Hunters

Chapter 8

"War?" Rachel straightened in her seat.

"Wars, actually. It happened around the time when Europe was devastated by plague, so the number of mortals killed in the conflict went unnoticed. Apparently, each Vampire-Hunter conflict was translated into a spread of bubonic plague. 1649 – Seville, 1665 – 1666 in London, 1679 in Vienna and the last Great War took place in 1720 in Marseille, France."

"That many humans died? Why didn't the Hunters do anything about it?"

"They did. After winning the first two wars, they made a capital sin out of turning any human into a supernatural being. Be it Hunter or vampire. But it didn't last long. The last two wars were a disaster. The Hunters were almost wiped out. That's when the High Council was created, and the rule that Hunters shouldn't wander alone was instated. They were trying to preserve their numbers."

"Didn't they lift that first rule?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"No. Humans were still scarce. The only problem was that, in order to impose their wills, the High Council pushed these procedures through to give themselves more power, seem legit. That's how the protocol was born. It was probably not a bad thing, seeing how demoralized everyone must have been, but it turned into something else. You heard Angus in there. That's textbook mass manipulation.

"All that bullshit about not agreeing with them meaning we're against them. The humongous number of rules. That's just a way to keep Hunters busy so they wouldn't think and realize that the Council has long lost its purpose and right to rule." Daniel swerved down a cobbled street. 

The sky looked at if it were about to burst into flames. Pink and orange battled the light blue for dominance over the horizon. 

"A lot of Hunters didn't see eye to eye with the restrictions on hunting and all this propaganda. Max was one of them. He was kicked out of his order and banned from ever hunting again after he dared say that following the Council's rules didn't make Hunters better and stronger. The Council claims that Hunters are the bringers of divine retribution against vampires and that the only way for us to fulfill our higher purpose is to follow all the rules. Max didn't buy that."

"So he broke both rules." Rachel squinted at him. "He turned you and continued hunting. Alone, unsupervised, and didn't report."

Daniel pursed his lips. "Yeah. And I went along with it. Because I thought he was right. I still think he's right. I broke the rules, too. Turned you, kept hunting..." He sighed. "I just didn't know exactly how illegal that was. But now you know. So, if you want to take a different path, I'll understand."

"Are you nuts?" She punched his arm in jest. "I'm with you. Whatever happens. Forever against the tyrannical establishment."

He slowed down and stopped the car in front of what looked like a white, stone chapel. "I hoped you'd say that. I wouldn't let you go even if you wanted." He winked and hopped out of the car.

As she unlatched her seatbelt, he opened the door for her and helped her down.

"I'm not crippled, you know," she said with a smile.

"I'm merely being a gentleman." He squeezed her hand and led her toward the building.

Heat rose to her cheeks. Why was she blushing? The current running through her made her shudder. She instinctively pulled closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. His scent filled the air, intoxicating her. He always reminded her of a forest after a refreshing rain.

The white building disappeared from view. They were in the forest. Sunlight came down in greenish rays, making a fresh flowing river twinkle as if made of diamonds. Birds sang and leaves rustled, forming a familiar, calming melody.