by I D Johnson
“You done with your story, Sol?”
“Ah, I’m just getting started,” he replied, waving a hand at Jeffrey who gestured for Jamie to take a seat next to him as he pulled out the chair at the end of the table.
Jeffrey adjusted his lapel and chuckled, clearly used to this man’s attention-seeking. “Ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned before, this is Dr. Jamie Joplin, here from Boston to help us out tonight. Jamie’s specialty is healing.” He looked at Jamie very critically, as if he wasn’t quite sure whether or not he was capable of everything he’d heard.
With a deep breath, Jamie forced a smile and looked around the table, nodding. “Hello. It’s nice to be here.”
Pointing at the woman to his right, Jeffrey said, “This is Bridgette and her sister Gidgette.” Jamie could see that the two redheads were twins, though the first one, Bridgette, appeared to be a little taller. They looked pleasant enough and they exchanged greetings. “You’ve already heard the famous storytelling of our main Hunter there, Sol.”
“Howdy doo,” Sol said, a crooked grin on his face. Jamie waved hello but still wasn’t sure what to make of the man. Dressed in an undershirt with suspenders attached to dark brown work pants, he looked out of place, but he certainly didn’t seem to care. He was the sort of man his sister Margie would be attracted to, he had no doubt, though Sol would probably leave Helms in the dust when it came to an ego war, and that was saying something.
“Over there we have Joseph. He’s a Guardian like the girls here.” This man, a tall African-American with cropped hair, had a genuine smile, and Jamie immediately liked him. “And next to him is another Hunter, Abel.” A big burly man, Abel turned his head slowly to look at Jamie, and he wondered if that was his usual speed. He looked like he could’ve been his uncle’s age, but since he was a Hunter and not a Guardian, who aged much slower, chances were they weren’t even born in the same century.
“And finally, next to you there, this is Kit. She’s a Hunter. A newbie.”
Jamie turned his head to notice the young woman sitting next to him for the first time. She definitely wasn’t much older than him, maybe a year or two. She had a timid smile on her pretty face, and her thick brown hair was tied up in a bun on the back of her head beneath a stylish hat. Her brown eyes flickered with kindness, though she didn’t speak first. “It’s nice to meet you,” Jamie said, realizing he was staring and shifting his eyes.
“You, too,” she replied, her voice quiet. Clearly, she hadn’t adjusted to this team yet either, and he thought they might find a bit of solace in each other’s inexperience.
“All right, let’s get to it,” Jeffrey began. He pulled a large sheet of rolled up paper from the edge of the table and unrolled it, revealing it was a blueprint. “This is the Clifton Hotel, the one next door. And these are the rooms in question. Every evening, the bell hop, one of our informants, a turncoat, witnesses four bloodsuckers, two men and two woman, going in and out of these two rooms. They go out around midnight and come back with several intoxicated people, laughing and carrying on. The next morning, there’s no sign of anyone leaving the room, but when housekeeping makes up the room, there’s no trace of them in there either.”
“What are they doing with the bodies then?” The question came from Bridgette, and Jamie was glad she asked it because he had wondered the same thing. Unlike Vampires, people’s bodies just didn’t disappear into ash.
“No one knows,” Jeffrey admitted. “But if we stop the monsters, then we will stop the killing, and then no more people will disappear.”
“So it doesn’t really matter what happened to their other victims,” Sol shrugged.
“Doesn’t matter?” Joseph echoed. “Of course it matters.”
“Not much we can do for them now,” Sol shot back.
“Hopefully, when we get inside, we’ll get some sort of a clue as to what they’ve been doing. It’s been a few nights, so the turncoat estimates they’ve brought at least a dozen people up, none of which have rematerialized.”
“Why is he just telling us now?” Gidgette asked, her voice very similar to her sister’s.
Shrugging, Jeffrey said, “Hell if I know. He told me yesterday, but I was waiting for Dr. Joplin to get her before we formulated a plan. My understanding is these guys are pretty ruthless, and I don’t want anybody getting hurt unless I have somebody here who can put ‘em back together.”
“Hope he’s handier with a scalpel than Dr. Marlin,” Sol muttered, swinging his new, unlit cigar back and forth in his hands. Jamie figured he must be a chain-smoker. Having seen the effects on the lungs first hand, that was another reason for the doctor not to like him.
“He is,” Jeffrey assured him. Jamie didn’t know who Dr. Marlin was, but he figured he was another Healer who used to work with this team. “Now, let’s go over the plan.”
Jeffrey launched into a rough proposal of what they would do to intercept the Vampires and follow them back to their lair, where hopefully, they could trap them inside of their room and destroy them. “Being as though they are on the third floor, it is possible they could try for the windows, so we’ll have to have a team down there, ready to pounce should they make a run for it. But as vicious as these bloodsuckers seem to be, I can’t imagine they won’t try to fight their way out the front door.”
“So we’ll be in three teams then?” Abel asked, his voice deep and gruff. “That leaves us thin.”
“I’ve called in some temps from other parts of the city to station outside,” Jeffrey replied, standing and putting his hands on his hips, still studying the map. “We’ll be in our regular formations. Bridgette and Gidgette with Abel and Joseph with Sol. Kit, you’ll go along with them. I’ll be positioned in the hallway, Jamie alongside me. If one of them should happen to get out, I’ll be able to cut them off. And if one of you three should happen to get cut up,” he said, gesturing at the Hunters, “Jamie here will be able to put you back together. I hope.” He eyed Jamie with a bit of skepticism, and the doctor wasn’t sure what to say or do, so he just swallowed and tried to smile.
“I don’t like it,” Sol said, shaking his head. “There’s no way that’s going to work.”
“Beg pardon?” Jeffrey asked, leaning forward over the table, as if he couldn’t hear when it was certain he’d understood every word and just didn’t like what Sol had to say.
Sol paused to light his cigar. He inhaled deeply, waving the match out and dropping it into his nearby ash tray, blowing out more slowly than necessary as if he were composing his thoughts. Jamie didn’t think the was the case, however. Hot heads never needed to collect ideas before they spoke. “Nah, we go crashing in there, Kitten there’s gonna get messed up. And Abel can’t take two ferocious vampires by himself.”
“We’ll be there,” Bridgette—or was it Gidgette—spoke up.
“Yeah, like I said, by himself.”
The merriment was gone from the other team members’ faces as Sol no longer seemed that funny. Jamie glanced at Kit, and she looked more than a little offended, perhaps because Sol had made a joke out of her name or perhaps because he had no faith in her.
“Well, then, what do you propose?” Jeffrey asked, crossing his arms.
“We take them one at a time, one room at a time,” Sol replied, shrugging as if it were so simple. “We’ll all go in and end the first two. Then, we’ll all go to the second room and take out the next pair.”
“That will never work.”
Jamie hadn’t meant to speak, but as soon as he had, all eyes flickered to him. He could feel the red creeping up his neck.
“What’s that now?” Sol asked, chewing the end of his cigar as he leaned forward.
Clearing his throat, Jamie said, “It’s just… they have telepathy. They can warn each other. There’s no way we can do it that way.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d brought in the world’s foremost expert on Vampires, Jeffrey. Pardon me.” Sol put his cigar in the ash tray and leaned back in his chair, fold
ing his arms across his chest.
Jamie wasn’t sure if he should say more or just let it go. He looked at Jeffrey who seemed to be hiding a bit of amusement behind his otherwise very serious expression. “I think we should try the plan as I have outlined it. If it doesn’t work, one of two things will happen. Either you’ll drive them out the windows, or they’ll come out to us, and Dr. Joplin and I will manage to stop them.”
Sol scoffed. “Or, I’ll get double-teamed and have my ass handed to me.”
“I can fight, you know?” The meek voice belonged to Kit, and heads swiveled to look at her. “I might be young, but I’m not inadequate.”
“That remains to be seen,” Sol replied, still solemn.
Kit’s lips pursed, but she didn’t say anything more. Jamie wondered if she’d been in battle before. Surely, she must’ve, or else Jeffrey would’ve mentioned it, wouldn’t he have?
“Look, I’ve already gathered the other team. They’ll meet us at 1:00 at the hotel. I’ve got one stationed alongside our turncoat, and as soon as he sees them coming back, he’ll send her out to let us know, not that she wouldn’t likely recognize them herself. Then, we make our move.”
“Great. You ever reattached a severed head, Doc?” Sol asked, leaning forward and resuming his puffing.
Jamie ignored the question since, obviously, Sol would know that wasn’t possible. He caught Kit’s eyes, which were narrowed. Despite Sol’s story earlier, he seemed to be a bit of a thorn in this team’s side. Jamie wondered if he wouldn’t be putting at least a few pieces of him back together, eventually, if he approached everything the way he did smoking cigars, with gusto and abandon. That was a good way to get hurt when it came to Vampire hunting.
“All right. We’ve got…” Jeffrey checked his pocket watch, “three hours before I want to meet back here to move into position. Go have some dinner, make sure your weapons are polished, and be back here at 11:30.”
The team broke up, though Sol took several more puffs out of his cigar before moving. Jamie wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never been to New York before, and he honestly had no reason to want to spend any more time with most of these people than necessary. Although Kit got his attention, she’d rushed out, likely to get away from Sol, and Jamie wasn’t about to chase her down. She was pretty and seemed nice enough, but Jamie was here to do a job, and he didn’t need any distractions.
He decided to go for a walk. The streets of New York weren’t too much different than Boston. Even though he tried to keep an even pace, he found himself speeding by many of the brick row houses, drawn for some reason toward the water. He remembered his father talking about the bridge they’d just finished a few years ago, a spectacle of engineering, he’d said, and Jamie wanted to see it. Likewise, just the year before, the giant statue the French had gifted the United States had also been dedicated. While he doubted he’d get all the way out to the island she sat on, he understood one could see it from the New York and Brooklyn Bridge.
He wound his way down Broadway Street to Columbus Circle before taking Fifty-Ninth over to First. Eventually, he could see the bridge in the distance. He followed whichever street looked like it went in the right direction until he found himself stepping foot on the expansive wonder. It’s granite towers soared into the air, and he marveled at the suspension cables. The walking path was down the center of the bridge, which he didn’t like as he would’ve enjoyed peering over into the East River, but just walking along the feat of engineering was awe inspiring. Though the science he had studied had more to do with biology than anything else, he was still impressed that man could create something that seemed to defy gravity.
Off in the distance, silhouetted against the night sky, he saw the outline of the woman, Lady Liberty, holding her lit torch. He wished that it was daytime so he could see her better, but he could imagine what she must look like. New York City seemed like an extraordinary place, and he was happy to have the opportunity to visit here, even though he had no idea what the rest of the night might bring. Something told him this plan wasn’t going to work, and even though he couldn’t come up with anything better—and Sol’s plan was even more ridiculous than Jeffrey’s had been—he wished there was a better way. Chances were, by the end of the night, Jamie would be putting someone back together. Hopefully, no one would get hurt too badly.
After a few minutes of wanderlust, Jamie turned and hurried back toward the hotel, grabbing some almonds from a street vendor along the way. He’d resented having to become a Guardian when it wasn’t his choice, but if being one allowed him to see such amazing places, perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. His uncle had mentioned there were potentially other locations he might be sent to, even overseas, and the thoughts of visiting Europe, the wilds of Africa, or even Asia, made Jamie excited about the possibilities for a change, rather than hating what Margie had dragged him into.
Thoughts of his sister reminded him of how angry she’d been when Culpepper told her Jamie would be going to NYC, and she’d have to stay behind. Once again, she’d said life wasn’t fair, and Jamie was shown favoritism. She vowed that someday she’d travel to distant lands and start her own team, one that operated independently of everyone and specialized in hunting down the most despicable of monsters. Culpepper assured her that was a possibility if that’s what she wanted but convinced her she needed to stay with him a few more years. She had been more than a little irritated and hadn’t even wished Jamie a pleasant trip. Sighing at the memory, Jamie wadded up the paper bag his almonds had come in and found a trash receptacle, though it appeared he was the only one who used them, and hurried on his way.
He hadn’t been gone the full time; they still had almost an hour before it was time to meet, but he returned to the conference room, having nothing better to do. When he opened the door, he expected the room to be empty, but Kit was there, studying the blueprint, the same thing Jamie intended to do.
“Hello,” he said, offering her a small smile as she looked up at him.
“Good evening,” she replied, tracing the building with her finger. “Did you go for a stroll?”
Jamie wondered how she knew but assumed he must smell like the streets of New York, which probably wasn’t a pleasant enough scent that it would catch on as a perfume or cologne anytime soon. “I did.”
“It’s a lovely city, I think.” She didn’t look up this time, still studying the map. “I mean… it’s dirty, and people are horrid to each other. But the buildings, the architecture… it’s fascinating.”
“I agree.” He walked around the table and took a seat one of the twins had previously occupied. He’d never be able to tell them apart even though he was usually very good with faces. Theirs appeared to be exactly the same to him except a slight height difference. “I went to have a look at the new bridge over the East River and the statue, though I could hardly see her in the dark.”
“Oh, she’s lovely.” Kit looked up at him now. “You simply must see her in the daylight.”
“I will make a note of it. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity before I leave.”
“And when will that be?”
Her eyes were lovely, dark like her hair, and her lips pursed together as she asked the question, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer. Jamie caught his breath. “I’m honestly not sure. My uncle asked me to come and help out with this particular hunt. Beyond that, I suppose it just depends upon whether or not Jeffrey still needs me.”
“And when he doesn’t, you’ll go back to Boston?”
“Yes, I believe so. Although, I shouldn’t mind going somewhere else.”
“You don’t care for Boston?” She tilted her head to the side, as if she genuinely took interest in what he had to say, and Jamie wasn’t sure what to think of her. He’d never caught the attention of someone so lovely before.
“I love Boston. I’m extremely proud of my hometown. I always have been. But… I think I should like to see more of the world.”
“M
e, too,” she nodded. “I grew up in a small town north of here. Tarrytown. Have you heard of it?”
“Yes, during history class,” Jamie nodded.
“Of course. At any rate, I’ve just joined the team a few months ago. As you can see, I still don’t get on with everyone the way I should.” She stared at the empty chair where traces of cigar smoke still lingered. “I think I should’ve found a different team to join, but my father had contacts who knew Jeffrey, so I traveled here.”
“Is your father a Hunter?” Jamie asked, wondering what it might be like to grow up the child of someone actively fighting the undead.
“No, but my grandfather is. He’s the head of the Washington, DC, area. My father chose a different life and thought I’d fair better on a team away from family for a while.”
Jamie nodded his head, knowing all too well what both of those ideas were like. “So you don’t like this team then?”
Kit averted her eyes and shrugged. “It’s fine, I suppose.” He could tell she wanted to say that she didn’t like it but was afraid to.
“Well, hopefully, this plan goes according to schedule,” Jamie said, glancing down at the blueprint, even though it was upside down from his vantage point. “These Vampires sound very dangerous.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I have this.” Kit leaned over and pulled a small object out from under the table. It was hard to tell, but her actions made it seem as if it had been in her boot. She placed it on the table.
Jamie gasped. “It’s… a derringer.”
“Not just any derringer. It shoots special bullets, ones my father especially designed. They’re laced with silver.”
“Silver?” Jamie echoed.
“Yes, silver destroys Vampires, don’t you know?” she asked, nodding matter-of-factly.
Jamie offered her a small smile. “Yes, of course I know that. I just didn’t know one could make a bullet out of silver. Won’t it melt upon firing?”