Chapter Ten: The Hunter's Way
Twenty-seven days till the solstice
"No! Plea..."
Ignoring the vampire's cries, Adrian mercilessly drove his stake through its chest— piercing the creature's heart. Its canines and claws retracted and the blood-red color in its eyes slowly faded. The vampire may have had the face of a man but whatever humanity it once had was lost the moment it became a monster. Just this night alone, this vampire had claimed the lives of two innocent humans that had camped in the woods. Adrian could tell that the vampire was new to Ravenhill— maybe even new to Salem— because no dark creature in its right mind would ever attack an area protected by the Hunters. First Richard and now this... The supernatural presence in Ravenhill was increasing; as if something was drawing them here.
"Captain look out!"
Adrian dove to his left, dodging the fatal claws of another vampire. His back touched the hard ground as he rolled and quickly stood on his feet. He took a good look at his new opponent. This one was a female— short dark hair, red-stained eyes— and appeared to be both a newly turned and inexperienced vampire. She casually smiled and flashed her long sharp canines as she licked the blood smeared on her lips; the blood of her most recent victim.
Three people dressed in black leather clothing stood next to Adrian. Like him, they all had masks that covered the lower part of their faces— revealing only their eyes— and each one had their hoods raised. Emery, Deborah, and Max. These were Adrian's subordinates, no... his teammates and they were the only ones among the Hunters he trusted.
"Captain," a voice said. It was Adrian's Lieutenant, Emery Hughes. She was seven years older than Adrian but she still gave him the respect any Lieutenant would have given to their Captain. Ironically, she also happened to be Adrian's teacher of Chemistry at Ravenhill High.
"Everybody with me," Adrian ordered, staring into the pitch-black darkness that enveloped the trees that surrounded them. He could hear leaves rustling and branches cracking. "More are coming."
Animalistic growls resounded in the forest as six figures came out of the shadows cast by the night. Flashing their white sharp teeth, they stood in a single line and carefully watched Adrian and his team.
The young female vampire that had attacked Adrian stood up, her eyes wet with tears as she held the desiccated body of the vampire he'd killed earlier,
"Why?" she asked, in a sobbing voice. A deadly rage tainted her dark aura. "I will kill you!"
She dashed at Adrian at a speed that no normal human could have followed her movements. But it wasn't enough. Adrian swiftly unsheathed the sword on his back and slashed it across the vampire's neck. Her head was severed from the body. The six others that had appeared began to retreat after seeing Adrian's black sword. The Black Sword was the only enchanted weapon the Hunters carried. Created by taking ordinary swords and soaking them in Tormentor's blood, these weapons caused unimaginable pain to their victims. Even the smallest nick was enough to kill a human. Captains, like Adrian, were the only ones allowed to carry these weapons.
"Don't let them escape!" Emery shouted.
"Yes, Lieutenant," said Deborah.
She and Max went after the vampires. Emery remained with him.
"Captain, thirty new supernatural creatures in the past three days alone," Emery said, walking towards Adrian.
"Something is drawing them here," Adrian replied, sheathing his sword.
"It's him, isn't it," Emery stated. "The one they call the Spawn of Hell..."
"Death and destruction may follow Richard Thane," Adrian replied, turning towards the headless body that lay on the ground. "But not these creatures... something else is bringing them here."
Adrian paused for a while. Could it be? He thought. Could the rumors be true? That the reason Richard came to Ravenhill last year was that he was hunting a creature far more dangerous and powerful than he was?
Last year, the Hunters formed an alliance with Richard to destroy a certain creature. Whatever it was, the Grand Masters never revealed anything about it. All Adrian knew was that the creature was indeed killed. But it was done at a price. His uncle was one of the Hunters that joined forces with Richard and he lost his life; killed by the very monster he had allied himself with. The Hunters that survived kept quiet about what happened. Adrian's father-- the man who suggested the alliance with Richard in the first place-- lost his position and place among the Hunters because of it.
Adrian's fingers curled tightly into a fist.
"Come on," he said to his Lieutenant and followed the rest of his teammates.
Three more vampires fell that night; two by Adrian's own hands and one at the hands of his Lieutenant. One of them grabbed Deborah but before it could sink it's teeth into her neck, she latched her hand onto its long dark hair and Max severed its head with his sword.
"Watch your back there beautiful," Max said.
"Not when I know you are," Deborah replied flirtatiously.
Max sent a threatening stare at the other two vampires that remained.
"How 'bout we take out the trash early," he said. "Seems I have a shot a taking someone out tonight."
Seeing they were greatly outmatched-- and outnumbered-- the other two tried to escape into the woods. But their effort was in vain; for they encountered an adversary far deadlier than Adrian or his teammates.
He appeared out of nowhere. Using his lightning-quick reflexes and speed, the Hunter in black pounced on the vampires, swinging his Black Sword through the necks of both of them.
The vampires fell to the ground, desiccating as all vampires did when killed.
Everyone was quiet. Not because they were in awe. No... They were afraid; well, most of them and definitely not Adrian. Amongst all the Hunters, the one that had just arrived was probably the most bloodthirsty.
Spencer. He enjoyed both the hunt and the kill... One could see it in those deadly dark brown eyes. No one had ever seen his face because he was always in his Hunter's uniform. He joined the Hunters three years before Adrian did and in all the years that Adrian knew him, he never once heard Spencer utter any words. His name was among the list of many other Hunters and that was as far as anyone knew about the mysterious Hunter called Spencer. He produced results and that was probably why the higher-ups left him to do as he pleased.
"What are you doing here, Spencer?" Adrian asked.
Before Adrian even had the time to react, Spencer had already unsheathed a small silver dagger, throwing it at Adrian. The blade went past Adrian and he felt a grunting sound behind him. Adrian turned and saw a man lying on the ground... a vampire. He quickly pulled out his stake and stabbed the vampire through his back; aiming for its heart.
Spencer sheathed his Black Sword. A Captain with neither lieutenant nor team.... that was how Spencer always worked, but what in the world was he doing here?
Walking up to Adrian, Spencer pulled his dagger out of the vampire's forehead. He gave Adrian an unemotional stare... a stare that said, "You know why I am here... or have you forgotten."
That's right, Adrian realized. Spencer was one of them; one of the Hunters that joined forces with Richard last year. Could he be after Richard?
"Richard," Adrian stated.
Spencer shook his head in disagreement. Adrian watched him as he moved his head and stared at all the vampires that lay dead around the area. He looked at Adrian again.
Adrian understood. Even without words, Spencer always had this way of saying what was on his mind. He was after whatever was drawing the supernatural to Salem.
The Hunter's way...
The words of his father run through Adrian's head. Spencer may not have been one of Adrian's favorites but he was still a Hunter... and Hunters always helped wherever they could. The funny thing about Spencer was that nobody truly knew if he was even a guy. They all just assumed he was because of his name.
"You know what's bringing them here, don't you Spencer?" Emery asked, walking towards Adrian.
Adrian could have sworn that he saw Spencer's face light up as if he was smiling underneath that mask but before another thought could even cross his mind a loud scream came from the dark woods.
Spencer was the first to react. He ran past the thick bushes and disappeared into the darkness. Adrian chased after him, followed by his comrades.
Adrian caught up with Spencer when he stopped running. Together they stared at the pool of blood that covered the ground— glowing slightly underneath the moon's light. Blood without a body in sight. Spencer's eyes remained ever calculating and distant. Adrian knelt on one knee and studied the area. There were some signs of a struggle; blood spatters against a nearby tree, with some small traces of skin grafts as if someone was pushed against it by force. There were two pairs of footprints; one pair were actually made by someone with boots while the others, by someone on bare feet. The one made by boots was too deep for a normal person to have made— at least not while walking. Adrian looked up to the top of the tree. Yes... he must have jumped from up there Adrian thought. He then felt a tap on his shoulder from Spencer. He turned and on the ground, he saw a white paper with some blood smeared on it. Adrian picked it up and read it.
He froze. Adrian froze. He never did; never once on any mission. But this was different. The letter fell to the ground. Spencer picked it up and after look at the note, he simply threw the paper on the ground. Adrian heard Spencer walking away behind him.
Still standing frozen, Adrian's shaking hand reached for his phone.
The note... the words written on that piece of paper danced in Adrian's mind.
'Hmmm...
I wonder whose blood this belongs to?
Could it be the sweet blood of swimming sensation Alexis Grainger... aka Alex?
Or could it belong to the innocent little love of Adrian's life... Ashley Morgan?'
"Captain... Captain... Adrian!!!"
Adrian's finger shook as it slid over the screen of his phone. His eyes were becoming cloudy— stinging as tears filled in them— and a lump formed in his throat as he dialed Ashley's line.
Beep Beep Beep...
"So... Funny thing... I am probably away from my phone right now but you can always leave me a message... ttyl"
Adrian fell to his knees after being redirected to Ashley's voicemail. It couldn't be, he thought.
"So you're saying that it was okay for them to be murdered?"
Remembering how angry Ashley was when she asked him that question, Adrian realized that he and Ashley hadn't said a word to each other for the past two days. He didn't those words to be last that he'd ever hear Ashley say to him. He searched for Alex's line and just before he could press the call icon…. his phone began to ring and Ashley's line was displayed on the screen.
He quickly swiped his screen and answered the call.
"Hey you," Ashley said in a cheerful tone. "I was starting to think you'd completely forgotten about me."
Adrian knelt there in silence. He was filled with so much joy yet he couldn't turn his emotions into words.
"Adrian, you okay?"
"Ashley... I..."
He wanted to finish his sentence. The words that he had kept in his heart for so long wanted to burst free out of his mouth but he just said, "I just wanted to check up on you." He said this when he saw the person... no... the monster that stood before him. Short shaggy brown hair, dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt, and his lips had curved into an annoying grin; It was Jacob and he flashed his white fangs and vanished into the shadows of the night.
Ashley began to speak through Adrian's phone.
"Well... I was gonna call and tell you that the guys and I will be meeting at the beach tomorrow... Luke said he might also be there. I know we haven't talked in a while but I was also hoping we could use this as a chance to, you know… make up."
Adrian rose to his feet. His eyes were burning and so was his rage.
"I will be there," Adrian said, trying to sound as happy as he could. He was happy; happy that Ashley was alive. But it also meant that someone she cared about wasn't.
"I promise I will always be there from now on," Adrian added.
"Hey... is something wrong?"
"Nothing I can't handle," Adrian replied. "I'll call you later."
"Alright..."
There were some brief seconds of silence before Ashley hang up. Adrian felt the tightness in his stomach and chest lessen. She was safe. Ashley was safe and alive. But that meant... Alex...
"Captain... who was that?" Emery asked.
"You already know Ashley so why ask?" Adrian replied.
"No... I meant the vampire that stood before us..."
"Jacob Hill," Adrian stated.
Emery's eye opened wide.
"Hill... as in..."
"Yes, Lieutenant... that was the supposed dead brother of Stacy Hill."
Everything was indeed falling apart, Adrian thought. Stacy... Adrian and Stacy were never close. She was once one of Ashley's best friends. Stacy was kind and warm and even Adrian had to admit that it was fun to be around her but eighteen months ago Adrian sensed that something had become severely off about her. And whatever it was manifested itself the day she attempted to kill Ashley. Whenever asked the reason why, she always said the same thing,
"Ashley must disappear. She will awaken him. She must disappear to prevent it. She must."
Prior to that day, Stacy was admitted into a hospital, under the care of some of the best psychologists in Salem. She, however, escaped— no one ever figured out how— and went after Ashley. According to Ashley, Jacob showed up to stop his sister but instead, Stacy killed him.
Stacy was now locked up in an asylum and Jacob was now a vampire; a vampire who was a threat to Ashley's life.
"You guys can call it a day," Adrian ordered. "You too, Lieutenant..."
"Captain, if you are going somewhere then I am coming with you," said Emery. "Unless that was an order—"
"Fine."
"So how about we stop by Coley's Diner, love," Max said to Deborah.
"Well, you did save my life after all," Deborah replied and the two of them left.
"So where are we going, Captain?" Emery asked.
"Oregon State Hospital... specifically the asylum," Adrian replied.
"We are going to see her," Emery asked.
"Yes Lieutenant," Adrian replied. "We are going to see the girl who was so hell-bent on killing Ashley that she didn't mind sticking a dagger through her own brother's neck."