Wanted UnDead or Alive

Coreal enjoyed the darkness and loneliness of the night. There was something about it which made her feel right at home amongst the shadows while she patrolled and worked until almost dawn.

She didn’t mind walking along the streets of her home town – but the cops did. They often stopped her asking if she was okay, if she needed a lift home; if she was running away from something or somebody.

But she always said she was fine.

The one thing nobody knew about her most times was that she couldn’t hear them. Sound came to her in a certain way; kind of like a sixth sense way; she felt sound, more than anything else. She knew how voices sounded and knew more than anything that yes, that was a human across the road walking in from the cab which had just dropped her off… and there was a vampire following her about twenty metres behind her.

He was keeping to the shadows, thinking she couldn’t hear him.

Technically he was right – she couldn’t.

But Coreal knew he was there and ignored him until he was almost right upon her!

Turning, she was prepared for a fight!

She was prepared to put her life on the line to kill him – to watch him go ‘poof!’ … nah, not really. But she’d love to see that happen one day.

But as she did turn, she found nobody there.

Home wasn’t anything flash.

Home was a place for her to live, for her to crash when she had finished hunting for the undead, for her to hide her knives, guns, stakes and other tools of torture and yet never get caught with any of it.

Closing the front door, Coreal turned on the living room light and found him there waiting for her – her own little chew toy – the vampire she had caught two days ago. He hadn’t given up his nest’s location yet and so she was going to give it another try.

“You will never get it out of me.” He said.

“I know I will.” She smiled.

“How is it that you can’t hear me, but you know what I’m saying?” he asked.

Pulling on the long blood-spattered boots again, she walked slowly to the table just out of his reach as he hung from the ceiling with his toes dragging on a floor of pure silver shavings, “I think you’re forgetting your place here.” She tugged another fresh pair of gloves on from the container on the table and wrapped the long apron around her body, “I ask you the questions… you answer me correctly.” Picking up an ancient blade she had found in her father’s belongings, she turned smiling, “Now, tell me, you blood-sucking shit, where is your nest?”

She hated going underground.

It meant no easy way out if she had to get out.

It also meant if there were ghouls also playing games, she had to contend with them too… and they’re never fun.

The crypt looked ordinary from the outside, but it was anything but – and she knew it.

Crows and vultures hung around the place like mouldy streamers after Halloween. Their caws and cries littered the dusk sky as the sun disappeared below the horizon and street lights flickered on, casting more shadows than needs be.

Coreal still waited until it was fully dark.

She had needed help to crack this nest, as it was bigger than any other she had invaded – so she called her old hunting crew up and asked them to come on this hunt with her; and they jumped straight in eager to be on her team.

“Hey, anything to help you, Core.” Teal’s voice said over the phone, “We’ll be there with you in on this.”

But from her perspective, she couldn’t see them… it had been an hour after the time they were supposed to meet, and they didn’t show. Still, she’d do this alone – after all her life meant nothing to her – not without her family around.

A sound filtered through the darkness surrounding her and she turned as is penetrated her mind; and she could just make out Teal standing next to a tree across from her.

She wasn’t alone.

This was good… but then if she was there, why didn’t she come over and tell her where she was?  And where’s the rest of the gang?

This didn’t feel right.  But there was no time for hesitation now, as the door of the crypt began to open and the first of them stepped outside… she almost moved but stopped as Teal walked right up to this person and spoke to them!

Opening her bag, she pulled out her flask, opened it and quickly drank down the liquid inside it – finishing it. She knew she’d need it one day, as she pulled out the ancient knife and turned to find Teal walking up to her.

“It’s not a nest.” She said.

“Who just came out of there?”

“A mourner.” She said handing her phone to her, a photo of a human – as vampires don’t photograph well – and she groaned, “Since when do vamps ever tell us the truth?”

“Even under torture?” she asked.

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.” Teal offered her hand.

Before she even turned on the light inside the darkened home, both she and Teal knew they weren’t alone.

It was time to fight…

Her eyes snapped open as the sirens’ wail sounded closer. Her house was a mess of blood, bodies and looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just filmed in her living room; and the crew forgot to tell her to go home.

Problem was that she was home!

Looking around, she found Teal not far away, and she rose, slipped and scrambled over to her, shaking her awake, “Hey… we have to get the fuck outa here… before they come in and find… all this.”

Her eyes open slowly, take in the sight around herself, and suddenly, she was alert: “Fuck… Coreal, let’s get the fuck outa here.”

Grabbing what they could, they shagged ass out the back door of the place and run – fear replacing bravery, tears of horror and shock replacing what they had just done to those vampires; and the blood bath the police have to walk in on.  

Where do they go now to hunt vampires, to save the Human Race? She wished she only knew. With Teal by her side, she only hoped that he would be there to help her.

Jumping onto the next train out of town, they find their way to the back of an empty cargo carriage to huddle together, hoping the police don’t stop the train to search it before the next town.

“Teal.” She said.

“Yes?” her arm slid around her shoulders.

“What happens now?”

She hesitated, “I don’t know, but I wish I did.”

“Some vampire hunter I am… I fucked up.”

Teal sat back, looking at Coreal, “No, you didn’t… they found out what you were doing and found you.” She grimaced, “Coulda happened to anyone.”

“We’re fucked.”

“We’re Hunters… we’re fucked anyway.” Teal snorted.

“True… but that hunt should have been a quickie in-and-out kind of deal… and it wasn’t.” Coreal said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them next time.”

“I don’t think there will be a next time.” The Hunter muttered.

“You’ll be okay.”

Coreal started to cry as she sat in the darkened train carriage, “You don’t get it… you just don’t…”

Teal turned her around to face her, “What don’t I get? Come on, we’re in this together now.”

She looked up at the dark-haired woman sitting next to her, “I just killed my family… they were turned into vampires and I hunted them all down and killed them. I’ll be wanted for murder, not for killing a nest of vampires.”