by Phil Wohl
plan. Bravado is essential in each battle but deception might play an even larger part in the outcome. Hartwell thought, when you’re coming into a battle with less than your best – or, as in this case, you are so outnumbered that it’s probably laughable that you spend time preparing at all – then you have to find a way to make your opponent believe that you think you can win and then, when you're losing badly, make them think that you have given up.
Everyone was jacked up as the lasagna dinner with garlic bread and green beans had fully cycled through, followed by a full ice cream sundae bar at 8:00 pm. The battle wasn’t scheduled to start until the prey actually walked out on to the field and waited to be attacked.
It was a weird dynamic for the hunters because they were used to waiting until the vampires and protectors strolled out to the field, and then they could track them to begin the fight. In those days, they were few unknowns to each fight. The participants were generally the same and the opponents on each side were established, in both skill and tendencies. Battles in recent months had taken a turn for the different when Max and Kayla became involved. He was the consummate battle strategist and she used her peacenik tendencies to protect her loved ones.
Hartwell thought about how he would approach the first battle, but decided to stand out front and at least present the appearance of caring. He looked at Cal and then the rest of his family as they stood in the main room of the house as the clock struck midnight, and said, “Let’s walk.”
Walk turned into jog, which transitioned into run and then sprint. It was decided during the week leading up to the first battle that the football field at the high school would only be utilized on the weekend to avoid any potential contact with students and teachers in the morning after a battle. This being a Tuesday night, it meant that the first battle would take place at the great lawn of Beach Haven Park, which also happened to be closer to the Beach Haven Inn than the high school. Not that it would have mattered to Lowery’s charges, at least not in the first days of the war.
Once Lowery sensed that Hartwell and company were on the move, he had Ellison gather the troops around the outdoor pool.
“Friends! We have come upon a most momentous night in our history, as one of our own has strayed away from us, threatening the very fabric of our existence.”
Lowery realized that all of these vampires and protectors had not heard the story of the vampire and the hunter that had produced offspring, so he took the opportunity to fill in the blanks.
“A vampire and a hunter have produced offspring and are living under the same roof as one of my originals sires, Thomas Hartwell. And I am told that the baby is scheduled to be born within the month,” Lowery said, showing his ignorance toward Samuel’s arrival and Kayla’s expedient recovery, thanks to Daniel.
“Our objective is simple. We must kill Hartwell repeatedly until he reaches death number 100. Then, once he and all associated with him are mortal, we will destroy them all so that future generations of vampires and protectors can live free without the potential for everything we’ve worked for, and everything we’ve died for, going away.”
There was a huge roar from the crowd. Lowery waited for the noise to wane, and then continued.
“Let’s start tonight by making sure that we all can live and do anything we want, for as long as we all want!”
The stirred-up crowd roared again.
“There’s only one thing that I would like to request on such a historical night. The objective we all have is to kill this man…” as Ellison unfurled a two-story banner affixed to the wall with Hartwell’s face plastered on it.
“His name is Hartwell and he has only sired one vampire in his more than 100 years as a vampire.”
“Booooooooo!” chants echoed off the inn and around the pool.
“Although I am eager to get this done, I would like all of you to take your time and enjoy the fight for a change. They have less than a few handfuls of people, and we have a nation, big and strong. So, make sure that you give all of those hunters, protectors and vampires a chance to show you what they’ve got before going after Hartwell full force, because once he dies the fight is over,” Lowery stated, giving his appearance that he was a just man who had a penchant for following the rules of the ages.
There was also unwritten rule that suggested that vampires didn’t fight vampires, and protectors didn’t fight protectors. It was also commonplace to let a vampire live a normal life after turning back into a mortal, although Lowery shattered that myth by speeding up the process by eliminating name after name on his personal sire list.
Lowery was quite aware the he and Hartwell controlled the fight, even if he was sitting by the pool while his minions did his dirty work. Ellison had a scouting party survey the field and then he reported back to Lowery once he received the information they were looking for.
“They are all there,” he said to Lowery.
“Even the pregnant girl?” Lowery asked.
“No, they left her at home,” Ellison replied.
“Good,” Lowery said in an evil tone. “Very good. Let’s put the fear of Lowery in them. Give the signal to attack.”
Ellison smiled and replied, “My pleasure.”
Lowery was in a jovial mood, “But you get first crack at those hunters, as I promised.”
Ellison smirked, “Thanks, boss.”
“Send a smallish first wave before we hit them with our big guns, then you can go in there and destroy those hunters once they feel good about themselves,” Lowery stated.
Ellison was miffed as he thought to himself, “So much for getting first crack…”
While Kayla wanted to help the family fight against Lowery’s hoard, and they could use all the help they could get, it was decided that she would stay home and keep both of her eyes on Samuel. Daniel thought he could mask her appearance, but the elders figured that Lowery would wait to get to Kayla and her Samuel once they disposed of Hartwell. There was no sense in putting her center stage looking fit when she when her stomach was supposed to be stretched beyond any human capacity. The potential of discovery was just not worth the risk, and while Hartwell had made a secret agreement with Samuel, his participation in the plan was going to be tenuous at best, at least the first few days when he was younger and impatient.
Max and Kayla also wanted to keep any images of a violent conflict away from Samuel. His capabilities were growing exponentially and no one knew if he had the ability to view the fight even if he wasn’t there. The fact was that Samuel was able to just about anything he wanted if he simply had the thought in his head. His brain was like his personal Jeannie, where any wish he had he could grant.
Samuel knew the power that his Great Grandpa’ Hartwell wielded. As an original vampire, and a first generation vampire in a growing family, he was the power source and someone to be both respected and listened to. It was difficult for Samuel to listen to anyone, let alone Hartwell, with all of this raw power coursing through his constantly-pumping veins. A few days was a short period of time in most people’s lives, but it was an eternity for Samuel and his drive toward his 18th inner birthday and freedom.
TWENTY-FOUR
Maxwell was on the field for his first battle. While he sat on the sidelines and watched battle after battle that he orchestrated for his side, this was his first foray into actually taking a hit and hitting back. There were no words that could prepare him for what he was about to face, however. The battles he had witnessed had been more on-on-one in nature, and would be tame in comparison to the onslaught of vampires and protectors that were getting ready to ascend on Beach Haven Park.
Max did lay out a strategy designed to take advantage of their collective abilities, though. He planned on having his team members come out the perpetrators in what he called a “wave” strategy, whereas there would be a continuous flow of invariable forms coming at the unsuspecting opponent.
“First plat
oon, you are good to go!” Ellison shouted at his comrades waiting for his instructions in the parking lot of what was left of the Beach Haven Inn.
He almost decided a few minutes earlier to pack it in and sit in his room until Hartwell was killed, but then he remembered the repeated punches to his face with bare and brass-covered fists and decided – as usual – to follow his vampire’s orders.
Vampires, with their protectors in tow, took to the sky and made quick work of the two-minute journey.
“Incoming,” Cal said as the others followed his lead and looked toward the sky. His senses, and the senses of the other hunters, were tingling at the proximity of the enemy.
As the enemy drew closer, the group waited for Max to give them instructions. Once he called out the plan, they would automatically gel into the appropriate formation and be prepared to fight.
Max timed his call just right as he yelled, “Wave formation!”
The 18 members of Team Hartwell formed a straight and tight line as the enemy landed 2x2 in the field ahead and made no attempt to do anything but come out the group full steam ahead. The fly-in was staggered, which definitely benefited the Hartwell gang in the early going.
The action slowed as Hartwell was on the front of the line as his vampire self, slashing the first of his fellow vampires and protectors, as Maggie fed off of his image by