Darkness Falls

A woman in the front raised her hand. "How many do you think there are?" She asked.

The man behind the podium looked at her. "We don't know. Around Salem, there is at least one more. Across the world, the answer could be tens of thousands if not more." He replied.

The crowd started whispering to each other.

The man behind the podium cleared his throat, refocusing the attention on him. "There is also the matter of vampires. We have evidence that proves the existence of them. If you'll look at the screen again, I will show you." He informed them, gesturing to the projector screen.

A video started to play, and I gasped at what was on the screen. It was none other than Colton. He was bandaged, and was bleeding through the gauze. It must have been taken right after his car crash.

"This subject was involved in a car crash, and was in critical condition when he arrived at the Salem hospital. When he first arrived, he had lacerations down to the bone, and his heart kept stopping. He was given a blood transfusion, and miraculously healed in an impossible two hours. It takes humans months to recover from those injuries." He informed them.

I had a sickening feeling that I knew who the man behind the mask was. There was only one doctor that was intimately involved in both cases, that was my boss, Dr. Madison. He had expressed interest in both Colton and Blake.

"The subject shares some similarities with the mythical creatures. It requires human blood to heal itself, but it is immune to garlic and sunlight. When vampire blood is exposed to human blood, it turns black as seen here." He said, taking a vial out of his coat pocket.

A guard took the vial, and presented it to the crowd so every member could see it.

"Because there are so many discrepancies between the legends and this subject, we can assume that this creature is in fact not a full vampire but somewhere in between vampire and human. If my hypothesis is true, then there must have been a full vampire that infected him." The man behind the mask explained.

It was making me nervous how spot on he was.

Another person, this time a man in the front raised their hand. "How many vampires are there in Salem?" He asked.

The man at the podium sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "How the hell am I supposed to know? If there are half vampires walking around during the daytime, they could be anybody. We were lucky to get evidence from this one." He replied.

The man still had his hand up. "When are we going to release the evidence? We shouldn't have waited when we could have done it immediately.

The man at the podium sighed once more. "Do you people not listen? We needed journalists, people with a high degree of credibility and exposure. No one would touch the story except the ones here tonight." He replied.

The man lowered his hand. "Well, let's hurry the hell up! The damn freaks could come at any time." The man argued.

The man behind the podium chuckled. "We're not doing anything until I say we are. It's been brought to my attention that there are two people missing, and that we may be compromised. I'm going to need everybody to take off their masks." He said, then waved at the guards.

All of a sudden, the guards drew their weapons and aimed at the crowd.

My heart sank. I looked at Taylor, who was squeezing my thigh in fear.

The people in front of us slowly removed their masks. The guards then pointed at the back row with us. "Take off your masks!" They shouted.

Taylor leaned in to whisper in my ear. "What the hell do we do?" She asked.

Maggie's compulsion spell made me unable to panic, but my body was fighting it with every fiber of my being. "There's nothing we can do! We have to take them off." I replied. I slowly lifted mine off, and the others did the same.

The man behind the podium slowly removed his, revealing who I suspected was the leader- Dr. Madison. He grinned triumphantly. "There the traitors are. Grab them!" He shouted, pointing at us.

All of a sudden I felt a pair of hands grab me from behind, pulling my hair. I screamed and kicked, trying to fight my attacker. My vision went black briefly as they struck me on the back of the head with something metal. Then, I was pulled to my feet and brought before my former mentor. I felt a warm wet stream on my head as my blood trickled down my face.

Dr. Madison approached me with anger in his eyes. "I had my suspicions, but I wasn't certain until now. So, this is the side you have chosen? What a shame, you could have been working by my side to usher in a new era." He said, and punched me. He turned his attention to Taylor.

"It seems we have a turncoat in our midst. I was certain that we had a mole, but you made it easy to discover for me. All three of you were the last ones to sign in. That's not a coincidence. You will die last, after you watch the others die." He told Taylor, then spat on her.

He then turned his attention to Heather, who was crying.

Dr. Madison knelt down to look at her. "How are you involved in this? You seem like the least likely person to become acquainted with monsters. It doesn't matter, I will spare you by letting you die first. Don't worry, it will be quick and you won't feel a thing." He told her in a sympathetic tone.

A woman in the crowd stood up. "I didn't join the Human Coalition to kill humans! I'm leaving!" She said, then began to walk out.

A guard near the door grabbed her, and slit her throat with a knife, causing blood to spray everywhere. She collapsed to the ground and tried to crawl away before dying.

Dr. Madison crossed his arms. "Does anyone else feel like leaving?" He asked sarcastically.

I was shocked that he would kill humans indiscriminately. "You're a monster! How could you kill innocent humans, and how could you do this? You were my mentor, I worshipped the ground you walked on!" I shouted angrily.

Dr. Madison approached me and slapped me. "How could I do this? How could you! You chose the side of monsters, how many humans have they killed? Don't talk to me about morals. You know what, I changed my mind. You're going to die first." He retorted, then brandished a pistol out of his jacket. He pointed it at my stomach.

I stared up at him defiantly. "You will not leave this place alive. They are coming for you, and will kill you and every one of your guards." I told him. I inhaled deeply to scream for help, but a guard covered my mouth with duct tape.

Dr. Madison grinned. "I'm counting on it." He said, then shot me in the stomach.

White hot pain tore through my body, and exited out of a huge hole. I gasped in agony as the incomprehensible pain riddled my body.

Dr. Madison then lowered the weapon. "The bullet has nicked your stomach. You will die in less than fifteen minutes. Just enough time for that dog of yours to watch you die." He told me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - BLAKE

As I watched Sarah and the others walk towards the warehouse, I couldn't help but feel dread. I knew we were putting the humans in danger, but there wasn't much we could do about it. They had tests to determine if we were human or not, and more than likely had weapons that could kill us, like silver bullets and God knows what else.

"It's five minutes until nine, we should get to the warehouse before they do." Maggie told me.

I nodded. "We should find an entrance on the roof if there is. I want to take them by surprise from a direction they are not expecting." I replied.

Maggie studied the building. "I think that's a good idea. I see an entrance that is used for maintenance. We should go that way." She said, pointing at the door.

Colton looked nervous. "Umm, there's a huge gap between the buildings. How are we supposed to jump over that?" He asked.

I grinned. "The same way you got up here." I said, then grabbed him by the waist.

Colton shifted uncomfortably. "You could at least ask before you do that." He said in protest.

I ignored him, and stepped to the ledge. The moon was bright tonight, and my lycan powers were at full strength. I jumped across the buildings with ease, terrifying Colton as I did so. I set him down once we were across.

"What's the matter? You live with a ghost but you're scared of a little height?" I asked, teasing him.

Colton looked down then quickly looked back at me. "Very funny. I don't have indestructible legs or near instant healing like you." He retorted.

I rolled my eyes.

Maggie jumped across with Michael, only she was dead silent when she did so.

Colton dug around in his bag and pulled out a flashlight. He focused the light on the door. "You know what to do, Annabelle." He told her.

Maggie stopped him with an arm. "Not yet. We don't know if there's an alarm on the door. The building has power now, if there is an alarm it will sound. We don't want that to happen." She said. She then looked at me.

"I'm having trouble hearing individual sentences. There seems to be a low frequency being played over a speaker of some kind, and it's obscuring conversations. I can hear their heartbeats, but everything sounds muffled. When they yell, I'll be able to hear it but until then we'll have to wait." She informed me.

I nodded. I had noticed it too, but I didn't have as good of hearing as Maggie. It was almost a bass-like sound that was rumbling, causing a distorted sound. I wondered why, but had a suspicion that it was another countermeasure by the Human Coalition.

Michael crossed his arms. "So what do we do?" He asked.

I sat down on the roof. "We wait. We can go over battle plans too." I replied.

Michael and Colton sat down with me. Maggie stayed in a standing position.

I looked between Michael and Colton. "Maggie and I are the most indestructible ones here. We'll go in first, and draw fire away from you guys. You will find cover, and hide behind it. Then, you fire shots at people from behind cover. Do not hesitate, as they will not hesitate to kill you. We need to get in, collect the evidence, dispose of any witnesses and set the charges. Maggie rigged some propane tanks to blow up. That will destroy any evidence of us being there." I told them.

Colton shook his head. "This doesn't feel right. We're about to kill humans without a second thought." He replied.

I sighed and nodded in agreement. "You're right, it's not right. But, if we don't end this here and now, thousands of vampires and werewolves across the world will be hunted down and killed. I don't want to kill these people either, but we don't have a choice. There are too many of them, they are armed and have demonstrated they will not hesitate to try and kill us. We are at war, whether you like it or not." I told him in a grim tone.

Michael looked towards Maggie for guidance.

Maggie nodded. "Michael, I know what I promised you, and I'm sorry. This is something we have to do, we don't have a choice." She told him.

I raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something?" I asked.

Michael gestured towards me. "Tell him." He replied.

Maggie turned her attention to me. "Before we knew about all of this, Michael told me he wasn't okay with me killing to satiate my thirst. It goes without saying that he meant killing in general. I agreed, but that was before this shitshow. Once this is over, I'm done fighting." She told me.

No one spoke for a solid minute. Colton and I were shocked by her revelation.

Maggie finally sat down on the roof, and looked at the ground. "You are all in this, because of me. I hunted at that bar, I killed without mercy and my selfishness knew no bounds. The Human Coalition was started in response to my atrocities, and rightly so. I was a monster. It is only right that I help finish it. This is atonement for what I have done." She told us in a soft voice.

Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

All of a sudden, we heard the sound of a gunshot.

Maggie and I looked at each other. Colton ran towards the door. I got up quickly, and ran to the door.

Maggie put an icy hand on my shoulder. "Right now would be a really good time for your furry friend to come out!" She shouted.

I nodded, then handed my guns to both Colton and Michael. I tore off my shirt, and got on all fours. I released my rage, screaming as my bones began to break and reform. Fur forced its way out of my pores, and my nails grew, hardened and changed color to black. My teeth elongated and tapered, creating jagged fangs.

I roared, and burst through the door like it was cardboard.

"That works too, I guess." Colton muttered.

I jumped down the staircase, and landed on the bottom floor. When I did so, I caught the scent of human blood. I looked over at the entrance, and saw a woman lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood.

Maggie appeared right beside me. "Fuck! Sarah is down!" She exclaimed.

I looked in the direction that Maggie was staring, and saw Sarah lying on the ground, covered in blood. I roared in rage, and barreled towards the stage. I recognized the person at the podium, who was holding the still smoking gun. It was Dr. Madison.

The crowd screamed in terror at the sight of me.

He grinned. "Good, the monsters have finally arrived! Shoot him, but don't kill him! Kill any member who tries to run!" He commanded.

I lunged for a Coalition guard, and tore off the arm holding the rifle. I then tore off his head, spraying blood everywhere. He collapsed on the ground in a bloody mess. All of a sudden, gunfire erupted to my right, making bullets ricochet all around me. I dodged them, and charged for a different guard who was looking at the crowd.

I bit her leg, causing her to fall to the ground. She pulled out a knife, and stabbed my leg. I whimpered in pain, and bit her hand off. I ripped out the woman's throat and swallowed it. She clutched at her throat as blood gushed from the gaping hole in it. She gurgled on her own blood for a few seconds, and then ceased moving. I then pulled the knife out with my teeth and frantically scanned the carnage around me.

"Decapitate any person you bite! They can turn if you don't!" Maggie shouted as she ripped a person's heart out with her bare hand.

I did as instructed, and ripped the woman's head off.

Dr. Madison laughed. "Now that both of you are here, I can finally end this!" He shouted. Focus all fire on the wolf!" He said, and hit a button.

Suddenly, the overhead lights turned off and a bright purple light took its place.

Maggie screamed in pain and collapsed, writhing in agony. Smoke started coming from her body.

I was distracted just long enough to make a fatal mistake. A guard fired at me, riddling my lower half with silver bullets. I howled in agony, falling to the ground. My body slowly transformed back, as the silver blocked my ability to transform and heal.

Dr. Madison stepped over my body, and picked me up by the arm. "If there are any others, surrender now or I will kill them! I will get what I want from them, dead or alive!" He exclaimed.

"Don't do it! Run!" Maggie shouted.

Michael and Colton lowered their guns and held up their hands in surrender.

Dr. Madison pointed at them. "Bring them here!" He shouted.

Two guards close to the stairs grabbed them, and brought them to both Maggie and I. They pistol whipped both of them.

I dug into my leg, and pulled a bullet out. The silver was boiling my blood, and blocking my healing ability. Blood was seeping out of my wounds.

Dr. Madison circled around Maggie, who was still smoking. "It hurts, doesn't it? This light is pure ultraviolet light. It isn't nearly as powerful as the sun, so it won't kill you. It will however incapacitate you." He informed her.

Sarah groaned in pain.

I focused my attention on her. I tried to crawl to her, but a guard pistol whipped me, and disoriented me.

Dr. Madison chuckled. "That's right, watch as she dies. Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon enough. Now that everybody is here, I can finally complete my plan." He told me in a mocking voice. Madison produced two syringes out of his coat, and pulled Maggie up by her hair.

Michael tried to break free of the guard that pinned him down, but he was unable to. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

Dr. Madison plunged the syringe into her neck, and started drawing blood. "I'm glad you asked. I'm collecting blood from both the leech and dog." He said. As soon as he had finished within Maggie, he dropped her and walked to me. He took the other syringe, and plunged it into my neck. When he was satisfied, he dropped me as well. He then turned to the crowd.

"Take a good look at these pitiful excuses for monsters. This is how easy it is to kill them. Unfortunately for any of you, the world will never know what happened here." He told them.

A woman in the crowd stood up. "What the hell are you talking about? You talk about exposing the monsters and killing them, but I see no difference between you and them!" She shouted.

Dr. Madison grinned wickedly. "You know, the funniest part of this is that you think I still plan on exposing them." He replied.

"What are you talking about?" The woman asked.

Dr. Madison held both syringes in his left hand and pulled out his pistol in his right hand. "I'm glad you asked." He said, then shot the lady in the stomach. "Lock this place down, no one leaves!" He shouted to the guards.

The woman fell back into her chair, screaming in agony and clutching her stomach.

The remaining five guards closed all doors in the warehouse and stood in front of the doors, blocking them.

Dr. Madison walked to the podium. "It is true, I started this Coalition to expose the monsters to the world. That was before Blake appeared in my hospital, and I saw the true power of lycanthropy, as well as the power of vampirism from Colton. The only problem is the debilitating weaknesses between both of them. The weakness to silver from the lycan, and the weakness to sun from the vampire. That is, until I had used my last remaining samples from both Colton and Blake. When I had combined the blood from both subjects, the weakness to silver was mitigated to the point of almost being non-existent." He said, pointing at Colton and I.

Dr. Madison held up the syringes of our blood. "Both bloodlines have healing properties, and both have drawbacks. But, combined they are stronger than both, with none of the drawbacks. You see, the truth is I am dying. I will not be able to be a doctor much longer, because I have Parkinson's disease. Soon enough, the nerve damage will be severe enough that I will be forced to retire and eventually die. But, if I inject myself with both lycanthropy and vampirism, I can become stronger than any monster!" He said.

Dr. Madison then looked at the remaining guards. "After we kill these beasts, I will personally turn any one of you that wants immortality. We will become unstoppable!" He informed them, and plunged both syringes into both sides of his neck.

Dr. Madison screamed in pain, and dropped to the floor on all fours. He dropped the syringes as he writhed in pain.

With all of the guards distracted, I crawled to Sarah. Each foot felt like a mile as I slowly crawled to her. I looked at her stomach, which had blood steadily flowing from the gunshot wound. I pressed my hand against her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.

Sarah grabbed my arm with one hand, and held my face with the other. "Don't leave me. I don't want to die alone." She said, with tears running down her face.

I shook my head, and her words cut me deep. They were almost the same words Ellie had asked. "I'm not going to let you die. You're going to be fine." I told her, starting to cry myself.

Sarah stroked my cheek. "Blake, look around. We're both shot, Maggie is down and nobody has weapons. We're not getting out of this. Just stay with me, please! I'm so cold and scared." She said, crying.