Vampires vs. Trappers

6. Secrets Suspected/New Abilities

Sighing restlessly as I attempt to wipe the stray blood spatter from my face with one hand, I set the equally blood-soaked bone saw down on the counter-top beside me with the other hand, and then lean down slightly to wipe my hands off along the front of my pant legs.

"I need a drink." I grumble in a near-dead tone, before standing up straight once more and immediately turning on my heel to make a straight line for the door.

After completing our horrific, little duty of undertaking, all that's left of Clearie Murtagh, Aedan Bartley, and sweet Hannah Aine are three nearly-identical piles of ash, bone, and blueish-black clumps of cloth, scattered upon three matching metal slabs; still shamelessly left out on display for anyone and everyone to see at day break tomorrow.

Just as I'm about to reach for the door handle and finally free myself from this wretched place, the door itself suddenly opens up- a slightly panicked Kyran rushing in after it and simultaneously pushing us all backwards, deeper into the room along with him; his right index finger pushed firmly up against his pursed lips as a sign to be silent.

Being just a little too quick for my suspicion to keep up with, Kyran carefully closes the door behind him as silently as he can manage and then looks to Zain, pointing at his left ear with his other, free hand.

Understanding right away, we all stand completely still in place and focus in on whatever Kyran so desperately wants us to hear.

Man #1: ... "Boss man said that tonight would be a sure thing, so keep your eyes and ears open. We need all Vamps alive, so shoot only to stun and subdue." a strong, man's voice rings out in a reinforced whisper, slicing through the silence like a warm knife through butter and instantly catching our joint attention.

Expecting an immediate response, I think we're all somewhat thrown off when a few seconds go by without any type of returning acknowledgment, which leaves us all in waiting for another to speak. But apparently taking their brief pause in conversation as his opportunity, Zain turns to us and whispers, "I count eight heartbeats- all of them stood out in the lobby... No one make a move until I give the ok." he commands in a serious, yet equally hushed tone, and we only have enough time to nod in recognition before another man from the lobby finally speaks and steals his focus once again, as well as ours.

Man #2: "I don't know, Jim..." the other man mutters, having a slightly southern twinge to his voice, sounding more redneck than anything, "What makes you so sure any Bludgersites will show tonight? I mean, you have to admit, these orders seem pretty out of the ordinary, even for us." he concludes, sounding exceptionally unsure and skeptical of the first man's words - at the exact same time a bit of background clutter ranges through the collective atmosphere, sounding almost like someone's rummaging through a noisy, denier polyester duffle bag of sorts.

'Jim': "Because newbie, contrary to all the hype, Vampires are creatures of habit, and're entirely predictable. They're almost too easy to lure out- as long as you have the right kind of bait, obviously." he banters pridefully in our favor to the younger sounding man, which has me nearly growling in response to his arrogant, self-righteous attitude when referring to we Gods amongst feeble ants such as them.

Without even intending to, I catch myself taking a step towards the door- fists clenched and eyes narrowed, but Zain is quick to come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, successfully stopping me in place and holding me tight. If it weren't for his quick thinking, I could've very well just blown our cover due to my apparent lack of thought- not to mention our only chance to listen in on what possible information these unknown mercenary types have to offer.

But before I properly register his confining action in my mind, the voices start up again and put a halt to my rebellion.

'Newbie': "How's that? I thought they didn't care about anything but themselves... Why would a Bludgersite come to the rescue of another if there was no personal benefit to be had?" he asks, sounding truly curious and even innocent in his inquiry, but he still manages to rile me up further, regardless of his small tone of voice.