Hunting The Dark Side

Chapter 5: The Truth

Sapphire just nodded, kind of embarrassed to tell her brother this, she wanted to be with her brothers and hunt with them all this time, she had always wanted to join them again but she knew that she couldn't even if she wanted to, plus she didn’t know how she would have asked them.

“Well, why didn’t you just ring and ask us, Sapphire! We missed you on all our hunts, you have always been the smart one and Dominic said you were a doctor and now you’re in Forensics so that proves it. We would have gladly taken you back,” Jackson said, a little bit sad and hurt as she couldn’t call up and just ask them; he thought they were closer than that.

“I’m sorry, Jackson, but I was scared that you would say no to me,” she explained. It was the total truth she was saying, she would hate it if family denied her; it would be like she wasn’t wanted in the world. Jackson chuckled.

“Sapphire, how could we have said no to you? You are family, we could never ever have said no to you. Is that all you were scared of? Is that the only reason you said no?” Jackson was literally confused right now. How could she even think that they would have said no to her? He didn’t understand at all and while he was thinking all of this, he was getting frustrated.

“Yes, Jackson, you know I do not like being denied. Just like dad denied me, you and I both know that dad didn’t want a girl and I was the thing he least wanted so he just let me go and do anything, but with you and Leo he protected you two.” She was getting emotional because she knew that no one appreciated her for who she was. Jackson’s frustration went away then because he knew it was true but nothing he said could help; he couldn’t lie to his little sis, not after what happened.

“Dad still loved you, Sapphire; he just didn’t want you to get hurt.” Jackson tried hard to comfort her.

“So, what, you and Leo can play with guns to protect yourself and dad just let me go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted, he never looked after me when mum died, he just went training with you two. How is that loving and caring?” Sapphire was getting angry. Jackson just embraced Sapphire, hugging her tight, trying to calm her down, hopefully showing her that he loved and cared about her more than dad ever did, he was nothing like their dad. Jackson didn’t want to be like his dad, he wanted to respect his family, whoever they were. Sapphire had tears running down her face; Jackson looked at her and wiped away her tears.

“It will be OK, Sapphire, I love you more than dad ever did; I also knew you were distraught when grandma died.” Jackson started to calm her down before talking about the past again.

Sapphire brows drew together as she grew confused; no one knew what she felt when her grandma died, she felt like a ghost in fact – not a ghost, they get more attention than she did, she felt invisible.

“How did you know I was sad? You were too busy training to notice me. I was always just alone in the house, getting attacked once in a while but no; no one ever noticed me or my pain!” Sapphire had shouted, then grew silent noticing that she had spilled out her horrors that she had kept suppressed for so many years.

Jackson was totally surprised by her reaction and what she had said.

“You got attacked? You never told us!” Jackson’s nostrils flared, he was furious; he didn’t even suspect anything, he just thought...well, he didn’t know what he thought.

Sapphire took a deep breath, knowing she had said too much. “How do you think I got all the cuts and bruises? Did you think they just magically appeared? No, demons or ghosts came and I had to kill them all by myself! I didn’t need training to kill demons or ghosts; I knew how to shoot accurately. Did you not hear the gun shots?” Sapphire was getting emotional because this showed no one cared about her.

Jackson didn’t know any of this; but he did remember the gun shots but dad had just said it was the next door neighbour training as well. “The bruises and cuts on your arm, you just said you fell and cut your arm as you fell.” He sighed, looking away guiltily as he knew there was something she wasn’t telling him, “and yes, I did hear the gun shots but dad just said it was our next door neighbour having a shooting practice like us.” Jackson thought for a little while longer. “Is that what you were going to tell me? When I came in one day and you were on the floor with a big cut. All this time we thought that you were safe but you were getting attacked more than me and Leo put together when we were younger!”

Sapphire nodded. “Yeah, I was going to tell you that day but then you shouted for dad, I just couldn’t tell dad, he would think I was lying to get some attention, and you know as well as me that he would have.”

Jackson felt the pang of guilt in his stomach again. “I wouldn’t have told dad,” Jackson sighed deeply, contemplating the situation they were in, “you still should have told us, no wonder you were so scared to be alone and wanted to watch but dad would never let you because he thought you would be in the way. I am so sorry, Sapphire.”

Sapphire had tears in her eyes as she remembered that Dominic was in the other room. She nodded and walked back into the other room, Jackson went to follow her when all of a sudden the windows caved in, arms stretching out, and the sound of snarls coming from the unknown intruders. Jackson glanced around him evaluating the satiation they were in,

“How did they know to come here?” he asked as he pulled two guns out, he checked they both hand ammo, before handing one to his sister.

“I have no idea, there is no way they would find us on their own, it is like they were sent here by someone or something, it looks like something bigger is happening here, we need to find out what and fast.” Sapphire seemed to take charge of the situation as she took the gun of her brother and Jackson looked at her bewildered at how much she had grown up. He looked at her with total faith and nodded once;

“You have got this Sapphire.” he spoke proudly and confidently, letting her take charge of this situation.

Sapphire glanced at where they needed defence first, after a few short moments of her deliberating about the situation, she nods as if she came to the conclusion of the right plan.

“Dominic go upstairs and try see where they are coming from, also you can cover us from there, if you need a sniper you know where they are.” Sapphire commanded.

Dominic smirked a little thinking about how great she was, and how it didn’t bother him one bit that she was the one in control. He just nodded, “Yes ma’am.”

He ran up the stairs two at a time, going straight into Sapphire’s room which was at the front of the house, he looked around, there seemed to be about a dozen, he walked to the bare wall and typed in the code which he saw her type in, once the door opened, he shook his head again still in amazement that a doctor would have this secret storage like this, he picked up the sniper of the rack then he noticed a silencer, he picked that up and started to screw it on sniper, he walked towards the window look out again, he opened the sash window, and rested the sniper on the frame looking down the scope.

Meanwhile Jackson was downstairs raising his eyebrows at Sapphire, “Jackson there is no time for your questions; I want you to cover the back, we can’t allow them to take us from behind, I will cover the front.”

Jackson nodded moving swiftly to the kitchen, he saw that there were already two windows caved in, he saw the zombies were walking into the frames but going no further, he chuckled softly to himself, the raised his gun and started pulling the trigger realising rounds into the creature’s head, then the adrenaline took over, the gun realising rounds more often. He gave a little laugh of excitement, as he ran towards the corpses and thrusted his knife through their skulls, pulling his bloody knife out, grabbing the hair of the next zombie pulling his arm back and swing it slamming the knife in.

Sapphire takes a deep breath, it had been such a long time since she dealt with these braindead creatures, especially this many of them. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, there was no way that she could actually turn into one, not with what she was, but then again only she knew what she was. She wondered what she was immune to, she was always curious after what she turned into all those years ago.

Maybe I could find out now? If I am immune to a zombie bite, but no way I am going to let them get me without a fight, I need to prove to my brother that I am worthy of the family business. Sapphire thought before sighing deeply Don’t get your hopes up Sapphire, he could disown you or kill you when he finds out who you are. What you are. Sapphire shakes the thought away, and back to reality.

She looked around, saw zombies pilling in through the front window, she took a deep breath before raising the gun and released the bullet from its barrel, the bullet flying through the air, hitting the zombie right between the eyes, which caused it to crumble to the floor. The rest of the zombies start falling over the body that just dropped. Sapphire smirked a little she forgot how good it felt to kill evil, she triggered the bullets one after other each bullet hitting a braindead human in the head.

That was when the voice in the back of the head started to talk to her, Don’t forget about the plan Sapphire, you need to find out what your immune to, it is important for your research. You know that is why you are drawn to Dominic, because you know he can help you.

Sapphire tries to shake the thought away, “Not help me; but help the town stay safe, the more people that know the better.” She speaks out loud without realising.

You keep telling yourself that, you are using him, if you get bitten now, he will be able to take you to his lab, where they do research. The voice kept taunting her.

Sapphire tried to block out the voice so she could concentrate on what was happening, which shocked her, a zombie had her leg, she screeched and kicked it in the head, falling back, dropping her gun as she tried to catch herself, but she wasn’t successful, she landed with a hard thud quickly followed by a crack.

She sat up quickly scurrying backwards cradling her arm to her chest, she looks around desperately looking for the gun that was dropped. “s**t!” She looks around for anything else she could use.

That was when she remembered about the knife she kept on display. She brings her knees to her chest and uses the wall to push herself to her feet, she was instantly greeted by a zombie, grabbing her by the shoulders; her uninjured arm stretches out trying to push it away. She didn’t realise she was screaming at the top of her lungs, her arm was falling weaker, she noticed Jackson at the corner of her eye trying to take in the situation but he was too late her arm grew too weak and the zombie feasted on her flesh.

A piercing scream echoed through the whole house. The echoes soon grew quieter as she grew weaker, her legs giving away, she slides down the wall leaving a blood trail down the wall.

Jackson heard his sisters scream and he ran through to the front room, he looked around as he tried to take the scene in as quickly as he possibly could, He couldn’t find his sister at first, he looked around frantically, he finally saw her against the wall, trying to push a zombie away, he was confused as to why she didn’t just shoot it, until he noticed the gun on the floor. He glanced around again, there were not many left. There had been a lot in the front room at one time, there was a pile of dead bodies by the window.

When he was finished analysing what had gone on he turned to look at his sister again, he was too late, he was stunned, he couldn’t move for a few seconds, until he noticed she was growing weak, screams were leaving him without him even realising, “No! Sapphire!” Jackson span to look behind him first stabbing a zombie that was grunting in the rib cage and slicing up its chest, pulling his blade out the chest cavity to force his blade in its head. As he pulled his knife out brain came out the wound dropping out onto the floor.

Without a second thought he ran to Sapphire, as he was running he drew his gun and shot the zombie in the temple, he watched it fall to the ground then. He looked at his sister all bloody, he felt lost. He lifted Sapphire into his arms with tears in his eyes. “Sapphire! Sapphire, you stay with me OK? We will find a cure for this.”

Jackson heard footsteps running down the stairs a few more gun fires before it fell dead silent. Dominic could just see the back of Jackson, his shoulders was hunched, he looked small, that was when he saw legs; realisation dawned on him. Oh no, not Sapphire, I need to get her back to the lab, screw the rules, they know all about this world, I won’t let her change or die. No not on my watch.

He walked up to them seeing Sapphire fighting for her life in Jackson’s arms. Jackson looked up Dominic his eyes filled with tears, that were overflowing and streaming down his cheek. “I can’t lose her, Dominic; Sapphire and Leo are the only two things that mean anything to me. Your team have been doing research on these zombies, right? Do you have a cure for bites?” Jackson asked helplessly.

Dominic paced as he started to think. “We have been working on a cure, I don’t know if it is complete or been tested.”

Jackson moves Sapphire in his arms a bit as she was dead weight at the moment. “Well, Dominic, now is the time to test it, my sister can be your test subject and where the hell is my brother?”

Just then Leo, who had brown hair, hazel eyes, was taller than Jackson and skinny but not quite with a six pack, came through the door and suddenly came to a halt, shocked. “Oh my god! Jackson, what happened to Sapphire?”

“What does it look like Leo? She got bitten, we are going to Dominic’s lab to see if they have a cure for the bite, we can’t lose our little sister too, Leo. I just won’t let it happen,” Jackson replied, getting all emotional.

“What? How? Where did they all come from? And who is Dominic? Jackson we have to kill her, we cannot let her change, she wouldn’t want that” Leo asked, alarmed.

Sapphire started to mumble and get a fever as they were all talking. “We are not killing our sister when there could be a cure, why would you even suggest that?”

Jackson looked down to see that his little sister was sweating, she mumbled between Jackson’s and Dominic’s name.

I hate you, why did I let you distract me? This is agony, why would you do this to me? She was thinking to herself.

I am making you stronger, and I am testing your theory, you could survive this, if you fight and stop whining at me. The voice replied to her.

Could survive, I could also turn into a braindead zombie, I hate you so much for this, I will never forgive you for this.

Sapphire opened her eyes and saw Jackson looking down at her looking lost and scared, she had never seen him scared, she opened her mouth in attempt to comfort him but instead she spoke, “De-. Jackson…don’t…l-l-let me ch-ch-change.” She looked up at him desperately.

Jackson was just crying, he had never seen anyone recover from a zombie bite, he would never promise anything if he didn’t know if he could keep it. Dominic looked at him trying to encourage him to tell her it would be ok, but Jackson didn’t say a word so Dominic answered instead.

“You are not going to change ok Sapphire? This cure will work.” He looked up to at Jackson and glared at him a little. “Come on, we have to hurry, the change is starting to happen!” Dominic said, being observant.

Jackson nodded. “We will do all the introducing on the way.” Jackson looked at Dominic. “You’re driving, the keys are on the table,” he said as headed for the car. Jackson struggled at the door but Leo walked passed him and opened the door. Jackson shuffled her weight again before walking outside, stumbling down the path. Leo walked ahead to open the back door.

Jackson leaned in gently laying finally got Sapphire on the backseat of the car, Leo moving to the other side to gently pull her along the back seats, Jackson fussed around to ensure she wouldn’t fall. He looked at her a short while, then stroked her bloody hair softly, “Be strong, I know you are, I got you, I will make sure they will help you, I will do anything to ensure that you are safe and not turning.”

After that he slammed the door shut behind on the overheating, changing body of his sister. Jackson broke down into to tears.

“This is my fault, I was told to watch her and take care of her, I was told not to let anything happen to her! It’s my job to save people and hunt the supernatural and I can’t even help my own sister when she gets attacked by some zombies.” Jackson took his anger and emotions out on the car, punching and kicking the frame of the car.

“Jackson, this is not your fault bro, you didn’t know that there were zombies going to crash in the house and attack. Now come on, this isn’t helping Sapphire one bit! Get in the car bro.” Leo’s automatic reply was trying to comfort his older brother, even though he hated his sister, especially after she just left without a word, deserting her family, then Jackson just acts like they were never apart.

Jackson nodded then climbed into the car lifting Sapphire’s head up and resting it on his lap, Jackson knew that his brother was right, taking his anger out on the car wouldn’t help his sister.

Dominic was still inside the house so when Jackson got in the car, Leo went in to see what was taking Dominic so long. When Leo went inside he was shocked to find that there was a zombie in the house fighting Dominic. Leo picked up the gun in the middle of the floor, which must have been Sapphire’s because he didn’t recognise it. He shot the zombie a few times but the zombie didn't seem to die so, grabbing his knife, he threw it; as it plunged through its head, the zombie fell.

Leo then ran to Dominic. “Hey, you OK?”

Dominic looked at Leo, nodded then stood up. “Yeah, I’m fine, thank you.” He walked to Leo and Jackson’s car and got into the driver’s seat, Leo followed and got into the passenger seat then they drove off, driving over the limit. After a long ten minutes they got to the lab. Or so Jackson and Leo thought, “Are you sure this is the place? There is nothing here.” Leo questioned.

Dominic was already getting out the car, “That is the point, no one will search here for a secret lab because no one can see anything, so they won’t suspect.” Jackson was out picking up his sister whilst Leo and Dominic went ahead to open a hatch to go underground. Dominic was first to go down the hatch then Jackson carefully lowered Sapphire handing her to Dominic. “You got her? Be careful”

“I’ve got her don’t worry” Dominic cradles her being very careful not wanting to hurt her, there was something about her that he cared about her already, maybe it was because she lived the same way he is living now, so she knows it all and he doesn’t need to explain his reasons to her or anything because she knows what it is like, he never had a female friend like this before it was awfully strange for him but he would not let her down.

In all of the chaos, Dominic forgot about the security in the lab, as soon as Jackson dropped down alarms go off, red lights flash and a gate slammed between Dominic carrying Sapphire and Jackson. “s**t!” Dominic shouted, “I forgot about that, listen I’ll take Sapphire to Dr Lincoln then I’ll talk to security and to let you and Leo in.”

Jackson looks at him, “No, don’t leave Sapphire on her own, just send one of the scientists or something, ok? Do not leave her.”

Dominic nods then leaves to find Dr Lincoln.