Missing Vampire: Reward Available (Hypernaturals 6)

Chanel

The Hall cleanup progressed nicely while I was getting my new shirt from my angry Doctor.

I went over to Renee and told her "Jessica is set up in the men's room with her medical bag. Send any wounded her way."

Renee nodded, looked around, said loudly: "Dolly! Doctor in the men's room. Circle up the wounded, inside and out, and haul them there."

A woman I presume to be 'Dolly' gave her a sharp up/down nod to acknowledge that, and immediately went over to a woman sitting on a bench holding her side. Dolly escorted her to the Jessica, and I felt shitty Jessica took me first. She had a much deeper need.

The tables are back upright and stacked to get them out of the way. I selected a body near where the table had been, watched traffic flow for a moment, and carted the remains out the back since that seemed to be where less traffic is going. Trying to even up the van loads.

It is Chanel. She had been very pretty in life. In death, her face is peaceful. I carried her across my body rather than over my shoulder like most of the bodies are being carted. But then, most bodies are going out two at a time. I could do that too, and I will next trip. This trip... I need to do it this way.

Vera and Angel, not having Vampire strength teamed up and dragged, one on each leg. They are headed to the back too, and Vera looked at me, saw who I am carrying, and flickered a smile at me. Angel looked somber, but I understand that lack of response. This is grim work. Worse in some ways than the actual fight. In the fight, you do not have time to think about it. You just do it.

Now, everything is slowed down, and I have time to wonder how the hell this dead woman in my arms came to be paramilitary. She was more than a pretty face. She used that to her advantage in the hall before, and of all the HPA Operatives in the hall, she was the one that deflected Kuzman from noticing all the weird things happening around his Hall, and she came the closest of anyone to ending my ass. 

Men are stupid. 

She could not help being pretty: She was born this way. She chose to be Paramilitary with her physical advantages: Back it up with the courage and sheer chutzpah to be a spy, a decoy, and a full-on Storm Trooper. I am sure there is a story there.

I will never know it.

For all her advantages and her perfection for this role, Chanel came up against Jessica, protecting her dumb mate. No way Chanel wins that. No one ever could.

The vans are all lined up on opposite sites of the drive, noses pointed away from the building now. Side doors open to receive their gruesome cargo. I heard a body drop off the South ridge to the back of the building. I did not even look. I walked to the farthest away van and laid Chanel in through the side door. This will be the last bit of respect her body receives. Soon more bodies would be piled on top of her, and then they would all be driven off for disposal. In a few hours, there will be no body at all. It will be as if she never walked the Earth. Never Vamped a Siren. Never shot a Vampire.

A Crew member I did not know tossed two bodies in the back since I am blocking the side, came around to see what I am looking at. She paused. "Oh. Not many women in this bunch, but a few. She was... Pretty. You kill her?"

"No. My wife did. She nearly killed me." I said, sadly.

"Better her than you." The woman said, then left to go get more bodies. That harsh-sounding assessment has two interpretations. I considered the version that went it is better for Helen, Jessica, or Morgan to be the ones killing women I cannot for some reason. Do I need to change yet more? Can I? Killing is already something that eats at my soul. Even if I understand the necessity of it, as I do here tonight. These HPA goons would hurt and kill everyone I love, given the chance. Better them, than us.

My nature is to look for way opposed people can compromise. Get along. I have had success there, with the Sirens.

Here in front of me and in fact all around me is proof that my way will not always work. Some people just want to hate.