Hunter Wars

Chapter 3

When I finally wake the following night, I wake with a start and look around me. I am still in the cell. Johnathan is asleep in the chair opposite me. As I look at him sitting there sleeping, I can’t help but notice how cute he actually is. He is in a black t-shirt and blue jeans. The shirt is pulled tight across his chest hinting at the muscles that must be under it. I’ve got to stop thinking about him this way. He is the enemy.

As if he could sense me staring at him, he wakes up and looks at me. Looking slightly embarrassed he wipes a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth. He clears his throat and sits up. “Umm, good morning, well good evening.” he lets out in a sleep filled voice. I can’t help but notice how sexy that voice is. Stop it Victoria, I tell myself. “I guess you slept well?” he asks me. I open my mouth to respond to him and remember that I am committed to not speaking to these people.

“Still not going to talk to me?” he asks with a frown. I don’t respond, I just stand up from the cot and stretch a little bit. I start to feel the familiar pang of hunger in my stomach. I normally get some blood when I first wake up. That way I am not moody for the night. I’m just going to have to make sure I control myself for now until I can get out of here and feed. I still can’t go as long without feeding as Phillip can. The older a vampire is, the longer they can go.

Johnathan stands up as well and goes over to the wall where the collar is hanging. “They told me to bring you to them as soon as you woke up” he tells me as he unlocks my cell. I don’t move as he places the collar around my neck. He holds his fingers against my neck for a moment before he takes the end of the chain and starts to lead me out of the cell. I comply and walk with him so he doesn’t have to pull too hard on the collar. This thing really hurts, I think to myself as he is leading me back into the giant room that we were in last night.

Once we arrive in the room I notice that only Morris is sitting on the platform. “Where are the rest of your men?” I ask him, holding my head up high. I want to make sure he does not think that I am afraid of him or any of the other hunters.

“They will be joining us in a few moments, I wanted to have a discussion with you first,” Morris says in his-I-am-so-much-better-than-you tone.

“Let’s hear what you have to say then,” I say as I smirk at him. Morris makes his way down off the podium. When he is a few feet away, he takes the end of the chain from Jonathan. Morris leads me to a silver chair in the middle of the room that I hadn't noticed till now. The chair is metal with straps going all over it. I try my best not to drop my brave face as we walk to the chair.

"Before I start talking, please have a seat," Morris says as he motions to the chair as a gentleman would do. This man does not have me fooled. There is nothing gentle about him. I stare at his hand as I think to myself that this man is crazy if he thinks I'm just going to sit down in that contraption. I cross my arms and don't budge. "Oh come now, I insist," he growls as a bolt of pain goes around my neck and he pushes me down onto the chair.

While I am frozen in pain from the energy that is being blasted into me from the collar he places each strap across me. Once he has fastened the last one across my forehead the pain stops. I am left gasping trying to get my bearings once again. The only things I am able to move are my fingers and my eyes. I glare at Morris as he looms above me. He is grinning at me like the cat who ate the canary. "Once I get out of this I'm going to kill you," I vow to him as he sends another bolt through the collar.

"Now. Now. There is no need for that," he strokes one finger down my cheek, then cups my chin. "I have a few questions for you that need to be answered. Let's start with an easy one. What is your name?"

"If I didn't give my name to you yesterday, what would make you think I would give it to you now?" I ask him. He releases my chin and places his hand on the chair. The whole thing shoots pain into my body. It feels like being caught in the sun. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. I will not give them the satisfaction of bringing a scream out of me.

"Oh, my dear, we will make you talk one way or another. You will give us the information that we want, or your stay here will not be a pleasant one." The pain stops and I stare daggers into this man. I feel my fangs drop down and I'm itching to sink my fangs into him. The moment I am able to, I will rip his throat out with my teeth.

"Jonathan, go get the kit please." I hear Jonathan walking out of the room. "Between you and me I'm going to hate messing up that pretty face of yours. But this is all to keep the human race safe from monsters like you." He leans down into my face once again. "Do you even have remorse for all the victims you have slaughtered?"

"Who says I have killed anyone?" I have never intentionally harmed an innocent human before, yes at the beginning the blood lust had taken over before Phillip had found me. He taught me how to feed and release without hurting anyone if I needed to feed and there were no blood bags. Phillip. I wonder if he is looking for me now, or if he just thinks I am still out with Kelly.

"All monsters kill, it is just the way you are," Morris says as I hear Jonathan's return. His boots barely make a sound. They should be much louder than they seem like they have good training for hunters to teach them stealth. I wonder if they think that we won't be able to hear them with that walk.

"Thank you, Jonathan," Morris says. I glance over trying to get a look at whatever Jonathan has brought in for him. Whatever it is can't be good. I hear him rolling over a tray and it sounds like metal being laid out on top of it. "Roll her shirt up please." Jonathan comes over to where I am strapped down. All the kindness that I thought I saw last night and tonight is gone. There is no resemblance to the man I talked to last night.

He undoes the strap across my midsection and pulls my shirt up to expose my stomach. Once my stomach is exposed, he latches the strap back down. The strap stings. It must have silver in it. He stays next to me awaiting his next command. Morris hands him a silver blade, "When she doesn't answer or gets a smart mouth cut."

"Yes, Councilman Morris," he sounds so cold. Is this a different person? "Now, Vampire, tell me your name," Morris commands me as he stares down at me. I glare back at him not saying a word. I see him nod and feel as the blade is dragged across my stomach. It burns so bad. It doesn't feel like a normal blade.

Morris places a vile of blue glowing liquid in my face. "This vile contains the antidote to the blade that was made just for your kind. It keeps all wounds open causing you to bleed out. If you want the antidote you will answer my questions."

A blade that can keep us from healing? This is the first time I have ever heard of that kind of weapon. I knew that a silver blade to the heart can kill us. But one that just has us bleed and lose all strength? If a vampire is drained of too much blood, we can go into blood lust. Some can not recover from that kind of blood lust, for fear of being weak again.

"I'll ask again. What is your name?" Jonathan holds the blade against my stomach waiting for my answer. "My name is Cleo," I tell him. Sometimes you have to give a little false information to get your own information. I tell myself that I know I said I wouldn't speak but maybe if I give them enough false information I'll be able to get out of here. I won't be able to do anything if I bleed out.

"Now was that so hard?" I feel the blade leave my stomach and hear a door open and the shuffle of four sets of feet come into the room.

"Morris, I thought we all agreed to interrogate her together," says a male voice. "You know you don't have the truth serum that is needed for this."

"Elijah, I was just getting things started for when you all finally arrived." Elijah comes into view and he has a younger face than Morris and his eyes are magenta and he has a little gray in his chocolate hair right at the temples.

"Good thing that we have arrived, then. Michael, give our friend here a nice drink of that serum" I feel rough hands grab onto my chin and start pulling my mouth open. I clench my mouth shut as tight as I can get it. As strong as these men are they will not be able to get me to open my mouth easily.

"It might be best to bleed her out a little to weaken her before we administer the serum." I hear another man say. "If she is weakened she might also be more willing to cooperate in order to get some blood."

"You're right Liam, we should do just that. Johnathan, give our friend here four more cuts, and then we will reconvene the questioning after two hours and see how well she speaks." Morris leans down to my ear. "Till then Cleo enjoy your stay."

I hear all five councilmen leave the room. It is just me and Johnathan again. "I'm sorry but I must carry out my orders." He tells me as he drags the blade across my stomach. I clench my jaw closed as he makes the four cuts he was ordered to do. I can't believe that these humans have the nerve to call vampires monsters when this is how they behave. Yeah, sure vampires drink blood, but at least most of us get it from a blood bag and not some random victim. I never knew that anyone could be so cruel.

Once Johnathan has made the last cut on my stomach, he sets down the blade. I hear it clank on the metal table. I feel my blood dripping off my body onto the table. With each drop leaving me I can feel myself getting weaker and weaker. Johnathan lays his hand on my arm for a split second. I don't understand him. First, he allowed me to walk without the collar. Then he was so cold towards me when he made the first cut. Now, he is apologizing. Perhaps not all hunters are the same.