Fall Prey: The Hunt

by Dallas Massey

  “Sir, given the nature of this particular target, isn’t it more likely they would take whatever children they have with them into the woods when they flee?” Tarango asked, hoping to stop Kilgore from going off course to lecture Driscoll.

  “What makes you so sure they will flee?” asked Ito, turning toward Tarango before the captain could answer. “This is their home. Why wouldn’t they try to protect it?”

  “Yes, I am also quite interested as to why you believe they will flee,” Kilgore interjected, allowing Ito’s interruption.

  “I just don’t think they are fighters, sir,” Tarango looked anxiously around the room for support and found none. “They’re not with the organization, and they’re not regular ferals. That generally means they use deception to lure their prey in rather than attacking them directly. They should be out of practice and out of shape compared to what we usually deal with. They’re also just out there playing house, trying to act like a ‘vegetarian’ vampire family unit. They’ll want to protect the child, rather than just leaving them out there to deal with us. They will take whatever young ones they have and flee into the woods.”

  “I hope that ends up being the case.” Kilgore stepped back, whatever hostility he displayed vanishing. “It’s what we would like them to do as it would allow us to use the hellhounds to run them down. They don’t discriminate between children and adults. I thought we had successfully instilled a shoot first, ask questions later approach on killing vamps into our newer recruits, but, as I said, now I have my doubts. Luckily, there’s still several of us veterans around to do what needs to be done, should the newer stock be unable.”

  Kilgore searched the room for veteran officers, frowning when all he could find were Ito and Tarango.

  “Anyway, back to the floorplans.” The captain broke the awkward silence he had created, pointing his laser at the screen. “There are three floors, four if you count the basement... 1, 2, 3, 4.” He pointed to each one. “We will arrive around 1900 and park off over here at this adjacent property, approaching the house through the woods. We’ll make our approach at sunset and catch them when they are at their weakest, right when they wake. Shouldn’t be any vamps on the first two floors when we hit it. Presumably, they will all be in their coffins.”

  Kilgore grinned and looked around the room to see if anyone caught what he said. Instead, several glares met his words, specifically those of Ito and Tarango.

  “Just testing you. Don’t care for jokes, I guess? Anyway, don’t presume there won’t be any bloodsuckers on the first couple of floors, as they should be in bed. It shouldn’t be hard to clear the place, you know, compared to some other places we’ve cleared. Not many hallways and we have the floor plans thanks to our drones’ spy cams. There are quite a few problem areas, though. Have a lot of these half walls that we’ll have to look around, which is always a pain. Another problem area will be up here on the third floor in this hallway that all the bedrooms feed into.”

  Kilgore pointed toward the top of the map.

  ”Kind of a chokepoint there. Just have to make sure we get up there quick to clear it and hope the vamps aren’t in a fighting mood. If they’re going to swarm us, it will be there. That’s why we’ll be flooding the place. Put so many men in there so quick the vamps won’t know what to do.”

  Kilgore paused as he scanned the room, receiving nods of understanding from his soldiers.

  “This chokepoint could still get pretty brutal, and I think it would be best if we picked someone at random, right here and now, to approach it first. Yes, I realize that it’s kind of dumb to do that, seeing as we could just order someone up there when it comes time to clear that spot, but I think it will help to choose somebody before that. We routinely encounter obstacles like this, and we have a randomizer computer program to deal with this kind of situation. All you do is hit a button, and it spits out a name. Wait, just a second. Hit this button right here. Oops, no here...”

  The captain fumbled around with the remote, an eerie silence filling the room as he did so. Asher wished he would move more quickly, his palms growing sweaty as a strange, foreboding aura filled the room.

  “OK, here we go,” said Kilgore at last, finding the correct button.

  A slot machine-like graphic suddenly appeared on the screen, and the reel began spinning. Everyone held their breath as it steadily slowed.

  ASHER BLACKTHORN suddenly scrolled across the screen in big, black letters.

  “Come on, Captain!” Asher protested, nearly falling from his seat before rising to stand. The nauseating pain made him feel as though he might vomit. “Surely you don’t want to put one of us new guys out there like that on his first op. Wouldn’t it be much better to use a veteran?”

  “Are you questioning the validity of my methods, Private?” Kilgore roared. His red hair seemed to catch fire, effectively extinguishing Asher’s own anger.

  “Well, no,” he squeaked, sitting back down. Though Asher was a head taller than the captain, he still found him intimidating.

  “I can see why you might think sending in new personnel might be a bad idea.” Kilgore stroked his chin. His angry mood gave way to an apologetic smile.

  Asher gave him a scared look, hoping he might change his mind.

  The captain walked toward Asher, bending down slightly to talk to him. “I’m still going with the machine’s pick,” Kilgore spoke to him directly. “We do a pretty dangerous job, and we just hemorrhage personnel sometimes. You’re going to be put in some pretty tough spots, and you might as well get them over with now and hope things go better later. This is a soft target, and I think if you stick to your guns and don’t hesitate when it comes time to clear that spot, you ought to come out just fine.”

  Kilgore stepped away and went back toward the desk to continue addressing the company.

  Asher regretted his outburst immediately. He was frustrated by his inability to repress his feelings and that his fear had manifested itself as rage.

  “Sir, I would like to volunteer to be positioned behind Blackthorn on the stairs,” Ito spoke abruptly. She rose from her seat, and the captain turned back around to face her. “I’m sure it will be much easier to clear the corner if Blackthorn has back up from an officer.”

  “Very well, Sergeant Ito.” Kilgore nodded, understanding her reasoning. “It’s about time someone took some initiative.” He paused as his eyes fell on Pritchett. “Of course, with the sergeant volunteering to follow right after Blackthorn, it means we'll rearrange things a little. Private Pritchett will be moved back, essentially taking up the sergeant’s former position.”

  “That’s just fine with me, sir,” said Aaron, suppressing a sigh of relief.

  “Sorry for having to leave you, man.” He tapped Asher’s shoulder with his fist.

  “It’s no big deal.” Asher stared off into space, the fear building within him as he considered his assignment. He had barely heard Aaron or the captain.

  “Now, for the rest of you new people, remember our M.O.,” said Kilgore.

  All of the soldiers’ backs straightened as though they were at attention.

  “Kill everything that moves and make sure none of the assailants are left with their heads still attached. Got to know they are dead. Don’t worry too much about escapees. We got the dogs for that. They’ll catch them for us and probably already have them taken care of before we even have to pull a trigger. It seems like I haven’t said a whole lot, but that’s all I have for now. You got any questions?” He took a moment to scan for raised hands.

  “Oh, so it’s like that.” The captain looked almost bewildered, seeing the air free of hands. “Nothing at all? You’re making me feel a little concerned.”

  “I think you did a great job explaining everything, sir,” Ito answered, trying to sound reassuring. “Very thorough.”

  “OK. Do the rest of you feel that way, or is the sergeant just being a suck-up?” The captain looked around the room once again as Ito rolled her eyes.

&nb
sp; He received several unenthusiastic but approving nods.

  “Good, guess we’re off then. We can discuss more of the particulars on the way down there. Finally get to use those new fancy helmets. Got speakers, microphones, and digital image interface. Follow me out to the garage, and we’ll load up in the transports now.”

  Asher rose from his seat and turned to leave with the rest of the company. He was a pulsing bundle of anxiety and intensifying dread as he made for the door.

  “We going to load the whole company up in a bunch of armored trucks, sir?” asked Aaron as they filtered out of the room.

  “Oh, that’s right,” the captain mumbled to himself. “Glad you brought that up, Private. I nearly forgot. Yes, since we will be traveling in a more or less populated area, we had to come up with an alternative method of transport. Needed something more inconspicuous than usual.”

  “And what kind of transport did you come up with, sir?” asked Ito.

  “School bus,” said the captain, a smile slowly materializing on his face.

  Chapter XVI

  The Dying Light

  Asher gazed thoughtfully out the bus window, catching glimpses of the brilliant pink-purple sunset through the trees. The branches were bare, yet prepared to burst full with buds as the last of winter’s bite had nearly fallen away. The school bus careened down the narrow, winding highway and over the rolling hills as though the driver had some kind of strange death wish. They were only about twenty minutes away from their arrival at the drop-off point.

  Asher’s anxiety increased with each passing minute.

  There hadn’t been much talking over the course of the trip. The captain had issued the order for quiet early on, instructing his soldiers to keep their helmet speakers on so he could continue his lecture en route to the destination. The silence presented Asher with the rare opportunity for a nap, but sleep was impossible due to all the stress placed upon him. All his arms training aside, he was still nervous about his assignment, unsure what would happen when he came face to face with another cold-eyed, fanged monster.

  “You OK, Blackthorn?” asked a female voice to Asher’s left. He looked up to see Sergeant Ito staring at him, her big brown eyes full of concern. He hadn’t noticed her sitting there earlier. “The first op is always the hardest,” Ito said with a smile. “But you do have to keep your head in the game if you want to come out all right.”

  “I’m fine.” Asher frowned, somewhat offended by the sergeant’s inference of weakness.

  Ito stared at him blankly, unconvinced.

  “You OK, Pritchett?” The sergeant turned her attention to Aaron, who sat directly across from her in the aisle seat next to Asher.

  “I’m more than fine.” Aaron tried to sound confident though his tone suggested otherwise. “We’ve been practicing taking these bloodsuckers out for a while now, and it’s nice to finally put that training to use.”

  “Pfft…” Ito dismissed his words, waving them away with her hand. “Neither of you sound as confident as you should. Are you absolutely sure you’re alright, Blackthorn?” She looked back over at Asher. ”You sound worse off than Pritchett.”

  Asher sighed, reluctant to answer. “It’s just been a while since I’ve seen one,” he said, sensing the sergeant likely wouldn’t leave him alone until he gave her what she wanted. “They’re freakin’ terrifying, and if you haven’t heard, the one I shot nearly got me! It’s those freakin’ blue ghost eyes. Makes them look like a living nightmare!”

  “The vampire you killed sounds a lot like a feral, given its matter of attack,” explained Ito. “They’re always the worst. Much more terrifying than any of the others. These ones shouldn’t be anywhere as scary. They’re ‘wanna be vegetarians’ like the lieutenant said.”

  “Yeah, suppose you’re right about that,” Asher admitted. “It doesn’t mean they won’t put up a fight. Why wouldn’t they? We’re here to eradicate what they consider to be their family. Surely they’ll do something. Heck, even if they do run, that doesn’t mean something won’t go wrong.” He cringed, imagining the possibilities.

  “You know you can’t think like that, Blackthorn.” Ito shook her head, displeased. “You have to have confidence. If you go in there thinking something is going to go wrong, then it definitely will. You’ve been training non-stop for nearly three weeks now. Your skills should be developed. Realistically, you don’t even have to be at the completion stage to handle this target. Don’t sweat it too much.”

  “Suppose you’re right.” Asher gazed down at his boots, letting himself sound hopeless.

  “I feel like you don’t understand the gravity of what I’m saying, Private!” Ito’s supportive demeanor became harsh, giving way to full command mode. “You can’t have doubts like that. You’ll endanger the whole company. You’ll be a risk to all of us. As your squad leader, I order you not to worry!” She yelled, causing all of the bus’s occupants to turn and look over at them.

  Asher’s face turned a deep shade of red due to both embarrassment and the bluntness of the sergeant’s words.

  Aaron, who had been trying to stay out of their conversation, looked as though he might bolt for the back of the bus.

  “Yes, sir… um… I mean, ma’am.” Asher saluted just to be sure.

  The sergeant smiled at him, amusement in her eyes.

  “We’re nearing the drop-off point now!” Lieutenant Tarango called from the front of the bus, ending Asher’s encounter with Ito. “Make sure you have all your gear and put your helmets back on so I can talk to you over the speaker!”

  “That’s my signal to get back to the front of the bus.” Ito rose from her seat. “See you later.”

  The bus took a wide-arched turn some minutes later, leaving the highway for the loose gravel of a rural driveway. A second bus transporting about a dozen handlers and their hounds followed them. Two more buses continued past the drive, going down the highway to the drop-off point on the other side of the target property. One of these contained the company’s second platoon, while the other carried another hellhound squad. They were to rendezvous at the target house after both platoons made their initial sweep of the surrounding area.

  “Wow, we are in the sticks,” Aaron mumbled, Asher barely catching it.

  Ahead lay a simplistic farmhouse flanked by ill-kept fences and empty, forgotten barns. The whole scene was serene and pleasant, contrasting with the horrifying and gruesome events that would soon occur down the hill. Their target location lay just past the farm’s wooded field to their right.

  Asher shook his head, smiling. He had no idea what kind of fantastic lies Greaves told the owners to warrant their arrival here.

  The bus pulled in front of a battered, old barn, rust holes riddling its blue, tin sides, the second bus parking right behind them. Their mission was already dangerous from the start. The noise from the buses’ engines served as an instantaneous proclamation of their arrival. They were to approach the house on foot, quickly establishing a perimeter so they might prevent any early flight attempts by the assailants.

  None of that might even matter, Asher thought to himself. They were already making quite an assumption when they anticipated that their quarry would be asleep at this precise time of day.

  “OK, everybody off the bus!” called Lieutenant Tarango. “Go to your initial position by that fence and try not to be seen!”

  Obeying his command, the 50 or so platoon personnel rose from their seats. They strapped on shotguns, checked ammunition packs, and adjusted body armor in preparation for the approach.

  “Ready to rock and roll, Ash?” asked Aaron through his helmet, his eyes visible through his now transparent face shield. He leaned down to pick up his pack.

  “Ready to rock.” Asher signaled back with the metal horns hand sign before shoving his helmet onto his head. He waited for Pritchett to strap on his pack before bending down to reach for his own gear, taking it from where it sat beside the seat.

  The platoon filtered off the bus a
s Asher threw on his pack and then slung the strap of his X-12 around his back.

  “Come on, people, let’s get moving!” yelled Tarango through the helmet speaker, much less easy-going on operations than he was at the base. “We’re not going to take down any vamps if we never get off the freakin’ bus!”

  “Hey, see you when this whole thing is over, man,” said Aaron, placing a hand on Asher’s shoulder. “Stay positive.” He went to assume Ito’s position farther up in the line-up, still close to the action but in a slightly safer spot.

  “Yeah, so long as everything goes well,” said Asher with a hint of sarcasm, an attempt to hide his anxiety. He immediately wished he hadn’t said those words.

  “Hey, don’t say stuff like that,” said Milo as he turned from where he stood in the aisle. “You’ll jinx the whole thing!”

  Asher joined the others in the lane. As the soldiers edged their way toward the front of the bus, he felt his attention shift to the rapidly waning sunset and the darkness approaching within the next hour. To him, dusk always seemed the best time to be leaving the woods, but yet here he was rushing into it.

  “You ready to clear those stairs, Blackthorn?” Tarango asked as Asher met him at the front of the bus. The lieutenant was attempting to rattle him, his voice coming from both the soldiers’ helmet speakers and his mouth. “Sorry about that. Forgot to turn off the microphone,” he apologized, realizing the whole platoon could hear him.

  “I’m ready as I’ll ever be, sir!” Asher proclaimed, unwilling to let the lieutenant shake him up.

  “That’s good to hear, Private,” said Tarango, receiving the enthusiastic answer he wanted.

  Asher climbed down the stairs and out the door, his boots hitting the gravel drive. He was thankful to stretch his legs after so much time on the bus. His height always made him feel cramped, no matter how or where he sat.

  “Go, go, go!” Asher heard one of the dog handler’s command, causing him to move to the side of the open door. He turned to watch the hounds and their handlers exit the bus behind them.