Missing Vampire: Reward Available (Hypernaturals 6)

You Are All Stupid

The end came quickly. 

The battle outside, in the front and the back parking areas, is over. No more firing out there.  The Crew out there came inside the Hall looking for more Para's, and it took no time from then to kill all the bad actors left. When it was over, the hall had a strong breeze blowing through it because it has no windows left. 

The gun-smoke cleared. The smell remained.

"Roll call!" Renee demanded. We sounded off. A thing we practiced in our two weeks prep time when we were not having sparring or pool parties. Morgan calls it operational discipline. I call it you are looking right at me, Renee. Morgan said she would do the same thing if it was her Op, and kick anyone's ass that did not respond promptly. I responded promptly and without sarcasm.

The entire Vampire crew is alive. I am not the only one with wounds, but it is amazing. No fatalities in an operation of this scale and with weapons. It is not so true inside the tables. Two Siren defenders are dead.

I pulled back the table to open the circles, and saw Kuzman kneeling over Toma. Another Siren stretched out beside him.

Angel and Vera are OK. Vera slightly less giddy with enthusiasm. Her first gun battle. Her first time to kill, that I know of anyway. Her face has some gunpowder residue on it. Angel told her "Come on. I need to wash your face."

"I know how to wash my own damn face, mom." Vera protested, but stepped over a pile of AK's and ammo clips to let herself be led to the bathroom area. The only place in the hall this battle had not raged.

I shoved another pile of weapons out of the way and knelt down besides Kuzman. "Fuck." I said.

Kuzman nodded. Said nothing.

"Whatever he needed to pay for his kids, I will take care of." I told him.

Kuzman looked over at me. "A Vampire, supporting Siren children?"

"Toma had the one and only excuse I would accept for selling me out to these... Bastards. Family first, Kuzman. It's my way."

"You do not think this should fall to Parvan?" Kuzman asked, obviously having thought about this already.

I looked over at Parvan, sitting dejectedly against a turned over table. "I do not know if I will let him live." I looked back at Toma. "This is my debt to pay. I am Liaison. I have to do it. Honor must be served."

"Very well. If you must kill Parvan, then I must help you do that. That is MY way. My honor must ALSO be served, Liaison."

"Agreed. We will not settle this tonight. My claims are temporarily superseded by the fact we have to clean up here. I assume you have enough Cops that are Sirens to keep this off the local radar."

"Yes. Of course." Guzman said. "Fire Brigade. Emergency Medical staff. This conflict will remain here."

"Then let me show you the wonders of the Vampire Crew. We don't merely win battles. We clean up after ourselves. Do you want to deal with these two bodies in your way? Or do you want us to make them disappear? No disrespect, Kuzman. Only being practical about how to deal with people with military rounds in them causing their deaths."

Kuzman gave that some thought. Looked at the man whose name I did not know. Shook 'No'. "I can deal with the questions, although I do understand your concern. Toma will be buried with full Siren honors. Rayno shall be taken care of according to our ways as well. You can really make all these other bodies... Disappear? There are so many!"

"Far more than I expected. Yes. They will be gone. Not by magic, but they will be gone, and there will be no trace of them left other than what happened to this hall.