Act Four Chapter Seven - Here's Where the Story Ends

Michael, Sarah, and Julia awoke together as the sun set. It had been two weeks since Michael had closed Nightstyles down. Two weeks since the hunters had last struck. No more deaths. Going to ground seemed to have worked.

Despite just having woken, all three could hear the sound of activity in the cabin. Michael smiled. They were just two days out from the wedding and those sounds told him that his guests had arrived.

The three headed up from the haven into the cabin proper. Julia broke off from the others to head outside, while Sarah and Michael turned to the kitchen and living room area. There, they found several of Michael’s Blacksburg friends watching a movie on TV.

Michael’s eyes were drawn to the corner, where Mitch was sitting in the shadows of the room and discretely receiving a blow job from Rhea. A playful grin cross Michael’s face when he realized none of his friends had yet noticed what Mitch was doing.

“I hate this movie.” grumbled Sarah.

Michael drew his gaze to the screen. It showed a nubile blonde woman dancing and singing naked around the door of a man’s hotel room. The oddity of the scene made it easy for Michael to recognize the film.

“This is a classic.” argued Corwin. “The Wicker Man.”

“Yeah. Full of bullshit propaganda about who pagans really are. That all we do is fuck and perform virgin sacrifices.” She paused briefly. “However illogical those two together might seem.”

“Well, classic or not, I’m not quite sold on this image of paganism.” said Geoffrey. “Too much singing and dancing for my tastes. Still, I’m hoping it’s not all fiction.”

“Here it comes...” lamented Sarah with a groan. She could guess where Geoffrey was taking this.

“What? Is there anything wrong with hoping for a wild orgy in the fields or something?”

“It’s not all about sex.” argued Sarah.

“Tell that to Mitch.” interjected Michael, his teasing grin now broad on his face.

Hearing his name, Mitch sat up embarrassed, knocking Rhea from his lap. He tried to hide what had been going on, but now everyone knew what he’d been up to in the corner.

“Well,” he protested. “It’s not like I’m the only one. Sammy took Karl out on the boat earlier. You can bet...”

“Yeah,” said Michael knowingly. Given Sammy’s sexual appetites, it was unlikely they were just out for an ordinary cruise on the water. Michael decided to change the subject. “Who all is here besides you four?”

“Boar, Angelica, and Donna are not around, or at least not yet.” answered Mitch. “Sammy’s out on the river, as I said, with Karl. Terra’s out by the pool. The rest of us are in here.”

“Well, when the others arrive and when Sammy is finished with Karl, you may just get your wish, Geoffrey. You get the whole of my harem together. Mix in a bit of alcohol. Add in a copious amount of celebratory joy. Serve at a riverside swimming pool with all of us attired appropriately for that venue and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a wild night indeed.”

Michael turned about and headed back to the kitchen. He glanced out over the swimming pool and saw Julia dive in. Terra was lounging quietly by the water, going over what he presumed were notes about the ceremony. Michael then began to check his stock of snacks and spirits.

“This isn’t helping.” grumbled Sarah.

“I don’t normally take you for a prude.” replied Michael. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just...” she paused, looking for the right word. “...bothered by the way people view my religion.”

“A few weeks ago, you were teasing me with the option of a...what was the word you used...’skyclad’ wedding.”

“Which I’ve since abandoned for this very reason.”

“Fair enough.” said Michael without missing a beat. “Our ceremony will be what you want it to be and nothing more. Tonight, on the other hand, is not about religion. It’s about all of us together having a good time. And, yes, with this crew that will undoubtedly involve sex and probably a lot of it. We could use a nice release after the last few weeks of tension and anxiety.”

“Yeah.” Sarah’s tone still implied disapproval. “But for the next eight hours, you are either going to busy yourself being a dutiful host for your friends from Blacksburg or you’re going to be cock-deep inside one of your harem girls. Doesn’t leave a whole lot of opportunity for me to find some ‘release from these last few weeks of tension and anxiety.’”

“I doubt you’d want for companionship tonight if you want it.”

“From who?” she objected. “I know that when you look at me, you see the nearly 30 year old woman that I truly am. But they see a 13 year old kid. They only see what’s on the outside, the body that Ernie trapped me in all those years ago. I have all the same appetites as you, although perhaps not as strongly. But the only ones who ever satisfy them are the rare few like you who’ve been able to look past my appearance and the innumerable slimeballs for whom my apparent age is the fulfillment of all their fantasies.”

Michael smiled sympathetically. Now her objections made sense. “Sammy will choose whomever. Rhea apparently has a fondness of Mitch that I’ve somehow missed. Donna, Angelica, Terra, and even Julia will find their pick among the rest of my friends. And I’m sure those friends will not object to the company of any of them.” He paused and pulled her into his arms. “None of them require my presence to have a good time. I’m yours. All night long if you wish it.”

Sarah smiled. “I knew there was a reason I said yes.”

“I have but one request.”

“And that is?”

“If we’re going to have a wild party, we need to set the stage. Go and change into that little black thing I like so much first.”

Sarah gave him a quizzical look. “Did you not hear what I just said? Somehow I don’t think that’s going to inspire arousal in your friends.”

“Oh, that’s not for them. That’s for me. As I said, they’ll be plenty of other eye candy for them. Once you’ve done that, join me out here and we’ll start setting up some food and drink out by the pool for everyone.”

“Alright then.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then darted back towards the bedroom.

Michael wandered out onto the balcony and scanned across the waters. His boat and its occupants were only about half a mile out, close by as he suspected. He sent a summoning impulse to Sammy and then returned to the kitchen to begin setting out the selection of beverages.

Sarah soon joined him, wearing the black bikini he’d seen her in the night after the fire at Nightstyles. As they carried the goods outside to the pool, Julia and Tera saw what they were doing. Both of them joined in to help. By the time Sammy pulled the boat up to the dock, all was ready.

Michael took in the four of them. What a sight they were. Sarah in her black bikini. Sammy in a green slingshot swimsuit. Both Terra and Julia were in one-piece suits, but even theirs left little to the imagination. A pledge of monogamy tonight was going to be difficult to maintain, he mused to himself, but he was also confident his friends would find them equally irresistible.

“I think it’s time to turn the movie off.” said Michael. “and get this party started.”

---

Emmanuel looked across the Denny's with a genuine sense of curiosity. The Ashwood Abbey hunter, the son of a prominent and immensely wealthy New York family, found slumming within the very middle-class eatery a curious experience. He regretted scheduling this meeting for so late. What a curious exercise it would be to eat here midday, when the hoi polloi were gathered about in greater numbers.

But as it was, it was midnight, July 31, and the place was largely empty. Outside of his wife, the only others in the restaurant with Emmanuel was a group of nerdy looking college students. From their attire and from the snippets of conversation he could overhear, he figured them for a group of anime fans planning something they called "Katsu Con," whatever that was. Bored by their fanatical interest in what he thought an infantile hobby, Emmanuel turned his attentions to his wife.

She watched the front door of the restaurant like a hawk, oblivious to Emmanuel's renewed attentions. In fact, one of the things that struck Emmanuel as odd was the fact that none of the anime nerds seemed to even notice her. Hard to do, he figured, given her attire. Sonya was never one for modesty, and the low cut blouse she wore tonight advertised the goods nicely. Goods that were for sale to the right buyer.

"And those nerds are anything but that." mused Emmanuel. "They're just a bit too normal for her tastes."

The doors parted and a group of Bohemian types came inside. Sonya nodded a greeting to them and they came over to the table where the Wilkersons were sitting.

"Conner Towser, I presume?" purred Sonya alluringly. Even a casual hello from her dripped with sensuality.

"Sonya and Emmanuel Wilkerson then." said Conner, taking a seat. "We are pleased you decided to meet us. For we who hunt in the Vigil, there is always safety in numbers."

"We typically work alone." said Emmanuel, "but your offer intrigued us."

"We thought it might."

"You made quite a stir here in the city these past few weeks." Emmanuel pulled out a newspaper from his sport coat and dropped it on the table in front of Conner. The headline blared. "Local University Group Attacked!"

"You have to love how the monsters hide their tracks." laughed Conner. "University group indeed! More like a coven of witches poisoning the earth with their foul incantations."

"So, you hit the jackpot." said Emmanuel. "The Children of the Earth are ever diligent about protecting Mother Earth from those who would threaten her. But the word that went out about Tidewater was not about wizards. It was about the vampire presence here. What then made you come down here?"

"We heard this vampire lord mingles freely with wizards and even werewolves. I don't know how much the Abbey tells you about the shadow world, but those three groups don't normally get along. The fact that they do here should be terrifying to any of us who hunt them."

"So, you think the vampire will lead you to the mages."

"That was our plan, but things didn’t quite work out that way. We stumbled onto that 'university group' using our usual channels, but we were ill-prepared for what we found there. We can handle mages, but there was a werewolf in their midst and he did a number on us. We didn’t see any vampires, but I’m certain that’s the crowd we’re looking for, so they’ll be around sooner or later. Since it seems we’re all hunting this same group, it seemed prudent to make contact with one another. Share intel, join up, and the like." Conner paused. "After all, if our enemies are working together, shouldn't we?"

"How many of us are there?"

"We're not sure. The group that tried to burn down Nightstyles didn't make it out. We met their only survivor and he's given up the fight. Sworn off the Vigil forever. If there are any others, hopefully they will respond to the message as you have."

"So we're the first."

"So far."

"So what are you proposing exactly?" Emmanuel asked.

"We've learned of another gathering of monsters that's scheduled to happen in a few days, one that will probably have all three kinds of monsters at it. Attacking it alone would be suicide. If we can get a coalition together, we stand a good chance of wiping them out.”

"Attacking them when they are gathered in numbers is foolhardy."

“Normally, I’d agree. But they’ve gone to ground. All of them. Between our attack on the mages and the strike on Nightstyles, they’re laying low hoping we’ll go away. This is the first word in almost two weeks of any of them gathering in the open. And they don’t know we know. Their guard will be down. They’ll presume their numbers will protect them. Surprise is on our side.”

"So what's in it for us?"

"You're Abbey. Damned if I know." admitted Conner. "Maybe you want a werewolf pelt for your salon, one you can fuck your next vampire mark on before striking. Or maybe you'll just want the vampires themselves. I would hope you'd find this good sport."

"I sense a hint of disgust in your voice, Mr. Towser." said Sonya.

"All I know of your kind is by reputation. The Ashwood Abbey is in this for the fun of it, that's what they say. If you're not going to find anything fun in what I'm proposing then there's not much else I can do to sell this plan to you."

"Your honesty is refreshing. You’re right. That is what we’re in this for." Sonya smiled. "And yes, this does sound like fun. What do you know about this gathering?"

“A pagan wedding.”

“Ooh, how lovely.”

---

Michael awoke the next night curled up on the floor of his underground haven, naked with Sarah in his arms and Julia lying nearby. The previous night was a blur of hedonistic excess. He sat up and it seemed almost wrong that he didn’t feel sore or tired.

Sarah and Julia began to stir around the same time, but Michael came quickly to his feet. He grabbed a pair of pants, yanked them on swiftly, and headed upstairs. After last night’s overindulgence, he felt more than satisfied and felt no need for a repeat from either of his vampiric paramours.

The cabin was quiet and largely empty. Only Mitch had remained behind during the day. He was sitting up, playing Playstation in the living room. He paused the game when he saw Michael walk in.

“That party was crazy.” said Mitch.

“Glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“You know, I’ve gotten used to all this between you and Deborah before you. But there are always things that take me by surprise. It’s a really funny thing...I mean I know you and Sarah love each other and I know you have sex all the time. But it’s been kinda weird imaging that, because it’s so easy to forget that she’s not really a little girl when that’s all you see on the outside.” Mitch paused to gauge Michael’s reaction. “But now that I’ve watched you two fuck, I’ve realized something. I think I understand her a little better and I also think I know now why you love her. I guess after a while it became kinda obvious there’s a lot more to her than her appearance.”

“She’s taken.” emphasized Michael.

“That wasn’t what I was proposing and you know it.” growled Mitch playfully. He turned serious. “But I wonder. Can it last?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Michael’s tone grew angry.

“I know there is a certain appeal to monogamy, I feel it too.” answered Mitch. “And maybe there’s a way for me to have that someday. But you? You’re a vampire of Clan Daeva, like your sire before you, and your particular vampiric powers lend themselves to a more seductive hunting strategy.”

“Sarah and I have worked that out between us. It’s one thing for me to sleep with some sweet little thing off the streets. It’s another entirely for me to truly genuinely love them, which I don’t. At times, she’s taken other lovers as well, and like it is for me, they are just prey to her not a companion. We will be perpetual swingers, yes, but we always come back to one another.”

“So, Sammy and the rest are...nothing?”

“More like friends with benefits. Not the same, but not meaningless either.” Michael looked sharply at his friend. “Why all the doubts?”

Mitch shrugged. “I guess I’m just worried a little. I saw something special between the two of you and I don’t want it to get screwed up. I envy what you have right now, but I just can’t shake the thought that it’s not going to last.”

“It won’t.” said Michael bluntly. “Not forever. Mitch, this isn’t a fairy tale. I’m a monster; you know that. If we don’t tire of one another in a hundred years, then we’ll forget each other after the sleep of the ages. One or both of us will die in these endless battles with other kindred or with hunters or with the mages or something. It won’t last forever, but neither do human relationships. People die. Their minds slip away to dementia. All we have, any of us, mortal or other, is this moment. And right now, I want to spend that moment with Sarah by my side.”

Sarah poked her head around the corner, dressed in Michael’s shirt. “Every now and then, you can prove you really are a romantic at heart.” she teased.

“You heard all that?”

She smiled. “Every word.”

“A little prelude of tomorrow night when I’ll say much the same before all our guests.”

“Evening, Sarah.” greeted Mitch, reminding the two of them he was still there. “I don’t guess I have to ask what you thought of the party last night, given I can still hear your moans echoing in my head.”

Sarah grabbed a sofa pillow and tossed it at him playfully. Michael laughed.

“I’m surprised you could hear anyone over Rhea...or yourself for that matter.” taunted Sarah back.

“So...” Michael decided to switch the subject. “why’d you stick around when everyone else bailed?”

“Well, the others wanted to hit the boardwalk while they were here, so Boar took them on down there a couple of hours ago. I stuck around for a bit since it just didn’t seem right leaving the three of you here in a pile on the floor downstairs unguarded. Like I said, I’m a little worried and you yourself just now raised the issue of all the threats that are out there.”

“Thanks.” mused Michael. “The last time I went over the top like last night was with two little catgirls who turned out to be spies for Lady Michelle. That little adventure cost me the Fox Club.”

“You’re not usually one to be superstitious.” said Sarah.

“No, but on occasion, I am one to let my guard down. Those hunters may be quiet for the time being, but they are still out there.”

---

“Tomorrow night.” said Conner. “Can you be there?”

The man across from him, again at the Denny’s Restaurant at the corner of Newtown and Greenwich, looked like an extra from Deliverance. His name was Cain, which Conner guessed was some sort of alias. To Conner, that didn’t matter. What did matter was the man was a known and respected werewolf hunter.

Cain pulled out an ugly primitive looking weapon from under his hunting jacket. Conner had never seen anything like it, part-sword part-axe all-vicious. “I’ll be there.”

“What is that?”

“It’s called a klaive; it’s some sort of werewolf dagger that they use to kill one another. Solid silver. Probably worth a fortune, but revenge is worth more to me than money. Tomorrow night here at dusk.”

“Thank you.” said Conner. Cain stood up, put the weapon back under his coat and walked out. Conner then turned to the young woman at his side. “We’ve vampire hunters, a werewolf killer. How many do we number now?”

“Nearly 10.” she answered. “Presuming most of the wedding guests are mortal and will flee at the first sign of violence, we should have a good shot.”

“Good. All is ready then.”

---

The night had come at last. August 2, the night Michael and Sarah would join to one another. The night they would wed. They night they would complete their mutual thrall bond to one another.

Michael fumbled with his clothes. He’d not worn a tux since his mortal days. Julia looked on impatiently. She was dressed to the nines herself in a strapless red dress. Her tone was anything but festive. “You worry too much.” chided Michael.

“And tonight, you are worrying too little. What was it you said the other day, about how you let your guard down...”

“Oh, I am definitely guilty of that from time to time, but not tonight. You will be there and you will be armed. Boar and Mitch will be there, armed with mortal weapons and their unique powers. I will have a blade under my coat just in case. Sammy will have her service pistol on her. No one outside of my group of friends and Sarah’s Wicca coven have any knowledge of where we’ll be. We’ve taken every precaution and any hunters or other enemies would be foolish to attack us tonight.”

“It was foolish to attack Nightstyles and yet they did so.”

“Granted.” said Michael, pulling his bowtie tight. “But what would you have me do instead? There are certain things outside of my power and there always will be. What further precaution would you have me take?”

Julia had no answer for him.

Michael softened his demeanor and placed his hands affectionately on her shoulders. The touch of her skin was stimulating, but Michael strove to remain focused both on the moment at hand and on his future bride. “I appreciate your concern, but we’ve done all we can. From here on tonight, we are at the mercy of fate. If there is an attack, we will respond as we can.”

“There will be an attack. I can feel it. I sense it. Those reports I saw on the newsgroups about the hunters gathering in numbers. That isn’t a coincidence.”

“If things happen as you suspect, I have every confidence you will stand steadfast to protect us. Just as will Sammy, Boar, and Mitch. We cannot be any safer than we are now and I will not live my unlife in fear of these mortals. Am I not one of the strongest kindred in this city? What can they do to me?”

“Those are dangerous words.” warned Julia.

“Perhaps. But to your duties. Sarah awaits at the wedding site. I must rush down to Nightstyles to fetch the rings. I will see you at midnight.”

“You be careful out there alone.”

“Always.” Michael dismissed her. He listened for the car to depart then headed outside himself.

The drive to Nightstyles was calming. There was surprisingly little traffic on this summer night. Things naturally grew busier as he got closer to the waterfront. He pulled the Jag into the alleyway behind the club and unlocked the service entrance.

The club was dark and empty and it seemed to Michael such an odd thing to find it so. He snarled inwardly. Despite his defiant tone with Julia and his desire to live free of fear of the hunters, here was proof to the contrary. His greatest financial asset, a profitable nightclub on the Virginia Beach boardwalk, now shuttered to keep away his enemies.

“No more.” he said aloud. “We will reopen this week. I’m sick of hiding.”

He headed up to his office. He slid back a bookshelf to reveal the large safe behind it. He opened the safe and took out from it two things. One a small velvet box. The other, a beautiful red ornamental set of katana and wakizashi: the blades that had once belonged to Hiroshi Takagi.

Michael then closed the safe and retraced his steps to the exit. As he stepped outside again, he sensed immediate danger. He willed the blood to his limbs, moving with the speed of thought as two bullets ricocheted off the door behind him.

“Not again!” snarled Michael. The rooftop above him!

Michael tore up the wall with vampiric agility. When he reached the top, he spotted his opponent on the other side, about to leap to the next building over. Michael flung the blades at him, still in their scabbards. They struck the man on his calves and bungled his leap. He tripped and fell.

Michael made to rush over, aware that he’d just tossed away his only weapons to prevent the man from escaping. His opponent turned and reached out his hand, as if casting a spell. Around Michael, shadows wavered and then moved on their own, wrapping themselves around him and pinning him in place.

“Neat trick, isn’t it?” said his opponent, coming to his feet. “With such a formidable reputation, I would not have thought you so painfully naive.” Michael recognized him from Julia’s description: the Alec Baldwin look-alike. This was her contact, the one behind it all.

The vampire picked up his gun from where it had fallen when he tripped, a long-barreled M1911 clone of some sort. “It would be so easy to end you right now, with either my weapon or yours. But those weren’t my orders. Rebecca wants you to suffer and the fact that you’re here makes that all the easier.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not the only predator out tonight. There are others looking for you, Michael Allens, and for those most precious to you.”

“Tell me!” Michael willed all his energy into his vampiric presence, triggering the majestic power that he’d stolen by drinking the very soul of the Mad Bishop. Overwhelmed by it, his opponent released him and stumbled over backwards.

“Now who’s the one who underestimated the other’s power?” snarled Michael. He strode forward confidently. “Tell me what you know.”

“The hunters know about the wedding. They plan to strike.”

Michael scooped up his blades and leaped from the building to his car. Julia’s worst fears were about to come to pass. He had to get there.

----

Boar glanced around impatiently. It was soon to be time to start and the groom had not yet arrived. “Quit fidgeting.” griped Mitch next to him. “You’re making me nervous.”

“It’s nearly time.”

“It’s time when the bride and groom are both here and not before. You in a hurry to be somewhere?”

“I just ceremony out of the way and the celebrating to start.”

“Of course. You picked out any...” Mitch suddenly pitched over backwards. Barely an instant later was the sound of a gun.

“What the...” Boar himself could barely utter the syllables before he too felt the hot sting of lead through his body. He dropped down over his friend and waited a brief moment for the pain to subside, his werewolf flesh healing with lightning speed.

What had been a scene of calm anticipation was now chaos as screams of terror pierced the night. People running to and fro, looking for cover from the hail of gunfire coming down from the trees. “They’re killing everyone. Mortals! Innocents!”

Boar let loose a feral roar from the core of his being and gave himself over to his true nature. His flesh rippled and morphed from human into something else.

He glanced up to see Sammy and Elizabeth dragging Sarah towards the woods. “Protect the bride!” he growled. “Go!”

Sammy drew her Beretta service pistol and squeezed off two shots into the woods above. The hunters returned fire, striking her. Sammy spun in place and then fell to the earth.

A small group of the hunters had emerged from the woods, still firing into the fleeing crowd. Their guns were simple; nothing more elaborate than what could be bought at a typical sporting goods store. Boar made ready to charge into them, but then quickly looked down to assess Mitch at his feet. The mage’s uncanny luck had served him well this time. What would probably have been a lethal shot had somehow only wounded him and rendered him unconscious.

Boar changed strategies. He stood his ground, Mitch at his feet, and roared out a challenge to any hunter who would dare transgress any further into the clearing. Several of the hunters hesitated and concentrated fire on Boar. A toothy grin crossed his face as their bullets harmlessly tore through his flesh.

“You can’t shoot one of them.” growled one hunter who muscled his way to the front. “Not like that, like this.” He brought up a big .44 magnum revolver and squeezed off a round. The bullet tore into Boar’s shoulder and it felt like bitter icy cold as it ripped into his body.

“Fuck!” muttered Boar. He staggered and nearly lost his footing.

“Find and finish the rest.” snarled the hunter. He reached under his hunting jacket and pulled out a long ugly blade. Boar had no doubts about the material it was crafted from. Like the bullet from the magnum, it had to be silver. “The wolfman’s mine.”

---

Sarah and her sister ran through the woods at breakneck pace. After several minutes, they paused for Elizabeth to catch her breath. "All our worst fears realized." lamented Elizabeth.

"No," corrected Sarah. "They attacked too soon and against foes too well prepared. They failed. We are alive."

"Perhaps not for much longer." came a voice from the trees. A man and a woman emerged from their hiding place. Each had a rapier in their hands. They accompanied that weapon by another in their opposite hand: the man, a silver headed cane, and the woman, a vicious looking Bowie-style knife.

Elizabeth pushed Sarah behind her, placing herself between her sister and the hunters. "How noble." snarled the man with a disgusted voice. He lunged forward, swinging his cane in a wide arc. It struck Elizabeth in the head with a loud crack and the woman dropped.

"It's been a while since we had child vampire." purred the woman hungrily.

"And you will not have it tonight!" came yet another voice. From the brush came Julia, bursting forth in a flurry of leaves. She tackled the woman and knocked her into the dirt.

Like lightning, Julia came to her feet, parrying a blow of the man's sword with her forearm. The attack left a vicious cut across her flesh. "Sarah, run!" Julia commanded. "Go!"

The man swung the blade around and plunged it deep into Julia's torso. Julia snarled from the pain and slammed the man hard in the chest with both fists, sending him flying back into a nearby tree. He landed with a dull crunch.

"It'll take more than that to put the likes of me down." growled Julia. "Abbey scum!"

The woman jumped back to her feet and plunged the bowie knife into Julia's back. Julia twisted and smashed her across the face with her wounded arm. The woman went sprawling into the dirt.

"You know a lot about us for a typical leech." said Emmanuel Wilkerson. "You must be the turncoat we've heard so much about. A hunter who betrayed her own to become a monster." He came to his feet and yanked the tip off his cane. Underneath was a steel spear point.

"The perfect weapon for your kind." He boasted. "Steel point that cuts through flesh like butter, wooden haft perfect for staking the likes of you."

Julia's focus moved back and forth from the two of them. Sonya, the woman, came to her feet somewhat slowly, gingerly as if injured. The tiny moment she took to watch Sonja gave Emmanuel an opening. He swung the cane in a wide arc, it's razor point slashing an ugly gash across Julia's face.

Julia staggered back, trying to give ground and get some distance between her and that weapon. But, by doing so, she drew closer to Sonja who stabbed again. The blade sank deep between Julia's shoulder blades. Sonja yanked it free and then plunged it in again. Again and again.

Julia pitched forward into the dirt, the flesh of her back marred by a dozen stab wounds. "Finish her off, husband?" Sonya asked.

"No, leave her for the sun. Our real prize just ran off into the woods."

----

Michael slammed on the brakes and jumped out without killing the engine. The moment he emerged from the Jaguar, a nearby stranger spun and unloaded several rounds from a pistol right into his chest. Michael flinched only briefly, drawing the katana. He was about to rush the hunter when one of the male witches from Sarah's coven brained the hunter with a large tree branch.

"What happened?" Michael demanded quickly. The man was wounded and covered in blood, but somehow still on his feet.

"An ambush. Attackers opened fire from the trees. Most of us are dead or wounded."

Michael rushed past him to the clearing where the wedding ceremony was to take place. What he saw was a field of carnage, at least a dozen bodies lying motionless in the grass. Blood was everywhere, on the grass, spattered onto the trees, covering the bodies, and pooled in puddles upon the ground. The Beast within him swelled up in hunger and rage, but Michael forced it back.

Only two combatants were still on their feet. One was a big burly mountain man with a silver blade. The other was Boar, now morphed into a massive beast-man that towered over even the redneck giant. With a vicious swipe, Boar removed the man's face in a spray of blood and viscera.

Spent of his rage and overcome by his wounds, Boar staggered and shifted back to human form. Michael could see that he too was badly injured and his wounds were not closing; telltale mark of a werewolf injured by silver. Michael rushed forward and caught his friend before he hit the dirt.

"Call an ambulance!" Michael barked at the witch. "Now!"

"I...will...be...fine." snarled Boar through gritted teeth. "Silver didn't cause all these."

"You can barely stand."

"Others...worse. Mitch...Sammy."

"Where's Sarah?"

"Run off." Boar strained to point into the woods. "That way."

"Rest for a moment, then tend to the survivors." Michael rushed off in the direction Boar pointed.

---

Michael's first discovery in the woods was a torpid Julia and the bloodied Elizabeth. Sarah's sister was crawling on all fours when Michael first saw her, trying to revive Julia. When Michael entered the clearing, Elizabeth looked up. "I can't..." she sobbed.

"She'll be fine. Where is Sarah?"

"That way. I think. Two hunters after her." As Michael turned to go, Elizabeth grabbed his pant leg. "Michael," she warned. "They're vicious."

---

Sarah was no fighter; she knew that. But she was still a vampire and had all their strengths and advantages. She could run like this for hours. There was no way the hunters could catch her. They didn't have the endurance to keep up.

Presuming, of course, she didn't get lost.

She rushed into another clearing and suddenly realized she'd been here before. "Shit!" she swore in her mind. "I got turned around.”

A nearby shrub shook and Sarah darted back, barely dodging Sonya’s charge. Sarah brought her leg up and landed a solid kick in the woman’s gut as she passed.

“I may be small.” threatened Sarah. “But I am still a vampire. Forget that at your peril, hunter!”

“I haven’t” cried Sonya, jumping to her feet and plunging the bowie knife deep into Sarah’s chest.

Sarah staggered back. She’d never been so wounded before and had nearly forgotten that vampires could still feel pain.

“Oh, no sleeping for you like your friend. We’ve got such plans for you.” said Emmanuel, twirling his cane as he came out of the woods.

Sarah was not about to let these two preening foes have their way without a fight. She gritted her teeth through the pain and lunged at Sonya, slamming her fist hard into the woman’s face. Sonya staggered back, her nose broken and bloody.

“This one has some fight left.” said Emmanuel. He rushed forward and thrust his cane at her. It struck home and drove through her chest. Sarah felt her limbs stiffen as paralysis took hold.

“There, dear one, is how it’s done.”

“Tha bitch broke ma noze.” slurred Sonya, trying to wipe the blood from her face.

“Bravo!” came a voice. The shadows on the far side of the clearing moved on their own unnaturally, coalescing around a shape, a man. A tall dark haired vampire emerged. “Well done.”

“Another!” Emmanuel drew his rapier and prepared to charge.

Cranson drew his pistols and opened fire.

---

The eerie calm of the dark woods after the battle was suddenly shattered by the sounds of gunfire. Michael hear the shots off to his left, not more than a few hundred yards away. He turned left, going off the trail and tore through the woods towards the sound.

He came upon a clearing. Near the center were two bodies, a man and a woman. Shot multiple times. Not far away from them was a pile of ash, now blowing away in the breeze.

“No,” muttered Michael, interpreting the scene. “No, no, no, NO, NO!!”

As Michael shook his head in shock and unbelief, his eyes landed on the man’s body. A note had been affixed to his jacket. Michael yanked it loose and read quickly.

Your lover now dwells with her mother in the grave. Ashes to ashes and all that. What you took from me, I’ve now taken from you.

- Rebecca.

Michael’s howl of agony could be heard for miles.