The Hunt

Chapter 27

"Clement..." I breathe the words out with difficulty, struggling with my winded body.

The director fixes his golden eyes on me again. Clemente is frantically pulling at the invisible constraints around his throat, his face turning a bluish hue, his eyes bulging.

"I will let you live, I will let you help me. But this one will stay here. Call it a guarantee, shall we? Mutual gain. I will let you both go once we return victorious. All you have to do is keep your loyalties correct."

He unclenches his fist and Clemente falls to the ground in a crumpled heap. I hear his wheezing and see his body shaking as he gulps in lungfuls of air. I know what it feels like, I remember the delicious and painful taste of air. The raw pain in the throat.

"I will not betray you." I say. And yet somehow I must. Or perhaps not. I must free Alesco, Leila and Wynn. Gather my family together again and get as far from this as possible. Away from the master, away from the humans and magic and fights. And I must return to my vampire form. Leila can change us, return the favour I bestowed upon her.

I wonder if I shall return to my old self. Or if I will be as a new vampire. No matter. Now I must free my family. To do that I must help this creature. I am certain he is not human, nor vampire. He is like the master in many ways. I wonder if they are related, but I dare not ask now.

"Come on, get up!" Mike says to me. I'm still lying on the ground where I fell. I pull myself to my feet, holding on to the wall for support. "You're comin' with me."

I step towards Mike and I look at his face, trying to make sense of him. Is he human? Or something else? But my own human senses are useless and I can detect nothing.

As I step out into the corridor I look from side to side, taking in everything I can see, which is not much in this darkness and gloom. These eyes are useless. Mike moves to Clemente and pushes him forcefully into the cell I just left. As if on command the metal gate descends into place, locking him within.

"Let's go." He says. I glance at Clemente. He is massaging his throat, looking dazed, frightened and unsure. He looks so different in this state, so vulnerable, so weak. Nothing like the hunter who attacked me in the forest, nothing like what he once was. His look strengthens my resolve.

"I will be back." I say through the bars. He says nothing but I think he heard me. I hear the master chuckle as he walks up the hall, away. I feel a hate and rage boiling in my stomach but I suppress it. I cannot fight him, not here, not now. I must free my family.

I turn to Mike and follow as he walks in the opposite direction. We pass cell after cell, all similar to mine. Within them I see others. The red and yellow eyes of vampires and the unmistakable eyes of humans. They are silent, watching, or sitting with closed eyes as though in sleep. What is this place?

"What is this place?" I express my thoughts out loud. Somehow Mike is not as intimidating as the director, perhaps because he is subordinate. But I do not underestimate him, I feel a danger lurking beneath the surface. Beneath his smile.

"Hunters Corps HQ." He says. I hear the smile, hear the enjoyment in his tone.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

Mike stops. We have reached the end of the corridor and a solid, dark wooden door. He looks at me. "We're goin' to war, friend. Ain't it obvious?"

I say nothing. What do they have planned? They want me to lead them to the eternal darkness, to the village, to the house of the master. How am I going to free Alesco? Am I putting her in more danger by helping them?

Mike pulls the door open, it swings heavily inwards. We move through another stone corridor until we reach a ladder. It's even darker here and I can hardly see at all now.

"I'm goin' up." Mike says. "Don't try anythin' stupid, you've got nowhere to be getting to." He starts to climb the ladder. I wasn't planning any attempts to escape. He's right about having nowhere to go. The only place for me to go is back to my family, to get them together and get them away.

There's a creaking noise and light fills the space. I recoil automatically, moving away from the sun. But I felt nothing. No pain. No weakness. One positive thing about this body.

"Come on up." Mike calls down. I reach for the ladder and pull myself up, slowly, awkwardly. I do not feel like someone who used to climb trees and leap from branches with lightness and ease.

Mike reaches out a hand as I get to the top and I take it. He pulls me up and out of the hole with impressive strength. I land on my feet in some grass.

The sun is blazing down and I feel the heat of it on my face, warming me. It's surprising to take comfort in the sun and light. I feel the relief and strength it is giving to my body. I look around, a fence stretches around us, enclosing us in, keeping out the forest and it's inhabitants. A gentle mist rises above the trees, lingering in the leaves as though protecting them from the bright sky.

I look around, there is a gate in the fence. It's closed, but in front of it is a collection of the human vehicles and people and machines. Lots of them. I hear, though not clearly, deep, barking voices, shouting orders and commands. I hear the gentle thud of boots as the uniformed men move amongst their machines, black guns hanging from their shoulders. The machines themselves are purring, ready and waiting. Never have I seen so many humans in one place.

Mike looks at me and smiles. "This is our army, friend." He says, pointing at the obvious. "Them's the ones you'll be leading to the darkness, leading to your old master."

I take it in. How am I going to get away from these? How will the village stand against these creatures and their machines. So many machines. And the guns and darts.

"When do we leave?" I ask.

"Few hours I'd say." He replies. I feel my stomach drop, another feeling I am not accustomed to.

"Come on over."

I follow him to the group. Some of the men stop and look at me, questioning expressions on their faces. Others ignore me and continue what they are doing, checking equipment, readying supplies. We stop at a particularly large human.

"Meet your new recruit." Mike says.

The man looks at me through narrowed eyes, as though sizing me up.

"What use have I for him?" He spits at Mike.

"He knows the way, he knows the path. He'll be leading the group.Them is the director's orders."

The man keeps his eyes narrowed but says nothing else to Mike. He turns to me.

"Right, stand by the gate and don't move. Wait there 'til I tell you otherwise."

I nod and move to the gate. I look round as Mike calls out to me.

"Get ready, battle is comin' soon." He says.

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