Vampire Hunters, #1

by Trudie Collins

“When do we start house hunting?” JD asked enthusiastically.

  “Whenever you want to.”

  He kissed her. “I need to get Doc’s permission first. I’ve never heard of a trainer not living at his appointed Sanctuary, but I’m sure he will be okay with it.”

  Sarah glanced at her watch. It was still too early to disturb Doc, but by the time they had got dressed and had breakfast, it wouldn’t be.

  “You should go to the Sanctuary alone,” she said. “The others will need to be told and there may be things that they would prefer to say without me being around.”

  He looked at her quizzically. “That’s not the only reason, is it? You’re not ready to face Christina yet.”

  “If I set eyes on her I am going to kill her. And I don’t mean that figuratively.”

  “What makes you so sure I won’t?”

  “You are better at self-control. Now go and get dressed while I put some bacon under the grill.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Craig opened the front door in time to see Sarah’s car pull into the garage. “I guess a journey won’t be needed after all,” he said to Natalie.

  “Where’s Sarah?” he asked when JD approached. He looked like he hadn’t slept.

  “She’s at her place. I’ll go back and pick her up later.”

  “JD−” he said, but JD snapped at him.

  “Not now Craig. I have to see Doc, then I’ll tell you all everything. Please can you make sure nobody goes anywhere until then.” The look on his face told Craig it wouldn’t be a good idea to argue.

  “We have heard Christina’s version of events,” he said.

  JD grimaced. “I thought that would be the case. Once I have finished with Doc I will give you my side of the story, then you can decide for yourselves who to believe.”

  Before Craig could reply, he went into the house and headed for Doc’s suite.

  Scott had already notified his parents of everything he knew, so JD’s arrival did not surprise them. Silvia offered to leave them alone, but JD insisted that she stay. He then told them everything that had happened.

  Doc seemed particularly concerned about the fact that JD was sure Christina had drugged him. It was a very dangerous thing to do, for a number of reasons. Firstly, they could have been called out on another hunt. It didn’t happen often, but it was a possibility. Secondly, nobody knew how vampires would react to the drug. She could have killed him.

  JD waved away his concerns. It was in the past so there was no point in dwelling on it. Doc, however, vowed to speak to her and it would not be a pleasant conversation.

  “Are you attached to your room at all?” Silvia asked.

  “No, why?” JD said. He had no idea what Silvia was getting at.

  “I think you should both move into Sarah’s old room. It might be easier on her.”

  JD saw the logic in that and agreed to move all of their things, including the name plates, across later that day. He then went on to talk about the plans he and Sarah had been making.

  As he had hoped, Doc did not have any objections. JD was dedicated enough to not let the fact he was no longer living under the Sanctuary roof affect anything and both he and Sarah would be spending almost as much time there as they currently did.

  “One more thing,” JD said. “It might take us a while until we find a place and Sarah thinks it will be too disruptive for us to move into her place until then, so I would like to install a lock on our bedroom door. I will get three keys cut so Silvia can have one.” There was no need to explain why and Doc and Silvia both agreed.

  “You need to let the rest know your plans,” Doc said as JD stood up to leave.

  “That’s next on my agenda.”

  He found everyone in the lounge, obviously waiting for him. “Family meeting, dining room, now,” he told them. Then his eyes fell on Christina and he had to force himself not to react. “You are not family,” he said as she made to get up, his face as hard as stone as he struggled to keep his hatred of her out of his voice. His expression softened when he turned to Natalie. “You, on the other hand, are, given your relationship with Craig. You are welcome to join us, though I should warn you that you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

  Once everyone was seated, he began. “How did everyone sleep last night?” he asked. He wanted to establish if everyone had been drugged or just him. Christina had seemed to select his drink randomly from the tray, so he didn’t believe it was the latter.

  “Cut the crap, JD,” Craig said. “I want to know how Sarah is.”

  “I wish I could say that she’s fine, but she’s not. She knows the bitch is lying, but that doesn’t mean she’s alright. It will take a while, but she will get over it.” The scowl didn’t leave Craig’s face, so JD took his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number.

  “Hi sweetheart. I need you to let Craig know that you’re alive.” He waited for her response, then handed the phone over.

  “I’m okay,” she said. “I’ll probably be over later, so we can talk then, if you still want to. Right now, I need you to listen to Jason. He’ll tell you all you need to know.”

  Craig reluctantly agreed, then handed the phone back to JD. “By the way,” he said into the mouthpiece. “Doc has agreed.” He could almost picture the smile spreading across her face. “So, back to where we were,” he said once he had hung up.

  Everyone around the table, other than Natalie, all admitted that they had fallen asleep much quicker than usual and that they were still tired when they awoke. JD explained his suspicions and everyone agreed it was a very real possibility. Though none of them had detected an aftertaste, they accepted that he had, due to his enhanced senses. He then went on to tell them everything that had occurred.

  “Now that you have heard both sides of the story, it’s up to you what you do with the information. Sarah believes me and, right now, that’s all that really matters to me.”

  He turned his attention toward Natalie. “I understand what a difficult position this must put you in and I won’t hold it against you if you take Christina’s side.”

  Natalie surprised him by smiling at him. “Actually, I believe every word you have just said. From what I’ve learned about you, you’re far too clever to get caught cheating, especially so easily. You had to have been set up.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I think.”

  “None of us are going to take Christina’s word over yours,” Simon said. “So where do we go from here?”

  “I’m glad you asked that. Sarah and I are moving out.”

  His statement got the reaction he had been expecting. It was a mixture of shock, disbelieve and incredulity. “You’re doing what?” Jonathon asked.

  JD quickly summarised his and Sarah’s plans. “It may take us a while to find a place and we won’t be far away,” he finished.

  “And that makes it alright does it?” Katie asked, a touch of bitterness in her voice.

  “No, it doesn’t make it alright, but right now it’s something we need to do.” He contemplated telling them they had no say in the matter, but that would be unfair on them. “I hope you understand why and give your permission.”

  They all knew he didn’t need them to agree, but wouldn’t do anything without their approval, regardless.

  Jonathon flashed him a smile. “And what exactly do you plan on doing if we say no?”

  JD’s answer wiped the smile off his face. “I’ll resign.”

  “Excuse me,” Natalie said, almost knocking her chair over in her haste to stand up. “It sounds like you lot have something to discuss that I don’t need to be part of and I have a sister I have to deal with.”

  Six sets of eyes watched her leave. She didn’t shut the door so they could clearly hear her yelling at Christina. Christina was denying everything, sticking to her story. The confrontation was ended by someone being slapped round the face, hard, and Natalie was rubbing her hand when she wa
lked back into the dining room.

  “Well that didn’t go as I imagined,” she said and Craig burst out laughing.

  Everyone was still in the dining room, discussing how to make JD and Sarah moving out work as seamlessly as possible, when Doc walked in.

  “I’ve spoken with Christina,” he said. “I’ve told her how dangerous what she did was, but she’s denying everything. Without proof, there isn’t much I can do. I have, however, put in an official request to have her reassigned to another Sanctuary, stating our suspicions, and I’m confident that they will be sufficient to warrant my request being given serious consideration. However, under the circumstances, I’m not sure that any other Sanctuary will agree to take her.”

  He then noticed that Natalie was in the room. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t have much choice.”

  “I understand,” she said. “Does that mean I have to go as well?”

  “Of course not,” Doc replied hastily. “I don’t think there is a single person here who would want you to leave, but it’s going to be a tough decision for you, should I manage to get Christina moved.”

  She glanced shyly at Craig, a slight smile on her face. “Not as tough as you think.” He squeezed her hand affectionately.

  The Sanctuary is under attack

  Sarah returned to the Sanctuary later that afternoon and managed to act as though nothing was wrong. Yes, she was still angry. Yes, she was still upset, but she wouldn’t let it show. Unknown to each other, everyone secretly took her aside to make sure she was alright, even Natalie and Doc, and she was able to convince them that she was. It was only when she and JD were alone that she let her mask slip.

  Thankfully Christina had gone out by the time Sarah arrived at the Sanctuary and she didn’t return until after everyone had gone to bed. Sarah attended training the next morning and found that it helped her get rid of some of her emotions. Nobody complained when JD made the session run for an extra half an hour.

  At Sarah’s request, nobody treated Christina any different to how they had done before. It would have given the house an unpleasant atmosphere and she didn’t wish the place she now regarded as her home to become unbearable to live in.

  Sarah and JD coped with Christina’s presence by simply pretending she did not exist. They found it surprisingly easy to ignore her whenever she spoke. When she publicly confronted JD to ask him why he was lying, neither of them reacted in any way. They didn’t know that Jonathon later took her aside and told her that if she ever tried a stunt like that again, he would come to her room when she was asleep and he would bring a knife. He didn’t need to go into any more details.

  Christina’s attitude slowly began to change. She began to help out around the house and make herself useful. It was no secret that Doc was trying to relocate her, so far without success, and it seemed that it was finally forcing her to make an effort toward being a resident rather than a guest. It was too little too late, but nobody told her that.

  She even tried to apologise to Sarah and JD, though she did not go as far as to admit that she had set him up, but neither would acknowledge her.

  While nobody was outwardly hostile toward her, her attempts to befriend everyone continued to fall on deaf ears. They tolerated her, included her occasionally in their activities, but never once were they openly friendly. Only her sister’s attitude toward her softened; she appreciated the efforts Christina was making.

  Life went on until, late one evening, the alarm sounded. Sarah and JD were alone in the arena and they immediately stopped what they were doing. She was still not back to full strength, but she was close, so he was pushing her harder and harder each day.

  “Why does the alarm sound different?” she asked. She didn’t like the look of concern that had crossed JD’s face the moment he heard the tones. He had quickly regained his composure, but not quickly enough.

  “The Sanctuary is under attack,” he said.

  “What? How?” His words didn’t make sense. The Sanctuary was secure. How could it be under attack?

  “We have sensors on the gate and the surrounding wall. Something has jumped over and only a vampire could do that.”

  Sarah didn’t need to hear any more and went to collect her live sword.

  “You’re not going out there,” JD said, his tone stating that it was not up for discussion.

  Before Sarah could reply, Craig ran onto the balcony. “Doc says there are at least ten out there,” he gasped breathlessly.

  JD nodded. “Grab your gear.” Ten didn’t sound many; they had faced a lot more in the past, but both Jonathon and Katie were out for the evening, leaving only five hunters in residence, four if Sarah wasn’t allowed to fight.

  “You’re going to need me,” she said.

  “No, we are not. We can handle it. You’re not yet battle ready.”

  “I’m close enough.”

  “It’s your decision,” Craig said to JD, “but if you want my advice, you will let her fight. She will never forgive you if anyone gets hurt because she wasn’t out there helping. Plus you have to take into account what she’s going to go through stuck in here, worrying about us all.”

  “Alright,” he reluctantly agreed. He didn’t have time for arguments.

  It didn’t take long for the five hunters to get ready. Doc was waiting for them by the front door, as was a very scared Natalie.

  “Don’t worry,” Craig was saying to her as JD and Sarah arrived. “We will be fine. You are perfectly safe in here.”

  “Lock the door behind us,” JD said to Doc. “And don’t open it again unless you’re sure it’s us.”

  Doc nodded. “I’ve already called 7 and others are on their way. Good luck. There has never been a vampire in this house since it was built so go out there and make damn sure it doesn’t happen now.” JD coughed. “You don’t count,” Doc said.

  JD looked around him at the faces of his fellow hunters. “We’ve all practised for this, though I never thought the day would come when we would have to do it for real. Be careful out there. Just do what you always do.” He then turned to Sarah. “Don’t overdo it. If you need to retreat back here, do so. If you get injured again, I will never let you train ever again.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was serious or not, so she didn’t reply.

  JD took a deep breath, then opened the door just wide enough for him to see out. Nothing was moving in the darkness, so he signalled for everyone to follow him. He heard the key being turned in the lock once the door had been closed behind them.

  “Spread out,” JD said, “but don’t go so far I won’t hear you call for help.”

  Craig and Scott went one way, Simon and Sarah another. JD headed out on his own. After a few minutes of moving between trees, he stopped. He could hear something to his right and detected the faint aroma of body odour. At least one of the vampires had no concept of personal hygiene.

  He moved to his right and soon spotted four figures circling toward the back of the house. All were tall and muscular and were carrying baseball bats. JD grinned to himself. This was going to be easy. He drew his sword and ran forward. Two were dead before any of the vampires could react. He quickly decapitated a third as the fourth crept up behind him.

  Instead of turning to face his last enemy, JD leaped into the air, somersaulting backward and landing neatly on the ground just behind the vampire. He stepped forward, placed his sword against the man’s throat and whispered in his ear.

  “You and I are going to have a little chat about how you found this place,” he said in a menacing voice. He could feel the vampire shaking as he removed the bat from his hand.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he stammered.

  “I know you will.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Sarah and Simon heard movement in front of them and quickened their pace. What looked like three teenagers were moving through the trees toward the front of the house. Both hunters, however,
knew these weren’t just innocent intruders. They could smell blood on them; they must have fed before invading the Sanctuary grounds.

  They hadn’t heard Sarah and Simon approaching and Simon managed to remove the head of a blonde girl before any of them turned around. The other girl jumped at him, managing to cut through his suit with the knife she was wielding. The wound wasn’t deep and he ignored it as he removed her arm with one stroke of his sword.

  The male vampire turned to face Sarah. She had to take it easy so didn’t try to decapitate her opponent. Instead she swung her sword round to block the machete that was descending toward her, then twisted her wrists before slashing upward, severing the vampire’s jugular vein. Ignoring the blood that was disgorging from the young man’s neck, she stepped closer and pushed her blade between his ribs and into his heart.

  She withdrew her sword and watched the body slump to the ground. Simon finished removing the armless girl’s head from her shoulders, then took care of Sarah’s vampire.

  “Three down, seven to go,” he said, then grinned at her. The sound of fighting could be heard to the left, so they headed in that direction.

  When they reached Craig and Scott, they saw three vampire corpses lying on the ground and the two hunters were fighting two more. Both were easily overpowering their opponents so did not need any assistance. Taking each dead body in turn, Sarah pulled them up by their hair so Simon could slice their heads off.

  By the time they had finished, Scott and Craig had both disposed of their vampires so Simon went over to take care of the final part of the kill.

  They were about to head off to search the grounds for more intruders, when hunters from Sanctuary 5 arrived.

  “Get inside,” one of them said. “We’ll take care of searching the grounds for any more.”

  “We’ll also speak to Sanctuary 1 when they arrive. Are there any more dead bodies out there?”

  Sarah told them where to find the three that she and Simon had taken care of and informed them that JD was out there somewhere.

  “We know,” came the smiling reply. “He told us where to find the four he killed. He should be waiting for you by the time you get back to the house.”