The Hunt

by Jeremiah Donaldson

  Haskel frowned and twitched the camera controller so that the dog was in the center. It'd been laid within the tall grass off the side of the parking lot, and the figure was bent over it. He squinted. The infrared signature didn't look like a person, but it also didn't match that of a variation. Then it dawned on him. It was still in the process of changing.

  “That's not the one killing perverts,” Haskel said.

  Larry jerked his head around. “Not what?”

  Haskel pointed at the screen. “We have a target, but it's not the one we came for.”

  Larry inhaled deep and held it for a moment. He spit smoke with each word. “I'll be damned.” He put his sawed-off shotgun on his lap. “Are we going for the bastard?”

  Haskel shook his head. “Let's see where he goes and surprise him later.”

  Larry nodded.

  They hovered in a circle over the exit while Haskel rotated the camera to keep the variation in the center of the screen. The infrared signature changed from the hot meal before the figure walked away from the cooling body. The figure looked straight up at the helicopter, freezing for more than a second. Then the variation ran across the four lane highway and disappeared underneath a gas station awning.

  “Take us up,” Haskel said. “And kill the running lights.”

  “That's illegal under Federal law.” Larry flipped a few switches while he increased power to the rotor. “Done.”

  “Let's wait for him to come out,” Haskel said.

  “You're the boss.”

  “Right.” Haskel waved at the smoke that filled the cockpit. “You don't do this shit with anyone but me, do you?”

  “Are you nuts?” Larry flipped the roach out the window. “Like you're special or something.”

  “Goddammit, Larry.”

  The variation strode from under the gas station awning and walked towards a hotel that lay across a grassy area. He or she stopped at a car in the back of the parking lot before disappearing inside the hotel.

  The heat signature gave the figure away. It didn't matter how cool they stayed under pressure.

  “We know where to find him,” Larry said.

  “Yeah, but I wonder if he could lead us to the other one. What are the odds of two being in such a small town that don't know each other?”

  “We could lose the chance to take him out.”

  “Would be worth it to get two in one go.” Haskel sucked on his e-cigarette. “I'd fight to have it counted as two missions.”

  Larry shrugged. “Don't forget the wild goose chases. We know where to find this one, but the other one could exist or not.”

  “I've not forgotten. That's why you'll still be searching the area while we pay our friend here a visit.”

  “Alone?”

  “No, you'll have someone with you.”

  “Number Two?”

  Haskel blew vapor into the air. “You're not going to chase him off, are you?”

  “Not unless he's some kinda pussy.”

  “Fair enough,” Haskel said.

  Larry closed his window, quieting the rotor noise. “Are we done?”

  “Yeah. I'll get Murray here.”

  Larry nodded and flipped the running lights back on.

  Haskel reconnected the helicopter communications to the hub. “Nick!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Tell Murray to pick herself a partner and get to my coordinates. We have a newbie variant that needs a babysitter. I doubt he'll go anywhere during the day, but someone has to be here if he does.” Haskel pushed a few buttons to send the recorded infrared video to the hub database. “Tell her to review that footage. I'll have the whole team there at dusk.”

  “Will do, sir.” There was a pause. “She gives an ETA of 15 minutes.”

  “Roger that,” Haskel said.

  Larry pulled another joint from his metal cigarette case. “Looks like there's time for another.”

  Chapter 12

  Roek sat down at the computer with the front of his van at his left elbow and his right almost touching the wall. He waited for the virtual private network to initialize before he started the Tor browser and opened his email. There were a handful of people that he spoke with occasionally. Most were rat suppliers that he'd met over the years, but one was another vampire and one was a hacker.

  The vampire, Adam, claimed to be the source of vampires in the world and to have an underground safe house called 'Pothunter Den'. Roek had had enough conversations with him to know he was real, rather than someone repeating superstitions. Papsukkal, the hacker, was Adam's recruiter who'd first contacted Roek a year before, asking questions. He hadn't yet decided it was safe to meet them, but the temptation grew. He was tired of running all the time.

  Roek scanned through the email for anything important. One from Papsukkal stood out from the others. He copied the PGP message it contained into a separate program to decrypt it.

  We've confirmed the existence of the United States Variation Unit. A helmet camera was recovered after one of our contacts survived an attack. Adam says that this is the last chance to join before we disappear until the USVU has been dealt with. We think they're after you, now.

  It was time-stamped almost 36 hours previously.

  Roek leaned back in his chair, letting the cursor hoover over the link that had been included at the end of the message. Was it a trap? Would they have carried on the game for a year to lead to this? He clicked on the link, and a video opened in another browser tab. The point of view was from the night vision, helmet camera of a man armed with an assault rife. Him and others armed in black combat gear hunted something in a dusty basement. The video ended with a splash of blood that obscured the view.

  Roek stood and paced between his van and the garage wall. The rumors had been true. The government was aware of their existence and wanted to wipe them out. He'd first ran across the rumor more than a year before he'd known of Adam's existence and hadn't wanted to believe the story. Then Papsukkal had informed him that the first of their contacts had been killed by the USVU, and then a second. Nearly half a dozen contacts all over the world had been killed in the last year, but the time between kills pointed to there being a single team instead of several.

  Roek went back to the computer and encrypted a reply.

  Why do you think they're after me?

  He stood and walked away from the computer to pace and think. There wasn't any reason to expect a reply to his own right away, but an email alert popped up within minutes.

  We retrieved communications codes from a camera and can listen in on them if we're careful. They've found a changeling in your area. Is it yours?

  Roek starred at the screen, thinking about the words. Changeling? Had the detective survived and followed? That's what he deserved for letting his anger get the best of him.

  He reached into a pocket and wrapped his fingers around the deformed pendant that his wife had given him decades before. It was his only connection to the past. She'd left it behind when she took her own life upon discovering what he'd turned into.

  Possibly. Someone who was after me in Louisville.

  You made a mess in Louisville. We'll try to blow the USVU's cover. Exposing them to public scrutiny will damage their ability to operate.

  I thought the Den didn't mess with humans?

  They're going to stumble on the Den by accident or design if their hunt continues. Not all contacts protect their communications. Your skills are needed. The USVU will find us before much longer.

  My 'skills' include fighting in some wars a long time ago and a bit of voice trickery.

  Roek stepped away from the computer. He hadn't mentioned the war in a long time. Either of them. He'd fought against Germany in both World Wars. The second time, he'd opposed their atrocities as much as he'd wanted to die. It hadn't worked. The enemy had provided more than enough blood to heal the wounds he'd suffered at their hands.

  He'd learned to throw his voice nearly 20 years before to make his hunting easi
er. It'd taken him a long time to master, but all he had was time. Endless time.

  Adam claimed that they couldn't die as long as the head was intact. Even the most grievously wounded vampire would search out blood to heal. The virus that caused their condition had a strong self preservation instinct, but it was susceptible to garlic, silver, UV light, and other substances. Enough contact with any of them killed the virus, along with the host that the virus had kept alive with modified body functions. Fire also destroyed the virus.

  We know what your skills are.

  Roek half typed his response and stopped. Did he really intend to meet them? And did they really intend to take on what looked like a military hit squad?

  What if I don't join now?

  Then you won't be contacted until after they've been dealt with. We have to limit communications so they can't track us in return. We can pinpoint their general location at will, and it won't be long before we can intercept their video feeds. We already know the team numbers no more than a dozen.

  But I'm on my own if they find me?

  Yes.

  Roek stepped away from the computer. His options were to do what he'd been doing, join the Den for safety in numbers, or attempt to avoid the USVU on his own. He didn't like any of them. Gut feeling was useless. The virus had replaced it with the Urge. He'd made a lot of bad decisions over the decades because of it. This could be one of them.

  Where are you located?

  Minnesota. You'll meet a contact in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and go through an interview before you're told where to go.

  An interview with Adam?

  No.

  When should I leave?

  Now. They finalized their plan to intercept your changeling the last time we listened in on them. Just get to Eau Claire and contact me.

  Roek looked up directions. It was 1200 kilometers away.

  Anyplace specific there?

  You'll get GPS coordinates for a meeting place once you tell me you're in Wisconsin.

  I'll be on the road within an hour.

  Roek stood and started moving his stuff into the van.

  Chapter 13

  Young had tried to eat regular food, but couldn't bring himself to swallow it. A craving for blood gripped him. The dog had diverted his attention away from human victims, but the helicopter had jolted him back to reality. He thought he'd been seen, but the chopper had disappeared by the time he'd walked out from under the awning where he'd hid. He was lucky that his dark clothing hid the spots of dog blood.

  The light faded as he sat on the bed, watching the weather and studying a map of the town. He wasn't sure if he should look for the perp or a more permanent place to stay. An abandoned farmhouse close to a cow pasture would be prime property since he could barely restrain himself from jumping on anyone he seen. The feeling had started when he'd first arrived at the hotel and subsided after he'd attacked the dog. Still, he wanted blood. As much as he could get.

  He decided to ride around and see if he could find a suitable location or a large animal to kill.

  He went to the mirror as sunlight faded behind the blankets he'd hung over the window. He'd kept close track of the changes. His canine teeth were twice as long as they'd been before, his skin was a couple shades paler, his brown eyes weren't so dark, the aches and pains that he'd accumulated had disappeared, the scar where his hand had been reattached was nearly gone, sunlight caused a rash, and he wanted blood instead of normal food. He assumed, if he choose to believe he'd turned into a vampire instead of died and gone to Hell, that silver and garlic would also cause a reaction.

  Young turned the TV off, killed the light, and pulled the door open.

  His exit was blocked by half a dozen figures in black combat gear and night vision goggles, pointing assault rifles in his face.

  “Do not move,” one of the men said. He had a badge on the left side of his chest that the others didn't, marking him as their leader.

  Young froze. The group looked like a riot squad on steroids. “Can I help you?”

  “Put your hands up and turn around,” the leader said.

  “I'm a police officer.”

  The leader pushed the barrel of the assault rife to within an inch of Young's face. “You're not anymore.”

  Young did his best to look at the man instead of down the barrel. “You were in that helicopter this morning, weren't you?”

  “You'd better turn and put those hands up before I decide you won't.”

  Young did as ordered. Heavy shackles were put around his wrists and ankles the moment his back was to them.

  Chapter 14

  Haskel stuck his rifle barrel in the changeling's face. “You're not anymore.”

  All attempts by the USVU to capture a variation alive had resulted in fatalities, and it'd been hard for him to convince Murray and Yaden to try. They'd both seen what a weak variant could do and wanted to dispose of this one posthaste. Now, Haskel wondered if he'd miscalculated. The changeling was further along than they'd thought.

  “You were in that helicopter this morning, weren't you?”

  Haskel hesitated. They'd been spotted. “Turn around and put those hands up before I decide you won't.”

  The changeling did as directed.

  Haskel stepped back as Murray and Yaden snapped stainless steel arm and leg clamps into place. Number Four slipped a steel mask over the changeling's face and tightened the straps. They grabbed his arms and feet, carrying him like a log.

  Haskel, Number One, and Five kept their weapons trained on the target. They passed a woman in a business suit on their way down the stairs. She pressed herself against the railing and ran to the top after they'd passed.

  Yaden looked over his shoulder. “Do you think she'll call the cops?”

  “Civilians don't call the police on military,” Haskel said.

  “There's always a first time.”

  Haskel shrugged. “We'll worry about that if it happens.” He looked at the changeling. “I hope you aren't claustrophobic.”

  The captive mumbled something from behind the mask.

  They quickly moved the prisoner to the equipment van. They kept a close watch on him, even though he didn't struggle. They'd never gotten a live variation into the clamps before and didn't know if they'd hold.

  Haskel pushed a button on the key remote, and the back door of the van swung open. The door hinges had regularly failed until HQ had done the job right and made an all steel design. Still, he cringed each time the heavy door opened with the electric bike on it.

  Two steel containment vessels were built into the rear corners of the high-roofed van. They were air and sound proof.

  The changeling struggled against the shackles as he was shoved into the open vessel, but he could only wiggle like a worm.

  Murray slammed the vessel shut and slid the locking bar in place.

  Everyone lowered their rifles, and the newbies wiped sweat from their foreheads.

  Haskel flipped a switch on his radio transmitter. “Nick, tell Larry to get to the airport so we can regroup and tell the retrieval team we're on the way.”

  “Ten-four,” Nick said.

  “That wasn't so bad,” Number Five said. “Like a game of beer pong against pugs.”

  Haskel took a draw from his e-cigarette and closed the van door. “That's because he doesn't know his capabilities. He's almost completely gone.” He took another puff. “And he'll be hungry when we take him out.”

  Murray put her AK over her shoulder. “What now?”

  “We get him to the airport so he's not our problem anymore.” Haskel walked towards the transport van. “And hope we get this lucky with the other one.”

  Murray signaled for everyone to load up. “And you know we won't.”

  Haskel shrugged. “Maybe. We've had some easy ones.”

  “One.” Murray held up one finger. “I've been on one fucking mission that didn't result in mass causalities. I don't count this joker.”

  “Well, I do, so
that's two easy missions,” Haskel said.

  Number One raised his hand. “Is it time you memorized our names? You said after the first mission...”

  Haskel and Murray spoke at the same time. “The mission isn't over.”

  The rookies looked at each other and shrugged.

  Murray pointed to a convenience store that shared the parking lot with the hotel. “Let's grab a drink. We have time since Larry will smoke another joint on his way to the airport.”

  Haskel hesitated, looking between the store and the equipment van with the variant inside. “Okay, but we park out past the pumps and you should grab water for everyone. No one needs to overheat.”

  Murray nodded and climbed into the equipment van with Yaden, while Haskel drove the rookies in the transport van.

  It took seconds to move the vans 50 meters. They let the engines idle while Murray went into the store.

  Chapter 15

  Roek opened the garage door and looked out. The street was empty for as far as he could see.

  He climbed into the van and started it, checking the route he'd set on the computer for the third time. This was the longest trip he'd set out on since he'd returned from Europe after the second World War. He normally went from one hiding place to another. His stays averaged a month, and then he'd move a few hundred kilometers down the road. Louisville had been his longest home, and perhaps best, until he'd got careless. Like always. It was hard to maintain a low profile when he had to kill a large animal or person every few days. His stay in London had been his shortest anywhere for a long time.

  The GPS led him north along Main Street, through downtown, and across the interstate exit that'd brought him into town. It showed him to be just over 1200 kilometers from Eau Claire. He'd have to find rest areas during the day since he didn't trust the coated glass to protect him except at dawn and dusk.

  The fuel light flickered as he pulled into the second gas station one on the right that had the fewest cars. He stopped at the furthest pump island from the front door, but had to walk in anyway. All the pumps had signs that said 'pay inside'.