A Vampire Tale

Chapter 23

Taylor

I finished the yard and glanced at the floor, remembering she took my shirt with her. I ignored the fourteen year olds across the street, taking pictures of me with their cell phones, and pushed the lawn mower into the back yard, inside the shed. I walked in through the back door, and walked into Brenda's room where I found her clearing away tears in the middle of the room. I quietly behind her and said "don't cry. What happened yesterday was not your fault. There was nothing you could have done for Selena."

She shook her head no and turned around to face me. "If I was a hunter like you, maybe I could have saved her. She didn't deserve to die. Not in this way," she said with clear effort.

I nodded, agreeing with her claim. Selena was a sweet girl as far as I knew her. No one deserves to become a meal to a monster.

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm a trained vampire hunter who allowed for two human deaths. I could have saved her if only I arrived on time," I told her. Before she could deny the fact, I covered her mouth. "If the deaths continue, I will have to talk to my boss about getting more help. Two lives have already been lost; I won't allow anymore."

She pushed my hand away, "then you need to try harder. Attach a video camera somewhere and track them or something."

I shook my head no. "It's not that simple. We have to capture him without letting the students know. Besides, there would be no point in a video camera because we learned to sense for nonhuman presence." She shrugged and stayed silent. "Are you doubting my ability to protect everyone?" I asked her. She avoided meeting my gaze, letting me know her answer. "I see. Well, I'm sorry you feel that way." I took my shirt from the floor and put it on without facing her. "I have to go now," I told her as I checked the time. The Association is supposed to be holding a meeting for all vampire hunters. It's mandatory that I go.

I begin to walk away as she grabs my arm. "I'm sorry! You don't have to go! Please, stay with me," she begged.

I looked away from her as I said, "no. Not this time."

She dropped my arm and allowed more tears to fall. It hurt me to see her this way. I don't like making her cry, but I have no choice. I walked away from her room and out of her house. I made my way into the woods where Parker was standing around, waiting for me.

"You finally showed up. I thought you were going to be late," he said with a grin.

I shook my head no. "And ruin my perfect reputation? You have got to be kidding me."

He laughed as we walked into the association and made our way into the conference room. We sat down, wondering what this meeting is about. Hailey joined us with a smile as her father, also known as my boss, walked in to begin the meeting. "As you all may know, two young humans have been killed at Gold State high school by a monster. Taylor has informed us about the situation, and to respond, we are sending a team of our best vampire hunters to take over the case. It is necessary for us to eliminate the vampire before anymore people are harmed or before they discover the truth. Are there any questions so far?" Mr. Anderson asked.

"Yes, there is one student who is currently being targeted by two vampires. How do you plan to protect her from both without bringing suspicion?" I asked him.

"This student shall be watched at all times. None of you are allowed to approach the student as a hunter. Under cover professionals will be needed for the entire school," he answered back. He gave us more information before ending the meeting with an order. "Any hunter who finds this vampire, must kill them with no witnesses. Anybody who disobeys my rules shall be severely punished."

I walked out of the room in the direction of the weaponry room, followed by Hailey and Parker. "Maybe we can finally finish this faster now that we got a team to put together," Parker said, trying to lighten the mood. I stayed silent as I continued to sort through all the dangerous weapons.

"Not to mention awful! Taylor is being replaced as leader. Don't you know how Madeline gets on a mission?" Hailey told him. Parker gave her a "No Duh" face as I pulled out an old, dusty case. "What are you doing with that? Those are forbidden to take without permission from my father."

I placed the case down on the table in front of them and opened it to reveal the weapons we call the Deadly Dozen. The Deadly Dozen consists of a sword, two guns, five blades, three small spears, and an archery kit. These weapons were designed to kill any creature, not just monsters, which is why it got it's name.

"I always have permission to use them. Otherwise, I wouldn't be a "menace to all vampires"," I told her.

"Not just vampires, but people don't like you either," she replied with a grin. "What is it about you that makes people want to destroy you?"

I rolled my eyes as Parker guessed "his looks? His skills? His background?"

I pulled out the twin guns and a blade before returning the case back to it's original place. "That doesn't matter. I hope your prepared for trouble when school starts," I hid the guns inside my pockets, carefully covering it with my shirt. The knife was placed in my boot, hidden by my jeans.

I left the room as I felt a bit of pain in my chest. Uh-oh, I'm getting kind of hungry. I guess I didn't have enough to satisfy me for a long period of time. It's only been a couple of days since I had some. Selena's blood has been making me go crazy; the scent of it everywhere has been screwing with my head.