Mascarade

Burried

The feeling of adrenalin rush was almost the same as sex to Zhao Yunlan. He was one of the first hunters the substance was being tested on, so he knew exactly what was going to happen after he injects himself, as well as all the possible side-effects. Some of which being: hightened aggressivity, lowered sensitivity to pain and emotional depravity... all actually very much wanted during combat. Along with these came the ability to use vampire hunters' hightened senses and trained bodies to its maximum for the duration of approximately 2 minutes. After that  came immense exhaustion and sometimes even collapse due to dehydration and hypoglycemia.

For the Chief of SID offering his health to such science was a done deal. Hunting vampires was his job, his hobby, his whole life. He grew up as an orphan in a state institution, training to one day become a vampire hunter and that he became. There was no sad story of why he hunted these monsters day and night, he simply didn't know of any other life. Maybe the reason why he got involved with Shen Wei was to successfully finish today's hunt and maybe... maybe because he finally learnt something different... something worth exploring?

Of course, now there was no time to think about bed-time fairy tales. Neither was there a time to think more than 2 minutes ahead. Downstairs they were already 4 hunters down, of which one seriously injured and 3 dead, so the fight was getting personal. He searched one of his fallen comrades for some close-combat silver while shooting a vampire that was pushing another hunter towards the wall. The created opening allowed his female collegue to stab the monster through his cold heart.

"Yes! Go for it, Zhu Hong!" He rejoiced and threw himself into the heat of the battle as well.

Zhu Hong's eyes shone as she wiped blood splatters from her beautiful face, smiling at the encouragement. Her blood was boiling just like the Chief's and at this very moment, she, too, much more resembled a thirsty vampire rather than an official government-approved soldier. She quickly jumped at another vampire, her lips moving slightly as she counted her 120 seconds.

Evading a huge piece of furniture while retreating a few steps back, Zhao Yunlan felt long nails dig into his right arm. Felt but his pain threshold was near nonexistent under the drug's influence so he held the hand of the attacker in place, using the fact its nails got stuck in his owm flesh to his advantage. Then he pointed his gun at the vampire's chest and fired from this close distance, opening a hole inside the monster.

Looking around as the dead body slid down on the floor, the SID Chief quickly scanned his surroundings. He was a whole minute in and there was not much progress. Yes, for now it seemed the hunters were starting to get the upper hand but that will completely change in the next minute when they run out of adrenalin rush. A second dose of the drug was almost suicidal, so each only carried one.

Zhao Yunlan focused on the main problem of this party. The Lord and his now only 3 bodyguards. One of them held around some sort of telekinetic shield, repelling all of the hunters' shots, one kept fighting anyone who dared to approach them, protecting the others and one knelt with one hand on the floor. The Lord stood in the middle, shooting ice wherever. And as a whole they were slowly moving towards the downstairs exit.

That was the moment, they all could feel the start of the tremors.

'Fuck! He's moving the ground under the mansion!'

"Take him down!" Zhao Yunlan yelled at Chu Shuzhi up on the stairs and pushed away a vampire in front to quickly stop the impending catastrophe.

Another hunter managed to get to the vampire faster but as he ran out of adrenalin at that very moment, he collapsed on the floor right in front of the Chief. Zhao Yunlan caught his collegue, also feeling the fatigue approaching fast but he still aimed with his hightened senses and pulled the trigger. However, a stronger tremor caused him to miss and then he heard the walls around crack, the sinistrous maps of damaging on the walls as well as the ceiling already visible. He braced himself and covered his collegue's body with his own to protect him.