Chapter 6 : The Hunters
510 Words
The sound of boots thundered across the floor above.
Wood splintered.
Glass shattered.
Elena held her breath.
Lucien stood at the foot of the basement stairs, every muscle tense.
"Stay behind me," he whispered.
Aunt Margaret grabbed Elena's hand.
"No matter what happens... don't let them take you."
"Who are they?"
"They call themselves the Order of the Crimson Cross," Lucien answered. "They've hunted vampires for centuries."
"If they hunt vampires..." Elena asked, "why are they after me?"
Lucien's silence was all the answer she needed.
A loud bang echoed from upstairs.
"Basement!" someone shouted.
"They're down here!"
The basement door burst open.
Five armed hunters rushed down the stairs, dressed in black tactical gear with silver crosses stitched onto their jackets. Each carried weapons tipped with silver.
The man leading them lowered his hood.
His sharp green eyes settled on Lucien.
"So..."
"The Immortal Vampire."
Lucien's expression remained cold.
"Elias Cross."
"So you remember me."
"I remember every hunter who's tried to kill me."
Elias smiled.
"And yet you're still alive."
Lucien took a step forward.
"So are you."
The two men stared at one another, years of hatred hanging between them.
Then Elias looked past Lucien...
...straight at Elena.
"There she is."
Elena felt a chill run through her body.
"You know who I am?"
"I know exactly who you are."
He raised his hand.
"Take the girl."
The hunters charged.
Lucien moved faster than human eyes could follow.
One hunter swung a silver blade.
Lucien caught his wrist, twisted it, and sent the weapon flying across the room.
Another fired a silver bolt from a crossbow.
Lucien dodged it by inches before knocking the hunter into a stack of crates.
The basement erupted into chaos.
Elias didn't join the fight.
He simply watched.
As if he were waiting.
Then he spoke.
"Elena!"
His voice cut through the noise.
"You think the vampire is protecting you."
"He's not."
Lucien glanced toward Elias.
That single moment of distraction was enough.
A silver chain wrapped around Lucien's arms.
It glowed with strange symbols.
Lucien roared in pain as smoke rose from his skin.
The hunters pulled tighter.
Silver burned like fire.
"Run!" Lucien shouted.
Elena hesitated.
"I said run!"
Aunt Margaret shoved her toward a small wooden door hidden behind old shelves.
"I never wanted you to find this," she whispered.
She pulled a lever.
The wall slid open, revealing a narrow stone tunnel.
"A secret passage?" Elena gasped.
"It leads into the forest."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine."
"No!"
Aunt Margaret cupped Elena's face.
"Your mother died protecting you."
"I'm not letting her sacrifice be for nothing."
Tears filled Elena's eyes.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
With one final push, Aunt Margaret sent Elena into the tunnel.
The hidden door closed behind her.
The last thing Elena heard before the passage sealed shut was Lucien's furious roar...
...followed by complete silence.
She was alone in the darkness.
And for the first time since arriving in Raven Hollow...
She had no idea if Lucien was still alive.
- Writer
