The King, The Enemy, and the Wars[Sequel to The Slayer]

Chapter 58

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Waking up, I found myself in a coffin. I panicked for a moment then caught my breath and slowly pushed the coffin open to reveal a dark dank cave. I couldn’t see or hear anyone so I got out slowly and walked toward the light in the distance. I stopped before the light hit my feet and shuffled to the edge of the cave. I tried to listen for voices.

“Hypno today is the day. We will kill Violet if Andrew does not surrender,” Nick said.

“Yes Sir,” Hypno said as I heard feet walking away and a pair coming in the cave.

I dared not move for the person might hear. Once the person sped past me I dashed outside and was greeted by the setting sun. I looked around to see an open space with tons of caves. I dashed out of the open area and straight into the forest. I didn’t’ stop running until I tripped. I looked down to see what I tripped on and it was a beer bottle. I grabbed it and got back up and started to run again. Suddenly I heard voices calling out to each other. I knew the vampires would catch up to me quickly if I couldn’t find a hiding spot. I sprinted taking in everything, looking for anything I could use to protect myself.

I came upon a smaller opening and knew that something had died here a while ago; it still smelled bad. I looked around and found a dead decomposing body under some brush. I quickly prayed for their soul and looked around. I knew I would be safe here; the decomposing flesh would hide my scent. I needed to find something I could start a fire with. I kept low to the ground as I went to the other side of the opening and hid under a bush. Looking around before I moved, I spotted something in the direction I was headed. It looked to be a house. I surveyed the area before I moved.

Dashing to the house, I made it. It looked run down and abandoned, but my guess was it wasn’t. I knocked on the door lightly, and when no one answered I opened the door. To my surprise it was unlocked. I walked in and took note that no lights were on. I lay down and crawled around the house on the ground for fear of anyone spotting me in the house. I noticed as I entered the living room that the corner of the rug was flipped over and the ground under it had a separation, like you could lift the floor. I crawled closer and pushed the rug back to find a trap door. Glancing around before I did anything, I lifted the trap door and a small light went on to reveal stairs. I slid in and closed the trap door over my head and felt my way down and I felt a bump on the side of the wall. I pushed it and a light came on.

What I found was shocking. It was a lair for hunters. This house must belong to Vlad and his hunters. Shivers went down my spine as the realization hit me. Immediately I grabbed a crossbow and some ammunition for the bow. I also found a lighter and pocketed it. I flicked the light off and went back up the stairs and listened for anyone. Once I was sure no one was there, I lifted the trap door and slithered out and put the rug back on it. I crawled to the front door and peered out the window and no one was there. I opened the door quickly and shut it gently and headed off to the dead body. Once in the opening with the decaying body I made a right and continued running in that direction until I saw someone ahead. Immediately I ducked behind a bush and looked through the little leaves to see whom I could be running into.

He wasn’t facing me so I couldn’t tell whether it was a dangerous vampire, a hunter, or a vampire that was one of Andrew’s. I heard a voice come through his jacket and new he was a hunter instantly. But honestly, it was sloppy for Vlad to let a hunter use a walky talky. Vampires could locate the person in seconds.

“No sign of anything, just a decomposing body near our house, not one of us though,” the man said.

“Okay, be alert for any vampires or Violet,” Vlad’s voice spoke.

“Roger that,” the man said before he started scoping the area.

He turned my way and started walking in my direction. I had to move quickly. I couldn’t get captured again, especially by a hunter. As the man got closer, I realized it wasn’t a man, but Jack. I moved the crossbow and put a normal arrow in and aimed for Jack’s leg. As Jack walked closer I could tell he was looking closely at everything, accounting for every noise, every movement. Once Jack was ten feet away I shot the arrow in his calf and Jack moaned in pain. I scrambled up from the bushes and grabbed the walky talky from him before he could notify anyone.  I threw a punch at him knocking him over and Jack was shocked.

“Violet? You really are here?” Jack said in disbelief.

“Yeah, now be quiet, I just escaped from being captured by Vampires, they are everywhere looking for me,” I stated as I started walking off.

“Hey, you can’t just leave me here!” Jack hissed.

“Get up,” I said not slowing my pace.

I heard Jack break the arrow and stagger behind me. I turned in disgust at him.

“You call yourself a hunter when you use walky talky’s and walk like that? You might as well write ‘target’ on your forehead,” I whispered. Jack looked ashamed.

“Sorry,” Jack said.

“Either I leave you here, or I carry you and you are on my side, your choice,” I said.

“I’m with you,” Jack said.

“Okay, I’ll carry you, you hold the cross bow and keep it loaded, you never know when they are around,” I said as I picked him up.

“Ow!” Jack said as I grabbed his leg.

“Sorry,” I said as I carried Jack as quietly as I could.

“Where are we going?” Jack asked.

“I’m trying to find Andrew’s castle,” I whispered.

“We are heading in the right direction then,” Jack noted.

“What? You know where we are?” I asked.

“Yeah, just keep going straight and we will meet a road and then the castle,” Jack said.

“Oh...no wonder that clearing looked familiar, Nick once took me out here…when I was here last summer,” I said to myself.

We made it to the road and I put Jack down to catch my breath. Jack sat down and looked at his leg. A voice shot through the walky talky. It wasn’t Vlad’s.

“This thing is infernal you know?!” I said.

“Sorry.”

“Is this universal to all your hunters?” I asked and Jack nodded.

I smiled to myself as I realized we could track their movements with this. I grabbed my crossbow and started walking towards the castle but Hypno knocked me over from the side and I dropped my crossbow. Hypno jumped on me and held me down, but I kneed him in the stomach and hit him with my head and he rolled off and I stood up.

“I told you this walky talky was infernal!” I hissed to Jack.