A Grave Hunger (18 page)

"Ok, enough of this self-pity. We are not going to spend our last ..." I broke off, not able to finish. I took a steadying breath before continuing. "We are going to forget about everything that we have just heard and just focus on you and me. No more fear, no more self-pity. I just need to forget about everything and just be with you." His expression looked weary, and he looked at me a long time before his eyes softened.

"I can do that." A smile crossed his face. I knew that it took a lot to put it there, but at least he was trying. I worked to match his smile.

"I know what we can do to distract ourselves." His eyes flashed with amusement. He stood and in one quick movement had gently thrown me over his shoulder, carrying me out of the room and up the stairs. He kicked open the door to his old bedroom and laid me down gently on the bed.

"I can't believe I have a girl in my bedroom!" he joked, a glimpse of the usual Finlay returning.

"Never brought a girl back here then?"

"You kidding? Ever tried explaining why there is a cage with shackles in the basement? Kinda screams serial killer, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah, I could see how that would kill the mood." He leaned over, took my face in his hands and kissed me gently. This kiss was different from the last, and I could no longer feel his tension and fear. I tried my best to do the same. I pushed all other thoughts and fears from my mind and just lived in the moment, concentrating on us.

Chapter 30

We spent the next day in bed together, appreciating our precious time left. As our time ran short, I began to feel claustrophobic. I felt as though I was being suffocated. The fear I had so successfully pushed from my thoughts last night, managed to creep back into my consciousness. A cold mist settled in my stomach. This couldn't be it.

Finlay, on the other hand, appeared relaxed, as though a weight had been lifted from him. It confused me. I was glad he had been able to put his worries aside so we could spend our last night together, but as the time grew shorter, I couldn't understand his relaxed disposition.

I shot another glance at the clock on the wall. It had only moved two minutes since the last time I had checked it. I let out a weary sigh. Finlay unwrapped his arms from around me, and pushed me away from his chest so he could look in my eyes.

"Last chance to change your mind, Scotland. It's not too late." There was look in his eyes, a faint glimmer of some hidden agenda he was trying to conceal behind his casual appearance.

I shook my head, my brows knitted together.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." He kissed my forehead, and then climbed from the bed and made his way to the wardrobe. I felt a stab of anguish as I watched him pull on his camouflage hunting gear. 

"All right then, I'm going to get the hunt kit together. I'll pack the full arsenal for tonight." He turned and left the room.

With a heavy heart, I left the bed and started to dress. D Day was finally here. I was just about to head to the basement to help, when he appeared back in the room. He marched over to me with purpose and pulled me tightly to him, lips crushing mine, his mouth hard on mine. There was an edge of desperation in his kiss. He was saying goodbye. Our last kiss? My heart lurched at the thought.

I found myself being pushed down on the bed, rough hands messing through my hair, travelling down to my arms and pinning them above my head. I heard a click, and then abruptly he pulled away from me. It took me a moment to process what had happened. I stared blankly at the heavy metal shackle that had bound my hand to the frame of the bed.

"What the?" I stammered incoherently.

"Sorry, Scotland, I can't let you do this. You're not going to be a part of this fight." There was a powerful emotion to his voice, searing under his casual tone.

I stared dumbfounded at him. "Finlay, unchain me. You can't do this. We are in this together." There was a petulant tone to my response.

"Not going to happen, Scotland. Don't worry. I'll leave your phone here." He pointed to my mobile sitting within reach on the bedside table. "You can phone for a locksmith to unlock the chain. It will probably take a few hours to unlock it. It will buy me enough time to finish this." He mumbled the last few words, speaking more to himself than me.

"Finlay, let me out of this. I mean it."

He shook his head. "I see a light at the end of the tunnel for you. I don't see one for me. I've been in this life too long, and there's no way out for me. It's all I know. I always knew this job was going to kill me; I always knew I was going down fighting with a machete in my hand. But you... It's not too late for you." He stared at me, a plethora of emotions burning in his eyes. "I want you to get out, have a proper life, with a husband. I want you to grow old, surrounded by kids and grand kids, baking cakes and watching
Wheel of Fortune
. The only happy ending I'm going to get is for you, and I'll be damned if I don't do everything to make that happen."

A lump the size of a golf ball sat in my throat as I struggled to control my emotions.

"Finlay, I want that for you too, but you can't leave me behind. We are in this together. If we are going down, we are going down together."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to watch you die."

"So you've decided you're going to make me live without you? That's pretty selfish of you," I countered.

He smirked. "Yup, you're right. It is, but that's the way it's going to be."

I stared at him, trying to read him. There was no hint of indecision in his face. He had made up his mind. He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face and leaned forward, kissing me gently.

"I love you, Leah. Look after yourself."

Then he was gone. I begged and screamed after him as he left, frantically battering the metal bed frame with my hand until it was red and bloody.

It was no use.

He had made his decision.

He wouldn't be back.

PART 2

FINLAY

Chapter 31

I felt strangely calm as I drove to my inevitable death. I had always accepted that my life had a short expiration date compared to other people. All hunters did. It was part of the job. But what I couldn't accept was Leah dying today. She was too good for this life, had too much to offer the world. It felt as though a weight had been lifted from me when I made the decision that she wouldn't be part of today's fight. I would have done anything to protect her, and that included giving up my own life. She had been right when she’d said I was being selfish leaving her behind, but I couldn't watch her die. A small smile played on my lips as I realised that she would be safe, hopefully to lead a normal life, away from hunting.

I snapped myself from my thoughts, realising I had reached my destination. Pulling my car to a stop, I scanned the outskirts of the forest, looking for signs of movement and seeing none. I felt a small sense of relief. This was the perfect place for a battle. Quiet and off the beaten track, we wouldn't need to worry about any civilians stumbling into the warpath. My mind flickered to the child hostages. I could only imagine the terror they must be feeling. An intense anger clawed through my chest. I savoured it. I would need it for what I had to do.

Reaching over to the passenger seat, I grabbed a range of weapons and sheathed them, clicking them into place under my jacket. It was then that I heard the rumble of a car engine. My head snapped around to see Ryan's beat up pickup truck round the corner and come to a halt beside me. The brothers looked sombre as they climbed from the car and strode towards me.

"You ready for this?" Luke greeted me.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Where's Leah?" Ryan asked, peering into the window of my car looking for her.

"She's not coming."

"Her decision or yours?" Luke inquired astutely.

I smiled at his perceptiveness. "Mine. I cuffed her to the bed."

Both brothers laughed, breaking the tension. I knew they would understand my actions, knowing how I felt about Leah. They were both as protective of Leah as I was, and I didn't think they would mind Leah staying away from the action, even if it meant one less hunter in today's battle.

I led the way across the gravel path towards the forest. Luke and Ryan followed close behind, trees and shrubbery growing thicker as we travelled. I slashed my way through the dense thicket with my machete, hacking larger branches from our path. However, small branches and twigs still lashed at my face and pulled at my hair. The sun had begun to set as we made our way deeper. The dull early evening sunlight filtered through the foliage in sporadic bursts, the shafts of light breaking up the dim light of the dense forest. With our eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, we cautiously stepped over downed trees and large branches, hoping to avoid the possibility of being bears caught in snares.

Squirrels hustled up trees while woodpeckers jabbed their beaks into bark. The songs of birds faded with the rising of owls' hoots, and the howls of wolves off in the distance, beyond our sight.

"So what's the plan then?" Ryan asked, looking pass Luke and over to me.

"The plan is get the children out of here, no matter what. You two hold off the bastards, and I'll try to get the kids out." I responded, holding back my aggravation. "I can't imagine what they'll do to them if we don't reach them in time."

It was in my mind, the illusive acts of the enemy, turning the children into blood lusting savages. They would be the worst kind of predators to face in combat. I mean, who would relish the act of having to kill children, even if they had been turned into monsters with a craving to spill blood across the land? But more than that, they would be the ones in larger groups that would most likely slip under the radar
to
slaughter more and more innocent lives.

We were coming up on a clearing. At the other end, about a half mile out, were more trees and brush. My heart beat erratically and my adrenaline increased.

"Be ready," I whispered.

Though I couldn't see them, I could feel the stares of the many eyes surrounding me. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I looked to Luke, who stood beside me, his hand on the trigger of his 20 round magazine-filled SIG 716 tactical rifle. He had begun to build up beads of sweat on his forehead. I tapped him lightly on the arm, and he snapped his head over in my direction. I pointedly looked to his trembling trigger finger, and nodded my head. He caught my drift and released the trigger, took a couple deep, relaxing breaths, and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his camouflaged bicep.

"I'm all right," he said nervously. His back was tense, eyes scrutinising the area for signs of danger.

We were all decked out in black camouflage clothing, our jackets and trousers worn over bullet-resistant armour. We had an arsenal of weapons on each of our persons. Holstered semi-autos, survival blades, and strapped assault rifles. Ryan even had a Katana blade sheathed across his back. Him being a seasoned mixed martial artist, he was definitely qualified to use it. I had a couple fine instruments of decapitation of my own, which I brought out for the fight.

But one of our most valuable assets was the newly developed, stainless steel collars, forearm bracelets and leg guards.

Robert had developed the protective steel before he had died. They were lightweight but exceptionally durable. I felt a pang of grief in my chest as I thought of him. He'd never had an opportunity to put his creation to the test. The old man was known for coming through on new gear. I knew they'd all pan out just fine. That is, as long as the vampires hadn't somehow spawned steel piercing fangs.

But who knew?

Ryan sniffed. He whispered, "I can smell 'em. They're near."

"Yeah, I know," I said, in the same manner, as I took a step forward. "Let's keep moving."

I'd gazed down to the grass ahead of us, into the clearing. Tire tracks? I pointed them out, and we hustled toward them. They were tire tracks all right. And they were fresh. The school bus?

The tracks circled a few times before leading to the other side.

"Looks like a dirt road or path up ahead," Ryan said.

I squinted, "Yeah, maybe?"

Luke took a deep breath, and reached around his belt for the binoculars. He gazed through the lenses. "Yeah, it's a small path," he said, looking straight ahead. He panned a bit to the right. "It looks like there could be some type of rock structure. Maybe just cover for something else. It could be where they're set up. Could be the kids?"

"Lemme take a look," I said.

"Sure," Luke said, handing me the binoculars. "It's just off the path to the right."

It was a rock structure all right. Man-made from what I could tell, about thirty yards into the wooded area. The rocks had been strategically placed with branches and leaves covering some parts of it. It was about ten to twelve feet high and about ten feet in length.

As a cold wind brushed by, I caught a glimpse of something moving on the left. It moved with such speed it could have been leaves or debris. Whatever it was vanished with the darkness. As I lowered the binoculars from my eyes, the night had taken control of our daylight.

The moon's light shined upon the clearing. A mist had begun to form before us and I lost sight of the structure.

"It's time," said Ryan, unsheathing his Katana blade.

Luke's trembling index finger faintly tapped over the trigger.

I didn't see anything.

No.

I did.

From the structure emerged a darkness that I'd never seen. It started with the moving of the mist, swaying up and down the empty space. It soon developed into waves. I blinked a few times, trying to focus my eyes. No way, I thought anxiously. Hundreds of vamps were emerging from the structure. It had begun.

Luke pulled the trigger on his assault rifle, Ryan tossed a grenade, and I armed myself with two 10 mm Delta Elites pistols. I took a step back, under the moonlight. "Move into the opening!" I yelled as I fired three shots from each gun into the darkness.

Luke and Ryan moved in sync.

The grenade exploded.

As the forest lit up, I could see a mass of images. It was something straight out of a horror movie; the vampires were a gruesome picture of animals with human faces. 

"Here they come!" Luke yelled.

I looked toward the stone structure. I still couldn't see it. Instead, what I did see was a horde of vampires in its place. They just stood there, unmoved. "They're everywhere," I said as I turned back, firing into the darkness.

Three vampires dropped in place.

Luke ceased firing, and backed into the opening. "There's no way we're getting out of this."

"Calm down, Luke. We'll figure out something," I said, looking around for something, anything we could use to our advantage. "What are they up to? We are outnumbered, if they wanted us dead, they could have easily done it by now." Something wasn't right.

"Yeah, what are they up to?" Ryan said, flipping the sword, taunting the enemy. A thought just out of reach lingered in my mind. Some forgotten detail nagged at me. Was there something more going on here than just wanting us dead?

I was still pondering this theory when one of them appeared no more than ten feet ahead of us.

He looked as though he was the ring master. A hoard of vampires flanked him, awaiting their next order. He reminded me of a demonic raven, his sharp, slanted jawline plunging downward into a point. His angled nose gave the appearance of a beak. Long, black hair swept back severely in a knot at the back of his head, finishing off the look. He let out a shrieking welcoming, and showed us some teeth. I scoffed at his attempt to intimidate us. As if this was our first time running across a vamp in his rankings. Were we supposed to run off? Frightened, like some 12 year old school girl who'd just encountered the creepy old man in a van with a handful of candy? That shit scared no one.

I raised both my guns and contemplated putting a couple slugs in his cranium, while giving Ryan the order to behead him. 

"You gentlemen are just in time," he said.

"Let the kids go. You've got us here. They are of no use to you now."

"Now where is the sport in that?" he said, his bird like appearance becoming more pronounced as he smiled.

I looked to Ryan, who had already looked as if he'd wanted to answer that question. He lightly nodded his head, and turned to this mystery vampire. "Yeah, and what is the sport?" Ryan asked.

"What are the rules?" Luke added.

We all looked to the sky when a siren echoed throughout the night. It was loud and war-like. It reminded me of an air raid siren from war movies. When the vamp heard it, he slid backwards through the air. He hissed like a snake, and backed away with his group near the structure’s location.

"Who do you think it is?" Ryan asked.

"Other hunters?" I hoped it was. We certainly needed the back up. "Whoever it is scared off the ring leader," I said, pointing to the retreating vamp. "Come on, the kids are that way."

"I don't think the ring leader was backing off," Ryan said, pointing ahead of him.

I looked down the field to see that his front line had charged.

"Here goes nothing fellas," I said. "Stay close!" I called out as the roars from the approaching enemy grew loud. I took aim at the closest vamps and fired.

For every one of them that dropped there were two more to replace it.

Luke took the lead with his assault rifle, reloaded and fired. Ryan mutilated and decapitated everything that came within range. There were two vamps in particular that leaped through the air like cats. They pounced straight for his face. With two upward-downward swings of his blade, they both split into an 'X,' splattering blood over our protective clothing. I holstered one of my guns and used my free hand to unsheathe a machete, which was strapped across my back. I caught the oncoming hordes in front of us with explosive heads, before slicing a few with the tip of my machete. I took out at least ten of them with each shell. But we were still in a losing battle.