ringing. She lifted her head cautiously.

The doors to the driver’s seat and back seat stood open. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid over to the open door. “What the hell?” she said, trying to compete with the noise in her ears. The smell of burning wood wafted to her nose. An orange glow came from the water. Donovan stared at his ship in shock, his eyes wide with fear.

“No! NO!” Nymph wailed in agony, pushing Chris aside. They started running towards the blaze.

The stern of the Saint Mary was ablaze, the fire eating hungrily up the entire aft of the ship. Figures moved about the deck, stark black against the glow, their screams drowned out by the sound of the flames.

Taking Nymph’s cue, they all started running. Chris and Angie fell behind, nowhere as swift as the vampires. Donovan reached the end of the pier first, jumping up onto the deck with one mighty leap. He lowered the wide plank and began herding crew members towards it.

Nigel and Florence watched from the pier, their vampire instincts not letting them go near the fire. They looked around for something that could help. Nigel spotted the black van first. He nudged his brother in the chest with the back of his hand. Together they advanced on the van. Gabriel took notice as well and followed them.

Chris jumped up and climbed to the top of a shipping container. From there he looked around for a water truck. He spotted one on the other side of the pier, next to a small fire engine. He signaled to Angie and they ran over to them.

Donovan knew there were still crew in the burning parts of the ship, but he couldn’t reach them. He tried to overcome the instinct to flee, but it kept him paralyzed in place.

Nymph stepped in front of him, holding one hand up. The fey’s eyes glowed bright white. The flames in front of them parted, revealing the door leading down to the hold. A few crew members hurriedly ran out, supporting each other.

“Nymph, no!” Donovan shouted. “You can’t use your powers yet!” He reached for Nymph’s shoulder, but a powerful force kept him away.

Nigel and Florence reached the van. “What have you done to our ship?!” Nigel shouted angrily.

Florence knelt down next to Mint. She was barely alive, trying to crawl away on her belly. His eyes moved over to Book's lifeless body and to where Fiona lay. He snarled angrily, eyes burning. He advanced on Arthur, his fangs bared.

Arthur wasn’t able to move from his spot on the bumper. He lifted up his gun and fired at Florence, grazing the pale vampire’s cheek. Florence ignored the minor wound and lunged, claws ready.

A bullet came from out of nowhere and hit his shoulder from the side and above, knocking him off balance. He crashed into the back of the van next to Arthur. The door opened and Black burst out, knocking Florence away like a rag doll.

Chris drove the water truck as close as he could to the inferno. Then he hopped out and pulled the hose from the back, which he fed into the ocean. Angie pulled up the fire engine, which he then hooked up to the truck. She unraveled the hose onto the ground. Chris grabbed one end and directed her to plug the other end into the truck. She attached the hose tightly, then turned on the pump.

He directed the jet of water at the heart of the blaze, down at the stern. The force of the water was strong, but he held it steady.

On the deck, everyone still living had been evacuated, but Nymph wouldn’t back down. “That’s enough!” Donovan shouted. “We have to get out of here before the whole ship goes down!”

“NO. I WILL SAVE MY SHIP.” The glow bled from Nymph’s eyes, growing brighter till their form could barely be seen. They held both hands out and a powerful wind blasted across the deck. Their arms shook with the force of the power surging through them.

Donovan dug his heels in and leaned against the wind. “Let it go, Nymph! There’s no point in saving the ship if it means losing you!”

Nymph’s eyes widened in shock, the brightness fading at once. Tears flowed down their cheeks. The blue in their eyes turned gray and they clouded over. Nymph fell backwards.

Donovan caught the small fey in his arms, holding them to his chest. He turned and jumped off the deck, down to the pier.

Over by the van, Black was unstoppable. He grabbed Florence by the head and threw him into his brother, then charged at Gabriel. Gabriel jumped up high, over Black, and onto the top of the van.

Black turned at once, looking up at him. Nigel sprang on him, but Black knocked him away without even looking. His attention was only for Gabriel.

Red ran up to the van and dove into the back of it, cradling the box in his arms. “What the hell took you so long?!” Blue shrieked at him as he passed the box up to the front seat.

“Didn't you notice damn ship was on fire!” He shouted back. “I had to get away during the evacuation!”

“Silver needs help! Go!”

“I know!” Red shrugged out of his heavy vest. He needed all the speed he could get. He drew his gun and ran back out of the van. “Get the box ready!” he shouted behind him.

Blue sucked her teeth and got out of her seat. She moved to the back and unlocked the box, then slid the lid down and out of the van. She hurried back to her seat and buckled in. She started the engine, ready to drive off at a moment’s notice.

The entire van rocked as Black jumped up onto the roof. Gabriel hadn’t expected a human to be able to jump that high, or to be so fast. Black brought one gloved fist up under his chin and knocked him back to the ground.

Gabriel hit the ground and rolled. Black landed right where he had landed. Gabriel kicked out with one leg, knocking the big hunter’s legs out from under him. Black recovered far too quickly, springing up and throwing himself at Gabriel.

Arthur needed to stop the bleeding in his leg. He reached into the back of the van, rooting through their supplies. He pulled out the red first aid kit and opened it up. He cut away the shredded denim from his jeans and started wrapping up his calf.

Gabriel needed a weapon to put some distance between him and the monstrous hunter. He spotted a bundle of long, narrow pipes next to a shipping container and pulled one out. It was easily ten feet long and made of thick steel.

Gabriel swung the pipe once, getting a feel for its weight. Then he attacked as Black charged mindlessly. The pipe caught Black at the waist and Gabriel forced him into the side of a shipping container.

The corrugated metal dented from the force of the blow, and still Black was undeterred from his target. He grabbed the end of the pipe and crushed it in his hand. Gabriel's eyes went wide in surprise. "You're not human."

Green watched the battle through her scope, grateful that no one had noticed her yet. It had been risky, shooting Florence, but Arthur would have been dead otherwise.

She had been given specific instructions from Harris via her phone. There was only one shot she was supposed to take. If she was discovered before then, the entire mission would be ruined. So she stared down her long scope, keeping Gabriel in the crosshairs every time he moved.

Satisfied that Chris was putting out the rest of the fire on his own, Angie looked around for Gabriel and the others. She spotted Donovan with his crew, cradling an unconscious Nymph. Further away there was a brawl by a black van. She made her way over, careful to stay back a safe distance. Having no weapons at her disposal made her feel like a sitting duck.

Red and Arthur faced off against Nigel and Florence. Florence held his shoulder, while Arthur limped on one leg. "We don't have time to waste on these two." Arthur said. "Let's make this quick."

"Oh I will." Nigel said. "You sit tight Florence, I'll handle this."

The bullet that had hit Florence had gone right through his shoulder, breaking bone in the process. It hadn't stayed in place like most silver bullets did, so the wound was starting to heal.

While Nigel faced the two hunters he looked around for the person that had shot him. His eyes scanned the tops of the rows of shipping containers, but could find no one hiding there.

Nigel dodged as Red and Arthur both fired at him. He was at Red's side the next second, kicking his pistol out of his hand. He picked up Red and threw him into Arthur. Both hunters went down, but not before Arthur fired again. This time the bullet hit Nigel in the stomach.

Red scrambled towards his fallen gun. He reached it and turned just as Nigel was upon him. He pressed the gun to Nigel's forehead and fired.

Florence attacked Arthur, but his claws couldn't quite penetrate the old hunter's thick coat. Arthur pressed his pistol into the vampire's chest and fired.

Gabriel was getting tired of Black's relentless assault. The inhuman hunter was wearing on both his patience and his energy. It was time to end this battle.

He swung the pipe, aiming for Black's head. Black dodged, but the tip of the pipe scraped the helmet's visor, cracking the plastic. Gabriel used the pipe as a pole and vaulted over to Black, putting all the momentum into his heel, which he aimed right for the helmet.

Gabriel bore him down onto his back, then stomped on the helmet. The plastic was sturdy, but couldn’t hold up. One side shattered, the black pieces falling into the helmet. One glowing red eye glared out at him. It was wild and hungry, the gaze of the mad.

Blue acted quickly once she saw Black fall. She reached behind her till her fingers found Red's vest. She pulled it into the front seat and took a concussion grenade out of the pocket.

Gabriel brought the pipe up again, readying to punch it right through the helmet. Before he could bring it down a black sphere was lobbed at his chest. There was a flash of pure white light and a deafening impact. He was thrown back, ribs broken under his skin. He lay where he fell, stunned and helpless.

“Come on!” Red started towards the fallen vampire. He paused as Gabriel stirred. “Jesus Christ, doesn’t anything stop him?!”

Arthur got to his feet and aimed at Gabriel. “I’ll get him.”

“Don't kill him, Silver."

“I know.” Arthur fired, hitting Gabriel in the kneecap just as he was trying to get up. The vampire collapsed again. He aimed for the other leg.

Angie ran in front of Gabriel, arms out, shielding him. Arthur lowered the gun just as he fired. The bullet hit the ground at her feet. She flinched, but didn’t move. She was unarmed, but she couldn't let this happen.

Gabriel’s vision swam. He looked up at her, but her form kept wavering. He reached a hand up, but could not reach her.

Green hesitated, her finger on the trigger. The crosshairs pointed directly in the middle of Angie’s chest.

Red turned his own gun on Angie and Chris tackled him from behind, forcing him face first into the concrete. The impact broke Red’s nose, blood splattering.

Angie’s body jerked, blood spreading across the front of her shirt like a blooming rose. The bullet went down through her body and into Gabriel’s chest.

Time slowed down to a crawl. She looked down in surprise, then her legs gave out under her. Both Chris and Arthur started running towards her. With supreme effort Gabriel pushed himself to a kneeling position, catching her before she hit the ground.

The silver bullet burned in his chest, just a bare inch from his heart. It sapped his strength from the inside. He couldn't hold himself up. He fell again, cradling Angie's head and shoulders so they wouldn't hit the ground.

Her face was close to his, and he could see her eyes wide with fear. She breathed in short, twitching gasps. Then her body went still, her heartbeat ceased, her lungs quieted. Her eyes stared blankly.

Chris reached the pair first, but Arthur hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his pistol, knocking the big man unconsious. Red hurried over, his face covered in blood. He wiped it from his eyes with the back of his hand and knelt down next to Gabriel.

He put his hands under Gabriel's arms and started lifting the vampire up, leaning towards the van. "No!" Arthur yelled. He knelt down and lifted Angie's body in his arms.

"We need to get him in the box before he recovers!" Red shouted at him.

"No!" he refused, carrying his daughter towards the van.

Red dropped Gabriel and followed Arthur. He grabbed the man's shoulder roughly. "She's dead! Just leave her!"

Arthur turned, his brown eyes set in determination. "NO." he pressed his gun into Red's chest.

Red lifted his hands up and backed off. He turned and jumped into the van. Arthur lifted Angie up to him. "Put her in the box." he ordered

Red laid Angie down in the metal container. Arthur slid the lid closed, and climbed into the van. He tapped at the buttons on the display, setting the temperature down as far as it would go.

Black climbed into the van last. He went back to his spot in the corner and sat down, bowing his head. "Blue, let's go!" Red yelled to the front. "We still have to pick up Geen!"

Blue hesitated, looking at Arthur in the mirror. He was staring down at the box, as if willing his daughter to live.

"Oh screw it." she muttered, stepping down on the gas.

Every move Gabriel made was pure agony. He crawled slowly towards the van as the doors shut and it took off. He struggled to his feet slowly, trying to push down the pain.

His vision would not settle. The ground kept pitching forward and shapes blurred. He got to his feet and his knee immediately gave out. He fell over again, coughing up blood.

He couldn't stop. They were getting away. He needed to move forward...

Darkness crowded the corners of his vision and spread, until he fell into it.

xxxXXXxxx

Harris stood next to his desk, the phone close by. He stared out at the night skyline with his hands folded behind his back.

The phone rang and he picked it up before it could ring again. "Report."

"We're heading back now." Red sounded stuffy, as if he was holding his nose. "We got the package and we're picking up Green now.

"And the Angel of Death?"

Red paused. "We weren't able to retrieve him. Silver's daughter got in the way. We're bringing her back with us."

Harris kept his voice steady, professional, while excitement built up in his chest. "I hope she wasn't harmed." he injected just the right amount of concern into his voice.

"She's in a bad way." Red hedged. "Silver wants the doctor to be ready as soon as we get there."

"Of course. I'll alert him right away."

"Sorry we failed, sir."

"No, it's quite alright." Harris told him reassuringly. "It was an extremely dangerous mission against a powerful target." His lips pulled back over his teeth in a vicious smile. "You're only human."

He placed his finger over the receiver, hanging up. Then he pressed a few buttons. The phone connected again. "Dr. Smythe? You'd best get ready to take some patients."

xxxXXXxxx

Green sat in the back of the van listlessly, refusing to lift her head up even a little in case her eyes fell on Arthur. She held her sniper rifle in her hands, unable to let it go.

When they reached the Mechanex building, Arthur and Red hurriedly moved the box to the cart and rushed off. Green exited the van last, after Black, her rifle dangling from her hand.

Blue put a hand on her shoulder. She spoke in a reassuring voice, but Green could not understand her. The only other person who spoke Korean was Harris. This seperated her from the rest of the hunters by a language barrier.

She was able to translate English to Korean and back again with a program on her phone, but Harris had disabled it remotely once the mission was done.

"This is my fault." she said quietly, but of course Blue could not understand her. She shrugged her hand off and walked towards the elevator.

xxxXXXxxx

Arthur sat in the small waiting area in the hallway outside of the medical bay. One of Dr. Smythe's assistants was suturing the cuts on his leg. He stared at the door grimly, not noticing or caring about the pain in his leg.

The door opened and Harris stepped out, his expression grave. "Arthur, I'm so sorry." Arthur jumped to his feet yanking the needle out of the assistant's hand. Harris put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "There was nothing we could do."

"No." Arthur shook his head, refusing to believe it. "The doctor can fix everything."

Harris' eyes filled with sympathy. "He can't cure death, Arthur."

Sadness washed over him in a crushing wave. His hands clenched tightly as tears filled his eyes. The first time he had cried since his father passed. "She was my only child." he said helplessly.

"I know. You're suffering from a tremendous loss. And we won't take that lightly. We'll do everything we can for you, but right now you need some time to heal, both emotionally and physically." Harris slid his hand down to Arthur's back and steered him down the hallway. "Let us fix you up, and then go and rest. If you need anything, you have my number."

When Arthur was gone, Harris turned and went back into the medical bay. He walked past the gurneys and equipment, to a another room in the back, the operating room.

Evangeline Statton lay naked on the table, her skin white as death, her lips blue. Her hair had been carefully brushed away from her face. The wound in her chest hand been cleaned and sewn shut.

Dr. Franz Smythe was a wizened old vampire, slightly hunched, with stark white hair and an ever present glint in his eyes. The hunters thought he was just an old doctor, only Harris knew his true form.

"You've cleared away any distractions?" Franz asked. "I was just about to perform the transfusion."

"You are free to work in peace." Harris assured him. He leaned on the table, his excitement overflowing. "This will work? Even though she's human?"

Franz looked at him over a pair of round wire-rim glasses. "Of course it will." He nodded at the wooden box on the counter behind Harris. "Those are the samples, then?"

Harris retrieved the box and opened it, showing him the contents. "This is the genetic material Katrina Riley left at Better Care before she passed."

"Good." Franz walked over to a refrigerator and opened it, revealng IV packets of blood hanging inside. He removed three and placed them on the table next to Angie's body. "I will need those once I'm done here. I've been neglecting my other patients."

The doctor hung up a packet and attached the clear thin tube. He got the needle ready. "Poor Gregori. He loses to me again, with his so called 'ethical' methods." He looked at Harris. "I've lived a very long time, and the one thing I've learned? If you want something then you must have the strength to take it."

"I could not agree more." Harris said enthusiastically. "With your research, this company will reinvent the medical field. We will become the leader in medical technology." He grinned. "Just think of the stock prices."

Franz inserted the needle into Angie's arm and the red blood flowed down the tube and through the needle. He prepped a syringe full of a clear liquid and injected it into the stopper next to the bag. The clear mixed with the red inside the tube.

"Now we merely have to wait." He lifted up a blanket and covered Angie's body completely.