Greykin Valley

| 10 | The Infected

Hunters might be human nine times out of ten, but that didn't mean they were stupid. Sebastien had learned never to underestimate them, especially since many soldiers who worked for the Nosferatu's subdivisions were human. They could be smart, tactical, and even a little devious. He wouldn't make the mistake of shrugging them off and telling himself they'd never track the pack back to Silverlake.

He was going to have to investigate.

Sebastien kept low and prowled through the woods. He followed the wolfsbane scent, and when he heard voices, he covered behind a boulder.

"Barkley, we got hunters in the perimeter," he whispered.

"How far out, sir?"

"Half a mile, maybe a little more." He peeked around the rock and focused on a trio of armed men standing by a jeep. "I can see three and a jeep, but I can hear several voices."

"Do you need us to move in and back you up, sir?"

Sebastien pondered. The hunters were near where his squad set their trap, and there was no way they wouldn't hear the trap go off and the infected human screeching. However, he couldn't tell what they were doing. Were they tracking? Were they waiting for someone or something?

"No," he replied, keeping hushed. "I'm not sure what they're doing, but there's a chance they might be the same hunters we extracted Wilson from last night. If they are, and they're looking for revenge, we might have to bring this to Lord Caedis. They could interfere with the mission, and that's something we can't have."

"Of course, sir. We're on standby."

Sebastien scanned his immediate area. There were enough trees and bushes to get closer without being seen, so he started moving nearer, ensuring he stayed hidden.

The closer he got, the more hunters he could see; there were three by the jeep and four others skinning a dead arieto. They cut the moose-looking beast's cat-like tail off, sawed away its moss-covered antlers, and laughed as they did it.

These men didn't deserve to live—

No...he couldn't let his anger consume him. He had to keep composed and figure out whether these guys were just hunting or stopped to strip the arieto on their way elsewhere.

"Oi, Frank!" one of the men by the jeep called.

The hunter standing over the others while they skinned the arieto looked at the man, tossing his cigarette into the snow. "What?"

"How much longer is this shit gonna take? We gotta get back to camp."

"As long as it fucking needs to take, Bill," Frank replied.

Bill scoffed, looking at his two friends. "Guy's a fucking party, ain't he?"

The men laughed.

Sebastien scowled as they loaded the arieto's severed parts into their jeep. They were headed back to camp, and since the jeep looked like the one Wilson's group was driving, it was safe to assume these guys were part of that hunting party. Why were they in such a hurry to get back, though?

He couldn't follow them. The mission to capture an infected human was more important. He waited. They got into their jeep and drove off, and once they were out of Sebastien's line of sight, he left the brush cover and headed in the opposite direction.

"They've gone east," he told the squad. "Looks like they're heading back to their comrades. I'm getting back on task. Contact Lord Caedis and let him know Wilson's band of hunters might be getting closer to Silverlake."