Hunting The Dark Side

Chapter 16: Friendship Bonding

“Geez, this place is like a maze, how do you not get lost in this place, Sapphire?” Jackson asked, so confused by all of the left and right turns that he had to make to get to the morgue.

His sister turned to look at him. “You get used to it after a bit. I was like you at first, not having a clue where to go, but there are signs all over the place if you do get lost around here.” Then she walked inside the morgue, after washing her hands with the hand sanitizer. Jackson watched, then frowned but did the same. Sapphire then put gloves and a plastic apron on, Jackson yet again mirroring his sister. Sapphire was already standing by the body on the examining table. She looked at Jackson. “So are you going to stand there like a lemon or come and examine him with me?”

Jackson walked over to the body. “I still can't believe you do this for a living. I mean that must make you incredibly smart, does it not?”

As Sapphire started to examine the body, she said, “It makes me smart, sure, but not incredibly smart, now please stop with the questions and pass me a scalpel.”

“Yeah, sure, sorry, I'm just so proud of you and I have never really told you that,” he said as he passed the scalpel to Sapphire.

“How about we do the heart to heart session when we are not in a morgue and not when I'm about to cut a dead corpse open, how does that sound?” she said as she sliced the body open from the chest down to the abdomen.

Jackson gagged from the smell. “Oh my...That is disgusting, that smell is horrendous, how do you live with that smell?”

“I don't live with it, I may do this job for a living but I don't go home and do this sort of thing at home.”

“Are you being sarcastic? I am not used to having a sarcastic sister and I really don't like it, you are way too smart to be sarcastic like me and Leo.”

“Oh come on, brother, it comes way too easily, we have the same genes, we all must have something in common and the bad thing is, what we have in common is sarcasm.” Sapphire chuckled. “That's actually quite understandable.”

Sapphire then concentrated on her corpse, taking blood, checking bones, seeing the rib cage shattered to smithereens. “This guy was shoved quite hard, his ribs are shattered, which indicates a lots of things, since as you know most supernatural creatures have strength.” Sapphire looked at her blood sample. “Maybe this will give us a better indication as to what did it.” She looked into her microscope, trying to get the settings right so she could see it best. She studied the sample for a long while. “Jackson, get away from the body!” she said anxiously. When she saw Jackson’s startled and confused face she merely said, “He's going to change into a vampire.”

“What, come again?” Jackson said loudly, his head pounding.

“You heard me, go wait in the car, if he wakes up smelling you, he will kill you,” she said, upsettingly.

The man started to wake up; Sapphire looked at Jackson. “Go!” she shouted, Jackson jumping out of his skin, hurrying out of the morgue and locking it so the new vampire couldn’t get out, then he walked off to the car.

Sapphire was resting against the bench as the vampire woke up. She heard it snarl before it sat up scanning its surroundings. It stopped and looked directly at her then was suddenly in front of her.

* * *

Leo sighed deeply, not understanding his brother at all. He walks back to the car that he stole and started the engine again, heading back the Sapphire's house. Getting there he got out and went inside, seeing Dominic moving and waking up. “Hey, Dominic, you’re alright, you are just at Sapphire's place. She'll be back soon; she has just gone to a call from work.”

Dominic opened his eyes, looking at Leo for a bit, then sat up. Does she really hate me that much to put keep him in charge of me. “She left me with you? I'm surprised you didn't kill me in my sleep.”

“Excuse me?” Leo looked astonished, not sure he

heard what he just said right.

“You heard me, the way you are with Sapphire is completely unfair, the way I see you and when I watch you. I watch the way you act, it is like you are blood thirsty,” Dominic explained casually.

“Blood thirsty?” he replied, confused and hurt.

“Yes. Blood thirsty. You look at people that are different or who are 'taking your brother from you' and you thirst for their blood, you look at them and you want them dead, that's what I mean,” Dominic again explained in the most casual way, as if he had seen every day in his life.

“You don't know anything,” Leo states.

“Well, why don't you explain it to me then? If I do not know anything, why don't you tell me why it is so hard for you to love your sister like you should? Ever since you have got here you have been having a go at her for no reason and I do not understand why,” Dominic questions ruthlessly.

“At first, it was because Jackson always wanted to come see Sapphire, and. And.” Leo was finding it hard to find the words. But once he started he would never stop. “And I would always make some sort of excuse so he would never come and see her. But no, she calls us in the middle of a hunt and he jumps, leaving the hunt where we were just getting in the car. He just left, letting people die. What sort of hunter does that?”

“One that misses his sister,” Dominic replied coldly.

“Well, why does he want to see her when he has me? I do not understand. What brother needs a sister when he has brother, one that is way better than the sister? I do not understand it,” Leo said, depressed.

“One that loves his sister and wants to be close to her. Also, he has probably had enough of his little brother,” Dominic replied unsympathetically.

“You don't know Jackson. We are close and now she is stealing him from me. Even he knows that she is a de, a de-whatever she is! A demon, vampire, werewolf. He still won't let me kill her! He is protecting her from me; he isn't a hunter unless he kills all of the supernatural. Why is he so stupid? I have to find a way to kill her,” he said angrily.

“Don't you have a heart? She is your sister; it is your job to protect her, to love her, to understand her. Jackson understands that and that is what he is trying to do even if it means protecting her from her own brother. You wanting to kill her will just put his guard up, which is expected, and if you try to lay a single finger on her you have me to answer to because I don't care what she is, she saved my life which means she is not evil. You harm her, I will kill you,” Dominic said, warningly and murderously.

“What has this got anything to do with you? Why would you care if she was dead or alive?” Realisation dawned on him. “Oh my god, you love her; you actually love a monstrous freak.”

“She is not monstrous! If she was monstrous then she would have let Jackson and I die but she didn’t, she is protective of us just like you should be of her,” Dominic said defensively.

“You and Jackson are letting your feelings get in the way of the right choice that you should make. You both know deep inside. She needs to die,” Leo replied seriously.

Dominic got annoyed and slammed Leo into the wall. “She does not need to die, do you understand me? She is a good person, it doesn’t matter what she is, she is a special person.”

“Is that what she has made you think? She has fooled you, just like she has fooled Jackson,” Leo replied, getting annoyed.

* * *

The vampire came towards Sapphire at speed. She dodged to the side and kicked the back of the vampire’s leg; his knee went down and he knelt for a few seconds before standing up snarling, his fangs all the way out. “Calm down! I am not someone you can feed off as I am not fully human, I’m like a quarter human.” The vampire did not recognise what she was saying as the hunger was burning his throat, every time he swallowed it felt like fire burning the sides of his throat. It was horrible for him and Sapphire knew that but she also knew that if she could control it then anyone could control the fire burning.

The vampire stared at her through hungry eyes then started to back away. Sapphire sighed with relief but suddenly the door slammed open and a teenager, who she guessed was eighteen years old, about five foot five, with long blonde dirty hair and who was super skinny; to Sapphire she looked anorexic ran in. The teen slammed the vampire with a stake and Sapphire stared, stunned. “Who the hell are you? I had everything under control.”

The stranger turned to look at Sapphire. “Katherine, Katherine Jackson, and I just saved your life. What were you doing talking to the vampire? It won't be able to hear you, the sound of-”

Sapphire interrupted, knowing this young hunter had no idea what she was talking about. “The sound of my heart would have overwhelmed him? Is that what you were going to say? That is bull, I have been through what he has been through, I heard my two brothers’ heart beats when they were asleep and I kept control. I haven't killed a single human being, I was goanna teach him how to survive without hurting anyone and now you just killed him.”

“Your brother? Is that the hot guy outside? How was I supposed to know you were dealing with it? You looked pretty terrified to me,” Katherine replied.

“I was relieved that he wasn't goanna bite me because even though I am a vampire and I can die from it, it hurts like hell,” Sapphire informed Katherine.

Jackson walked in folding his arms with amusement on his face. “So, Sapphire, you met Katherine, the new hunter.”

Sapphire looked at Jackson. “Ahh, yes, I have, do you two know each other then?”

Jackson nodded then it slowly turned into a shake of the head. “No, I met her on a hunt and now I think that she is stalking me.”

Katherine butted in, “Hey, Jackson, where are you staying, I need a place to stay.”

Sapphire glared at Katherine but Jackson said, “I am staying at my sister's house, me and Leo are, oh and Dominic is too at the moment.”

Katherine smiled at Sapphire. “Wow, how big is your house to have three guys in your house?”

Sapphire was getting quite frustrated about being questioned. “It's a two bed so it's quite a squash, but lately two of us are normally out like now, me and Jackson are out, Leo and Dominic are in the house, probably resting, then we will switch – well, if Dominic has recovered.”

Katherine looked down. “So there isn't enough room for one more?”

Jackson interrupted again. “Oh, course there is, Sapphire would love to have you stay, you see she is a very polite person, she opens her home out to anyone that needs it, don't you, Sapphire?” Jackson looked right at Sapphire, grinning finding this amusing

Sapphire rolled her eyes. I hate this safe hunter rule. “Fine, come on, the more hunters the merrier anyways, but Jackson, she is your responsibility.”

Jackson rolled his eyes too. “Sure, she can be my responsibility, she will be in your house yet she will be my responsibility.”

Sapphire glared death at Jackson. “You want her in my house, I wanted Dominic in my house so he is my responsibility, teach her the rules.”

Jackson frowned, trying to think of the house rules, he thought deeply. Did she really give us any house rules? Because if she did I must have been paying no attention what so ever. “There are house rules?”

Sapphire looked at Jackson. “Yes, Jackson, especially for strangers, like no going in my room. There are some private things in there and you for one have already crossed the line for the room rule.”

“Oh, you mean that room.” Jackson looked down guiltily. “Are you seriously goanna hold that grudge on me? I mean, come on, it was ages ago. Plus, you know that I am a curious man.”

“Jackson, I am not keeping that grudge on you, I was reminding you, alright? Anyways we’ve got to go home, I need to see how Dominic is doing and you need to convince Leo that the hunt is more important than killing me. Katherine, well, you just need to clean up and do whatever it is you do.”

Sapphire concluded then started to walk out until she heard Katherine's voice. “Err, Sapphire, aren't you forgetting about something?” she questioned, pointing to the dead vampire.

“You killed it, it's your responsibility, but I'd recommend you lay it on my examining table and cover it with the cloth,” Sapphire replied simply. Then she carried on walking to her car and got in, sighing deeply, waiting for Jackson and Katherine.

As she waited she thought about what could be going on for all of hell to be working together. She thought through what has happened. First zombies, but I killed them and I doubt there are any more left. Demons, geez, demons could be here for any amount of reasons so that area doesn’t really help much and then there are vampires, why would vampires be around here in Newcastle, Why Newcastle? “No,” she mumbled to herself, then continued. The demon took Jackson then Dominic, she thought... She just sat there in a world of her own; she didn't even notice Jackson and Katherine get in the car even though she heard them talk.

“What is she doing? Why is she just staring into space?”

“I don't know, maybe she is thinking deeply.”

“Maybe, or maybe she fell asleep with her eyes open, I have seen people do that before, it is well creepy.”

“Na, my sister doesn't do that,” Jackson replied confidently.

“How would you know? You haven't seen her in years,” Katherine replied smugly.

Suddenly Sapphire came back to life, glaring at Katherine, bursting out, “Now that is none of your business! If you are planning to come back to my house, you will keep out of my business. We had our reasons for not seeing each other! We have more important things to deal with than you, alright?”

As Katherine slid down in her seat in a sulk Sapphire turned to look at Jackson. “Like I think that all these creatures where meant for us, Jackson. You know, the family? Me, you and Leo.”

Jackson frowned, thinking a bit. “But then why was Dominic taken? I mean, he isn't family.” Sapphire just stared at Jackson, waiting for him to figure it out for himself. After a couple of seconds, Jackson gasped. “Oh, because you like him so they took him so they could try to kill you but you got the better of them and killed them, including Abaddon.”

Sapphire simply replied, “Exactly. We’ve got to get back.”

Katherine mumbled, “Well, you're the one that has been staring into space.”

Sapphire ignored Katherine this time, put the keys in and revved the car to life, then drove home quite quickly. “I hope they are alright. They'll be alright, right, Jackson?”

Jackson looked at her, not sure himself, but he nodded. “Sure, Sapphire, they will be fine, why wouldn't they be? They can both look after themselves, especially our Leo.”