Thrill of the Chase (Hunters & Heartbreakers 1)

XVII - Langdon

^^Above: Our boys (Kit Connor, left; Louis Partridge, right) all dressed up, just for fun ;) and for the sake of this chapter^^

Life Among the Vampires, and

Their Society.

An Account by F. F. Howe.

21 May, evening. — The absolute last thing I expected coming to the coming-out party tonight was a ghost-hunt. Not to mention being confronted by three hunters, a debutante wielding a double-barreled shotgun, and a ghoul I've only heard stories about called the Drowned Man.

Still, because it was a Selling event, and everyone there would be a hunter — all the men, anyway — Father didn't protest when I'd come downstairs with my rapier as part of my evening wear. Any good hunter knows it's better to always be prepared.

We arrive early, because Father wanted a word with the Selling brothers before everyone else came trickling in. Trying to appear interested is the hardest part. They don't seem to be discussing anything that concerns me, anyway.

Then, that's when I hear the bang of a gunshot, coming from upstairs. Father and the two Sellings look around, bewildered, but it's just me who takes off. I hurtle up one flight, taking the stairs two at a time, and then as another one comes I keep running, down the corridor to the second flight. I don't hear a third, and for a moment I think I might have imagined it.

Suddenly, number three, coming from a room down at the far end of the hallway. I jog towards it, wondering what could possibly be happening that merits three gunshots. I come up on a closed door, with a strong ghost-chill wafting through it. The doorknob's so cold it numbs my hand instantly as I try to turn it. It sticks, and I twist it harder. The door suddenly swings inward and everyone inside — Wells, Naomi, Cornelius, Marjorie, and the ghoul — swivels towards me at the same time. I can see Wells and Cornelius armed with rapiers, and Marjorie hefts a long, double-barreled shotgun pointed right at me.

I raise my hands. "Don't shoot!"

"Wilkes?" Wells exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"I invited him," Marjorie says, just as the Drowned Man moans and lurches towards me.

I draw my rapier and adopt a ready stance, trying to remember all my training. Except none of it included a Drowned Man. The thing comes at me surprisingly quickly, and as it lunges I thrust forward, at its chest. I feel my rapier go in, then stick, like I'd jabbed it into a tree trunk. I try to pull it out, but it doesn't budge. The Drowned Man moans at me, grasping at me with rotting fingers.

"Langdon!" Marjorie shouts. "Let go!"

I do, and she fires. The ghoul jerks sideways, blue streaks spurting from its back. She shoots it again and its leg shatters below the knee. Naomi suddenly leaps from the iron circle, towards a sharp curved blade lying next to a carpetbag against the wall. She snatches the blade up and with a barbaric howl just like Wells's, she charges forward and runs the Drowned Man through the stomach. With an upward thrust, she guts it, and the ghoul melts in a lump of blue slime. My rapier clatters to the floor, and for a moment all we can do is stare at it, then at each other.

"So," I say finally. "Does anyone want to tell me what just happened?"

—

Surprisingly, it's Cornelius who fills me in. Apparently he'd dropped by the Hudson house earlier today to engage their services, because he'd wanted to rid their own house of ghosts. After that he'd — reluctantly — asked his sister to help, because while he'd said he didn't believe it when someone else said it, he'd seen her ghost-speak when they were children. Once they were all here, they'd quickly gotten rid of all the spirits, a much simpler task than anyone thought. Except the house wasn't done, sending a Drowning Man out after them. None of them had gotten a good enough look to suss out which relative he was.