Vampires, Eh?

Chapter 43

 The leaves crunched under their feet as they walked through the woods. Anna shivered as the cold wind whipped across her face. They marched through the forest in silence with weapons strapped to them. Anna had the familiar weight of the bow on her back and the blades on her hips. She walked behind Rhys as they made their way to the hill. The group of vampires did not say a word as they made their way through the dark.

Alice, Calvin, and Nelly had left a trail of bodies throughout the evening to lead to Queenston Heights. They all knew it was just time until the battle began.

"How big is the Nightingale group?" Calvin asked as he walked up beside Anna.

Rhys turned and glared at them. He had not mentioned no talking, but assumed it was implied as they crept through the forest.

"It always seems to be growing," Anna said in a whisper. "Jonathan was always recruiting."

"More for us to tear apart," Alice said.

Rhys held his hand up, and they all stopped. They were standing amongst the trees at the top of the hill. Anna's chest tightened as she squinted and looked down the hill.

Jonathan was leading a band of hunters. Dozens of people stood behind him. Like the vampires, they had bows strapped to their backs. Neck guard poking out from underneath Jonathan's jacket. All of the Nightingales would be wearing a neck guard and protective gear over their chests.

"Don't aim for their chest," Anna told the group. "They're prepared for us to go after their necks and chest."

Jonathan and the group trudged across the field and toward the hill. Jonathan pulled his bow off of his back and a few others behind him did the same. They were on high alert, aiming their bows up in the trees, as they walked forward.

Calvin stepped in front of Rhys. He aimed the bow, looking through the scope, and prepared to shoot at the group of hunters.

"I call the first shot," he said. "This one is for Huxley."

Calvin pulled the trigger and one of his arrows flew through the air. A scream was let out as it shot through one of the hunter's skulls. It entered through the man's eye and exited through the back of his head. He fell to his knees before falling forward. The band of hunters spread out and they all had their bows ready.

"We have to fire quickly while we still have the advantage," Rhys said.

They stepped out from behind the trees. Anna looked down the hill and her eyes connected with Jonathan's. She could see him shake his head. He held the bow and had it aimed straight at Anna.

Her heart ached. She thought back to her childhood with Jonathan. They were raised together by their grandma after their parents death. They shared a room for most of their childhood. They woke up early every morning together to train. They would often stay up all night talking about their futures. Jonathan often had dreams about eliminating all vampires. Now to make his dream come true, he was going to murder his own sister.

Anna knew that she did not have time to aim her bow and line up a shot, so she dropped to the ground. Seconds after she laid down in the crunchy leaves, the arrow buried itself into the bark of the tree behind her. Rhys growled as he watched this and took aim at Jonathan. His shot barely missed Jonathan's head.

A wave of arrows came from the vampires and rained down on the hunters. Arrows pierced through some skulls, while others landed into hunters' arms and legs. There was a mixture of cries. The hunters charged up the hill as they started to fire.

Anna got back onto her feet and listened to the whiz as arrows sliced through the air. Jonathan strapped his bow back to his chest, pulled a stake from his belt, and ran up the hill.

Rhys let out a swore as he ran out of arrows. Anna handed him her bow. He raised a brow before his eyes darted over to the crowd charging toward them.

"Take it," she said.

"You need it if you are going to protect yourself," Rhys said.

"I promise I'll stay back," she said.

Rhys tossed his bow to the ground and took Anna's from her hands. He loaded it with an arrow before shooting at the Nightingales again. Anna looked over at Jonathan and the hunters halfway up the hill.

The smell of blood hung heavy in the air. Anna's stomach cramped as her nose filled with the sweet delicious smell. Her eyes darkened. Sharp pain shot across her gums as her fangs extended.

Anna grabbed the dagger strapped to her hip. She took off running down the hill.

"Anna!" Rhys screamed.

He ran after her, knocked her down, and pinned her to the ground. Her running triggered the rest of the vampires, and they ran down the hill. Arrows, on both sides, were running sparse so they were left with stakes and knives.

"What were you thinking?" Rhys asked. "Are you crazy?"

"Let me kill, Jonathan," she said. "I need to do it."

The two sides clashed together. There were screams from both sides as blood splattered the grass and bodies toppled.

Rhys looked at the scene before looking down at Anna. He stood and she scrambled to her feet. He held up the bow, with only one arrow left, and had it aimed ahead of him.

"Go," he said. "I've got your back."

--

Drew was in awe as he watched Anna fire the crossbow like she was born with it in her hands. He thought that she would hesitate to kill her own family, but he did not realize how deep the betrayal sat in Anna's chest. She fired off just as many arrows as everyone else.

Anna said something to Rhys before handing him her bow. He was surprised that they were even talking to each other. There was a tension and silence that was thick between Anna and Rhys.

It shattered Drew's heart to see her talking to Rhys before him. He was sure that Anna would forgive him first. He was hoping for it.

Anna took off running, but only got a few steps before Rhys knocked her to the ground. He climbed on top of her, and Drew could feel himself tremble with rage. They were in battle and he had her down in a vulnerable position.

The vampires around him started to run. The Nightingales saw them charge and they took off running too. Drew lingered back and stayed still. He aimed his bow above Rhys and Anna and was prepared to fire at anyone that got near them.

Rhys got up and Anna got back onto her feet. He said something to her, she nodded, and she ran down the hill.

Drew ran over to Rhys, whose bow was up and ready to fire. Drew noticed that he only had one arrow left. He looked at Anna who had a blade in her hand and was sprinting down the hill among the rest of the vampires.

"What are you thinking?" Drew asked Rhys. "How could you let Anna run into danger like that? She's going to get killed!"

"She can hold her own," he said. "Besides, I have her back if she gets into trouble."

"With one arrow!"

Rhys scowled, but Drew could not see it because Rhys did not take his eyes off of Anna. Drew rolled his eyes. Rhys glanced at him as he handed him his last three arrows.

"Take them," Drew said.

"Why are you giving them to me?" Rhys asked.

"You are going to need them to protect her."

Rhys took the arrows. Drew rolled his shoulders as he stretched them out. He pulled out his dagger and took off running down the hill.