Aaron

by I D Johnson

  He hit her, but not directly in the heart. The silver would still have its effect though. She dropped to the ground, writhing in pain from the burning sensation that pulsated throughout her body starting at the hole he’d left in her right shoulder.

  Hurrying over, he spun the older blonde woman onto her back so that he could take better aim. Her lips were drawn back, fangs bared, and her gray eyes were open as she winced in pain. While it was sometimes tempting to let them suffer, he was in a hurry to go check on Jamie and Taavi, so holding her down with his foot, he placed the gun barrel on her chest and pulled the trigger. In a poof of ashes, she was gone.

  Returning to the houses, he found Taavi and Jamie sitting on the front porch of the middle house. “Well, that didn’t go as planned,” the doctor said as he polished his revolver.

  “You can say that again. How many did you take out?” Aaron asked.

  “Five, but one got away,” Taavi explained. “We’ll have to track him down later.”

  “I took out seven. I guess the estimate was just a little off.”

  “Guess so,” Taavi nodded. “Sorry.”

  Aaron laughed. “Don’t apologize. I think it’s just evidence that there is a growing problem on the island.”

  “Yes,” Taavi agreed. “We need to get it back under control.”

  “I’ll let Jordan know,” Aaron assured him as Jamie rose and came to stand next to him. Taavi continued to sit on the step and catch his breath for a second before he finally pulled himself up. “Let me know what we can do.”

  “Thank you,” the Hunter said, offering his hand, which Aaron took. “Oh, here’s your gun,” he said pulling the revolver from his back waistband.

  “Keep it,” Aaron insisted. “I’ll get you more of the special ammunition it takes. It looks like you might need it.”

  Once again, Taavi thanked them, and Aaron followed Jamie back toward the car. As they climbed in and headed back towards Pearl Harbor, Jamie said, “Well that’s enough excitement for one day!”

  “Yes, it is,” Aaron agreed, intending to head back to his apartment to get some paperwork done and enjoy the pristine ocean views.

  It was just past 8:00 when they realized something wasn’t right. They were still a little way outside of Pearl Harbor when they first spotted the unusual amount of aircraft in the distance, and the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard off in the distance. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good, and Aaron pushed the engine even harder in an effort to get the physician back to his post. It seemed Pearl Harbor was under attack.

  “They’re bombing the fleet!” Jamie shouted over the sound of Japanese Zeroes buzzing overhead. “Get me as close to the hospital as you can!”

  As they neared the military base, they could see hundreds of Japanese planes circling around the harbor, the shriek of bombs falling from the sky and the subsequent explosions too loud to even speak. Additionally, bullets dropped from the sky in blankets as all of the military facilities in the area became targets as well as many other buildings.

  Aaron was only able to get so close to Jamie’s hospital before his car was hit by enemy fire. Pulling to the side, he got out, and without a word, Jamie took off in a blur headed toward the hospital. It was difficult to see exactly what was going on, but if the naval carriers in the harbor were hit, there would be thousands of casualties.

  While the bullets continued to plink off of the car and shoot up streaks of dust around his feet, Aaron contemplated what to do. There had to be some way that he could help as he was unable to be harmed by the rounds careening through the air around him. He realized there were no US planes in the air, and if he truly wanted to help, he needed to get to the airfield so he could provide some cover for the pilots as they attempted to get their birds off the ground.

  As he sprinted off in the direction of the closest airfield, a bullet hit him in the arm. It stung, but it didn’t even break the skin, and even when a Zero blanketed him in a sea of the projectiles, he continued to run, never slowing until the airfield came into view.

  Dozens of men were hurrying to ready the planes to take off, but even as they worked, the first round of enemy fire came in, sending them ducking for cover. The planes were not so lucky, and many of them were now of no use.

  “How can I help?” Aaron yelled as the Japanese prepared to come back around for another pass.

  “We’ve got to get these fueled and in the air!” a redheaded man in military clothing shouted.

  Taking a cue from what the others were doing, Aaron rushed in to help, working to get the planes fueled and rolled out and the pilots aboard. Before they could finish, the Japanese made another pass, destroying much of their work and injuring several men who couldn’t duck out of the way quickly enough.

  Aaron spied a machine gunner who had set up in an open area with a clear view of the Japanese as they came into target range. “Where can I get one of those?” Aaron asked one of the soldiers standing nearby. He realized that they were never going to get the planes off of the ground if they couldn’t take out at least some of the Zeroes overhead.

  The man pointed him in the right direction, and even though Aaron had never used a .30 caliber machine gun, he was certain he could figure it out. Dragging it and as much ammunition as he could carry, he found a spot on the opposite side of the field from the other machine gunner and began to set it up as another wave of bombers approached.

  There were a few planes ready to take off, and as they began to roll out, Aaron followed his predecessor’s lead and opened fire on the streaking red circles overhead. Aiming the machine gun was difficult, and he wasn’t sure if he’d even nicked a wing, but the fact that the Americans were now firing back seemed to deter the Japanese a bit, and a few moments later, two planes took off out of the airfield.

  With the next pass, the Japanese not only targeted the airfield but attempted to take out the machine guns as well, and even though he was pelted with tiny pieces of shrapnel, Aaron did his best to protect the gun with his body and continue to fire. Eventually, he could see more and more American planes in the sky, and the Japanese planes began to be pushed back.

  There was no way of knowing what was happening in the shipyard or the hospital where he hoped Jamie was able to help. Billows of smoke filled the air, dark towers seeming to spring up from where the carriers should be. He could only pray for those souls who might be suffering.

  He also thought of the other people he’d gotten to know in his short time on the island. There was the waitress at the diner who always tried to convince him to have some pie. The man at the newspaper stand who always had a kind word. The grocers, the little girl who played on the sidewalk outside of his apartment. Jamie’s girlfriend, Eleanor, and her family, who lived on the island. What would become of all of those people? The Japanese were not only attacking the military facilities; Oahu was on fire that day. No one was safe.

  Four hours after the initial attack, the Japanese planes circled back the way they’d come, and though Aaron and the others steeled themselves for another wave, none came. Just before noon on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese disappeared into the sky, leaving untold carnage and bloodshed in their wake.

  Later, Aaron would learn that over 2400 people lost that lives that day. Many of them were military personnel killed aboard the eight battleships in the shipyard, but 64 civilians were killed as well, including the beautiful blonde woman who had stolen Jamie’s heart.

  Sitting atop Mount Ka’ala a week later, as the smoke cleared and the inhabitants of Oahu attempted to piece their lives back together, Aaron reflected on everything he’d seen and experienced in the last one hundred eleven years. From famine to fire, Vampires to man-made monsters of a different kind altogether, he’d witnessed more disaster and carnage than any one person should ever experience, and yet the one truth that seemed to outweigh even the darkest of moments was the idea that mankind deserved to be saved. Even in their deepest moments of despair, they came together and worked
to heal each other, to right the wrongs, to mend the wounds. The work he did was never easy and seldom acknowledged, but he knew for certain that he would continue to fight to defend man against the bloodsuckers and whatever else threatened his existence because humankind was worthy of being saved.

  For now, he would rest and revel in the beauty of this picturesque paradise, but when the time came to fight again, whether the enemy was of the Vampire variety or some other form of evil, he would be ready.

  Chapter 13

  Kansas City, Missouri, America, 1983

  Jordan Findley wanted to see him in his office, and in Aaron’s experience, that was either a very good thing, or a very bad one. Though the Guardian Leader rarely raised his voice, an admonishment from him was much like disappointing a favorite parent, and as Aaron made his way to the top floor of the office building, he hoped this was good news.

  After Pearl Harbor, the US went to war, and though Aaron had wanted to enlist, Jordan made it clear that he was still needed by LIGHTS and couldn’t be spared. War tended to give Vampires enough distraction to become bolder, and that had been the case this time as well. As Jordan’s second in command, Aaron was constantly busy organizing team members across the world, attempting to keep the Vampires in check while the Nazis were defeated.

  Over the next four decades, he had worked to improve technology, training, and to build the transportation network the team members used to cover much of the world in a blanket of protection. He’d worked with Jamie to create a serum that made the Transformation process much quicker and often less painful. Christian was working on a chip that could be inserted into the eye to communicate directly with the brain and act like an embedded cell phone among other things, but while that was several years off, they’d come up with a way to record information, and most LIGHTS members wore a tiny recording advice that allowed footage to be collected and analyzed. Their world was changing, and Aaron was excited about the prospects of the future.

  He pushed open the office door and was welcomed by the familiar voice of Mrs. Carminati, Mr. and Mrs. Findley’s receptionist. “Good afternoon, Aaron,” she said with a warm smile. She was a human, in her mid-thirties, but her parents had been Hunters, so she knew about the secrets of the Ternion. “Have a seat and I’ll let them know you’re here.”

  “Thank you,” he said, dropping into a chair in the small waiting area. He tapped his fingers on the armrest, waiting, wondering what this might be about as Mrs. Carminati made the call to let Jordan know Aaron was waiting.

  A few minutes later, the office door opened, and Janette greeted him with a smile. “Aaron!” she said, as if she hadn’t seen him in years. He honestly had no idea how old she was, but she appeared to be in her mid-fifties. Still fit and capable of decapitating a Vampire by any means necessary, though she’d always been known for her axe-wielding ability, the Hunter Leader was one of the most kind, considerate people he’d ever worked with.

  “How are you today?” she asked, giving him a hug before they stepped into the office.

  “I’m well, thank you. And you?” he asked, following her over to Jordan’s desk.

  “I’m cool,” she said nodding. Everyone got a kick out of her attempt to stay hip to the times.

  “Hello,” Jordan said, offering his hand. “Nice to see you, son. Have a seat.”

  Jordan appeared to be much younger than his wife since Guardians tended to stop aging once they reached their mid-thirties, but Aaron noticed he looked tired, and his hair was grayer at the temple than he’d observed before.

  “Aaron, we’ve a favor to ask you,” Jordan started as Aaron sat down next to Janette. “You know me; no need to beat around the bush.”

  Aaron felt that he did know him, the man who’d treated him like a son for the last forty years. On the walls of his office, Aaron saw photographs of the Findley’s actual children, the two youngest in their twenties, but he also saw several framed photos of himself, including one of him holding his pilot’s license, standing next to Jordan with the Cessna the Leader had used to teach him to fly in the background. “What is it?” he asked, looking from one face to the other.

  “We want to take a vacation,” Janette, replied, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “A real one. To the beach.”

  The last time Aaron had been to the beach was when he was stationed in Oahu, but he didn’t care to reflect on those days just now, assuming that was the furthest thing from the Findleys’ minds. “Okay,” he said, a questioning lilt to his voice.

  “We’d like for you to run things while we are gone,” Jordan continued.

  “Run things?” Aaron echoed. “You mean, just here in Kansas City?”

  Janette cleared her throat. “No, everywhere. We’d like for you to be the temporary Guardian Leader while we are gone. And since I’ll be out as well, you will essentially be in charge of everyone.”

  “Everyone?” The thought of being in charge of literally thousands of LIGHTS members around the world was a bit unsettling. While more leadership opportunities was a lifetime goal of his, he never thought he’d be running everything, not even for a short period of time.

  “Hannah will be here to help you,” Jordan added. “She’s been around for a very long time and will be a great help.”

  Aaron worked well with the strawberry-blonde Guardian who had been a therapist in her former life before Transforming and joining the Kansas City team several years ago. Calm and collected at all times, Hannah would be a great resource. He also knew that he could rely on Jamie and Christian to help him out, both of whom were now stationed here as well. Still, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that level of responsibility. Despite all of the years he’d spent doing this work, he still felt like he had much to learn.

  “It’ll only be a month,” Janette assured him, placing her hand on his arm. “Aaron, you’re ready. You can do this. We know that you can.”

  He looked her in the eye and then turned to Jordan who was nodding his head. With a deep breath, Aaron said, “All right.”

  “All right?” Janette repeated. Then clapping her hands together and giggling she said, “Oh, good! A real vacation! Aww! I can hardly wait.”

  “Thank you,” Jordan said, standing and offering his hand again. “We plan to leave next Tuesday. I have a few loose ends I need to tie up here, and then we’ll be off to Costa Rica!”

  Aaron shook his hand and nodded. “I hope you won’t regret this.”

  “We won’t,” Janette assured him. “Just keep an eye on Skelton. I don’t trust that crazy old kook.”

  Skelton, a former beau of Janette’s, had returned a few months ago from an independent career that had spanned over a hundred years. He had said he had a special project he needed help with, but so far, he’d not explained himself and mostly hung out in the apartment he’d been provided by himself, rarely making an appearance on the larger campus that encompassed fifty acres on the outskirts of Kansas City.

  “He’s harmless,” Jordan assured them both. “Just an old man looking for absolution.”

  “Just an old nut looking for asylum is more like it,” Janette replied, shaking her head.

  “I have a meeting with him this evening. Hopefully, he’ll give us some direction for this project he has in mind. I’ll tell him to wait until I get back though. There’s no sense in you having to worry about that and everything else.”

  “All right,” Aaron said with a nod as he looked to the door.

  “Let’s meet again on Saturday, and we’ll go over some of the things that are up in the air,” Jordan recommended.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Aaron nodded. Taking Jordan’s hand one more time, he smiled, not sure if he could do this or not but thankful to have the opportunity.

  “You’re the only person I would trust with this, son,” Jordan assured him, and his words meant everything to Aaron.

  Janette stood and embraced him again, with another hearty thank you, and Aaron made his way to the door, glancing back over
his shoulder at the happy couple one more time before he made his way out into the hallway. Maybe he should try a bit harder to find happiness himself.

  “Have a good day, Aaron,” Mrs. Carminati smiled from her seat behind the reception desk.

  “You, too,” he said, heading out of the waiting room. “Guardian Leader,” he said to himself. “Better not mess this up.” If he was successful with this endeavor, there was a good possibility that, if and when Jordan retired someday, he might actually be able to take over, a thought that he’d never really allowed himself to consider before, but the possibility made him proud of what he’d accomplished from humble beginnings as an Irish potato farmer to potential Leader of the entire LIGHTS organization. If he could do that, he could do anything.

  That evening, Aaron spent several hours going over every bit of information he could possibly find, utilizing the new computer program Christian had developed to keep track of hunts and the stats of known Vampires, etc. He wanted to be as prepared as possible when Janette and Jordan left for their trip next week.

  Around eleven o’clock, his cell phone rang. Tearing his eyes away from the screen, he picked it up off the table and glanced down to see that it was Janette. “Hello?” he said.

  He could tell immediately that something was wrong. “Aaron!” she shouted. “Get up here, fast! It’s Jordan! He’s been shot!”

  Unable to believe his ears, he said, “What? Shot? Okay—in your apartment?’

  “Yes, hurry!” The line went dead, and Aaron made sure he had his weapon in case he might need it. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he took off for the stairwell, not wanting to wait on the elevator.

  The Findleys lived on the penthouse floor, ten stories above his apartment, but he covered the ground in minutes. The door was open, and when he burst through the opening, he saw Janette sitting on the floor, Jordan’s head in her lap, blood covering her pants and the floor beside her.

  “Is he breathing?” Aaron asked, dropping to the ground beside them.