by Shae Bryant
"I'll kill you!" Leo snarled at Jacob.
Brian clasped his arms around Leo's waist, "Leo no! No! We have to go! We can't all die!"
A pair of sinewy arms grabbed me. On instinct, my legs moved in the opposite direction. I was going to kill Jacob Stuart.
"No!" I screamed, "Faulkner! Let me go!"
"I'm going down with the ship, boys...and ladies." Jacob gave us a two fingered salute, "Better run."
Leo and I both struggled against Faulkner and Brian. Our minds and emotions where in such a state that we didn't know what we were doing. Every fiber of our being was telling us to go in there and kill that man.
"Dad! Brian! Please!" Leo cried.
"Stop!" I begged Faulkner to leave me be, but he kept carrying me down the hall.
Catherine ran in front of us. She tried to hide her sobs as she made her way up a flight of stairs and opened a door that let in the cool night air. Brian had to drag Leo outside. Faulkner continued to play tug of war with me, as I kept trying to run back in.
Catherine slammed the door shut. Quiet explosions rattled the metal door, and shook the ground beneath us. Nearby animals went into a frenzy. They screamed and yelled, asking each other what had happened.
The din of screaming animals, frantic people, and footsteps running towards us overwhelmed me. I collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Leo knelt next to me, crying Vince's name over and over.
Louis, Anika, Erin, Chloe and India all tried to make sense of what had just happened. When the story of Vince's death was poured out by a tearful Catherine, the entire group grew silent. Chloe sat down next to Leo, holding him while he cried on her shoulder. Someone put their arms around me, hugging me close. I put my arms around Catherine and cried along with her.
"The sun is coming up soon." She sniffed, "We can't stay. I'm so sorry Raina."
Faulkner sat on the grass next to us. He grabbed a hand full of dirt and threw it away from him, "No. You have to go. I'm not. I'll go back. I don't care if he opens the skylights. I'm finding a way to kill him!"
"You can't get back in there, Faulkner!" Anika stomped her foot, "You haven't fed. You can't handle the sun!"
"I can!" He shouted, "Do you think we can't move all that rubble? Jacob sealed himself inside! I don't care how I do it, but I'll kill him for this!"
Brian wiped his eyes, "Do you think we can get in there? Honest?"
"I do." Faulkner nodded, "I also think Jacob might take out what's left if we go back. No. I know he would."
"He'd kill himself rather than let us kill him?" India tilted her head to the side.
Faulkner snorted, "No. There are ages of research still in there. He'd kill himself to keep us from taking it."
"Then we go back." Leo straightened himself up, swallowing back anymore tears.
"Leo, he will try to kill anyone who goes back." Faulkner repeated himself, "Do you understand what I am saying? Anyone who goes back with me might die."
"I know what you said. I'm going back in with you." Leo looked around at our faces, "He killed my Dad! He killed Isaac and Kevin. Who else did he kill? Who else will he kill? We have to end it."
Catherine spoke up, "I can tell from our faces that we are all determined to go with Faulkner. What's the plan?"
"Tonight." Faulkner looked at Louis, "Can you get us donors?"
"Done and done."
Brian looked up at the sky, "There's a problem with this. The moon will be full tonight."
Faulkner grinned, "I don't think Jacob planned on that. Feed and feed well everyone. Leo is right. We end this tonight."
I got cleaned up at our hosts house and fell into the bed Vince and I had slept in the night before. It still smelled like him. His things were still here in the room. I expected him to come in from taking his morning shower and flop down next to me, immediately stealing my pillows and blankets. Except, no one came. I was laying there alone. No Brutus. No Vince. No one but me.
Back in the Iron Oath base, the debris had settled from the explosion. Jacob wiped the dust off of his face, throwing his head back with a loud cackle. He put his hand on his knees, bending down to look at the pile of ash by his feet.
"Poor Vince. Your ashes are stuck here. Buried with me and all of my secrets."
He looked at The Hook with a menacing grin. The coil was full of iridescent liquid, swirling around and moving on its own accord. Jacob turned the gears, waiting for the cloud to form at the end of The Hook and the first drop to fall on the ashes.
Vince emerged, reaching his hands out where Leo had stood earlier, "Leonardo! Don't...!"
"Don't even think of coming near me, Moretti." Jacob laughed, "Put your hands down or I'll do it again."
"I'll kill you!" Vince tried to wrap his hands around Jacob's neck, but a stake pierced his heart.
Jacob rolled his eyes, "I told you to stop. Idiot. Let's try this again. And again."
A few minutes later, Vince emerged from the ashes, clutching his chest, "Ugh! Wha...what?"
"Before you try anything again, let's take a second to explain how this thing works. Since I don't have Faulkner anymore, I have you now. We're stuck here together, Vince. Just you and me. I kind of like this idea. You have been a long-standing problem for us."
Jacob shrugged his shoulders and thrust the stake through Vince's heart again. Throughout the day, Jacob staked him, watching him become ash and bringing him back. Each time he came back, Vince was screaming in increasing agony. Jacob enjoyed every second of torture Vince endured.
By the time the afternoon came, Vince was curled up on the floor, begging Jacob to stop. He finally ended the torment, so he could lean on the chair and catch a nap. Vince would lay there whimpering until his body gave up. He drifted off into a fitful sleep plagued with nightmares.
The Non Human communities of Virginia had quite a day ahead of them. Many of the Iron Oath officers who had caused them so much heartache were now in their hands. I didn't want to know what they would do to them. Much of it would be revenge for Vince and the many others they were responsible for killing.
Faulkner and Leo both came up with a plan for the rest of us. We were to meet at sunset and prepare for the night ahead. If Louis, Catherine, Anika and Faulkner got enough to eat, they could withstand the hour of sun that was left. They would also be able to move aside all the rubble blocking the corridors below. India and I would stay with one of the Vampires for our own safety. We'd have less than an hour to grab whatever research we could find, and run out.
After that time, Brian, Erin, Chloe and Leo would shift. The Vampires could carry India and I out with no issue. Then, we'd shut the doors and let the Werewolves spend their night in the Iron Oath base below. They would have little prey to hunt, but they would certainly have plenty to destroy.
I forced myself to eat something. I still felt sick and weak, but I had to do this. I needed to watch Jacob Stuart die, and I needed this research. Whatever the Iron Oath had stashed would help us all. Every piece of their research we acquired would aide us in wiping them out.
As the sun started to set, all of us met up near the river dock. We didn't need the maps this time. Everyone would stay together in the main corridor.
The stairs were covered with pieces of concrete and broken lights. Most of it was easy enough to move through, but every few feet, we would encounter a slab of concrete that had broken away from the ceiling. Four Vampires with full stomachs moved it like a piece of paper.
It took little time to move from the stairs to the main corridor. Catherine's hunch was right again. Jacob had left that corridor untouched. Had we not made our way back in, he would have been sealed inside. But now, we had provided him with more than one escape route.
"Raina." Catherine took my arm, "Stay with me?"
"I'll stay with you, India." Anika smiled at her.
"When we start to shift, I'll give you the signal." Brian said.
"We'll shut you in until the morning." Faulkner nodded, "Everyone has their route
s. Those of us who aren't shifting need to take everything we can carry. Whoever finds Stuart first? Kill him."
We all separated into different rooms. Everyone rummaged through papers and books, tossing aside useless bits and grabbing what they thought was important. I knew what room I was supposed to be in, but I had a score to settle. Jacob heard us. He knew we were here. And, he was still in the same room.
"What are you doing?" Catherine whispered.
"What I should be doing." I marched towards the end of the corridor, throwing the door open.
Jacob leaned against the wall, holding The Hook in his hand. He winked at me, waving the end of The Hook towards the other wall. When I laid my eyes on Vince, my breath caught in my chest.
"Vince...?"
"Raina no!" Vince put a hand out to stop me as I ran towards Jacob.
The echo of a gunshot rang out through the halls. A loud pop of a bullet split my ears. Then, a horrible burning pain ran through my hip and back. I fell to the ground a few inches short of Jacob. A warm and wet sensation started to trickle down my leg and over my waistband. It took my head a moment to realize that I had been shot.
Footsteps rushed towards the room. Everyone stood at the doorway in shocked silence. None of them expected to see Vince again, and they didn't expect to see me with a gunshot wound either.
"You're mine, Jacob!" Faulkner growled.
"I doubt it!" Jacob cackled.
I screamed when Jacob picked me up. The gunshot wound wouldn't be fatal, but it caused me immense pain. When he dragged me across the floor, it felt like someone was pushing a red-hot iron into my hip.
"I'll kill her!" Jacob shouted, "Move! All of you!"
He jerked me out of the room. Adrenaline kicked in. I didn't know how much pain I was in, or how much blood I was losing. My legs tried to kick at Jacob, but my body warned me I had gone too far. I cried out in pain again, clawing at Jacob's arm to try to take the weight off of my leg.
"Vincenzo!" Faulkner yelled.
Vince's footsteps moved across the room. "Oh, absolutely!"
In Jacob's desperation to save his own life, he had left The Hook in the room. Vince grabbed it once Faulkner pointed it out to him. Jacob frantically searched around him, realizing what he had done. He uttered a loud curse, and banged his fist on the wall before running away.
"He's dropped her!" Faulkner called out.
"Raina?" Catherine slipped her arms under mine, trying to help me up.
Vince knelt down next to me, "Her heart is strong."
I gritted my teeth, banging my head against the wall to make the pain that coursed through my leg stop. "Take...me...to a hospital."
"I'll do it." Catherine put my arm around her shoulders, "I can carry her if I have to."
"Don't...you...dare."
Vince tilted my chin up towards his face. He looked like hell. He was showing signs of starvation, he was exhausted, covered in dust and needed a shower. I'd never seen him look so good in my life.
I forced a smile, "Don't do that again."
"I won't." He gave me a gentle kiss, "I promise."
Catherine carried me out the way we came in. Once we had disappeared towards the stairs, Vince balled up his fist, taking deliberate steps towards Jacob's escape path.
"Don't go after him, Vincenzo." Faulkner cautioned him.
"You must be joking!?"
"You don't want to see what he might find." Faulkner held up his phone, showing Vince the message, "Shift started."
Jacob slammed the door behind him, rummaging around to find the keypad for an escape door. It had been installed years ago for a situation like this. This emergency door had its own electrical supply, and would work no matter what happened in the rest of the base. As soon as he found it, he would be free. Then, he would call in help from Europe, and recover The Hook. Everything would be fine.
Jacob punched in the last number of the code. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door started to slide open. He was free. Until a hand slammed against the door, holding it in place.
"Going somewhere?" Brian rasped.
"Who the hell are you?" Jacob aimed his gun at Brian.
"I'm Brian. Nice to finally and formally meet you."
"You...you're shifting!"
"I am." Brian leaned down until he was an inch from Jacob's face, "Before I shift, I need to tell you something."
"Leave me alone! I'll shoot!"
"Those bullets aren't silver. That gun won't do you any good right now. I've been waiting a long time to see you."
Jacob pressed himself against the wall, "... What?"
"This is for Erin. And Chloe. And Isaac."
"Isaac...Carillo?" Jacob swallowed hard after he squeaked out the name.
Brian growled in Jacob's ear, "I called him brother."
Brian doubled over onto the floor. His bones cracked and popped as his body began to sprout fur, and shift into a large brown wolf. Jacob's labored breathing went in time with the soft panting of the shifted Werewolf who was now snout to nose with him. The wolf's eyes locked onto Jacob's, and he bared his teeth with a low, resonating snarl. Jacob screamed when the wolf leaped on to of him.
Louis, Anika and India winced when the bitter screams of a man being ripped apart by a Werewolf reached their ears. All of them were rushing for the door, with Vince and Faulkner right behind them. The door shut, and the howls of Chloe, Leo, Erin and Brian were now all contained inside of the Iron Oath base. There would be nothing left of the base or Jacob Stuart come morning.
Vince closed his eyes, sinking down onto the soft grass. It was over. There was nothing left of the Iron Oath on the East coast. Jacob Stuart was dead, and The Hook was now in Vince's hands. It would never torture another Vampire again.
The research and papers that they managed to save would be taken to the Non Human communities in Virginia. From there, the information would be copied and passed from community to community across the world. We'd use their own weapons against them.
I spent the next two days in the hospital. I had to have surgery to dig a bullet out of my hip, and they needed to keep me for observation. Plus, I had to give the Police my statement. Fortunately, we all agreed on a story that would keep the Police busy on a cold case for a while. I half expected to see the case passed along to a private security firm in a few weeks. Vince was kind enough to charter me a flight back to Miami.
A few days later, everyone had been invited to Vince's home for a barbecue. Brian was busy manning the outdoor kitchen and grill. Anika was creating overly sweet cocktails at the bar while Louis kept sampling each one. India joined us along with her old parrot who squawked "Bless yer heart!" every five minutes.
Brian cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Alright everyone! Food!"
We all crowded around the grill, waiting for Brian to serve up the juicy burgers. There were plenty of barbecue sides spread on the counter for us to dig into — from Catherine's potato salad to Erin's seven layer dip.
We settled down around the pool, enjoying our dinner, and some much-needed rest. Catherine and Louis sat down together. Both of them were chatting away about various dishes they enjoyed eating and how to cook them.
"How about this." Catherine smiled at him, "You teach me something and I'll teach you. We've got two weeks paid vacation. Let's make the most of it."
Louis chuckled, "It's a deal."
Anika carried a pink cocktail over to India, sliding into the chair next to her, "India, I absolutely love this dress. Where did it come from?"
India laughed, "Your boutique."
"Did it?" Anika looked surprised, "Well, you have to come back and get some more. You look wonderful in them. Of course, they will be courtesy of Anika Hines herself."
"I thank you for your offer Anika, and I accept." India clinked her glass against Anika's with a smile.
On the other side of the deck, Leo sat down next to Chloe. He had devoured the first hamburger, and was already working on his second. "Your Dad makes like.
..the best burgers."
"They're people. That's his secret." Chloe took a huge bite of her hamburger, staring intently at Leo.
He dropped the bun on his plate, "What?"
Erin laughed at them both, "I promise you they are not people, but they are good."
"It's Isaac's recipe." Brian grinned, "He finally gave it to me after I put him in a headlock for half an hour."
"Well..." Leo lifted his burger in the air, "Here's to Isaac!"
Brian joined in the burger salute, "To Isaac!"
I watched all the smiling faces around the deck. Everyone was busy talking with each other and enjoying their time. They all mingled together, joining in lighthearted conversation and plenty of laughs. Even Faulkner managed to carry on a rather short conversation with Catherine. It was a start, at least.
No one was afraid. No one was looking over their shoulder or worried about going home alone. We were all content to celebrate our victory.
"How is it?" Vince sat down next to me.
"It's good. Are you eating tonight?"
He nodded, "These taste too good to resist."
"I'll stay away from your bathroom, in that case."
"You could put some things in to the other bathroom." Vince looked at me, "If you'd like to stay for a while?"
"I don't like you that much, Vince." I winked at him.
"Raina." He rolled his eyes, "I am serious. Stay with me. Here. As long as you want."
I looked down at my lap with a quiet laugh, "... That's not a half bad idea. Let's give it a try."
Someone was behind us, sniffling in a loud and mocking manner. "I may cry!"
"Don't you dare start, Theodric!" Vince waved his hamburger at him.
"I always cry when you get sentimental like this!" Faulkner wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
"I will rip your arm off if you even think..."
"It's so beautiful." He snickered at Vince.
Vince huffed back in his chair, "I hate him."
"Even after all of this... I don't think you do." I laughed.
After everyone had enjoyed the barbecue, one last guest was left. Faulkner stood in the entryway along with Vince. The two of them exchanged an awkward smile and nod.