The sun had begun to set on another uneventful day, the others walking with a relaxed stride, the tension that had been hanging in the air around them slowly fading as they went longer and longer without any incidents. It had been a few days since Elaine helped the humans, and Jack was the only one who was still on edge, swinging his head around and frowning, seeing nothing once again. He swore he could feel eyes on him, as if he was being watched intently, but he could not see anyone anywhere around them. He thought he had seen the tall grass move against the wind a couple of times, but he had yet to see any proof that he was being watched, and it was beginning to drive him mad.
His friends were too tired to notice, and Noelle was ahead of everyone and sulking as usual. Elaine was the only one to notice his behavior, following his gaze and frowning when she saw nothing.
"What is wrong, Jack? You keep looking behind us as if you expect to see something."
He almost said nothing, his instincts telling him that he was being watched despite the lack of evidence. The elf had taught him a bit of her language over their time spent together, and he spoke in Falvelen so that no vampire could listen in, telling her how he was feeling. She listened intently as she always did, nodding when he was finished and looking behind them again.
"I do not see anything, but I trust in your instincts. We should let the others know."
He nodded, relieved that she believed him so quickly. Elaine power walked to the front, reaching Noelle and placing a hand on the dark elf's shoulder.
"Noelle, for the past few hours, Jack has felt like he is being watched. I do not know why he is the only one feeling like this, but I think we should be on guard just in case."
Noelle scoffed, sending Jack a dirty look.
"Seems like he is just paranoid. Maybe he is being haunted by all of the elves he killed so far."
Jack returned her look, not in the mood for her little jabs. "Funny, you would think you would be the paranoid one, since all you are good at is running."
The entire group stopped, Elaine gasping and stepping between them as Noelle pointed her spear at him, a wave of anger flashing across her face as she glared daggers at him.
"You betray your own kind, and you dare call me a coward? I will kill you vampire, do not test me."
Drake got closer, not wanting to miss this, while Midnight simply rolled her eyes and waited. Jack drew his sword, the thin metal gleaming in the light of the setting sun as he ripped off his helmet, looking her dead in the eyes, his anger getting the better of him.
"I could tie both of my hands behind my back, and you would still be unable to kill me. You should be thankful I am betraying my kind, since no other race seems to be capable of stopping them; you are in desperate need of a soldier that can actually back up his words, and I am always willing to prove to you the difference between us, anytime and anywhere."
Elaine whipped her head back and forth, emerald eyes filled with concern as she was uncertain if she could stop both of them. Noelle tensed up, appearing ready to push Elaine aside, while Jack did nothing, waiting to see if she was foolish enough to try him. They most likely would have ended up fighting, but someone suddenly began laughing, and Jack tensed up when he realized that it was no one in his group, turning towards the sound, heart speeding up as he scanned the grass and saw nothing.
They all turned towards the sound, the laughing only getting louder. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a vampire appeared before them, holding his stomach and laughing. Jack's blood froze, recognizing the vampire and knowing the trouble they were in, and suddenly they were surrounded by laughter, over twenty vampires appearing out of thin air and surrounding them, all of them laughing as the group drew their weapons and formed a circle.
The first vampire to appear was named Mulligan, and he was part of the Nation of Blood's elite forces, a unit comprised only of vampires that had abilities. Mulligan's ability allowed him to turn himself and a small number of vampires around him invisible, and while not very powerful on its own, it could be dangerous and had put them into a dangerous position. The vampire laughed again, and Jack saw that he had blood on him, and when the wind changed directions, Jack could smell that the blood was human.
Mulligan slowly stopped laughing, wiping a tear from his eye and leering at them with a expression of amusement on his face.
"Such a battle of wits! It is hard to believe that the mention of your name is enough to make some vampires piss their pants. You have fallen, Benson."
Jack growled, hating when people referred to him by his last name.
"Easy to talk shit when you have twenty vampires with you. I wonder if you would still be so brave if it was just you and me."
Mulligan only sneered, drawing his short sword and tapping it against his head.
"That is the difference between us, former Night Stalker; I can actually use my head. I have you surrounded and outnumbered, all while doing so right under your nose. It was quite a sight, seeing you whip your head around and look for us; I almost laughed every time I saw that flash of disbelief in your eyes, driving yourself mad."
Jack said nothing, scanning the other vampires around him; he needed to know how many of them were elite soldiers, as any vampire with an ability was a threat. Noelle pushed Elaine to the center of their circle, making sure she was surrounded by allies at all sides. Mulligan continued, unbothered by the lack of response.
"I admit, we almost lost you after the wolf incident. You kept sticking to the main roads, your tracks getting lost among all the others. We would have went right past you, but fortunately for us, we ran across some humans who knew what direction you headed in."
Jack felt Elaine tense up, her eyes wide as she looked at the vampire, seeing the blood on his cloak for the first time.
"What do you mean? What did you do to them?"
The vampire grinned from ear to ear, and Jack knew before he even spoke that none of them would like what the vamp was going to say.