[I own nothing but the OCs and a load of debt. I also make nothing from this endeavour.
"How long?"
"Five days. At the most."
"We don't have five days, doc."
"I am well aware, Sarah. As a matter of fact, I took the liberty of contacting all the outside hospitals that we could afford. The closest is eight days travel."
"So she's dead. She's dead, but she just hasn't stopped breathing yet. But the boy-"
"No! Do not be so quick to condemn her. We could reach that hospital if we took the dead zone."
The pair of women paused in their talks, each of them looking through a window into a room were a heavily pregnant woman lay unconscious, numerous tubes connected to the IVs in both her arms. On the other side of the window, an African-American woman with braided hair in a white coat that bore the name tag 'Dr. Helen McCoy' was looking curiously at the other.
The other was close to six feet in height, with long chestnut hair pulled into a plait. In facial features, she was identical to the unconscious patient they were discussing – wide blue eyes, generous mouth and stubborn chin. She was currently looking at the doctor with an expression of disbelief.
"Look doc, I appreciate what I demonstrated when I explained our heritage was…impressive, but taking the dead zone alone would be too risky to contemplate – with more of you along for the ride, it would become impossible."
The other woman looked impatient. "Not if we hire a hunter."
"There's a female hunter in the area?"
"No."
There was a shocked pause as both women stared at each other, one looking slightly scandalised, the other looking deadpan. Eventually, Sarah rubbed her eyes, forehead creased in a frown. "I need to think it through."
Dr. McCoy looked concerned. "Sarah, the longer we pause…"
"I know!" The other woman snapped. Then, her voice softened. "I know. But contracting…I know. But it has consequences for more than just Beth. Five minutes, that's all I ask."
Dr McCoy sighed. "Five minutes then, I need a decision by then."
Sarah left the room in a hurry, going to the nearest empty room and slumping into a chair next to the window, overlooking the main street. It was crowded – today was market day, and every spare foot of space seemed to have someone in it, either hurrying from place to place, or standing with friends and talking, laughing.
An outsider would possibly have noticed that there were three unusual things about the town from Sarah's vantage point. The first was that rather than the normal barricade of crosses many towns sported to keep away hostiles, this one had a full palisade – as tall as a 20ft in some places, never lower than 12, it ran solidly around the town, on featuring only two gaps for gates at either end of the main road.
The second was that on this palisade was a large scorch mark that looked recent, and a burnt out square that looking like it might once have hosted a large building.
The third was that every adult in sight was female. The occasional male child ran to and fro in places, but no men could be seen anywhere within the walls – or even, on the walls.
Inside the room, Sarah gave a snort that sounded frustrated, and got to her feet. Walking to the room's door, she opened it, and stuck her head into the corridor.
"Doc?" she called. "Doc? What the hell – let's try it."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
An hour away, in a different town, a tall mysterious man was preparing to ride out.
Despite only being in the town an hour, he had collected quite a crowd. It had started first with the children; to them a stranger was always new and exciting, and rarely had they seen one both so tall and with such a big sword. They followed the man around the town as he visited the supply store and the ostler, hiding in conspicuous places, and giggling to each other as he passed.
He paid them no attention.
The adults started paying attention due to Mrs Rowntree, the woman who had served him at the supply store she ran with her husband. She had remembered the story her sister had told her in her last letter, about the unearthly and beautiful man with long black hair, who wrapped himself up away from sunlight, who had rescued their mayor's daughter last year. She had muttered this to her husband while trotting around the store, who had passed it onto several customers, who had told others the second they had left the shop, and soon the man was surrounded by whispered conversations, and loaded silences as the people stared at him as he passed.
He paid them no attention.
Finally, as he was about to leave the ostler's, supplies for his mount in hand, a young woman was the one to actually break the barrier of speculation surrounding him.
"Excuse me, sir?" she asked, words coming out breathless and tumbled, even more so when he turned to look at her. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful his eyes were… "Sir, the whole town is wondering…are you a vampire hunter?"
There was a few seconds of silence as he seemed to consider her, her question, and possibly the surrounding crowd that had all seemed to stop and be listening for his answer too.
Finally, he spoke. "Yes," he said, his speech slow and deliberate, as if he picked his words with care. "Yes I am."
There was a pleased hubbub of noise that met this last statement, and the young woman blushed madly, for reasons she couldn't understand, at his answer.
"You are? Oh, how exciting! Please, sir, what do they call you?"
There was another pause, but this time, the deliberations seemed more internal – less consideration of the crowd around him, and more of himself. Finally, he answered again.
"D." He said, simply.
And with that, he turned and left.
Not a minute later, a short, balding man whose waistcoat strained to contain his belly hurried out of a building along the main street, where everyone was standing, discussing the stranger.
"Hey, Cole, why so rushed?" shouted someone from the crowd at the man.
"Got a message!" shouted back Cole. "A message from Aama."
There was a momentary shocked hush at his words, when someone spoke again.
"From…Aama?"
Cole nodded. "Why the devil they're asking us I don't know, but they're looking for a hunter-"
He was cut off by the sudden shout of noise as everyone in the town had the same idea and went haring off in the direction the stranger had gone.
Eventually Cole was left standing in the middle of the street, watching his town disappear down the main road.
"Well, I'll be blown," he muttered to himself. "What was all that about?"