RAMI

***

Two men converted a pool of clear, cold water of the woods to murky, crimson slough. A woman pinned to a copper colored tree with sharp wooden branches from her heart to her stomach, and another woman on the other side of the same tree, with a rope tight around her neck and blood pouring to the soil from her arms, chest and stomach. Six individuals scattered within one reddened field with ripped skins and non-beating hearts. Every single body had the same exact mark: the hunter's mark. Ten hunters. Ten hunters are scattered lifeless in the woods.

I really hope I'm still drunk. I really hope it's just my hangover messing with my senses. This is not the walk I was expecting. I wanted to stroll around the woods to get rid of my headache and clear my senses, as I always do every time I drink. That did not happen, at all. If anything, it just gave me a much bigger headache, ten heart attack and one surprising vomit. It's not every day you take a hike and find ten dead hunters just casually lying around.

What the hell happened?

From the looks of it, these dead bodies are fresh. Whatever happened, it only occurred within the past 48 hours or less. Lysander has been patrolling our surroundings just about every day, so he would have caught this, even though it's a little farther than the wolf cave. I'm sure the dead bodies would have called his attention. Even with the scent of a human being, the dead fucking reeks. So much blood.

I almost had another round of hurling as my brain reminded me of the traumatizing images and scent. I'm on my way back to the wolf cave to tell the werewolf and his mate about the scene. I'm running as fast as I could, despite the fact that my legs had weakened as soon as I saw the first two bodies. With my brain stuck on the horrific bodies, my legs shaking and my heart pounding, I darted trees after trees.

Because I was distracted, I did not see what was ahead of my trail and crashed against something that brought me down to the cold ground.

"What's the rush?"

I looked up and my heart stopped. It wasn't something. I crashed against someone. A certain pale asshole with his mouth and eyes as the only body part that has a color. His platinum blonde hair falls over one of his red eyes as he grins down at me, showing off his sharp teeth covered with dried blood.

It's none other than the 'big boss' vampire who I had taken blood from. The one that I had apparently pissed off.

"What's the rush?" He asked again. His tone holds nothing but amusement. "Your friends are gone. Might as well give yourself to me."

As if the horror wasn't enough, I felt my entire body grow cold. My friends are gone. Drew and Lysander. There is absolutely no way this freak and his friends could take them down. A werewolf and a scientist. And even then, what about the deal they have? About the two beings not getting in each other's way? Or did I fucked that up?

I took a deep breath and glared at the vampire in front of me. I stood up, suddenly finding energy and confidence, from anger. I clenched my fist. "What did you do to them?" Are they gone as in they're not in the wolf cave, or gone in a sense that they're... no. That's impossible.

"Me? I did nothing." He raised his hands up defensively. He then leaned his body against a tree and crossed his arms. "I'm assuming you saw those petty humans back there?" I gave him a nod, keeping my defenses up. I have one wooden dagger on an inside pocket of my jacket and a Sleeper on another. I can kill him at any second. "Those are hunters. Those hunters arrived a couple of days ago. I've told you before. We don't like hunters here. If we see any hunters, we get rid of them."

His red eyes dilated as he stared down at me, but he didn't move from his spot.

"Now, I don't know what trouble you, your human companion and your werewolf had got into, but you have attracted a lot of hunters here." Shit. Fuck. Why now? "There were about thirty of them on the arrival. Within the days they were here, we've hunted the hunters and got rid of them."

I thought back to that time when a vampire came for me, then he just left all of a sudden, looking like he felt something out of place. That vampire must have caught the hunters' scents and ran.

"There are twenty two hunters left." The long haired vampire continued. "We lost those twenty two hunters."

And those hunters must have found Drew and Lysander.

Shaking my head, I gave the vampire one last glare before my feet acted on their own and ran back to the wolf cave. I ran faster than I've ever done, even if my lungs couldn't run along my pace. My friends are in trouble and I wasn't there to help them. I jumped over rocks and pushed through bushes while my anxiety took control of my head and senses.

I reached the underground house and the first thing I saw is the wooden door detached from its frame and smashed to splinters. I stepped a foot inside and was greeted by the mess of the main hall. Everything was a mess. Things were destroyed, furniture are out of place and muddy footsteps marked the floors. A lot of them.

There is not a person in the wolf cave. Not a hunter. Not a human. Not a werewolf.

"Fuck!"

I ran inside Drew's room and found it untouched, as well as Lysander's and mine's. Nothing else was ruined other than the kitchen and living room. Between the first and second hall, I saw a wasted Sleeper on the floor. My eyes watered as I imagined what must have went down. Drew fought the hunters. Lysander fought the hunters. They both failed. I wasn't there to help them. I should have been there.

I checked the objects on the living room floor: alcohol bottles from last night, a broken framed art work that once hanged on the kitchen wall, ripped clothing and a syringe that contained only a drop of wolfsbane.

"See?" The unwanted voice of the vampire followed me to the house. "They're probably dead."

"They are not."

Lysander is worth too much to be killed. But Drew... What did they do to her? If they killed her, they would have simply left her here. There is not a drop of blood here, either. They must have taken both of them somewhere. I need to come and find them. I need to save them.

"Since they're gone, I figured you want to join them in the dead world."

I snapped my head towards the vampire, just in time to see him take a step towards me. It seemed only like two steps that he took as he reached me so fast that I didn't have time to move. I was pinned against a wall and one strong hand grips around my neck. My feet lifted from the floor and I struggled to breathe.

I raised my foot and kicked the vampire's stomach with every energy I have, causing him to drop me. I pulled the wooden stake from my jacket and stabbed his shoulder blade as he curled down with pain for a brief moment. The vampire hissed as the stake pierced through his skin, but he easily pulled it out and threw it across the room. A stake only kills a vampire if it pierced through the heart.

There's one stake in Drew's room, one in Lysander's room and another one in my room. I made a run for Lysander's room as it is the closest one. However, I was only able to make it outside before I was thrown back to the living room, my back hitting the couch roughly. The vampire knelt down in front of me and punched me in the gut and jaw.

I screamed in pain as my hands touched my stomach. "You're dead, human." The vampire sneered before his mouth aimed for my neck. I closed my eyes as I felt his sharp teeth meet my skin. The fangs pierced through my skin and after a second, the pain left and the heavy weight on me was gone. I heard a loud crash from the other side of the room, followed by another.

I opened my eyes and blinked as I thought I was seeing double. Although, one figure has long blonde hair and another had dark and short. The other wears a torn blue jeans and burgundy shirt while another wears an all black formal suit. I watched as the black clothed figure fling the other pale man across the room before they appeared in front of me within matters of seconds.

"Well, hello there!"

It's him. That vampire from West Grove. I let out a shaky breath.

"Irwin."

His smile dropped and his eyebrows furrowed. "Irwin?" Before he could say more, a glass-based lamp hit his arm and it shattered between us. His red eyes grew angry towards the other side of the room before he gave me another casual, sweet smile. "Pardon me for a few minutes." Like a blur, he bolted towards the other vampire.

The two are on the kitchen, hissing at each other as they fight. I could not hear what they're saying, but it looked like the other vampire is just as strong as Irwin. Seeing as they are distracted, I took the chance to run to Drew's room and look for the silver dagger. I don't know where she keeps it. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I could hear the two vampires growling at each other while the crashing and slamming of objects get louder. I frantically looked through her belongings and came across the one Sleeper, along with pink liquid on one container. I took the remaining Sleeper and ran back to the kitchen. I waited until the two vampires separated before I threw the Sleeper towards the blonde haired vampire. His eyes widened with recognition and ran from the smoke. The other vampire caught him and pushed him back towards the cloud of white vapor before running at my side. We waited for a few seconds until the wild vampire fell to the floor, just as he did the first time.

"My hero."

I frowned at the vampire. "How the hell did you find me? How did you get here -- "

He held up a hand that made me stop talking. "First of all, I am quite offended that you did not remember my name, Rami Nazari." He brushed a hand through his hair. "It's Idris."

My mouth dropped but closed it immediately. "I knew that. Whatever."

"Whatever floats your boat." He grins before eyeing the unconscious asshole. "I'll be right back." I watched as he picked up the man with ease and ran outside the wolf cave. He returned after a few seconds, looking like he had just taken out the trash. I mean, he sort of did. "Alright. Secondly, I saw you." He sat on the scratched up wooden kitchen table, crossing his legs. "Do you have tea, by any chance?"

"What do you mean you saw me? Are you some sort of psychic vampire or what? Or have you been stalking me?" Vampires are so creepy. All of them. Some are less creepy than others, but all of them are creepy. This one, I'm not sure where he stands on the scale but he gives me goosebumps. Idris. Idris.

"Observing from afar." Yes. He makes it to the very creepy end of the scale. "Don't look at me like I'm going to eat you." He chuckled. "I won't. Unless you asked for it, then, - "

"So, psychic vampire?" I interrupted, feeling blood rush through my face.

He gave me another grin. "That's one term for it." As he talked, I began to pick up the objects on the floor. "You met my friends Juliet and Bob." I will never forget the tall, creepy, vampire named Bob. "They are two of my many friends in the east side of the country. Notice, I only say east coast because central and west states are beyond my connections. I don't associate with those vampires but I do know they are the cruel ones. Just like Ulysses there. When you were still in east coast, I had friends who reported to me about your well beings - " I gave him a side glare. "I needed to know if you're in trouble or not."

"Oh, so you knew when we were attacked by three vampires." I scoffed.

"No. Well, yes, but no." He frowned. "Once you passed east coast, mid east, I lost all eyes and ears on you."

"So how the fuck - "

"As you know, some vampires have abilities. Powers. Eleanor can read minds. I get visions."

I paused all my movements to stare at him. "So, like That's So Raven?" I bit my lip to suppress a laugh.

The young looking but very old vampire gave me a pointed look, as if daring me to laugh at him. "Kind of. It's complicated. I, myself, do not know how it works exactly. I don't only see the future, but I can also see visions from the past and present. For example, I had a vision that Evandra, Andromeda's human friend, was being followed by hunters and - "

"What the fuck do you mean she was followed by hunters?! When?!" She was fine just the last time we spoke with her. I thought she was good?

Idris waved his hand. "Relax, you silly human. That was one of my visions that happened presently. Just two days ago, I got that vision. I didn't know whether it happened already, is happening currently, or was about to happen, so I sent Eleanor to check on her. After she got back to me, it turns out it was currently happening and she got rid of the hunters. Eva is safe at her partner's house. However, Eleanor is with them, just in case any threat appears." Holy shit. Drew is going to freak out. Also, it must suck to have a vampire third wheeling on Nina and Eva. Especially someone like Eleanor. "Anyway, one of my other visions was you and the werewolf tied up and were surrounded by vampires that I did not know. I didn't know if that vision was from the past, present or future, so I looked for you as soon as I can. However, when I finally caught your scents, it appears that I was too late. All I was in time for was you three, in a motel room, eating." That was when we were celebrating for not dying. The vampire smirked at me. "Not today, assholes, right?"

"So, that vision happened in the past? Or did it happened during the present and you were just too late?"

"It happened during the past. I didn't take too long finding you. For some reason, there's a scent that made it easy for me to track you three." He smiles at me widely. "But I do apologize for not being there. I apologize for letting you get hurt by those vampires. But I'm glad you all made it out." I shook my head, not wanting to remember that awful time. "My visions are also how I know Andromeda will be able to help me with a cure for sunlight. I saw us walking under the sun and she was at our side."

Oh, Drew. She spent so much time, so much effort working on that cure. My chest tightened as I looked down at the floor. "Yeah, well your vision is probably wrong because Drew might not be able to do that because she was taken, or may be killed." I need to make a move. Right now. The longer I wait, the more chance something bad happens to them.

As I was picking objects from the floor, I found my phone by the couch. When I picked it up, it was on video recording and it was still recording. When I stopped it, it showed that I was recording for almost thirteen hours. I must have been using my phone last night, when we were celebrating Lysander's birthday.

I replayed the video and Idris ran at my side to watch along.

All we saw was me consuming an unbelievably amount of alcohol, singing, dancing and making a lot of noises while drunk, irritating Lysander as he talks to Drew, who is also drunk but not as much as I was. At some point, I lost my shirt and I was making fun of vampires while the couple ignored me.

"Aren't you a ball of sunshine?" Idris laughed as he watch the video.

Blushing of embarrassment, I forwarded the video to the last two hours when everything happened. The screen is entirely black. My phone must have been under the couch. The noises are very clear though: the voices, the footsteps, the cries and the crashing of objects.

***

Although only voices were heard, there were a lot more footsteps. I don't know how many hunters crashed the house, but I know there is a lot of them. Enough to take Lysander and Drew. At least twenty. The hunters that got away from Ulysses and his vampire friends. Just by listening to the voices, I felt Drew's fear. Lysander's anger. The hunters' lack of care for them. Most of all, I heard the pain and fear from Doctor Rai, even if it it was very faint. I couldn't do anything but listen as the hunters dragged them out and take them away.

"There were two cars. They took Lysander in one place and Andromeda in a separate place." Idris took in the information we learned from the video. "The hunters took the werewolf to the military, in exchange for money. Drew was kept by hunters." He put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"I should have been with them." I ran my hands over my face, frustrated, anxious, scared, angry. "I should have been there to help them! If I was there, they had a better chance of getting away from them. Even if we didn't, I at least would have been with Drew. She's all alone and I don't know what they're going to do to her." I breathed heavily as my mind took me to different scenarios, none of which are good. "They're both in trouble and I'm just here."

I stopped pacing and let out another breath. Idris watched my every move and straightened up as I faced him. He looked at me with a smile and I had a feeling he already knew what I wanted to do.

"I'm coming for those hunters."

***

While I prepared for wherever the hell I'm going to face whatever the hell I need to face, Idris searched the area for any scent of Lysander or Drew.

"They went on completely different directions." Idris reported after scanning the woods. "Unfortunately, I am not from here and do not know any place where they would be."

"Great." I mumbled. If only it was as easy as catching Lysander's scent in West Grove. Back then, we had Drew with us and we had more than two people. "Wait. Why don't you call your vampires over? Maybe they can help us?" The more, the merrier, right?

Idris' eyes blinked with guilt. "I didn't want them to get involved. I left the clan without anyone knowing, other than Eleanor. I didn't want them to follow me and get hurt. There has been a lot of hunters coming out to look for the werewolf and some vampires have been caught along the way. I don't want my clan to be caught. Not only by the heartless hunters, but the vicious vampires of the west states. My clan, the east coast vampires, do not get along with vampires here in west coast. We are very different and do not get along."

I nodded, understanding what he's saying. Idris seemed like the leader of his clan. I've seen what these hunters can do and how cruel the other vampires can be. He doesn't want his clan to get involved with all the shit that's happening. He's protecting his friends.

"Also, as soon as I had the vision of you, I left our current hiding place. Crossing from east coast to west coast isn't easy." Idris sighs, looking around the place. "Even if they were here, none of us could help. Lysander's and Andromeda's scent fades away after a couple of miles from here. We wouldn't know where to look, as we are not familiar with the area." He and I stared at each other for a moment, not knowing the first step to rescue my friends. Then, he pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at me. "I know who can help. Although, I cannot say you will like who."

"At this point, I will take any help I can get."

Idris gave me a nervous smile. "Alright. But please don't kill me with your mastermind."

"Why would I - "

He disappeared, leaving a gush of wind. I waited no less than three minutes before he returned with the familiar vampire, who was beaten up not long ago and now, he's all healed and perfect again. He hissed at me and pushed Idris away from him.