Over the Tracks (MxM)

20-

Caleb was restless. He was already anxious about storming the vampires' house later. Chris had made it clear that he didn't want Caleb to go, but Caleb insisted. He was the only one who would be there who knew nearly everything about the vampires and the house itself, as well as the only nonhuman. It was dangerous, very much so, but Caleb accepted that. Besides, he was supposed to help find and fight the vampires as part of the deal Jason had apparently made, and this was likely a large part of it.

The two of them had eaten a large dinner the night before, since Caleb had mentioned he likely wouldn't be able to eat breakfast due to his nerves constricting his stomach. It wasn't even sunrise yet and he was already glad he hadn't planned on eating that morning. Chris was still sound asleep, even snoring a little, but that didn't stop Caleb from tucking himself under his arm and against his chest. He refused to move until Chris started to shift a little, telling him that he was waking up. He slid off of him and to the side, only for Chris to sleepily pull him against him again. Caleb rested his cheek on his chest, snuggling up. It relaxed him, but still didn't completely chase away the worry inside of him.

Chris didn't wake up until the sunlight was streaming in through the small openings in the blinds. Caleb didn't mind staying in bed until then, but he was glad to finally get up and start moving around, letting out some of his nervous energy. He hopped in the shower, getting right back out and throwing his clothes on while Chris took his turn in the bathroom. Caleb was pacing after he had done everything he could think of to do. When Chris stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes followed him as he paced before asking a one-word question. "Anxious?" Caleb stopped to nod at him before continuing, not needing to say anything more. Chris moved into Caleb's path, stopping him once more and holding him in place with his hands on his shoulders. "It's gonna be ok, Caleb. We'll get them all, and then we'll leave here together when it's over. We'll be safe, I promise you. It'll be ok."

Caleb was still unsure, a pit forming in his stomach that sank with every minute, but Chris's words soothed him to some degree. He had a hope.

Finally, it was time to leave. Caleb was impatient as they drove, fidgeting in his seat the entire ride. The pit in his stomach expanded, making him thankful that he didn't have anything in there.

When they parked, they got out and Chris took a hold of Caleb's arm to keep him from pacing again. There were a few other cars parked there that hadn't been there the other day, but it looked like there would be a lot more coming in the next hour or so considering how early they were. Chris gently guided Caleb to his office, sitting down at the computer to look for any updates in the database. Caleb spent the time between fidgeting, pacing the room, watching Chris, and helping set up some of the equipment.

"You two are here early," Jason said as he walked in the door to the office, turning on his own computer to check it. Caleb stopped pacing momentarily before switching to fidgeting.

"Yeah, thought we'd do some extra prepping," Chris replied calmly. "Plus somebody's a little nervous."

Caleb half expected Jason to start making fun of him for being so anxious, but was surprised when he did the opposite. He turned to Caleb, looking him directly in the eyes. "Look, kid. Everybody's worried at some point. Everybody gets scared. If we don't seem like it, then that's only because we've learned to hide it well from experiencing it so much. But you remember one thing. You will make it out of this, and things will turn out well in the end. Tell yourself that, and it'll happen."

Caleb nodded, letting the words sink in, then surprised all three of them by stepping forward to give Jason a hug. Jason hesitated, then returned it for a brief second before they both pulled away. "Thanks," he whispered sincerely. True, he was still tense, but the words helped, especially the more he repeated them in his head.

After several more minutes, the door opened and an unfamiliar head peeked in. "Come on, time's up. We're about to go. Grab whatever weapons you're bringing and get out here." The person then retreated, likely to return to where the others were gathered.

"You ready?" Chris asked Caleb, turning to him as he stood up.

"I-I guess," Caleb replied. He tried to muster as much determination as he could, but the uncertainty he felt leaked into his voice. Chris just gave his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze as they grabbed their guns and plenty of ammo.

They were met in the parking lot by what looked to be close to thirty-eight others. Forty-one total, including himself. Caleb shrunk behind Chris at seeing so many humans gathered, but hardened his nerves when he felt Chris take a hold of his hand.

The whole group, each armed with some form of light gun or other weapon Caleb couldn't name, made their way through the trees to the place where Caleb had pointed out the house to be. They stopped several yards away, sending a couple through the trees to get a closer look. Once they relayed what they had seen, an impromptu plan was decided on.

After that, all hell broke loose. Caleb couldn't keep track of what happened. He knew that the majority of the vampires had come out of the house, and that most of the humans were within an arm's length of the wall at closest, light beams shooting everywhere. A few stray ones hit Caleb, but didn't affect him through the full set of clothes he was wearing for protection from that very possibility. At one point, he was nudged aside by a cluster of people and separated from Chris and Jason, unable to find them again. He found himself by the front door at some point, so he decided to enter, handgun cocked and ready to shoot.

It was the same inside the house as before he had left, bringing his fear to surface. The noise from outside the house was the only thing breaking the silence inside. Caleb took a few steps further into the house, only to stop as he saw Melanie round a corner. She glared daggers at him that made him shudder as she approached, starting to tremble.

In an instant, her hand was on his throat, gradually tightening as she hissed. "So you thought you could escape with that hunter and bring a bunch of humans here to get rid of us, hm? Well, y-" She was cut off by a pained snarl as Caleb pulled the trigger on the handgun he was fumbling to aim, shooting a strong beam right into her chest. She released him from her grasp, but Caleb didn't stick around to see what had happened as he got the gun ready for if he needed to shoot again. He slipped away from her and ran into the nearest room to recover, which happened to be the room where Treston used to hold his torture sessions. When he got inside, though, he froze in horror at the scene in front of him.

No! He stared wide-eyed at two figures. One was Treston himself, who was holding down the other figure and, by the way he didn't even react to the door, likely had his fangs sunk in the neck of the other figure. And the other, laying and pressed against one of the tables, motionless... was Chris.

Before he realized it, Caleb was filled with a protective fury. It filled him to the point where his eyes, normally sky blue, were now a blood red, and his fangs and nails had both extended and sharpened beyond the point of a normal halfblood's, even to the point of rivalling a vampire's. He growled, then leapt at Treston with more speed and strength than he thought he would ever have. The force was enough to send both of them tumbling to the ground as Caleb's claws dug into the vampire's skin. Treston was caught off-guard to the point of hesitation before he began fighting back, throwing Caleb off of him and sending him crashing into a wall. Caleb got right back up, slamming Treston into one of the other nearby tables. With a surge of power, he sucked up Treston's attacks and started digging at his chest until the cold, slow-beating heart was exposed. He yanked it out, blood pouring out with it onto him, the floor, and Treston's now lifeless body, which began slowly dissolving into nothing moments later.

Caleb stood panting over where the vampire was seconds ago when he heard the door open. His still-red eyes found an astonished Jason standing in the doorway. Jason moved his mouth to speak, but if any sound did come out of it, then it fell on deaf ears. Caleb's eyes began fading back to their normal blue as the rush receded and his mind regained control. "Chris..." Caleb whispered, turning back to where he laid on the table and rushing over. The battle and experience had been just under thirty seconds, but the exhaustion was immense, forcing him to nearly collapse before he got to Chris's side. He could see the blood running down from the two puncture marks from Treston's fangs, and the paleness... Caleb swayed where he stood, then his body gave out, and he slipped into the darkness. Before he did, a horde of thoughts assaulted him, led by Chris and one other nagging thought. Awakening...