Darkness Falls

I looked around at our group. The majority except Maggie and I were frightened. "Everybody get down! Stay out of sight, and don't turn on lights until whoever the hell is here is gone!" I whispered.

Colton nodded, and gestured for the group to follow him. They went over to the podium and hid beside it and the portable plastic table.

Maggie motioned for me to follow her.

We went over towards our entrance point, and I could indeed hear slow footsteps approaching the building. To my surprise, a voice whispered my name.

"Blake, are you here?" A familiar yet dreaded voice called out from the darkness.

Maggie moved so fast that she appeared to disappear. When she returned, a frightened familiar face was kicking and screaming underneath Maggie's death grip.

I was shocked at who was before me. "Mallory?" I asked, not believing my eyes. We had been caught red handed by our enemy.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - HEATHER

This month has officially hit peak insanity. First, I met the guy of my dreams. Then, he is almost killed in a crash that killed his mother, only to get immediately held hostage and almost killed by goons after he wakes up from a coma. Then, I find out that my boyfriend is not who I think he is at all. Instead, I find out he's a bloodthirsty half vampire with serious baggage issues. Even after all that and an insane cult trying to kill us, you would think I have seen everything.

How wrong I was. Now, in the middle of Maggie's living room was a chair with a very much unconscious but still alive Sheriff. Maggie had clocked him on the head after he discovered us, and both she and the werewolf named Blake were arguing about how to dispose of him. I was starting to think a mental asylum was more sane than this house.

From the outside, Sheriff Mallory didn't look all that dangerous or evil. He just looked normal. He was a bit older, in his forties with black hair peppered by a few gray hairs. He was fairly tall at almost six feet, and was handsome for his age. He certainly didn't look like the type to kill people. Unfortunately, you never know what someone is capable of until they show their true colors.

Blake, up until this point had been the more reasonable one and wanted to avoid violence. Now, he was wanting to kill Mallory on the spot. "Let's just kill him now!" He exclaimed.

Maggie shook her head. "For the thousandth time, we can't, not until we find out what he knows. I understand you feel betrayed, I would too. However, killing him now accomplishes nothing. What if we could end this without further loss of life?" She asked.

Blake didn't reply. Instead, he sat down, glaring at Maggie and the tied up Sheriff.

Maggie knelt down beside him. "I want him dead too, he's responsible for almost killing Michael, and almost had you, Colton and Heather killed! This man has affected all of us and needs to be punished." She added.

Suddenly, the Sheriff awoke from his forced nap. He looked wildly around the room and tried to wiggle his way out of the ropes that bound him. "What the hell is going on?" Mallory asked.

Maggie bared her fangs to intimidate him. It worked.

Sheriff Mallory's eyes grew wide in terror. "What the hell are you?" He asked, his voice trembling.

Maggie all of the sudden seemed to teleport to right at his feet. She had previously been about ten feet away. She grabbed his neck. "You should know, since you're the one sending people after and trying to kill us!" She replied, her voice dripping with malice.

Mallory shook his head. "Lady, I don't even know you, and I don't know what you're talking about!" He told her.

Blake looked like he had enough and stormed towards him. "That's fucking bullshit and you know it! How could you do this to me? I trusted you! I stopped that werewolf that was killing people and you have the nerve to say it was me?" He asked.

Mallory looked at Blake. "Blake, what the fuck are you talking about? I haven't told anyone your secret!" He replied, still in a fearful tone.

Maggie grabbed his face and turned it towards hers. "I will know if you're lying. You will tell me the truth, and if you are involved in any way, you will die." She told him. "Are you involved in the Human Coalition in any capacity, have you tried to kill us, sent people to kill us, or involved in the plot to expose vampires and werewolves?" She asked, compelling him.

Mallory's face became passive as he fell under her trance. "No." He responded.

Maggie looked shocked and released him. "What? How can he not know?" She asked.

Blake shook his head. "I don't believe him. Maybe he found a way around compulsion." He replied.

Maggie shook her head. "There is no way around compulsion. He is telling the truth." She told him in a frustrated tone.

Mallory finally snapped out of his trance. "Blake, what the hell is going on? Where am I, why am I tied up, why is there a freak with red eyes and fangs?" He asked.

Blake looked unhappy and sighed, closing his eyes. "Because we thought you were someone else." He told him.

Mallory just looked confused. "It's pretty obvious who I am. Why would you think I'm someone else?" He asked.

Blake looked at Maggie before speaking. "Because we didn't know who the person's real identity was. We need to back up. You know that I'm a werewolf. What you don't know is that this woman over here is a vampire. There are also a couple of half-blood vampires here as well." He informed him, gesturing to Maggie, Michael and Colton.

Mallory studied all of them. "I could have lived my whole life without knowing that. Why is that important? How does it relate to me being tied up in a chair? Do you even know how illegal this is?" He asked.

Maggie was tapping her foot impatiently.

Blake shot her a dirty look, then focused on Sheriff Mallory. "There are people trying to kill us, and expose us to the world. Whoever is leading them has access to things no normal civilian has. I thought- I thought that with the amount of things that you knew about me that it was you." He told the Sheriff.

Sheriff Mallory shook his head. "Blake, out of all the people you could have thought of, why did you think it was me? I have done things I could be put in jail for life over! I've covered up evidence for you, I've helped you dispose of bodies, and even told you about bad people who deserved death! After all I've done for you, you still don't trust me?" He asked.

Blake was silent. He went into the kitchen, and returned with a knife. He cut the ropes that were binding Mallory.

Maggie tried to stop him. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

Blake ignored her. "It's not him, he didn't do it. He doesn't need to be treated like this." He replied, then looked at Mallory. "I'm sorry about taking you captive like this." He told him.

Mallory stood up, holding his wrists and wincing. "Why would you think I would try to kill any of you?" He asked.

Blake sighed. "A lot of reasons. Number one, we thought you were involved too much in my case. It was strange how eager you were to insert yourself in the case. Sarah also had a vial of vampire blood stolen. You were the only one I could think of that fit, and had access to things that normal people couldn't." He replied.

Mallory rolled his eyes. "I told you why I was at the hospital. It's not exactly uncommon for me to check up on victims and suspects. I had been suspecting something was up with the killings for a while, which is why I told you what I did. As hard as it is to believe, it's all one big coincidence." He replied.

Maggie shook her head. "How the hell did you find us in the warehouse?" She asked.

Mallory gestured towards Blake. "Because of Blake. I was told that there was a shooting, and that the victim said that he was saved by some guy who thought he was a werewolf. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together. I already told dispatch that it was just a false alarm and someone who was on drugs. What you don't know is that I have put a tracker on Blake's phone. As much as an ally that he is, he's still a threat to the public. I just checked the tracker and saw it was in the warehouse." Mallory explained.

Maggie crossed her arms and nodded.

Mallory looked between Maggie and Blake. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened if what you told me is real. The truth is, I don't want to know any more details, because I don't want to have to lie on anymore papers. I wish you good luck on your fight with the human club, or whatever the hell you said it was called. I need to get back to my wife, she's probably worried sick and I won't have an answer for her, so I'm already in a world of shit." Sheriff Mallory said, eyeballing the front door.

Maggie shook her head. "You can't leave. Not after what you-" Maggie started to tell him, but Blake cut her off.

"Mallory has known my secret for over a month now, and hasn't said a word to anybody. I trust him. Thank you for clearing everything up, I apologize for taking you here. We thought you were the one who was trying to kill us. I hope you don't hold it against us." Blake told him in a calm voice.

Mallory looked at Maggie with anger. "I should hold it against you, but I'm not going to. Why don't you tell me about the people who attacked you? Maybe I can help find out who did this." He replied to Blake.

Maggie shook her head. "There's no point. We will know who did it tomorrow, and it won't matter anyways." She told him in a cryptic tone.

Sheriff Mallory raised his eyebrow and looked at Blake. "Do you want to tell me what that means?" He asked in a suspicious tone.

Blake shook his head. "The less you know, the better. I don't want to get you wrapped up in this. Just know that you are going to see some shocking things, and know that we didn't have any choice whatsoever." He replied.

Mallory groaned in frustration. "You're not giving me peace of mind. It's still my job to protect and serve this community, and if there's potential danger I need to know about it!" He argued.

Blake shook his head. "You can't help. I will say this- you know that I don't hurt people unless I have no choice. No human can help us. No police officer can see what will happen. It may be your duty to protect and serve, but it is my duty to protect and serve those that I love and care about, as well as protect our kind. Regardless of what you think of me, I'm not human anymore and while I will always protect them, I have to protect my newly inherited family as well." He told him firmly.

Sheriff Mallory looked like he wanted to argue but held his tongue. "Okay, I won't stand in your way. But, I also won't cover something that jeopardizes my citizens if you won't work with me. Make sure you cover your tracks, because I can't watch your back this time if you're implying what I think you're implying." He responded.

Blake nodded. "One more thing. These people call themselves the Human Coalition. They are completely anonymous, and we don't know who they are because of that fact. They could be anybody, including police officers. If something happens to them, I'm sorry. These people are evil, have no conscience and refuse to even hear our side of the conversation. They will stop at nothing to kill or expose us, and don't care if innocent humans get caught in the crossfire. Watch your back, because if they know you are friendly to us or at the very least tolerate us then you could be in danger too." Blake told him.

Sheriff Mallory nodded. "I will watch my back. However, it may get stabbed tonight. I need to be headed home, my wife is probably angry." He replied.

Maggie started to speak up, but Blake held up his hand to silence her. "I will walk you out. We are taking a risk by trusting you, I hope that you will not betray it." She told him.

Mallory glared at Maggie, then looked at Blake. "Let's get one thing straight, I don't trust any of them. That one knocked me out. However, I trust you. If you say these people are bad, and there is no other way than whatever solution you have planned up, then I won't question it." He replied.

Blake nodded. "Thank you." He said, then escorted him to the front door. He opened it, let him out and then locked it.

Maggie looked pissed. "Why the hell would you let him go? Are you nuts? He could tell the whole police force about us!" She asked.

Blake folded his arms. "Jesus Christ! He told us the truth! You compelled him! He just told you about the highly illegal things that he has done for me. Is that not enough for you? I trust him with my life, and it was stupid of me to ever think that he was involved." Blake replied in a harsh tone.

Maggie didn't respond. Instead, she sighed, and nodded.

Blake softened his tone. "That man has done more for me in my time of need than almost anybody here. He told me about the werewolves, saved Sarah, has given me tips on criminals that deserved death but were untouchable, and looked the other way when I committed crimes I should have rightfully been imprisoned or executed for. If he says he trusts me, then he does." He told Maggie.

Maggie once again nodded, letting him finish before speaking. "I'm sorry. This is all new to me, and trust isn't exactly something I'm used to. I don't want to fight, and I don't want to argue. We need to be a team, a single unit. We won't win if we're divided." Maggie said.

Blake nodded. "I agree and accept your apology." He replied.

Maggie took a deep breath and looked around the room. "This is it, this is the day we have been waiting for. We won't know what to expect tomorrow, so we'd better work as a team. I'm not going to lie, we may not all survive tomorrow. We may not win at all. I suggest you hold your loved one- err ones close tonight. You may not get another chance." Maggie announced in a grim tone.

I looked at Colton with terrified eyes. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and my adrenaline was pumping rapidly. He looked to his right, and then back to me. As the gravity of the situation set in, I could do nothing but panic. I had no business being caught in this bloodbath that was about to unfold.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - SARAH

"Alright, listen up everybody! We have about two hours until darkness falls!" Taylor announced.

We were all gathered around the living room one last time. Last night I was so nervous that I asked Maggie to compel me to sleep, because I wasn't sleeping on my own. Heather was nervous too, but I didn't know if she managed to sleep on her own or at all.

Taylor walked around the room with a basket full of hand painted masks. She handed one out to every person. "These are to conceal your identity and blend in. Every single person at the meeting will be wearing one. You need to put it on, right before entering so they don't see your face. There will most likely be people here that we know, specifically you, Sarah. Because we know that a vial of Colton's blood was stolen, that means that someone knows who you are and what you know. We should assume that we're all compromised." Taylor informed us.

She looked at Heather and I before she continued. "They will be checking for weapons, as well as testing for both lycanthropy and vampirism. I don't know what the test for vampirism is, but the werewolf one is reacting to silver. As a result, humans will be the first ones to enter. We will be unprotected, so it is in the best interest for the undead to enter after the meeting has begun and the people are distracted. I imagine Colton can help with that." She said, pointing at Colton.

Colton nodded, and a gun that was on the coffee table suddenly levitated in mid air for effect.

Taylor looked at Maggie. "Once Colton finds a way in, you need to get in as quickly as possible. I don't imagine the meeting will take very long, and they may go live and upload from the warehouse. We don't want that to happen. We want to stop this at all costs, and kill them if we must. I don't know what kind of weapons the rest of you will use, but you must rush to us, as we will be vulnerable because we won't have weapons." She explained.

Heather looked at me, and was terrified. I tried to be brave, but inside I was just as terrified as she was. My heart was beating rapidly, and both Maggie as well as Blake looked at me with worried eyes. Even though I had survived my first brush with death, there was no guarantee it would happen a second time. It was because of completely unrelated circumstances, but that still didn't stop me from worrying.

Colton raised his hand. "I can find a way inside pretty much anywhere with Annabelle. All I need to do is make sure the entrance I choose isn't guarded." He informed Taylor.

Taylor nodded. "That's about the one advantage we will have. No one but us knows about your secret, so make sure you don't hesitate if you run into trouble. You, as well as Michael will have to use other weapons. You're not much stronger than humans, but you can take some hits, which reminds me- you both need to feed. If you don't, your regeneration power will be severely weakened." She informed them.

Taylor withdrew a knife, and placed it at her wrist. She approached Michael and offered her wrist.

Michael looked slightly conflicted, but nodded.

Taylor gritted her teeth, and sliced her wrist open. She cried out in pain, and pressed it to Michael's mouth.

Michael closed his eyes as he prepared to drink her blood. He grabbed her wrist with both hands, and squeezed. He grunted as he drank her blood.

I looked over at Colton, who was now against the furthest wall he possibly could be, and was clutching at his throat.

Taylor cried out in pain. "Michael, you're hurting me!" She told him.

Michael began to shake violently before pulling himself away from her arm. He clamped down on her vein with his fingers, slowing the blood flow.

Taylor was obviously in pain. "Colton, hurry and take some! You need blood, or you'll be in danger!" She told him.

Colton shook his head. "I don't want to feed! I don't want to drink human blood!" He shouted.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Jesus Christ, I am not dealing with this again." She snapped. Suddenly, Maggie appeared right beside Colton and picked him up by the back of the neck, much to his protest. She forced him onto his knees right in front of Taylor. "Take her blood now, I am not giving you an option. This is no time for moral dilemmas, this is life or death. If you get hit by a bullet in your current state, you will die." She told him coldly.

Colton tried to resist but Maggie placed his mouth right at Taylor's wrist. He fought for a few more seconds before he seemed to fall into a trance. He then grabbed Taylor's wrist and began to drink.

Maggie tightened her grip on Colton's neck. "Don't hurt her. You have to fight the beast, fight against your nature. Take what is required, nothing more. I will make you if you don't do it by yourself." She told him.

Heather tried to approach Colton but Maggie held her hand up. "Do not even think about approaching him right now. He is feeding for the first time, and is in a bloodthirsty state. Let him calm down before you even think about it." She told her in a stern voice.

Finally, Colton released her wrist and gasped, breathing hard.

Maggie bit into her wrist, drawing blood. She dropped her blood in Taylor's cut, closing the wound in less than a second. She then patted Colton on the back. "Good job, you didn't kill her. Now, go take a shower and change your clothes. You made a mess and now you're covered in blood." She told him sarcastically.

Colton looked down at his hands and nodded, then got up and left.

Heather looked pissed. "Umm, what the hell was that?" She asked.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "That was me helping Colton, as much as it may not seem like it. Michael starved himself from blood for months because he didn't want to hurt humans. He nearly died from it, because he was tortured and wasn't healing. The first time is always the hardest. It'll be easier for him to feed and keep control next time." She explained.