Darkness Falls

Heather looked at Taylor's wrist, then looked towards the bathroom nervously. "Why was he so much worse than Michael?" She asked.

Maggie crossed her arms. "It's because Michael had enough time to build up a tolerance to the temptation and bloodlust, not to mention he has fed before. He deliberately fought against it, and that definitely helped but he would have become a danger to himself and others if it went on any longer than it did. Colton doesn't exactly have time to safely build up a tolerance, because we need him at full power right now. He will be alright, and we'll work on training with him. He'll need a familiar before long though. It's not good for a familiar to give blood to more than one vampire, because of how long it takes to regain the lost blood." Maggie replied.

Heather stood up and walked over to Maggie. "I would be interested in doing that for Colton, but between us I need to know that he's in control before I fully agree to it." She told her.

Maggie's expression turned darker. "Vampires, neither half nor full are never in full control of it. Accidents do happen, and people get hurt or killed. Taylor understood the risks, and knows that Michael could lose control at any moment and kill her. The question is, are you willing to take that risk?" She asked.

Heather remained silent, and looked at Taylor's bloody arm.

I thought back to the moment that Blake almost killed me. I knew it wasn't him, but the look of pure evil and hatred in his eyes as he was unable to resist the other werewolf's command was a sobering reminder of what he was capable of. I never told him, but I often had nightmares about that night. Despite everything that happened, I loved him and accepted the risks associated with being with him.

Maggie took over the rest of the planning. "We still don't know who the leader is, but that hardly matters. As much as I like Taylor's idea of only killing when necessary, I'm afraid we don't have a choice. We will have to kill them. There are too many to compel and too loose ends to worry about if the compulsion spell is broken. We go in, we take care of the problem, and destroy all evidence. Then, we set fire to the warehouse and use the propane as explosives and get the hell out of there." She informed us.

I looked at Blake with uncertainty. I reached for his hand and he took it, squeezing it reassuringly.

Maggie gestured to the bags that were on the coffee table. "Michael, you need to choose your weapons, as well as Blake. I know your body is a weapon, but you need a backup in case you get hit with silver bullets. Silver bullets will revert you back to human form and you won't be able to heal." She informed him.

Blake nodded, let go of my hand and looked in the bags. He chose a pistol and a rifle of some kind. I don't know much about guns, in fact before Blake I voted for gun control. I'm not exactly for them now, but I understand their purpose. Michael pulled out two pistols instead of a rifle, and checked them out before looking satisfied.

A few minutes later, Colton returned with a fresh change of clothes and studied the bag. He sighed. "I know I need one, I just hate them." Colton said, appearing to reply to Annabelle.

Maggie chuckled. "Is your ghost girlfriend more of a man than you? You're going to need one, you might as well just take it now." She teased him.

Colton rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if I shoot my foot off I'm blaming you." He retorted. He looked in the bags and pulled out a pistol.

Maggie nodded. "That's the spirit!" She replied.

Colton scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger, while looking at Maggie. "Now that we are loaded up, what happens now?" He asked.

Maggie's sense of humor vanished. "The fun part. We wait." She replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NIGHTFALL

"Just follow my lead when we approach the building. They are going to ask for codenames. I took the liberty of not only creating accounts for both of you a while back, but have been posting in the chatroom on both of your accounts. Your codenames, as well as your backstories are on these papers, memorize them. When they ask for your codename, give it to them and say you're there for the birthday party. Listen to others in front of you, so you know how to respond." Taylor explained. She handed Heather and I the papers.

I studied the paper to study my identity. I was apparently the sister of a person who went missing under suspicious circumstances. He went to a bar, and never returned home. The police didn't help at all, so I took matters into my own hands and started searching for answers. I found out about a bunch of other missing people, all stemming from the bar. I was messaged on Facebook by a mysterious person who linked the chatroom, who then deleted their account. When I spotted my username though, I couldn't help but laugh at it. "My name is Inquisitor?" I asked.

Taylor didn't laugh and instead looked dead serious. "This isn't a joke, this is life or death. You have to say it with complete sincerity, or they'll see right through you and will gun you down where you stand." She replied.

I nodded. A name that stupid was hard to take seriously but I had to remember it was created to blend in with an enemy group that would kill us without hesitation. The story definitely helped solidify my credibility. I could only imagine what Heather's was, but it ultimately didn't matter.

Maggie parked the car a few blocks away from the warehouse. "We are here. You know your roles, it's showtime." Maggie told us ominously.

I could see lights on in the warehouse, indicating that whatever fate awaited us was already in motion. My heart was pounding as Maggie turned off the engine.

Blake wrapped his hands around my waist, making me feel secure. He kissed the back of my neck and then opened the door.

I reluctantly exited the vehicle, and waited for Blake to do the same. When he did, I threw my arms around him in a loving embrace and kissed him. I wanted so bad to just run away with him and never look back. I held him tight, as I knew it could be the last time I ever did so. Tears streamed down my face as I buried my face in his chest, taking in his scent one last time.

Blake returned the favor and ignored everyone else that was surrounding us.

At this moment it was just him and I. Nothing else mattered to me but feeling his loving touch. "I love you." I told him, the words choking me up. I looked at him, trying to memorize every detail of his face as though it was the last time I would see him.

Blake placed his fingers on my chin and made me look up at him. He kissed my forehead and rested his forehead against mine. "I love you too." He whispered.

"While this is a touching moment, we have to keep moving. Our future depends on it." Maggie informed us, this time a hint of fear and uncertainty to her voice.

I reluctantly pulled away to see Colton and Heather in a tender embrace as well. Maggie looked at Michael longingly but didn't act on her emotions.

Blake sighed. "I'm sorry love, I have to go. We will have all the time in the world afterwards to be together." He told me, and tore himself away from my grip. He motioned to Michael to follow him, and placed his hand on Colton's shoulder.

Colton looked at Blake and reluctantly nodded, following him. He picked up both of them by the waist, and sprung up to the roof of a nearby store.

Taylor motioned to Maggie, Heather and I. "Let's keep going, we're almost there. Only tell them what I've told you, and you should be fine. They haven't asked any additional questions in the past and most likely won't now." She informed us.

As we continued walking, my heart pounded harder and harder. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, making me jittery. I stopped to breathe and calm my nerves.

Maggie noticed I stopped and approached me. "What are you doing? We need to keep moving. We don't have much time until it starts." Maggie told me.

I shook my head, my fear finally coming to a head. "I've been putting on a mask so that Blake wouldn't worry about me. I'm terrified to keep going. I need you to compel me to keep calm." I told her.

Maggie looked conflicted but nodded and locked eyes with me. "You will keep going, and remain calm. Nothing will make you panic." She commanded.

I nodded against my will and resumed walking. All fear had left my body and I could finally think clearly. The warehouse was only a block away, and there was a line in front of the entrance. Strangely enough, they weren't using the front doors on the main road but the entrance we used, close to the dock. There were only about ten people in line, and it was moving fast. We seemed to show up just at the right time. Taylor had been spot on with the information.

Maggie suddenly disappeared, leaving only Heather, Taylor and I on the ground. My body wanted to be terrified, but my mind wouldn't obey my body. The only thing I could think about was getting inside. We stood single file in line, and waited to gain entrance. The line was moving fairly fast.

Suddenly, two people dressed in military style police gear walked out of the entrance. They were armed with rifles and a scanner device of some kind, and were pointing it at the people in line. The first one was scanning, while the one behind him had a rifle pointed at the people being scanned. They slowly made their way to us. They scanned Heather, Taylor and I and lowered the rifle and the scanner.

The first guy looked at the second one. "I guess that's it for now. The damn leeches might have killed the other two. Let's go tell the doc." He told the second guy.

The second guy with only a rifle nodded. "I agree, let's get out of here. The bloodsuckers can attack at any time." He replied.

I leered at the guards as they re-entered the warehouse. They had used the word 'doc' to refer to someone, and I assumed it was the leader whom we still didn't know the identity of. If the leader was a doctor, that could explain how they were able to get the blood vial out of my locker. I still didn't know who it could be. Every single doctor had access to the locker room so it would be impossible to determine who it was without fingerprints.

The line was still moving fairly fast. There were only about five people in front of us, and I could start to see inside. I could make out a white plastic foldable table, and there was an armed guard behind it and performing some kind of task.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder, so I turned around.

Taylor was looking at me, but still had her mask on. "Remember, don't signal until we know where the evidence is stored. Whether it's a hard drive, flash drive or something else we'll need to locate it before we make our move. Let's play along for now." She informed me, whispering.

I nodded, and turned back around. There were only two people in front of me, and I could see more of the entrance. There was a metal detector, a foldable table with a bucket, a shiny metallic looking object on it, and a vial of some sort of red liquid beside it. I assumed the former was a silver necklace, and the other was human blood. I didn't understand why they had human blood, unless vampires would react to it somehow.

The next person in line walked inside and touched the silver necklace for a few seconds, then did something in front of the vial, although I couldn't see what it was. As he gained access, the person in front of me stepped forward and waited to be called in. The armed guard then motioned for him to enter, and motioned to the table. I could now make out the words he was saying.

"I'm here for the birthday party." The man in front of me said.

The guard at the table nodded. "Before we let you join the party, we need to make sure you're not a danger." The guard told him, and motioned to the table in front of him.

"These objects are designed to test your humanity, or lack thereof. The object on the right is a pure silver necklace. The object on the left is a vial of human blood, added to by each member that entered. Werewolves are weak to silver, so we will know- and deal with you if you are one. Vampire blood reacts to human blood and turns it black, so if you're a vampire, we'll know and deal with you. Do you understand?" The guard asked in a monotone voice.

The person at the table nodded.

"Okay, place your phone in the bucket and proceed with the tests." He commanded.

The person in front of me placed his phone in the bucket, then held his hand against the silver. Then, the guard handed him a needle to prick his finger. When he did, he let it drip into the blood. When the guard was satisfied, he let him through. Then, the guard turned to me and motioned me in.

If it wasn't for Maggie compelling me, I would have been absolutely terrified of the guards. As I stepped in, I realized exactly how much had changed since we had been here the night before. There were now several sets of lights that stood on stands, as well as a white projector screen, a sound system, and a computer on the table that had been there the night before. There were also guards armed to the teeth with rifles, knives and pistols. They had their faces covered like everybody else, but their masks were different. Instead of a white base like we had, their masks were all black with much more sinister designs on them.

I looked at the guard behind the table. "I'm here for the birthday party." I told him.

The guard in front of me nodded and motioned to the table, as another guard I had not seen from outside pointed his rifle at me. "You know the drill, put your phone in the bucket, and place your hands on the necklace." He replied.

I nodded, and did as I was ordered. I dropped my phone in the bucket and picked up the necklace, which was actually a fairly expensive one from the looks of it. After a few seconds I set it down and showed him my palm.

The guard nodded, then pulled out a sewing needle from a little plastic bag and handed it to me.

I gritted my teeth and pricked my finger, then forced a couple of drops of blood into the glass vial.

The guard studied it for a few seconds then nodded, waving me through.

Another guard stopped me before I could enter the main area. "State your identity so we know which member you are." He ordered.

I nodded. "My name is Inquisitor." I replied.

The guard turned his head sideways but nodded. "I never would have expected you to be a woman. You also haven't been a member for very long, only a couple of weeks. I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Justice will be done." He told him.

I nodded. "Thank you, and I'm glad we're finally getting revenge." I responded.

The guard let me through, and I took the opportunity to look around again. There were about twenty chairs facing the podium, and most were already filled. There were five empty seats, so I took a seat next to a large man.

The man looked at me intently, and I had enough experience dealing with pigs to realize when someone was undressing me in their mind. The thought of someone violating me mentally disgusted me. To make matters worse, he patted the seat next to him before I sat in it. I ignored the man's stuttered attempts at flirting, and waited for my company to come.

Finally, Taylor and Heather sat beside me, and I scooted closer to them so that I could get away from the disgusting man.

Taylor leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "It's almost time to start. They start at nine." She informed me.

I sighed. The anticipation of the unknown was killing me. Whatever happened tonight, it was going to end one way or another. Despite taking an oath to do no harm, I cared about Blake far more than the fellow humans I helped. I loved him more than my own life. It was inexplicable, really. With each day that passed, I was more certain that the universe had brought us together.

My thoughts were cut short by a man walking towards the podium. He whispered to a guard, and pointed at the crowd. Then, he stepped up onto the platform and faced the crowd. He cleared his throat, and tapped into the microphone, making an ear piercing sound.

"Can you all hear me?" A familiar voice asked. He was wearing a black mask, the same as the guards.

The crowd nodded.

The man behind the mask chuckled. "That is very good. I suppose we should get started. It's time we unveil what I'd like to call 'Operation Surprise Party.' As you all know, we have been tracking, documenting and gathering evidence on the existence of supernatural species." He said, addressing the crowd. He then gestured to the projector screen.

All of a sudden, a video started to play. I gasped in horror at what was on it.

The video took place in a morgue. There was a naked body of a woman, nearly torn in half and her intestines were protruding. There were bite and claw marks everywhere on her. The footage then zoomed closer, showing the wounds in graphic detail.

I realized with a sickening feeling that I knew this woman- it was the woman Blake had tried to save the night he was attacked and bit by the werewolf. "Oh my God!" I whispered. I felt physically ill, like I was going to throw up. Despite my body wanting to vomit, my body would not obey.

The footage then cut to two bodies, both of which had been completely mauled and disfigured to the point that they weren't recognizable. One was completely decapitated, and had his left hand, and left leg missing. The other body had its chest cavity completely hollowed out, and his legs were gone. His face had been shredded, and part of his skull was missing.

"These are just a few examples of what werewolves are capable of. We managed to find the body of one werewolf, and have studied it. We discovered it after having some of our police members trace a call to the woods late at night on the night of a full moon. We don't know who killed it, but learned a great deal about a werewolf's generic makeup" The familiar voice continued.

A video taken at night appeared on the screen. There were people appearing to excavate a shallow grave. The footage then cut to the people pulling a body out of the grave. Finally, it cut to the body on another exam table. I had a sickening feeling as it panned over the werewolf's head. He was in human form, and I recognized that despicable face anywhere.

It was the same werewolf that kidnapped me, and tried to get Blake to kill me.

"We learned that even while deceased, the tissue does not decompose. We pulled silver bullets out of the body, and found out that the body reacts violently to silver." The mysterious man said.

The footage then cut to someone holding one of the silver bullets to his skin, causing it to burn the flesh.

"The last thing is we have discovered the source of the virus that spreads the disease. The lycanthropy is spread through a bite, or directly through a blood injection. The bite takes much longer to affect human blood cells, and a direct blood injection is near instantaneous." He added.

There was a video of human blood cells, under a microscope. The mysterious man had taken saliva from the werewolf, and dropped it onto a microscope slide. There was then a time lapse, with the cells slowly transforming, becoming more unstable and unrecognizable from a normal blood cell. He then repeated the process with werewolf blood, and the human blood cells transformed within a few minutes.

"We have come to four conclusions, based on the evidence in front of us. Number one, these creatures are extremely durable and can only die if their heart is ripped out, or if they are shot in the brain and body with silver bullets. Number two, based on the tissue's inability to decompose at a visible rate, they must have increased cellular regeneration, allowing them to age much slower than humans, if at all. Number three, we have discovered that werewolves are weak to silver. Lastly, we have discovered how the disease is spread." He finished.