The Hunted - The Hunt #2

3. Trouble Unwanted!

Daniel couldn't believe his luck, running into a bunch of hunters on his first week of travels. He had to admit though, he wanted adventure and now he got it. He was a bit upset about revealing his ability to walk in the sun without burning up to a crisp. That was surely going to make it in the Hunter's Weekly. And it also meant those hunters would never forget about him. They would always be interested in hunting down that weird vampire who claimed to have never killed a human and can walk in the sun.

Daniel needed to calibrate his plans and figure out what to do next. He wasn't sure where he would be safe, since the hunter's had informed him how vampires are free reign in New York. Daniel figured his best option was to just dash out of New York to a nearby big city and catch a plane out from there. Everything he'd wanted to do in the Great Big Apple, he'd never get to do them now.

While Daniel was busy dashing towards Boston, he had to wonder how the hunters had made him so easily and fast. He'd been wearing his repellant when he checked in and he was sure Mirelda hadn't given him a bad batch. She was family after all, she'd helped his mother out more than once. It was annoying him and his superior vampire brain, how come he ran into trouble that easily.

Daniel was almost by New Haven when his legs simply gave out and he crashed on the ground with a thump. He was frozen, couldn't move a muscle.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" he muttered. Just what he needed, another run in with hunters. And these ones had managed to hit him with some sort of a paralyzing dart or whatever. He had no idea how they managed to shoot him while he was dashing, given he was faster than your average vampire. Maybe a five hundred year old vampire could match his speed, but he'd never tried to have a race.

Daniel was trying to stay calm and not panic, but his negative side was mocking him and his adventure. Twice in one day, that's how much of a magnet he was for trouble. He had failed to see the world, spectacularly. And now he might not be able to let his family know. His brother would probably feel it, if he died. His mother would surely feel the separation. He wasn't really concerned about his own safety or his life at that moment, he just didn't want to hurt his family that way. He'd promised them, he'd be fine. He'd never broken a promise before.

Suddenly, Daniel could hear crunching approaching him from the left. Someone had come to collect their prize. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction, so his scent was clearly strong to whoever it was, but Daniel couldn't sifer any information about his capturer. The hunter stopped a few feet away from him, still out of sight. He was breathing hard. No, she was breathing hard. It was a girl.

"What the fuck!" she shouted, her voice sending tingles down Daniel's spine. She sounded so rough and angry, but at the same time Daniel wanted her to keep swearing or speaking. He couldn't quite figure out why he felt that way. He hadn't seen the person, yet. Didn't know what she smelled like, either. Vampires did everything through smell, hearing was a close second, but smelling someone's scent gave them the most information.

"If you're wondering about a vampire running around during the day, I promise, there's an explanation," Daniel tried to peak her interest. Maybe then she'd not kill him instantly and he could finally meet the mysterious woman standing above him.

"Don't care, leech. Nighty night!" she said and everything went black.

***

Daniel wasn't able to open his eyes. He was sure he wasn't blindfolded, he just couldn't open his eyes. It was as if they were glued shut. Which on second thought was exactly what the woman had done to him. Then he noticed he couldn't smell anything. His nose was plugged, he had to breathe through his mouth, which annoyed him quite a lot. He knew he was stuck somewhere inside, as his hearing was still working. He was sitting on a chair, tied down with some good shackles, that were vampire proofed. There was a taste of magic in the air, odd for your regular hunter.