Darkness Falls

Maggie groaned. "Please tell me that you have told me everything." She asked.

I nodded. "To the best of my knowledge, yes." I responded.

Maggie definitely wasn't happy but she looked relieved that I didn't have more bad news. "Okay, so here's the plan, feel free to interrupt if you have any ideas. We will all go to the warehouse, and scope the place to see if we can find an open entrance. The reason we will all go is that I don't know if Michael, Colton and I can get in without being invited in. I don't want that to be a surprise when we infiltrate it tomorrow night. Also, Taylor, Sarah and Heather will be well protected with us there." She explained.

Blake raised his hand again. "Why do they need to go at all? Shouldn't they stay here where it's safe?" He asked.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "What do you think this house is, some kind of fortress? If we left the humans here, they would be vulnerable to attack. The safest place for them is with us. Besides, they need to see what the layout of the place looks like as well. We'll be at a disadvantage if we try to attack and we don't know how the building is laid out. Anyways, once we know what the place looks like, we can formulate a battle plan." Maggie explained.

Blake nodded, and nobody else asked questions.

Maggie sighed, and looked at her phone. "It's four in the afternoon. We have a couple of hours until total darkness. We leave once the sun goes down." She informed us.

CHAPTER TWELVE - BLAKE

"So remind me why we can't just bust the door down?" I asked. We were all crammed in Maggie's car. Sarah was currently sitting on my lap because there wasn't enough room in the car. I wasn't complaining. I subtly rubbed her thighs but she playfully smacked my hand and took it in hers. Heather was sitting on Colton's lap, and Taylor was sandwiched between us.

Maggie leered at me in the rear view mirror. "If we force our way in, especially through the front door they would see the damage right away and might panic, releasing the evidence early. We don't want them to know that we were there or have broken in." She responded.

Suddenly, red and blue lights appeared behind us.

Sarah looked back. "Shit! It's a cop!" She said.

Maggie audibly groaned. "Well shit." She responded.

"Can't you just speed off?" I asked. I was pretty sure that we would get a ticket or worse.

Maggie pulled over, parked the vehicle and put her hands on the steering wheel. "Not exactly. The last thing I want to do is end up in a police chase. I'll handle it, but everybody needs to remain quiet." She replied.

The officer approached the car and shined his flashlight into the car, looking at all of us. He kept his hand on his gun but didn't draw it. He approached Maggie's window and tapped on the glass.

Maggie rolled down her window and looked at the officer.

The officer shone his light on Maggie's face and looked surprised. "Is that your natural eye color?" He asked.

Maggie nodded. "Yes, I am an albino." She replied.

The officer recovered from his shock and kept a professional composure. "Do you have your license, registration and proof of insurance?" He asked.

Maggie nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry for swerving, officer. I should have been paying more attention to the road." She told the officer in a voice dripping with feigned innocence.

I was confused, as she hadn't been swerving. In fact, she had been driving inconspicuously. She was trying to not bring attention to us.

The officer raised his eyebrows. "That's not why I pulled you over, but why don't you go ahead and tell me why you were swerving." The officer instructed.

Maggie nodded and slowly rubbed her eye. "Something got in my right eye, and it's burning and causing irritation. Hey, you have a flashlight! Can you look into my eye and see if you can spot it?" She asked, in a flirty voice.

The officer looked conflicted, but ultimately did what Maggie asked. He shone the light in her face and looked closely at her eyes.

That was a mistake, as Maggie grabbed his neck and pulled him closer. "You do not need to see our identification, we can move along. You will erase the footage on your body and dash cams, and you will forget that this encounter ever happened." She told him, compelling him.

The officer nodded, and stood back up. "Everything appears to be in order, you are free to go." The officer instructed, motioning for us to leave.

Maggie nodded. "Thank you officer." She replied, and put the car in drive, and drove off.

The car was silent for a few minutes. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Is no one going to point out that Maggie just used a line from Star Wars?" I asked.

Maggie kept her eyes on the road, but the slightest smirk appeared on her face.

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. We were getting close, only a few blocks away.

Maggie pulled into a Safeway parking lot and parked the car, turning the engine off. "We are close. We will walk the rest of the way. Keep your eyes peeled for Coalition members, because they could have lookouts anywhere. They may know what we look like, so don't trust anybody." She told us, then stepped out of the car.

Sarah opened my door, and stepped out. I did the same, and closed the door. Maggie opened the trunk, and retrieved a bag full of propane canisters. She then threw me a bag of weapons, and did the same to Michael. Colton didn't carry one. He insisted on being the lookout. To be fair, he did have an advantage that no one else had.

What we were about to do bothered me to my core. I didn't want to kill innocent humans, and while I was on the opposing side their fears and reasoning for doing what they were doing was understandable. They had a reason to be afraid of monsters, and had evidence of the capabilities of those monsters.

Unfortunately, we seemingly had no choice, and the one peaceful option seemed less likely by the hour. These people were adamant about destroying us, and there were no negotiations to be made. If we showed them mercy, they would most likely not do the same with us. If we didn't end this now, a lot more innocent werewolves and vampires were going to be jeopardized. Sure, there were bad ones too as I had learned first-hand, but the odds of me being the only semi peaceful werewolf was slim to none.

I shook the feeling of hesitation off. I needed to be clear minded, and without conflict. I would give the humans a quick death if it escalated to that, and would not let them suffer. That is more than what they would do for us. I studied the surroundings to see if people were paying attention to us. It was a weeknight, so not many people were out and about.

Maggie motioned for us to follow her. She led us down an alley, and we could see the warehouse in the distance. There were no lights on, so that was a good sign. There were also no people, which was not surprising considering the time of night and day of the week. Not many people were out late at night on a Tuesday night.

As we approached the warehouse I jumped onto the roof of the building beside me with one graceful and silent leap.

Maggie looked up at me with mild curiosity. "I guess he's taking the high ground. I hear heartbeats all around us, and it's difficult to hear where they're coming from with all of the noise. If you see anybody, capture them and bring them to me. There doesn't need to be any loss of human life tonight." She informed me, then continued walking.

Sarah noticed that I was no longer with them anymore, and positioned herself in between the remaining five people on the ground.

I turned my eyes to the world around me, but stayed close to the pack. There were people walking on the main street, but they would never think to go to an empty alleyway or look up to see me. I was wearing all black, which helped to mask my silhouette. There was a bright neon sign coming up, so I bolted past it as fast as I could. I easily ran faster than the average human could track with their eyes, so it wasn't a big deal. I scanned the surroundings as I waited for the group to catch up.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a glass bottle breaking. I looked towards the main road, and spotted three men. One was holding a man in a full Nelson headlock, and the other had a broken glass bottle that he was pointing at the man in a headlock with a threatening manner.

I looked back at Maggie, who also had an alarmed look on her face. Apparently she heard it too. "Do you want me to stop it? I think they're going to hurt him. I won't kill them, just make them run and leave the guy alone." I asked.

Maggie looked hesitant but eventually nodded.

I took a deep breath, and focused on the men holding the third guy down. They were off to the side of a bar, out of sight from other people. There wasn't anyone else in sight, which was good for me. I jumped down and rolled silently, then creeped my way over to them.

The guy with the bottle was holding it against his chest. One move and he could cut him or worse. "Santiago is done waiting for the money. He told me to deliver a message. If you will not pay with money, you will pay with blood!" The man told him in a threatening tone.

I rolled my eyes. The gangsters were always so dramatic. In my experience they were always the ones to beg for mercy first. I needed to end it quickly before it got out of hand. "How about you tell Santiago to piss off?" I asked in a mocking tone.

The guy with the broken bottle turned around to face me. He was bald, and had a tattoo with mandarin writing on the side of his neck. "Who the fuck are you? You are in the wrong place at the wrong time. I suggest you leave and mind your own business before I gut you like a fish!" The man shouted. He turned around to face me and puffed his chest up.

I sighed. "Look, I don't have time for this, I'm very busy. Leave the man alone and I will forget this conversation ever happened." I responded, crossing my arms.

The man's expression turned from hostility to rage. He pulled out a gun, faster than I ever expected him to. With one pull of the trigger he shot me in the chest.

I gasped for air and fell to my knees. Even though I healed quickly it still hurt like a bitch. The man's smile faded as I stood up, and my body pushed the bullet out of my chest cavity. The beast inside was clawing to get out. "You just fucked up." I told him.

The man's face turned from shock to horror as he saw me stand up, with blood stains running down my shirt but no hole in my torso. He shot me three more times in the stomach, and backed against the bar wall.

I was beyond pissed now. I wanted to rip him apart. As my body once again pushed out the bullets, my body began to vibrate, a warning sign that I was about to shapeshift. I used all the restraint I could and lunged at the man, pinning him against the wall. I wrapped my right hand around his throat and ripped the gun out of his hand with my left hand. I pointed it at him, and released my other hand, and searched him for a wallet. When I found it, I looked at his name and address. After I studied it, I put his wallet in my pocket.

I switched the pistol to my right hand and pointed it at the other man, and stared at him with an intimidating gaze. Meanwhile, the man in front of me didn't dare to move. "Let him go and stand there. No one is leaving yet." I told him in an intimidating manner.

I returned my gaze to the man I had pinned against the wall. "Well Carlos, looks like you're in a world of shit, but I'm feeling generous today. I could kill you, and snap your pitiful neck but I'm in a hurry. I'll tell you what, because I don't have time to dispose of bodies, I'll let you live." I told him in a threatening manner.

I squeezed my hand tighter, choked the poor bastard, then continued my monologue. "I'll even let you walk away unharmed under one condition- you leave this man alone, and never so much as look at him again. If you do, you will be allowed to live. If you don't, I know where you live and I can promise you that you will wish I would have killed you quickly here rather than the hell I can put you through if you break your promise. Do we have an accord?" I asked.

The man nodded, his eyes wide with fear.

I released him from my grip, and broke the gun in half with my hands. "Leave this place now." I told them.

The gangsters ran, and their victim started to run off.

I grabbed him by the shirt. "Not so fast, there is something I need you to do." I told him.

The man looked terrified but didn't resist.

I released him from my grip. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I need to see your phone." I told him.

The man nodded, and unlocked it, then handed it to me.

I went into his contacts, and created a contact named 'Werewolf'. I put my phone number in, and handed it back.

The man looked confused when he saw the name. "Are you really a-" The man started to ask, but let his voice trail off.

I nodded. "You just saw me heal from four gunshot wounds as well as break a gun in half with my bare hands. Do you really have to ask?" I responded.

The man shook his head no.

I nodded, sighing. "If any of them come back, or if you get into trouble with them, do not hesitate to call me. They are gangsters, and most likely have hurt other people or worse. I will not hesitate to kill them in the future." I informed him.

The man nodded, then put the phone back in his pocket. "Thank you for saving my life." He responded.

I held out my hand, and he shook it. "I need to leave. You know what to do if something happens." I told him, then darted back to the alleyway where the rest of our group was. I wanted to ask him who Santiago was, but didn't have time to get information. I would talk to him after this shitshow was over with.

Maggie looked concerned when I returned. "We heard gunshots and I both see and smell blood- your blood. Are you alright?" Maggie asked.

Sarah pulled out her phone and turned the flashlight on, shining it on me. "Oh my God, are you okay?" She asked.

I nodded. "I'm alright. You're forgetting I heal almost instantly from bullet holes. There's just a lot of blood. I'm perfectly fine." I responded.

Sarah looked like she didn't totally believe me, but Maggie nodded. "Alright, let's keep going, it's only a block away." She told us.

As we approached the warehouse, I started looking for entrances. I knew better than to try the front door, so I went to some of the windows. The windows themselves were covered in moss, and were dirty on the inside and out. From what I could see inside, it was unmaintained.

I looked at Sarah who was walking towards me. "I think the warehouse is abandoned. I don't see any signs of it being inhabited. Why would they want a meeting here if it's deserted?" I asked.

Sarah looked inside and studied the building. "Maybe they want to make sure they are undisturbed. No one has paid attention to this place for years. Why would they start now?" Sarah replied.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. Maybe they just picked the most random place they could." I responded.

I pulled on the window with no luck. "This window is locked, we need to find another entrance." I told her. All of a sudden, I heard motion behind me. I whipped around to see Maggie in a crouch position. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

Maggie stood up and shook her head. "Don't bother checking the other possible entry points, I went over all of them. The place is sealed tight. We can't get in without breaking something." She informed me in a frustrated tone.

I sighed. The last thing we wanted to do was break something.

Colton cleared his throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked.

Sarah, Maggie and I all turned around to look at him.

Colton grinned. "I have a special talent that allows me to interact with things up close that normally are impossible to interact with. Annabelle can open a lock and gain entry to the warehouse." He said, and walked to the door in the alley.

I still was skeptical, and wasn't sure if I would ever not be. I followed him to the door, and waited for something to happen. To my amazement, the door opened by itself without Colton doing anything.

Colton opened the door all the way for us to enter. "Annabelle used to only be able to interact with smaller objects, and doors were out of the question. She wasn't even able to go through walls or doors. Ever since I became a half-blood vampire her abilities have grown exponentially. We still haven't hit the limit of what she can do." Colton informed us.

Maggie was the first to approach the building. "Be careful, this place could be booby trapped. I'll know if this place is truly abandoned if I can enter without being invited in." Maggie told us, then took a step inside. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she turned around and gave us a thumbs up.

Michael and Colton were next. Michael pulled out two flashlights from his bag and handed one to Colton and turned the other one on. Heather then grabbed ahold of Colton's free hand.

I felt a warm hand take mine as well. I squeezed Sarah's hand reassuringly. I didn't need a flashlight because I had superhuman eyesight that pierced darkness, but I knew that Sarah would be blind without one. I dug around in my bag and pulled one out for Sarah. She gladly took it, and turned it on to examine the place.

We appeared to be in an old loading dock. There were conveyor belts covered in dust, rust and paint chips from the decaying building. The place was mostly empty, with only large objects remaining. I had never worked in a warehouse so I had no clue what things were in the building. There was a garage door to our right, I assumed it was a loading dock of some sort.

There were large swinging doors directly in front of us, and a garage door that had a ramp to our right. Maggie led the way through the doors into a large open space. It was there that we found what we were looking for. There were rows of seats that faced a makeshift podium. The podium was against a wall, and there was a table beside it.

I went over to it and approached it. "This must be where they're doing the meeting. There's about twenty chairs here. Are all of them Coalition members?" I asked.

Taylor nodded, approaching the podium. "Yes, as far as I know. The numbers are down but I think there are about twenty members. Conveniently, we've killed about five altogether, let's just hope that Mallory doesn't know who they actually are. There will be journalists here too, don't forget that. We need to plant the weapons and explosives and then leave. I don't see a place to do it though." Taylor informed us.

Maggie nodded, inspecting the room. There wasn't really a place to hide the explosives. "I have bad news. There is nowhere that we can hide the propane tanks or weapons. If we are going to stop them at all costs, it is quite literally going to come down to getting blood on our hands. Only afterwards will I be able to set them and detonate them" She replied.

I looked at Sarah with a grim expression.

Sarah squeezed my hand. "Whatever it takes. I will not live in fear." She told me.

I shook my head. "Sarah, I can't ask you to do this. It isn't your fight, and I'm not about to have you kill people for me or anybody else." I replied.

Sarah was not happy with what I said. "It wasn't a question. You are the most important thing to me. Keeping you- keeping us safe is all that matters. I would kill, I would break my doctor's oath to do no harm in a heartbeat if it meant keeping us safe. You're not talking me out of this." She told me in a firm tone.

I sighed. I knew better than to argue with her. "Okay, but if you are ever in dan-" I started to say, but was cut off by Maggie's ice cold hand over my mouth.

Maggie was peering through the darkness. "Shut up! Someone is here! I think it's a cop! Turn off your flashlights!" She warned us in a whisper.