by Dylan Keefer
“What are you tracking?” Clayton asked.
“A sound. The abomination needs somewhere dark, right? And it is probably close by. I think I can hear it. And maybe we can save Philip.” Prue’s last sentence was accented by a voice crack. She was doing her best to keep calm and not panic. Clayton assumed that a part of her also wanted to find the abomination and kill it.
They got to a cave. Clayton listed all of the animals that could be in there until he got close enough to hear what Prue probably heard all the way back at the car. Slurping. Animals didn't slurp. Clayton readied his crossbow and walked in first. He couldn't see in the dark as well as Prue could, but he could manage. He recognized the shapes in the dark. A long-haired something was bent over what was probably Philip. As his eyes accustomed to the darkness, Prue's breath hitched, and the abomination lifted its head.
It was male and extremely thin, his skin so white it was translucent. Clayton couldn’t see its features or its fangs from that far away. He only had time to see a flash of claws before Prue pushed him out of the way of an attack.
Prue fell on her back with the abomination on top of her. Clayton studied the abomination to understand if his regular arrows would work. The abomination’s mouth was filled with sharp teeth and wide open, but all that could escape from his mouth was hissing. Prue managed to put her legs on the abomination’s abdomen and push him away from herself, but the abomination rebounded back. Clayton fired arrow after arrow, but they had no effect, even when one pierced the heart directly. He got hit with an elbow. Then Clayton made him stumble back further into the cave. His head bled in the back where he hit it from the cave wall. Prue was pushed back with every hit she blocked, and soon enough the abomination was on top of her again.
Clayton knew that Prue wouldn't want to leave Philip here, but when he looked down, he realized Philip was far gone. The body was warm, but even if she tried to turn him, it wouldn't work. There was nothing they could do. They needed to get out in the sun.
Clayton ran up and instead of firing another arrow, rammed the butt of his crossbow into the abomination’s mouth as hard as he could. Prue slashed and kicked, and soon the abomination jumped away.
Clayton grabbed Prue’s hand. “Run now. Please!”
As the abomination flew back at them, Prue got up and bolted. The next second they were out of there, and Clayton stumbled to the ground. The abomination got as far as the entrance of the cave and stopped, hissing. Clayton managed one last look at that thing before he turned around. He was going to tell Prue what it was, but he saw her on the ground, holding her head. He knew what that movement was. She was having a vision.
CHAPTER TWENTY
"It's alright; it's alright." Serg was petting her hair. They were back in the house where Prue had killed that man. Where she had lost her locket for the first time.
She clutched to Serg while he collected everything they needed with lightning speed she somehow found comforting. He paused and picked up the locket, then exited the house and didn’t stop running until they were well out of sight. Prue couldn’t even see the lights of the town anymore. And she could see a lot more things now.
Only after Serg placed her on the ground, wrapped her in a blanket and wiped her mouth, did Prue speak.
“What did I do Sergius?” her voice was horrified and squeaky.
"You defended yourself. If I had gone with you, I could've ringed that bastard's neck, and you wouldn't have to go through this." Sergius chided himself.
“Am I like you?” Prue asked.
“In a way.” Sergius hugged her. “That locket kept you hidden and allowed you to grow up unabated, as a human. Though it took you significantly longer than a human needs. That is why you aged only a little every few years.”
“My father, was he like you?” Prue asked.
“Yes, yes he was. Your mother was human. Both of them were wonderful people, separated by the world.” Sergius sighed, which signified that he no longer wanted to answer questions. But Prue needed to know one more thing.
“If this is the secret you didn’t want me to know, then what are we going to do now? I put us in danger, didn’t I?” Prue felt tears run down her face.
"Shh… it's alright. I'll teach you how to control it and find a way to keep you safe, I promise you, Mei." Sergius got up and held out his hand for Prue. She took it, and they walked on in the darkness, that wasn't so dark anymore.
The vision stopped, and Prue found herself sobbing in Clayton's arms again.
"Are you alright?" Clayton asked, moving the hair away from her face. Prue's body was covered in scratches, and Clayton seemed to be bleeding from somewhere too. Her efforts in there were worthless, that thing was vicious.
“What was that? Where is Philip?” Prue started to get up.
"That is a cross between a banshee and a vampire. He is probably hunting because it doesn't know why he can't scream anymore, and still feels hunger. He needs to feed both ways, but only one is working. And Philip… he's dead." Clayton caught as she slumped down and kept sobbing. They were safe here; she could scream and wail for a while. She could hear the banshee-vampire abomination growling at the back of the cave, as if angry.
"Let's go; there is nothing we can do now. My bow is shot, and we need to find silver. That is what will kill it." Clayton helped Prue to get up, and both of them hobbled back up on the road.
“What was it you saw this time?” Clayton asked.
“What happened after Sergius found me without the locket.” Prue didn’t want to feel happy right now, not in the slightest. But she couldn’t stop a smile from creeping onto her face. “And I know my name now. It’s Mei.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Mei. And that name, that’s from the Roman era.” Clayton helped her up the hill. They somehow decided to follow the tracks home. It seemed like the easiest way to seclude oneself. “Do you want me to call you Mei now?”
“Not until we get through this. That is when I’ll tell Charlotte.” Prue said. “My discovery is not important right now. I need to make sure Charlotte is alright.” Prue didn’t stop muttering that until they got home.
"What the hell happened?" Charlotte was the first to yell out. Prue and Clayton had already gotten home by then. Prue had bandaged Clayton up, and he had helped her clean her wounds. They had new clothes on, and Prue had finished her blood.
“We couldn’t get back to the morgue," Prue said.
“No, I mean the smell. Why does that blood smell familiar? And dirt and metal?” Charlotte scrunched up her nose. John and Milo were next to her. Rick had probably left for home. Prue knew he’d have to go see his children at some point.
“Sit down.” Prue said softly. “Please, all of you.”
Everyone sat down, and Prue slowly started to explain. How they found the tracks, how they found the sneaker. Charlotte gasped when they said that and demanded to see it. Clayton handed it to her.
Prue’s voice became heavier and heavier as she described every detail of the fight and what Clayton had told her. She only mentioned her vision in passing but didn’t focus on the contents.
"And, we left everything there. The car, the cave, the banshee-vampire. We hobbled home and bandaged ourselves up, and I messaged you that we're home. I… I didn't know what else to do. I could barely fight him off in that cave. And I didn't want to get Clayton killed and not be able to warn you." Prue finished, trying not to let tears fall.
“Is there a way to kill this thing?” Charlotte asked, her voice stone cold. Prue could see the heat again, but this time it was flickering as if sobbing, not like a candle. Prue focused on it, and the more she focused on it, the more she felt for Charlotte. Prue could almost feel the emotions Charlotte hid behind her mask. She assumed it was because the emotions Charlotte felt were the strongest she had felt these days.
"Silver. I have some arrows, but other silver things would help as well. We need to hit the heart. If we manage to kill him in both the banshee and the vampire way he should di
e." Clayton stated. He had sat in front of Charlotte and stared into her eyes with a sympathy Prue hadn't seen before. Milo and John were just slumped over in shock. Prue had the feeling they weren't as close to Philip as she thought they were.
“I think Philip has some silverware in the basement.” Charlotte still glared in front of her.
“Are you okay?” Milo asked.
"I just need to kill this thing." Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to settle down. Prue didn't know she’d moved until her arms were wrapped around Charlotte. Charlotte leaned on Prue and suddenly the room was filled with sobs. Charlotte shook, and her voice carried her pain away. She sobbed until she was so tired that she fell asleep. Prue didn't speak, she just scooped Charlotte up and carried her to her room. Milo followed her and sat next to the sleeping Charlotte.
"I'll keep an eye on her. You go help Clayton." Milo said.
“Thank you.” Prue walked out of the room. “Clayton, do you think you can make something out of the silverware?” She asked.
“Maybe, depending on what they are.” Clayton got up. “Let’s get to work. We should track the banshee-vampire during the day when it can’t run away.”
“I’ll help. I’ve made bullets before. I guess I’ll have to apologize to my dad for saying I will never need to know that.” John chuckled. Prue was glad he used some humor, it lightened the mood.
The three went down to the basement and turned it upside-down. Philip seemed very organized, so the mess the basement turned out to be was a surprise. In the end, they found a lot of actual silverware. John and Clayton set up the things they needed to make the bullets, and Prue helped them make them. She asked a ton of questions as they melted the silver carefully and made the bullets. Clayton had a self-made bullet-making kit in his backpack.
“How many things can you fit in that backpack?” John asked, raising his eyes.
“I know how to pack.” Clayton merely smirked.
“And he doesn’t have anything else except weapons and a first aid kit in it.” Prue peeked in the backpack. And Clayton laughed at John’s astonished face.
They couldn’t make a lot of bullets. But they did make about six for the gun and shotgun Clayton had, and he already had some silver arrowheads. Prue was instructed to snap the abomination’s neck and separate it as much as she could, and otherwise just hold him down and make sure Clayton and John had a clear shot.
“I can do that.” Prue nodded. “And I can explain to Charlotte too.”
As soon as Prue uttered those words, Milo’s screech echoed to them. Prue got up and bolted up the stairs, not even registering that John and Clayton were trying to stop her.
She got there just in time to see the banshee-vampire throwing Milo into the wall. Before the it could turn toward Charlotte, who stared in shock, Prue slammed herself into him.
She could see the banshee-vampire clearly now. He was tall, with long black hair that seemed to be falling out. His face was pale, and his eyes were a pure back. Prue could see every vein in his body, and there were huge circles around his eyes. Instead of the pair of fangs Prue and Charlotte had, all of the abomination's teeth were sharp like spikes. They looked like barbed wire. His claws were also small, but they seemed to be super sharp. The banshee-vampire stopped before he slammed into the wall and pushed Prue so hard that she couldn't stop herself from falling down. The banshee-vampire was incredibly strong.
The banshee-vampire dropped directly on Prue and opened his mouth, trying to scream. But in the end, all that came out was a faint hiss. Prue tried to get her hands loose in order to attack, but she couldn’t.
And then Charlotte was behind the banshee-vampire. Charlotte grabbed the banshee-vampire’s arm and wrenched it backward. Prue stared in shock as the arm flew backward, leaving only a few scratch-marks on Prue’s wrist. Prue didn’t stop to think about the fact Charlotte seemed stronger than Prue and aimed at the banshee-vampire’s throat. Her claws sank into its throat and blood flowed out.
The banshee-vampire groaned and got up from kneeling on his knees, then repelled his body up, slamming Charlotte into the wall. The wall cracked. A foot flew at Prue's face, and she dodged.
“Prue!” John yelled and aimed. The banshee looked at him and tried to scream. But this time a scream actually came out.
The scream was weak, but its vibrations flew through the air and plunged into Prue's head. Her ears started to vibrate, and a sharp pain threatened to pull her eyes out of the sockets.
Her vision turned black, and her senses shut down. When Prue was focused enough to be able to see and hear, she realized that Charlotte wasn't in the hallway anymore.
“Where is Charlotte?!” Prue screamed since her ears were still ringing.
“The banshee-vampire took her.” Clayton was on his feet, helping John and Milo. All three of their ears were bleeding.
“I need to go get her.” Prue got up and swayed.
Milo and John opened their mouth to protest, but Clayton spoke first. “Please heal first.”
Prue stopped. "Alright." She headed to the kitchen, pulled out the blood and ingested it right away. She didn't have time to warm it. It was more eating than drinking since it was hard as ice, but her fangs easily crunched through it. Clayton came down. His ears weren't bleeding anymore, and he had all the weapons with him.
"I am not as strong as you, but I have experience and good aim. John and Milo wanted to come, but they can barely stand." He sat down and focused on Prue's wounds.
“And how are you fine?” Prue asked.
Clayton took a deep breath. “I’m not fully human either.”
Prue stopped eating. She nearly dropped the blood on the floor. She had felt something different about Clayton, but she had just assumed he was human because he was a hunter. "But your mentor…"
"Didn't really care. I don't know exactly what I am because it's not half. It was probably an ancestor like a great great grandparent. I have extra resilience and better sight than others, plus some extra strength. That is how I can keep up with you if I'm touching you. And I don't age as fast. I am a hundred and eleven years old. My mentor taught me how to use that to help people. But he never trained me as a hunter never asked me to swear to be one. I once thought that it was a sign that I can't be one because of the fact I am technically an abomination. Now I appreciate that he didn't push it on me. I'm not a hunter. I'm a detective." Clayton leaned over and pushed Prue's hand holding the blood to her mouth. "Eat, Mei."
Prue smiled at the use of her actual name. She should tell Charlotte about that. After she got her back.
The wounds healed, and Prue grabbed a silver knife they didn't melt to use as a weapon, but it turned out to not be real silver, so she left it.
“What do I do if he starts to scream again?” Prue asked. “The cut somehow released his voice.”
“The quickest would be to clamp his mouth shut. Even stuff something in there so that he can’t open it. Hell, crush his jaw, rip out his tongue.” Clayton waited for Prue at the door. “I can aim at his throat. We can’t use sunlight now, so he’s at an advantage.”
"Let's go and get Charlotte back." Prue grabbed Clayton's hand, and they went upstairs. Prue closed her eyes and tried to sniff out the banshee-vampire. But instead of finding that smell, she sensed heat.
Charlotte's heartbeat sounded in Prue's head. It was faint and faster than normal. That string tightened again, but this time, her instincts blared incredibly hard. Danger. Her family was in danger, and she needed to find and kill the thing that even dared to touch them.
"I've got her." Prue almost growled. Her vision tunneled, and she was a blur again.
She ran, not caring if anyone saw her from the windows. The more she ran, the louder the heartbeat became until it was so loud that her ears pulsed. The string was so tight it felt like it was pulling her.
They were in the woods again, near the cave that they found Philip in. Prue narrowed her eyes while Clayton stood next to her, gasping.
“That was fast…“ He barely uttered that before Prue saw the banshee-vampire and Charlotte.
Charlotte was on the ground; her clawed fist rammed down the throat of the banshee-vampire, whose claws sank deep into Charlotte's arms. He was trying to scream, but the fist prevented him from it.
Prue bolted toward the scene.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Prue rammed her claws straight into the banshee-vampire’s throat, pushing him away from Charlotte, and making an even bigger wound there. Charlotte got up.
Her eyes were glowing, and her breathing was laborious. Prue knew where she had seen that before. Charlotte was gone, and all that was left was the beast. Charlotte looked at Prue, and Prue saw a glint of recognition that wasn't there before. Charlotte's body glowed like a raging fire, and her heartbeat calmed down. Then her eyes darted, and Prue realized that the banshee-vampire was readying to attack.
The banshee-vampire screamed again, but Prue was ready this time and rode out the vibrations with her eyes open. An arrow stuck in the banshee-vampire’s leg, and the banshee-vampire buckled before he flew at Prue again.
Charlotte stepped in front of Prue and blocked the hit. Her claws flew and slashed the banshee-vampire’s face, then she rammed her knee into its stomach.
Prue knew what she had to do. She grabbed the banshee-vampire’s jaw and slammed his mouth shut so he wouldn’t scream again. She heard the grinding of teeth and a voice trying to get out, muscles tensing. She had enough strength to keep herself steady while the banshee-vampire thrashed, trying to get away. Charlotte hit it again and again, and Prue felt that Charlotte was losing herself. Clayton had no chance to hit it with anything without it going through Charlotte first. Prue tried to move so that she gave Clayton a chance to fire.
Prue felt the banshee-vampire sink his claws in her hand, and his foot slammed into her leg. She lost her footing and fell to the ground. Charlotte pushed the banshee-vampire over, and he fell down next to Prue.