Hunters and Beasts

Building Relationships

The rest of the school day went without much to speak of. After their kiss Caleb left school to tend to business promising to meet up with her latter. The kiss. Faith thought about it for the rest of the day unsure if he had really enjoyed it. when he had kissed her this morning, she felt like she was going to die. It was the best kiss she had ever experienced. He’s making me crazy. The final bell rang, and faith left school with the hundreds of other students. She made it to her truck and tossed her stuff in. Her head still hurt from her earlier as she headed towards home. She pulled her phone and called Tyler.

“Tyler, take command for training and patrol tonight.”

“Yes mam.” she could hear the eagerness in his voice. “Anything I should know?”

“Michael, something happened with him earlier and he gave me a concussion when he hit me. I’m going to do research on the matter.”

“Keep us posted then. Ill take care of business in your absence.” 

“Just remember its only temporary.” the phone clicked off without a response and she sighed as she drove the rest of the way home in silence. She walked into her house and strait up the stairs to her room and desk. She put Caleb’s journal on her desk and looked at her empty files. She sighed and started to update them. She glanced over to the pile of journals and grabbed the oldest looking one.

Michael Greymoon. She opened the book and started to read from the beginning.

I always hoped to be a writer one day, but I did not expect it to begin in a way such as this. I started writing so that I could remember how to do it; now that my goals of finishing school have gone up in flames with the rest of our lives. Yesterday my home, my parents, even our family dog perished in a fire from causes unknown. We are left homeless, and without guidance ‘cept from one another. All that we have left is each other and the clothes we wear on our backs. They look to me for guidance, but I have only just begun to understand life and its hardships, I am not ready to be a parent to orphans while being an orphan myself.

Faith paused in reading a tear coming to her eye. Losing the ones who love you is hard. She looked back down at the next paragraph.

We have been living in the streets, doing whatever we can to get food and clothing. Winter is not far off and the nights have gotten colder and its been harder for us to get by. Emily and Sarah have taken to becoming seamstresses and stealing bits of cloth to make us clothes. I don’t believe in this type of life. Stealing is never right and you cannot justify doing it. I have taken up helping the local healer and tending to the herbs for him. My twin, Johnathon seems to do nothing but come home with a few coins here or there and somehow managed to get us a battered tent to keep us from the cold. When pressed he just mentions that he ‘found it’. I believe he is moving towards the life of a scoundrel. I will do whatever I can to keep our family from the darkness.

Faith looked up from the journal when her phone buzzed. She looked at the message across the screen. I'm sorry I had to run off, something major has come up. Are you on patrol tonight?

No. I think I have a concussion. I stayed in and gave Tyler command, what has happened? The reply was almost instant.

Good, please stay in tonight. I promise I will talk with you more latter. She put her phone down with a sigh and looked at the clock. It was early, but she was tired. Thank God tomorrow is Friday.

Faith trudged through the woods with Tyler in tow. She could smell burnt flesh and fuel as they neared the wreckage of the bus. Faith readied her sword as they broke through the wood line and onto the road. She could see bodies and parts laying around the bus wreckage. She signaled to Tyler that she was going in and he nodded staying back. Faith crept up to the bus, a cough breaking the eary silence.

“Hello?” a voice called softly from the darkness. Faith rushed towards a struggling figure who was holding his throat. Blood was running from between his fingers.

“sir?” Faith slid to his side, realizing it was the elder hunter.

“Blackheart?” he coughed blood. “I’m glad you made it, you had the right idea.” his body was shaking, and he was trying to sit up. Faith pushed him back.

“No sit.”

“We can’t, they are still here.”

“What?” faith heard a screech as a figure approached, dragging its nails across the bus.

“i knew there would be more.” its voice was a hiss. “I’m glad I stayed to see you slaughtered.” faith dodged as the vampire dove at her. She heard a shout and her head snapped to where the senior hunter lay.

“Blackheart! Take this!” she saw a beam of light fly through the air, and she grasped it. A shining golden blade was in her hand. It burnt her hand, but she swung it towards the vampire, hearing a sickening hiss when it contacted his skin. The vampire jumped back screaming. Faith executed a roll and hacked off its leg. It writhed in pain. She pointed the blade at it.

“don’t move.” she heard the hunter struggling to breath and tried to move towards him. She heard Tyler running towards her and looked to him.

“They are coming!” she could hear the shrieks coming from the trees.

“You did it now, filth. You think you can destroy a Vladimir elite and nothing will happen to you?!!” Faith forced the vamp to his feet as Tyler got to her side.

“What the f**k are we going to do?”

“You hold him. Don’t kill him unless that is your last option.”

“What the f**k are you going to do?”

“Be a hunter.” she pulled her second sword and stepped in front of Tyler and the injured vamp. She ran headlong into the horde of vampires, her eyes turning red as she unlocked her power. She blacked out as she took a bath in blood.

Faith opened her eyes as bright lights cast over her. She heard the blades of a helicopter and looked skyward, blood running down over her eyes. The sun was slowly raising, and she looked down around her. She turned her head and vomited. The ground was littered with body parts, and she was steaming from blood that was still warm on her skin. Tyler sat up against the bus, a struggling vampire still in his arms. She heard shouts and vans rolled up around her with hunters jumping out weapons raised.

“What happened here!?” Someone ran to faith and tried to communicate with her. She sank to her knees grasping her hand as pain bubbled from her finger.

“Ahhh what the f**k?” her hand caught fire as a gold band crafted around her right ring finger.

“She has the sword! The General!” the men rushed to the dead hunters around the bus.

“Get these kids out of here!” she felt arms clasp her shoulders and drag her to a van. She did not fight as they shoved her in. She closed her eyes and ran her hand over the ring on her ringer. It hummed with energy. What have I done?

Faith sat bolt upright in a sweat. She looked around breathing softer. Why do I keep seeing this... faith sighed. why am i having so many nightmares? 

Faith stood, stretching. she looked to the clock on her nightstand. 3:23 flashed across the screen. she walked to her desk and picked up the journal once more. 

Johnathon has informed us that he found an abandoned house on the edge of the woods. with winter coming i didn't want to ask questions. i wanted to believe that he had come by this honestly. when we arrived, the house seemed very nice for abandoned. the sighs of my siblings caused me to keep my mouth shut. we settled in, i went out to chop wood for a fire to keep us warm. John came home with some deer. we cooked the food and for the first time i didn't feel so bad. i have been scared for months of what the future might hold for us. i thought wed parish in the streets before we found a roof for our own heads again. weeks went by and it seemed that our luck started to change. we were healthy and almost happy living in this home together... that is until  IT showed up. 

Faith rubbed her eyes, the words making her tired. she fell back into her bed to get a few more hours of sleep before school

Faith’s day drug as she waited for Caleb to text her. He had skipped school that day and she was worried about him. I hope he is okay. She finished school and headed to training just like all the other days. She entered the room and saw a crowd of hunters towards the back. What the hell is going on. Faith made her way to the back and saw a man chained to the floor. Oh god is that... the man looked up and she recognized Michael staring up at her.

“What the f**k is going on here!” Tyler stood against the wall smirking.

“We found him while we were on patrol last night. I thought id bring him in and ask him a few questions.”

“Tyler that is reckless and stupid! You have no idea what he is if anything!”

“i swear I don’t know what you are talking about! Let me go!” tears rolled down the boys face and he was sitting in a puddle of his own urine.

“You think that THIS is called for? What happened to OBSERVE then REPORT Tyler!”

“He attacked you yesterday! You said it yourself!”

“i said something was off! This is extreme even for you!”

“Never hurts to go through the tests!” Tyler picked up a silver blade and held it to the boys skin.

“I’m not f*****g standing for this. I’m out of here.”

“Humans, if he even is one, are beneath us.” Tyler called after her. “You know that sometimes you sacrifice one to save them all! That is our job, that is our law!” faith stormed from the room hearing the cries of torture behind her. I won’t be the one to suffer for this s**t storm.

Faith sat in her room, ready for the patrol. She knew no one else would be out tonight, they were going on a weekend training mission tomorrow. She was attending as well, but she could not sleep anyways. Her phone buzzed in her thigh pocket. She pulled it out, Caleb’s name across her screen.  I’m sorry I was absent today. Can I join you?

If you want to. She immediately heard a knock at the door. She walked down the stairs and opened it to see a tired looking Caleb. He smiled softly as he crossed through the door and hugged her. She could smell the sweat and dirt on him.

“Where have you been? What’s going on?”

“My second in command is missing. Taken by someone, I don’t know whom.”

“Who is your second in command?”

“His name is Jake. He’s been with me since I was a pup.”

“I'm sorry Caleb, I will help however I can. We only have one captive as of now, the poor human boy, Michael.”

“Your people captured Michael? What the hell for?”

“i said I was going to look into if so my cunt of a second in command picked him up.”

“The poor man is as good as dead. Their torture is hard to survive.”

“You know of hunters torture?”

“Something id rather not discuss right now. Where are you going?”

“I'm going out for patrol.”

“no. You can’t. The woods are too dangerous for you to be out there right now.”

“i must. It is my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

“Faith please. The woods are full of vampires right now, I suspect they might have a hand in my lieutenants’ disappearance.”

“The vampires are in town? We didn’t get that information.”

“Its very fresh information, I've only just now learned of it myself. Its too dangerous. No.”

“I guess my big strong wolf will have to accompany me.” Caleb looked at her, face softening.

“If you insist on going I will accompany you. They will know I am there.”

“i have something you can use. It should help.” she walked up to her room and returned with a blood red cloak.

“Is that... vampire blood?”

“Yes. The fabric dyed with it, infused with it.”

“That is... brilliant.” Caleb took the cloak from her hands and draped it over his shoulders. “Let us go then.” they left the house and headed towards the woods for patrol.

Faith walked through the woods, rifle in her hand. Caleb stayed close to her side, sniffing the air as they went. She could smell fire, knowing that someone, something was close. She reached down to halt Caleb. She felt his hand on her shoulder.

“Vampires. Remarkably close.” his breath was hot in her ear. “We should not approach.”

“But we must.” Caleb growled as he shifted back into his wolf and slunk into the shadows away from her. Faith stepped carefully as she approached, fire peeking through the trees. She could make out many shadows moving in the clearing. It was cold out, faith would have been able to see her breath if her face had not been covered by a mask. She looked for Caleb, but he had slipped away. I hope he is still with me. Faith looked at the scene in front of her. She could see at least fifteen vampires in long cloaks. One was adorned in white, face covered completely by a hood. They were all surrounding the one in white, softly chanting. What are they doing? Faith heard a snap behind her and spun to meet the sound. A vampire charged her, fangs and claws out. She dove out of reach, and it crashed through into the clearing.

“Hunter.”  it hissed pointing into the tree line. Faith cursed and dove after it, dropping gun for her holy sword. The vampires in robe scattered. The one in white pausing to look at her. More vampire guards emerged from the brush. Faith swung her sword with deadly intent, severing limbs from bodies. She felt claws pierce her armor, gashing into her midsection. Faith was knocked to the ground, a vampire on top of her. The vampire ripped her mask and helmet off, gashing her neck with its claws. She looked to the one in white who was quickly being rushed away. She heard a howl and the vampire that was going for her throat was ripped off. Caleb. He had gone full werewolf, standing seven foot tall and looking terrifying. He started ripping the remaining vampires to shreds, showering them both in a spray of blood. He stood breathing heavily, dead bodies all around him. Faith grasped her stomach and stood slowly.

“You are injured.” he turned human, breathing heavily, a rage slowly subsiding. “Let me help you.” Caleb scooped her up in his arms. She looked up at him, a tear rolling down her face. “what’s wrong?” he paused looking down at her.

“You saved me, I thought you had left me.”

“Never.” he whispered. “Lets get you home.”

Caleb carried her through the door and up the stairs. He gently placed her on her feet in the bathroom. “You should shower, then I will attend to your wounds if you so wish.”

“Caleb.” her voice was soft.

“Yes?”

“don’t leave me.” his body went stiff.

“I... you want me to stay in here?

“On one condition.”

“And that is?” he turned around smiling softly.

“You say yes, when I ask you to be my boyfriend.”

“i would say yes but allow me. Faith, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Absolutely.” she whispered. She jumped into his embrace, being pulled up to his lips. She intertwined her fingers behind his head and let her lips glide past his. She felt him introduce tongue and gladly reciprocated. She pulled away after a moment breathless. She looked down at the blood running down her front.

“Please.” he breathed. “Clean up so I can heal you.” he unzipped her vest and dropped it on the floor. She carefully pulled off her shirt and tank top. The wounds on her stomach were bad. He bit his lip, and she pulled her pants down. She slipped into the shower pulling the rest of her clothes off. She could see his outline behind her shower curtain. I cannot believe that this is now mine. She finished washing the blood from her wounds, more slowly pouring out.

“Its not stopping.” she heard Caleb take a sharp breath then disappear for a moment. He came back and faith turned the water off. She looked around the curtain to see him holding towels.

“Lets get you healed.” Caleb moved to put his hands on her, and she shifted back.

“id like to see it done a different way, like the first time you healed me.” Caleb snatched her out of the shower and carried her to her room. He put her gently down on the tile and lowered his head.

“You know this is a serious wound, yet you play anyway.”

“Because I long to feel a soft touch.” Caleb dipped his head and kissed across her stomach. She shivered looking down at him. He was staring at her, eyes wondering over her body. He took the towel and removed what remained of her blood off of her. He helped her up pausing with his hands on her hips.

“I will only give you soft touches.” faith closed her eyes and leaned into him. He kissed on her neck sending pleasant heat down her body and healing her other wounds.

“Will you stay?” her voice was shaking. He wrapped his arms around her.

“As long as you need. Would you like to uh... get dressed?”

“Is it making you uncomfortable?”’

“no... hungry.” Caleb released her and stepped away for a moment. “i find it hard to ignore my teenage boy hormones, especially looking at a woman as attractive as you.”

“Get used to it baby.” she smirked, and he let a growl out. “But I will to help ease you.” she moved to her dresser and found some clothes. “Now shower and lets go to bed.” faith fell into her bed and waited for Caleb to return, a smile on her face