Chapter Four

It took some time, but eventually Ana stood in front of a roaring and crackling bonfire a mere sprint from the house. She held her pistol in her good hand – a weapon equipped with blessed bullets. They’d taken down many a damned creature in her career, and there was no doubt they’d work again here. If she could get a shot off. Pauline was fixed on the second floor of the house, sniper at the ready. Dennis had kindly removed the window. Then there was Dennis and Mason. They had moved themselves downwind, in some smelly lilac bushes just 30 feet away. She had insisted they stay together, in case Melvin found them first.

“Testing, 1, 2, 3. Testing ….”

Ana poked her ear. “Yes, I hear you Mason. All good here. Just like they were 5 minutes ago.”

He clicked his tongue irritably. “We need to stay in constant contact. You know this. Remember the Banshee from Jackson, Wyoming?” Ana rolled her eyes and nodded in a pronounced manner to make sure he saw. “Exactly.” Mason continued, “just trying to keep you alive. Despite your best efforts.”

“What happened in Wyoming?” Dennis whispered.

Ana sighed through the mic, and Mason grimaced at Dennis. “Ana decided to go wandering off in the house on her own. We’d been called there to deal with a violent banshee – one that screams in the ears of it’s victim before devouring it whole. She nattered at me like she natters now, and wouldn’t you know that banshee snuck up on her, screamed in her ear, and knocked her unconscious. A few more minutes, and she would’ve been eaten.”

“And we’ve left her alone? As bait for a vampire?” Dennis started to rise from the bush. “I’m coming up.”

“Stand down.” Ana hissed. “I’ve got this.” Even in the dark, with only moonlight and the light of the fire, her gaze threw daggers. Mason placed a hand on Dennis’ shoulder. “We’ve had our bad days man, but Ana is really good at this. Actually, she’s the best at this. Just stick to the plan.”

“You just said -” he began to protest.

Ana growled. Mason chuckled under his breath. “I like you Dennis. You’re funny.” he slapped him on his back. “Just keep your eyes out and stick to the plan.” Covering up his mic, he added, “She’s nervous enough as is. Just trust your instincts when the time comes, and we’ll be fine. And make sure she knows you’re coming. Ana can be quick to the trigger.”

Dennis frowned and looked Mason dead in the eye, “Okay.”

“Okay what?” Ana fired back. Mason chuckled silently and tapped his mic at Dennis.

“Er -Okay.” Dennis said. “I’ll tell you the story of Little Red Riding Hood.”

Ana smiled as she warmed her hands over the fire, “May as well. Seems like a good way to pass the time.”

He retrained his scope so he could look at her face through the lenses. Then he began, “There once was a werewolf named Will Thatch. He was the best roofer in the whole valley. He moved from place to place – wherever the work was. Good, honest man. One day, he was fixing the doctor’s roof and he spotted a beautiful young woman walking through the town in a crimson cloak. The wind shifted, and he caught her scent on the air. His heart beat faster and he swore birds sang brighter. He knew in that instant that she was the one. He finished his job that day, cleaned up, and headed into the forest. He had heard that she was going to visit her grandmother later that afternoon. He waited on the trail with a handful of flowers and butterflies in his gut. The full moon would be out in a few hours, but he planned on being safely inside before a change would happen. He just wanted to meet her. When she came by he managed to nervously introduce himself, and learned that they called her Red Riding Hood. She said she looked forward to seeing him around town. He realized with excitement that her grandmother had actually contacted him to fix her roof. He joked that she might see him sooner than expected and they parted ways, him taking the faster path through  the woods. He introduced himself to Pearl, her grandmother, and began working on the roof. He should have had lots of time. But something happened. Even in the daylight, he saw the moon come out between the clouds. He changed. Thatch tried to run, but smelled the meat cooking in Pearl’s house. Then,” he paused. “You know the rest. Red Riding Hood’s grandmother was killed, eaten, and Red Riding Hood called a local woodsman to dispatch Thatch. He was killed, and she went on thinking he’d never returned for her.”

“That is certainly a different story to tell.” Pauline chipped.

Dennis agreed, watching Ana thoughtfully toy with her weapon, “Yes. It took some time to piece Thatch’s story together. Thankfully, he’d spoken to a friend, another wolf in town before heading into the woods. That friend kept themselves safely inside. Thatch, wasn’t so lucky.”

She looked at the lilac bush, “So, it’s a warning for wolves?”

“Yes.”

Ana flicked her hair over her shoulder, “Yet, I still think the original story rings true. Talking to strangers is rarely a good idea.”

He tweaked the scope settings to zoom in on her face, “Well if you believe that, then Tinder and Bumble should be out of business.” Ana laughed. Her face lit up with a huge smile. And then he saw the shadow fall across her cheek.

“Your laugh,” it said. “Your laugh is beautiful, Ana.”

 “We don’t have a clear shot Ana.” Mason breathed into the mic. 

Ana nodded and whirled around quickly. She could hear Pauline notch back the safety, “He keeps moving Ana. Keep stalling him.”

“Lord Gillesbury, I’m surprised you made it here so quickly.” His pale visage reflected the moon, his hair white, almost translucent. He’d changed. He was wearing a modern suit. His eyes were red, and he carried a bunch of daisies in one hand. He was less than ten feet away and kept shifting. He was in her vision, and gone in a blink, then 3ft to her left. She stepped so her back was against the fire, her heels stepping on the fire pit stones. She raised the gun in both hands and tried to follow his movement. 

“Of course I wouldn’t leave you with that wolf for longer than necessary my dear. Now please, come with me. It’ll only hurt for the first while. I’ll be as gentle as I can.” A ‘pop’ noise came off from the direction of the house, and the ground just to the left of Gillesbury’s head burst in dirt and flying grass at his feet. He looked curiously in the direction, flitting away to the house. She let off two shots then, yet he was still standing. He flew up to stare at Pauline, but could not land on or near the house. Dennis and Mason popped out of the lilac bush, and the air filled with the crack-crack of bullets.

“Apparently, I’ve outstayed my welcome,” he breathed in her ear, “Time to go.” She had no concept of how he managed to close the gap between them, but there he was. Already, he was too strong.

 “Warrgh -” Ana jumped as he grabbed her left arm. Reflexively, she pointed the gun at his chest and pulled the trigger. He was frenzied, breath cool against her face, the smell of iron filled her nostrils. He was ripping at the Kevlar, first with his teeth, and then his hands. She grit her teeth, pressed the gun against his chest and emptied the clip. He choked, and she screamed as one of his claws slipped under the Kevlar and pierced her neck. He collapsed to the ground and she stumbled backwards and fell, yelping as her left hand landed on one of the rocks by the bonfire. Ana could feel the vibrations of running through the ground, but with shaking hands she loaded another clip. 

Already she watched as one bullet pushed out of his chest, and then another. He’d be up in a moment. Pauline came running out of the house, axe in hand. Mason and Dennis closed the distance, Mason putting two to the head, and another to the chest. She felt someone stop behind her, and turned as Dennis raised his hands, “I’ve learned not to grab you from behind,” he said with a smile. “Are you hurt?”

Her vision was blurring around the edges of her eyes, her gun hand shaking. She raised it to the vampire again, and unloaded the second clip, “Not that bad, I think. We need to dismember him and burn the pieces before he heals himself.” She turned shakily toward her companions, Pauline heaving the ax to dismember Gillesbury’s head. Mason stood by, gun poised, watching as the bullets bubbled to the surface and fell onto the grass. Dennis came by her elbow then, gently touching her on the shoulder. “You’re not steady. Where are you hurt?”

Her vision was getting very fuzzy, with clarity the size of a peephole. She reached out for him with her left hand, and vaguely heard the gasp. “You burnt yourself.”

Mason was running to the house to pick up another axe. Pauline was hacking away at Melvin’s neck, trying to separate his head. The wound in her neck was pulsing, she felt her blood soaking through the Kevlar. She felt herself chuckle drunkenly, and leaned into Dennis. “I have a laceration on my neck.”

“What?” his voice echoed. She felt him fumbling around with the Kevlar guard and a series of curses following. The rhythmic thump-thump of the axes continued.

“It’s -kay.” Ana mumbled. She felt herself sinking to the ground.

“Potion.” Dennis muttered. His curses streamed from his lips. She felt a strong hand grip her chin and tilt her head back. “Drink all of it Ana. All of it. I’ll get Mason to give me another.” Once she had finished swallowing the potion, she felt him guide her head to the grass. 

Ana heard the rumble of voices as her mind became clearer, and the pain more prominent. She sat bolt upright as she heard Pauline scream, and two gunshots. Her vision was very fuzzy. She felt around for her gun, but her head was spinning. “It’s okay Ana,” Mason called, “Melvin’s head just reanimated for a minute there.”

She heard the sizzling of something the size of a large ball fall sizzling into the fire, and felt a pair of warm hands steady her. “We’ll have one more here.” Dennis said, “and then another in a few minutes. Ready?” she haphazardly nodded, tilting her head back as he put the second vial to her lips. “Okay,” she felt him shift, “Mason, Pauline, I’m taking Ana inside. Are you okay?”

“Yep, thanks Den.” Pauline called, “We’ve got this.”

“I’m going to lift you now,” his voice was soothing in her ear, “In case you ninja move for your dagger or something.”

It hurt to laugh, pretty significantly, but he was funny. She had at least four knives on her person, and an extra ankle gun just in case. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. “How are the potions working?” she tried.

She felt him shuffle her through a door, and lay her down on something soft. A couch, most likely. “Well, the first one stopped your bleeding, and reduced blisters on your hand. The second one brought more colour back to your face, and reduced the redness in your hand. Quite well, really. I should ask Percy for a store of these. Especially if you stick around.”

When she opened her eyes this time, she could see again. Her whole body felt exhausted, and her left hand and neck still thrummed with pain. He sat on the coffee table with the first aid kit, pulling out ointments and bandages. She went to shimmy into a more elevated position, and he very quickly reached out to help her, adding additional pillows to support her back. “Thank you Dennis,” she looked him in the eye, “I appreciate what you’ve done for me today.”

He smiled warmly, unstoppering the final vial and moving to hold it to her lips. She opened her mouth in protest, and raised a hand. Dennis paused with a wry smile and held it out. Ana took it and downed it in one go. She screwed up her face and gagged, “That stuff is beyond doubt the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.”

He chuckled and patted her hand. “I’ll go get you something better.”

“Whiskey?” she called hopefully.

Dennis laughed. “You almost died. Water for you.”

“Whiskey for us?” Mason asked hopefully as he and Pauline entered. With a ‘Yep!’ from Dennis, they plonked down around Ana, Mason punching her leg as he passed by. “Nice looking scratch you’ve got there Mayfield.”

Ana elongated her neck to show it off. “You think so? It’ll be quite the addition to my collection.”

Pauline chuckled as Dennis handed her a tumbler, “Glad you’re okay boss.”

“Thank you,” Ana canted her head. “Is he dealt with?”

They nodded. “The fire is still going strong. We will check on it in a couple of hours, but the situation has been managed.” Mason turned to Dennis. “You mind if we camp out here for a day or two? Looks like there would be quite a bit of hiking.”

Dennis locked eyes with him and nodded slowly, “Yes, you are more than welcome. Full moon is about 3 weeks off, so should be fine. I’ve got two spare bedrooms upstairs, lots of food. I’d love to have you stay.” 

Mason grinned fiendishly and smiled, “Great. Ana will need some rest before heading into the mountains.”

He twisted to look at Mason as he had returned to his perch on the coffee table and was applying ointment to Ana’s neck, “What’s in the mountains? Aren’t you two going?”

Pauline shook her head, and Ana appeared to be blushing, “Mason and Pauline are going on a second honeymoon. I was hoping to venture into the mountains in search of Alfheimr while I have some free time.”

“The city where the light elves live?” Dennis asked. “What do you want with them?”

She was definitely turning red. “I’ve heard they use their magics to animate ice sculptures. I was hoping to see it, see how they do it.”

It was his turn to smile a fiendish smile. “It is quite something, for sure.”

Ana’s eyes widened and she sat straight up. Dennis and Pauline exchanged a knowing look behind them. “I’m sorry, you’ve been there?”

He nodded, “They have some great hot springs. Great for military injuries. Really nice folk too.”

She crossed her arms, but smiled, “I suppose you wouldn’t be interested in taking me to Alfheimr, would you?”

He sucked in air through his teeth, “Well, that is a mighty big commitment for someone I just met Miss Mayfield.”

Her face looked both amused and unimpressed, “So is Marking a stranger for your mate, and fighting a vampire, but here we are.”

Chuckling, he secured the bandage around her neck and allowed his fingers to linger a moment longer. “I’d love to take you. This isn’t how I expected this encounter to go, but I’m not altogether displeased.”

Ana smiled sweetly, leaned forward, brushing his knee, and brought his whiskey tumbler to her lips. “Don’t go getting too friendly yet, Mr. Fren.” 

The End