Chapter 12
“She can’t detect my presence,” Michael whispers in my mind. “Keep going, you’re doing fine.”
“Yeah seriously, Izzy,” I hear Vincent chime in. “What kind of vampire hunter would Michael make if even lowly vampires like Valerie could smell his stinky wet dog smell? Nonetheless, Valerie is well known for her trickery and manipulation. It’s best to ignore her for now.”
I continue to struggle. If I could move an inch, I would’ve been thrilled at this point. But Valerie merely laughs at my torment. She rises up and steps out of the circle.
“You may begin whenever you deem fit, witch,” she hisses scathingly to the Russian brujo. “And make it fast. We need to take her back to the council as soon as this is done. You’re sure that she’s been alone this entire time you’ve been setting up the ritual? I don’t want to see any meddling by that traitor and his leashed dog.”
“We’ve been watching her every day on the hour, my mistress,” the brujo answers with a bow. “We would have known if there was anything like that here. This town is nothing of significance. There were no other supers here. But I would like to remind you that we wouldn’t necessarily know if there were any slayers around. I’m sure they would’ve heard something by now.”
“Yes, well,” Valerie begins arrogantly as she looks at her fingernails. “I was sent here in case of slayers. They’ll pose no threat. Just get on with it; my people and I have much to do.”
Slayers? What do they mean, slayers?
“We’ll tell you about it later,” Michael answers softly. “Try to see if you can determine how many vampires there are. We already saw the thirteen witches.”
Heeding Michael’s advice, I try to get more out of Valerie.
“What are you going to do to me?” I scream in protest. “What slayers are you talking about?! Who are you people? There’s no such thing as witchcraft! It’s all a hoax used by a group of little girls that got some innocent women killed in the most violent of ways in Salem! Haven’t any of you ever read a history book? Seen a documentary?!”
“There’s no such things as witches, eh?” Valerie asks mockingly. “I suppose there’s no such thing as vampires either. Yet here we are!”
Valerie laughs and moves her right arm up. Instantly, all I hear is the whooshing of air being cut by bodies coming from all angles. I am now surrounded by witches and vampires. I desperately move my eyes around, trying to count them all.
“What? What is this?” I exclaim in fake shock as I continue my count of the vampires. “Is this some sort of cult or something?”
“My goodness, you really are dumb,” Valerie says as she looks down at me. “I’m glad I can’t mate with you. Your children are sure to be slow and ditzy, just like you. Hmpfh, men…only care about the conquest of power and beauty. If only I could kill you right here and right now Elizabeth…I’d be a happy little bitch right now.”
“As opposed to the miserable big bitch you are?” I challenge, knowing she can’t hurt me. “Listen here, you freak, I don’t know if this is a prank or just some delusion. I don’t even care. Just let me go, and I won’t call the cops, all right? I swear!”
I hear Valerie speaking and mocking me in the background but I pay her no mind. I’m focused on counting the vampires.
“There are at least 37 of them here,” I think to Vincent and Michael. “I really can’t move. They have me bound with this circle.”
The witches, however, have moved all around me, in a strange star like shape. They’re chanting and I can feel my insides getting warmer, warm enough to cause agony.
“Not a problem,” I hear Vincent say to me before he addresses his attention to Michael. “What do you think, little brother? How should we play this?”
“I think you should destroy all of them at camp,” Michael instructs calmly. “I’ll hunt the one or two vampires that are still hiding as a precaution. They won’t be able to mask themselves from me. It’ll also allow me to safely go into my hybrid form if I need to. You saw the vampires. Valerie is definitely in charge, right? Should we keep her alive?”
“That would be my vote,” I hear Vincent agree in my mind. “She’s definitely the one leading this pack, she would know the most. Watch out for slayers though. If that’s their real concern, then we have another thing to protect Izzy from.”
“Way ahead of you. Get here on three,” Michael replies.
I want to say something to them, especially now that another form of monster, the slayer, had been brought up. But even under these extreme conditions, I know now was not the time. I do my best not to panic. Suddenly, I see Michael jump up from one of the trees. I witness his human body grow and turn into what I assume was his hybrid form in midair. His clothing rips away and he grows to gargantuan proportions.
I hear the witches and the vampires both protest and shriek in panic as they see Michael run past them. The chaos must be enough to break whatever spell was holding me in place. I sit up, but before I know it, I feel a vise grip around my neck.
“You’re coming with me, keeper,” Valerie threatens as her canine teeth grow to creepy proportions.
“The hell she is,” I hear Vincent say as I turn to see him punch Valerie in the face.
Vincent catches me and lowers me gently down on the floor.
“Don’t move,” he reiterates before turning into an afterimage himself.
I look up, not moving my head at all, and see body after body get thrown down to the floor, lifeless. All of them are dismembered and decapitated. I’m able to see Valerie’s face. It was literally caved in, leaving a mushy, gory mess there where there once was a pretty visage. But her face begins to grow back, much to my dismay.
I can’t see a thing, and before I know it, it’s over. Michael returns in his human form, sporting nothing but some beach shorts. He carries with him a bloody sack. He smiles at me before turning his gaze away from me in guilt. I suppose he never wanted me to see any of this. I can definitely understand why.
Vincent gathers up all the remains of the dismembered corpses into a heap of death.
“It’s okay for you to move now,” Vincent informs me as he finishes collecting the dead. “Michael, I have Valerie and the brujo stuck there on the big oak. Do your thing so we can get to this, shall we?”
Michael nods and empties his bloody sack onto the corpse heap. The contents of the sack are the same, three heads, three torsos, and matching body parts. I’m amazed that I’m not throwing up at this point. I suppose that modern day television has desensitized me to all of this…or maybe it was a keeper thing. Who knows?
Michael crouches down near the heap and hangs his head low.
“You have all been found guilty of disturbing the peace,” Michael announces to the dead mound. “The penalty is your lives.”
Michael claps his hands together and a large gust of flame projects forward onto the mound. The mound catches fire quickly and the corpses actually shriek out in pain. The bloodcurdling screams were now too much for me to handle. I lean over and begin to puke uncontrollably.
“Unfortunately, it’s not something you get used to,” Michael says as he comes over to me and pulls my hair back away from my face. It’s a kind gesture and he looks incredible in nothing but those shorts. But all I care about at this moment is not puking my lungs out.
After a short while, I feel better and Michael helps me to my feet.
“What was that just now?” I ask him curiously. “I thought they were dead.”
“Most supers have to be killed that way,” Michael explains as he scratches his face. “You remove their limbs and heads, and then set them on fire. If I hadn’t done that, they would have eventually come back to life and come after us again.”
“I should probably get used to learning on the fly, huh?” I ask playfully, trying to hide my embarrassment at my vomiting incident.
“You definitely should,” he answers with a warm smile as he leads me to Vincent.
Vincent has
Valerie and the Russian tied up to a tree using what looks like Valerie’s intestines. This is gross.
“Which one should we speak to first?” Vincent asks as he wipes his hands clean of blood. “I could charm them, but we both know that they’re probably working under a charm to begin with right now.”
“You know I’ve never had the stomach for this,” Michael admits with an uncomfortable look on his face. “You’re better at this than me. You pick.”
“Ah, Michael,” Vincent replies as he drops the shirts with which he was cleaning off. “Always the idealist. This is just something that has to happen, otherwise, we get nowhere.”
“Yeah well, let’s just say I’m not as inventive or as…pragmatic as you in these matters,” Michael says as he sits down on a nearby root of a large tree.
Vincent walks up to the brujo first and licks his lips. “Do you know who I am?” Vincent asks the Russian as he places his hand on the man’s left ear. “You see, my friend and I, we’ve been doing this a long time. You might think we’re doing ‘good cop, bad cop.’ But see, that’s not the case here. There’s only me, the bad cop. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I’ll torture you all day long if you want. And after such a long life, I know pain. So you could make it easy on yourself, or you can waste my time and make your suffering last. Actually, I can even do you one better: if you help us out, I’m sure my friend here won’t even bother to hunt you down.”
“He’s right in that,” Michael agrees from afar. “I won’t hunt you down at all. I believe in karma, you’ll get yours in the end. The way I see it? The vampires are going to consider you a traitor if you live, so they’ll come after you. If I were you, I’d want the head start.”
The Russian looks around nervously. Vincent leans in closer to him and whispers something into his ear. Michael laughs to himself, obviously hearing what Vincent said. The brujo nods his head fervently.
“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, just please, release me,” the brujo pleads. Vincent smiles sadistically as he tilts his head the other way.
“Fine, you’re free to go, after you answer our questions,” Vincent turns to look at Michael. “Is that all right with you, little brother?”
Michael wears a semi-frown on his face and shrugs his shoulders. “Kill him, release him, either way is fine with me,” Michael says before turning to Valerie. “This one however, has much to answer for.”
“Piss on you, lowly dog!” Valerie says with a hiss as she spits in Michael’s direction. Michael merely cracks his neck and leans back against the tree.
“Who’s in charge here?” Vincent asks forcefully, pushing down on a wound the brujo has in his shoulder.
“Val-Valerie is!” the brujo says as he copes with the pain. Vincent releases his grip and helps him up. “Valerie’s the only one here who calling the shots? I find that hard to believe.”
“I overheard something,” the Russian says, desperately trying to gain Vincent’s favor and approval. “She was speaking to the other bloodsuckers. She mentioned a man named Klein. From what I heard, she and Klein are closer than she wants anyone to know. Only Valerie and that other vampire she was speaking to knew about Klein. That vampire was also Valerie’s lover! They were planning to overthrow Klein! And really! That’s all I know!”
“Wait a second,” Vincent says as his face becomes animated in surprise. He walks toward Valerie as she continues to struggle against her bindings. “You’re planning to double cross Klein? So it was Klein behind this, not the entire council?”
“Who’s Klein?” I ask curiously.
“He’s the vampire—the only vampire—on the council with a keeper,” Vincent explains. “You fooled those whelps into believing this was a mission for the council when in reality it was a mission just for you and Klein? Stop me if I’m wrong…you never cared about this vampire the brujo is describing, the one you had this conversation with. And let me guess, it was also Klein’s idea to make this poor young vampire believe that you really loved him. Valerie, you scandalous, manipulative bitch.”
“To hell with you, traitor!” Valerie curses at Vincent as she tries to literally bite his face. She seems to be a feral animal, while Vincent is completely in control. Is this what all vampires are like?
“Do you have any idea what the council would say if they knew about all this, Valerie?” Vincent says as he nears his face closer to hers, just outside of the reach of her bite. “They would ash you and Klein in a microsecond. They would even take the word of a traitor like me over yours. My, what a pickle we find ourselves in. Don’t you agree, Michael?”
“Indeed,” Michael says as he raises himself up from the ground. “So we have Klein, the most powerful vampire on the council, vying for even more power. But why would he want to give the keeper the ability for multiple births? Surely the council would notice…unless…”
Vincent and Michael share a look of surprise as they put the pieces of the puzzle together.
“He’s hoping to enhance his abilities with each new birth,” they both say together.
“Needless to say, that would be very bad,” Vincent says with a shake of his head. “It would also explain why this stupid wretch is so envious of Izzy. Valerie is jealous that Izzy can give Klein what she never could, a legitimate child. Tsk, tsk, Valerie, you should act your age.”
“Wait a moment,” Michael says. “We have company. We’re surrounded. I can’t smell them. I can only hear them, and they’re doing a great job at hiding their footsteps.”
Michael turns around again and again. He looks frantically for the new threat.
“Slayers, about twenty of them,” Michael says firmly. “They have new technology, too. But Robert is with them.”
“That won’t mean a thing to me,” Vincent points out quickly. “He will kill you and me just the same, if given the chance.”
A shot is heard from the distance of the woods. A long, sleek arrow makes it into the skull of the brujo. He disappears into dead, dried up leaves. Valerie takes the opportunity to jump over her own intestines that were being used as rope and severs the organ before fading away, leaving only her afterimage in sight.
“We’ll meet up later,” Vincent says. “I don’t want to kill humans, I really don’t care how evolved they are.”
Vincent winks and smiles at me before crouching down and jumping high into the air. He flies away like something out of a movie, his long cloak fluttering behind him.
“Slayers?!” I yelp. This is a new threat I wasn’t mentally prepared for. “What are they?! Shouldn’t we be running too?!”
“Slayers technically can’t kill me,” Michael explains calmly. “I’m known to their community; most hate me and want me dead, along with all of the other supers. But I’ve saved many of their lives. If I run now, I only put you in danger and make myself seem guilty. The speed at which I run might injure you, and they’ll surely fire at us if they see a moving target. I can’t afford to have you get hurt. But your status as a keeper will ensure your anonymity. You’ll be safe. Go to that tree there.”
I do as Michael says and get as close to the large tree as I can. Gunshots ring out all around the forest. I see the terror in Michael’s face as he phases once more. His shorts rip apart completely as he turns into what can only be his war form. His body mass is huge and almost completely blocks my view of the surrounding area. He hugs the tree I am clinging to and yells in pain as I hear bullets and arrows lodge themselves in his body. Even though Michael explained it, this form is truly something astonishing. I think he is even bigger than he said he was. With his body’s girth easily wrapping itself around me, I hear Michael grunt as I am completely protected by him.
Within seconds we are surrounded by men in all sorts of highly sophisticated military gear. They demand that Michael let me go.
A grey-haired man with a grizzled beard steps forwards and looks sadly at Michael.
“You’ve made quite a mess this time, Michael,” he says in a tone that doesn’t
sound unfriendly. “I imagine Vincent flew away again? Who’s that ya have there behind ya? Why don’t ya phase back into your human form?”
“Robert,” I hear Michael’s voice come from the lumbering giant in front of me. It sounds much deeper now, much more intense. “Your eagerness to enter battle has almost killed a human today. How do you feel about that? Would you all be willing to live with the guilt of killing a young woman just to get me? Only because I’m not human?”
I can’t see a thing as I press myself up against Michael’s body. He’s extremely hot. At my feet, I notice there is a small amount of blood pooling on the ground. I can’t see any wounds on Michael, but I can hear the soldiers talking amongst themselves. They are ashamed at their actions; most of them anyway.
“As slayers, we’re meant to protect humanity, not endanger it,” the man identified as Robert announces. “Today, those of you that fired were overzealous. Ya’ll almost cost an innocent human life. I hope the guilt of that will be enough of a lesson. Now, all of ya, get the hell out of my sight.”
Michael waits several minutes until they’re all gone. Then he phases into a normal sized wolf. He sits down in front of Robert and eyes him suspiciously.
“Check her out yourself if you don’t believe me,” Michael says. “Or can’t you detect that any more in your old age?”
“I know she’s human,” Robert says as he eyes me suspiciously. “My senses haven’t gotten that rusty yet. Why didn’t ya just leave when ya had the chance? Ya know we wouldn’t have harmed her. Ya know how some of my guys feel about werewolves, they don’t care whether you’re the super police or not. They want ya dead and in the dirt.”
“They almost killed her!” Michael argues angrily as he begins pulling arrows out of his body and dropping them to the floor. “And I’ve told you before, silver does nothing except make your operation more expensive. Here are all of your silver slugs and arrows. You might want to melt them down and pawn them. If you’re hunting a werewolf, that is. Thanks for calling off your boys, regardless.”
“Yeah, well,” Robert says slowly. “I’m very sorry about what just happened. But why did ya stay? And do ya realize that the entire county is going to be able to see that smoke you just sent up into the sky? That was awful reckless of you; I gotta say I expected more.”
“Couldn’t be helped,” Michael explains. “Vincent and I killed over forty vampires and a dozen witches. One of your men killed the brujo we were interrogating—thanks for that too, by the way.”
“Witches and vampires working together is never a good sign,” Robert says as he paces about pensively. “Any idea what they were doing?”
“Like I said, we were interrogating them and then your boys killed the brujo and let the vampire leader escape,” Michael states again, much more sternly this time. “I have no problem working alongside you and your boys, but this kind of recklessness, it doesn’t do anyone any good.”
“Maybe one day Michael,” Robert says sadly. “The prejudices are far too deep. They run much longer than anyone could dare travel, for today anyhow. Get out of here before the boys come back. It don’t do no good having to answer more questions. I’ll…I’ll try to keep my boys in a better way. More discipline…”
“I’ll escort this young lady home,” Michael states. I can’t help but be amused by how adorable he looks as a talking wolf. “I’ll probably need Vincent to charm her so she doesn’t remember any of this. Thank you for your help.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Robert says as he turns to walk away. “Next time, make sure you leave before we get on top of ya. I know ya had to sense us.”
“I had nothing to hide, no reason to run,” Michael replies shamelessly. “If you’ll excuse us…and say hello to your wife for me.”
Robert nods his head and walks back to where the rest of the slayers are. I walk with Michael all the way home. Vincent is talking to us directly in our minds every so often, letting us know that we are not being followed.
I’m still waiting for an explanation about the slayers. And worse yet, Valerie escaped. That would only mean that Klein would get word about everything that happened here today.
“I thought you said nothing could hurt you while in your war form?” I ask Michael while we head back towards my home. It’s hard not to laugh while talking to a wolf and waiting for an actual response. “Those arrows definitely pierced your skin…are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but thanks for your concern,” Michael says as he sniffs and turns his head. “It would appear the slayers are making progress on killing supers. I was surprised that the arrows hurt me as much as they did; they even pierced my hide. It was a shock, to say the least. My healing abilities would have eventually pushed the arrows out; I didn’t have to pull them out.”
“You saved my life you know,” I say gratefully. “Thank you. You didn’t even hesitate to jump in front of me. It really means a lot to me.”
“I would do that until the end of all time if need be, Liz,” Michael says as he continues walking. “I…you’re my responsibility. You have a hold of me and my heart and soul. If something were to happen to you…well, I don’t know what that would do to me.”
“Michael…” I say as his kind words caress my heart. “I’m concerned they were able to hurt you, though. You’re not invincible like you made me think you were. What if next time it’s not just arrows?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Michael says softly. “I don’t want you to stress yourself out over something like that. No need to bother yourself with that kind of thinking, my queen. My forms tend to evolve over time, especially after I sustain serious injuries. The slayers will need to upgrade or change their weapons altogether next time if they wish to harm me. Most likely, anyway.”
“I wish you sounded more sure,” I say, trying to hide my face, I’m sure I’m blushing over Michael’s words.
“As do I,” he replies. “It’s never a guaranteed thing, but it happens almost every time. Nonetheless, my healing should cancel out their damage. Let’s just hope they never find a way to nullify that.”
“You’re really not good at making me feel comfortable,” I confess with a small frown.
“I’m sorry, but please, don’t worry,” he assures once more. “I’ll look into the slayer weaponry later. I’ll have to fire at myself with slayer tech to know for sure if my body will adapt after today. For now, though, we must make haste to return to your home. We don’t need the slayers to become suspicious and follow us.”
I thought about what he said for a while as we walk. How would Michael find slayer weaponry? So much to think about…it’s as if the thoughts are literal tidal waves diffusing any chance I have of clear thought.
When we make it home, Vincent is there. He has a full outfit ready for Michael. Michael takes the clothing in his mouth and excuses himself to my bathroom. I can’t help myself; I have to laugh. It’s the only remotely funny thing that has happened all day long.
When Michael returns I once again can’t help myself. The clothing Vincent gave him doesn’t fit, not even close. He looks like a former model that just lost everything gambling and is forced to beg on the streets. I bet Vincent did this on purpose, but if he did, I can’t tell. Both of their faces show confusion when they see me laugh.
Apparently, this is a common occurrence between the two. If it was, you’d think that Vincent would have brought a better selection of clothing.
Michael looks down at his shirt that exposes his flawless stomach and blushes. I guess he realizes what I’m laughing about. Vincent doesn’t even crack a smile. He just begins to make his way to my kitchen.
Now, I‘m sure the secret stash I kept in the kitchen had wine in it. But unless there is a vampire trick to produce an unlimited amount of wine, Vincent has to be loading my house up with booze. With the amount he’s been drinking, he should have drained my stash long before now. I decide to follow him quietly into the kitchen. I keep glancing back at Michael, hoping not to arouse suspicion.
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I peek my head into the kitchen and see Vincent indeed go in to my secret stash. Except it isn’t just my secret stash anymore. Vincent has made himself, without my knowledge, completely at home. The small, modest collection of alcohol that was once there only for my father’s consumption has turned into a full bar. He’s even emptied out a nearby cupboard and placed what I assume are his wineglasses there. He turns as he hears my frustrated sigh.
“What’s the problem, Ms. Goody- Two-Shoes?” he says and pauses a moment to take my presence in. I step fully into the kitchen as he continues to address me. “I took some liberties. Nothing has been thrown away, however. It’s all neatly tucked away up there, in the cupboard behind your refrigerator. And even if this is just for your father to drink, he deserves to drink from a better stock. Besides, I didn’t really care for that generic, throw-up brand you had. No offense intended.”
“What’s got you in such a mood?” I ask as politely as I can, given the circumstances.
“Slayers,” Vincent says disgustedly as he takes a swig from his drink. Michael enters the kitchen now as well. “I never could stand them. They treat every super the same, and we were not created equally. Izzy here is a perfect example of that, isn’t she Michael?”
“They’re doing what they were born to do,” Michael explains cautiously. The topic seems to be dangerous as I notice Michael’s tone. “You know it’s in their genes. We’ve gone over this a million times.”
“Don’t give me that ridiculously weak excuse,” Vincent replies as his face winces as if in pain. “I was born to drink humans’ blood, and during the blood lust, no trace of humanity is left in a vampire. But I fight it, and I don’t kill humans. But if I felt like it, I could kill them, just like I could have killed all those slayers back there. They don’t appreciate a thing. Besides, they aren’t human anymore either. They’re slayers. Why don’t they just go hunt themselves, for humanity’s sake?”
Michael lowers his head and places his hand on his forehead. “They aren’t supers, and you know it,” Michael says with a deep exhale. “They were born that way, without the use of a keeper. All of their kids will be born that way, their kids’ kids, and so on. They’re a genetic evolution; that’s why they feel superior to us. Their sense of entitlement comes from the fact that they feel they’re still human, and they are, to a degree.”
“Wait, hate to interrupt you two.” I couldn’t take it anymore. “You both have brought a whole lotta crazy into my life, and I think I’ve been pretty patient with it all. But I’ve been letting a lot of things slip through the cracks that I’ve had questions about. I need answers, please. I deserve that much. What is this blood lust Vincent keeps referring to and what, exactly, are the slayers?”
Vincent and Michael exchange looks before turning their attention to me. Vincent raises his glass to Michael and me in a silent toast as he turns back to his cupboard to rearrange the bottles. I had no idea he was such a neat freak. Michael looks at me carefully before opening his mouth slowly and speaking with carefully picked words.
“There are a lot of theories about us,” Michael begins as he walks closer to me. “About werewolves, vampires, ghosts, all supers in general. But among those theories, some believe that we’re just the next natural product of evolution. They mostly talk about that in regards to vampires, though. They consider vampires to be the next true step in human evolution. The majority think I’m just an evolved wolf. They speak about werewolves being the next step in evolution for wolves themselves. They speak in hushed tones and only in the shadows. But there are a lot of humans that believe in our existence. Some even have proof. One of those groups is the slayers.”
Michael pauses as he takes in a deep breath and looks at Vincent, who is still arranging his new personal bar.
“Vincenzo has a personal distaste for them,” Michael continues carefully. “He took a very serious oath to not kill humans anymore. And while the slayers hunt him down mercilessly, they still count as human.”
“Only technically,” Vincent says without turning around. “And that very serious oath you’re referring to doesn’t include self-preservation. For that matter, it doesn’t include them hurting you. I left myself a few outs; you should know that.”
“An oath?” I repeat as I think aloud. “A personal promise, or is this something more?”
“He took an oath so the werewolves wouldn’t hunt him,” Michael explains as I look at Vincent. “He took it for me. He knows I didn’t want to have to make the decision between him and my kind…my responsibilities…”
“You two are just chock full of baggage, aren’t you?” I comment in complete disbelief.
This prompts Vincent to turn around and look at me. His face shows that he’s taken offense at my statement. After realizing what I’ve said, I see why he would take me for a jerk. Vincent made a promise to the werewolves to prevent Michael from being in a tough spot. But Michael is still in a tough spot, it seems. Whoever, or whatever, these slayers were, they don’t give Michael any type of special treatment. On top of that, Michael has mentioned that most of his werewolf kin had abandoned him because of his connection with Vincent. Add in the Coronam to all of that and I can’t even begin to imagine what type of lives these two must be living.
“Regardless, we both took the oath in front of many of Michael’s kind,” Vincent explains coldly, still obviously offended. “To prove our intentions were real. But I ensured that we could still kill humans in self-defense. Of course, Michael refuses to hurt them even then. But that stipulation is there. And while the werewolves’ combined magic did bind us to this agreement, it doesn’t mean we can’t harm them. I choose not to harm the slayers only because of Michael’s stupid little pipe dream. But I could cripple them, even if only temporarily, and we should have. They shot at you and Izzy without provocation.”
“Robert is proof that not all slayers are single-minded zealots,” Michael rebuts calmly. “He let us go. Don’t you think he has to answer for that with the rest of his people? Besides, Vincenzo, you know his group isn’t the only one.”
Vincent shakes his head stubbornly as he takes another drink from his glass. Michael cracks his neck in anxiety before covering his face with his hand.
“Hi, I’m still here,” I point out. “You still haven’t really explained the slayers to me. Are they human?”
“They’re human,” Michael insists confidently. “These are people that have changed over time to battle supers. Select families, almost all of which originated from areas of the world that were highly populated by supers. It was nature’s way of giving the humans a way to defend themselves against supers. They’re more closely related to humans than humans are to chimpanzees. The slayers can explain how they came to be and why they’re here. That’s why they’re human and not a supernatural. This is science; most supers have no idea why we’re here.”
“Speak for yourself,” Vincent argues knowingly. “You know why werewolves exist: to police the supers. And I know why vampires exist. It is all a part of the balance, right? The slayers fit perfectly in there, right in the balance. They should at least see themselves as somewhat supernatural, even if evolution explains their existence. You wouldn’t say a homo erectus was the same as a Neanderthal, would you? Trivial differences really. And if they keep hunting us like this, we’re going to get in trouble, real soon.”
“Is that true?” I ask nervously. I exchange my attention between the two in pure panic. “Are they really that powerful that they could endanger you two? I thought you said you were the most powerful beings on the planet!”
“There are a lot of them, Liz,” Michael tries to reassure me. “They live longer than regular humans and they never get frail or sick from age. They pass down their secrets, how to hunt and hide from supers; it goes on just like that, from generation to generation. Their groups usually consist of families that have known each other for centuries. And just like everything else, they have their own prejudices. Some slayers have been a
ble to stand my presence, some even like me.”
“Cut the crap, Mike,” Vincent commands forcefully as he can no longer hold his feelings back. “You feel for them because they’re just like you. Sure, you just police the supers that cross the line, but the slayers kill all supers, period. They’re just a more extreme version of you. And to a degree, you wish you could do that. Put a final solution to the problem of balance, right? And these slayers, with all of their gifts, their enhanced strength, speed, blah blah blah, you envy them.”
“No, I don’t envy them at all,” Michael confesses immediately. “I do sympathize with them, though. But the eradication of an entire species of super would disrupt the balance entirely. I’m not for that.”
“Are they stronger than you all?” I restate my question, hoping for it to finally be answered.
“No, not at all,” Vincent says as he places his glass on the kitchen counter. “But as Michael said, they’re lots of ‘em. We’re talking at least several hundred thousand, maybe more. They’re superior to humans in every way. Strength, speed, senses, hell, they’re even smarter than the average human. You really don’t want to mess around with a ‘smart’ slayer. That’s murder. That’s why we avoid them. Until Michael’s dream comes to pass, we don’t engage them. We just avoid them and hope they leave us be. Which is why I think we should wait and lay low. We don’t need this mess right now.”
“Agreed.” Michael says, looking at me. “It would be best to not force their hands at this moment. But Liz here…eventually, and soon, your charm will wear off, Vincenzo. Liz will have to go back to life as normal. Those slayers are still going to be around. What if they grab and interrogate her?”
“At that point,” Vincent says, also turning towards me, “I believe I’m cleared from my oath. We rip their heads off. It’s simple.”
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt on my account,” I say firmly. “This whole thing started because of me, and now that the witches are gone I want things to return to normal.”
“My dear Izzy,” Vincent says, as he slowly swishes the contents of his glass around. “Valerie has escaped, thanks to the slayers. This ordeal has only just now begun. Truly, hate as I might to be the one to tell you this, someone has to. Michael doesn’t quite seem up to it. Your old life is over. Every day you stay, trying to live your normal life, is a day you’re endangering your family and friends.”
I look at Michael, but he avoids my stare shamefully.
“So…I have to leave home?” I stammer.
“Unfortunately, we can’t,” Vincent continues. “It’s not as simple as that. If we leave, you’ll just be feeding this town to its fate. Supers will be coming now with the rumors of the keeper being spread by gossipy vampires. I’ve seen this a hundred times already. It’s like I told you, all hell breaks loose when a keeper is found. They’ll use this town and all your friends as bait to bring you back. No, we have to take a slightly different approach. A more creative approach…”
“Vincenzo,” Michael begins to protest, but his voice trails off futilely.
“No, we really only have two options,” Vincent states as he glares at Michael. “We can either permanently alter the memories of all the residents here, let them know of our secret and force them to never tell. Or we erase their memories, as if Izzy never existed. Either way, we don’t know where the Coronam groups are going to be coming at us from. We don’t know what supers might follow. We need to stay in one place; we can’t be on the move. We stay here and we make this place defensible. It’s our only real chance at protecting her loved ones and eventually settling this matter.”
I look to Michael, mortified at my “only two options.” That really can’t be all, can it?
“Michael?” I begin, my voice trembling with fear. “Is he right? Is that really all we can do? Sit here and wait for them to come to us?”
Michael hesitates before nodding his head slowly.
I collapse to the ground as my world comes crashing down all around me.
Again.