The creatures burst into the room, falling over each other in a mad frenzy, eager to find the prey that they had sensed. But when they saw only an empty room, they paused, as if their primordial brains had stopped to process the situation. Then, they began to sniff the air for the scent of blood, as their glowing red eyes scanned the room.
Mia sat on the kitchen floor with her back pressed against the counter – it was the only thing that separated her and the creatures. On the other side, she could hear their rummaging footsteps and hungry grunts. One of them was close by, right on the other side of her; she could hear its keen nose sniffing the air. Then suddenly, it leaned over the counter above her, sniffing a drop of blood that it had found. Mia held dead still as she listened to it lap up the blood and then greedily sniff the air for more. She held her bleeding hand, wrapped in her sweatshirt, close to her chest. The creature sniffed towards her, leaning further over the counter. Mia pressed back as hard as she could. She was certain that it had sensed her, and at any moment it would launch over the counter and pounce right on top of her. She closed her eyes in fearful anticipation.
But then, the creature suddenly lifted its head as if something else caught its senses, and it began to follow a different scent trail, leading it to the dining table where Mia had cut her finger. As she listened to the creature scamper away, her body weakened in a rush of relief.
Three other creatures were also searching the room, sniffing at various places where Mia had left her blood. She could hear their footsteps occasionally walking over the broken glass that lay scattered across the floor. She listened to their sounds from across the room, and she knew she had to move before they got closer. Slowly, she climbed onto her knees and began to crawl, as silently as she could, towards the hallway beside the kitchen. The darkness was a maze; she couldn't see a thing. But every tiny sound was like a beacon of light in the dark labyrinth – the only point of reference she had to the world around her. Her body trembled in terror, and she pushed through the feeling of paralysis and kept moving. She knew she was crawling into a dead end – there was nowhere to go; all she could do was to hide… and perhaps simply delay the inevitable. But then again, that is all survival really is – delaying the inevitable.
Vasiliy watched the sun set as he shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. He dusted his hands and then made his way towards the workshop where the van was parked.
"Are you leaving now?" Malaika asked as he passed her in the living room.
"Yep…"
"Let me come with you," she said, standing to her feet.
"No… stay here," Vasiliy instructed as he walked staunchly through the room without even glancing at her.
"But I can help…"
"You can help by keeping an eye on our guests. Besides, if I don't make it back… someone's gotta be here."
"Are you going alone?" she asked, eagerly following him to the van.
"I got a plan…" he muttered as he climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Malaika standing anxiously in the warehouse as she watched him drive away.
Vasiliy arrived at the old industrial district nearby, and turned down a street that was particularly empty and lifeless, inhabited only by the looming corpses of steel-framed giants – the old abandoned factories and warehouses. He'd only ever been here once before, and it was with Quinlan. Otherwise, he never had a reason to seek the hunters. He hoped he'd remembered the right place. But as he pulled up outside the narrow brick building wedged in between two massive warehouses, he knew he could not have mistaken – it was definitely the right place.
He climbed out of the van and stood rummaging through the bags he had packed, tucking various guns and ammunition into his pockets. Then, when he was done, he turned around… and was suddenly startled as he turned right into a solid figure standing behind him.
"Jesus!" he cried out in surprise. He looked upon the face of the hooded figure and saw that it was Quinlan. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Quinlan. He glanced past Vasiliy into the back of the van, noting all the weapons he had in there. "Going to war?" he asked with a derisive tone in his voice.
"Well… sort of…"
Quinlan leaned in close, his eyes probing and threatening. "And I suppose you were hoping to take my men with you…?"
Vasiliy looked away from Quinlan's glare but refused to step back from his intimidation. "I would've asked you… but who the hell knows where you are these days." He scowled as he pushed past Quinlan with a bump of the shoulder. This belligerent gesture may have seemed intentional, but that would've been too bold… even for Vasiliy.
However, Quinlan took it as a challenge, and he spun around and grabbed Vasiliy's shoulder. "You do not take my men anywhere without my permission, do you understand?" he growled, staring menacingly into his eyes. "I have lost enough men as it is… I do not need you risking their lives for whatever personal affairs you might have."
"Personal? What, you think I'm taking these guys out on a date?! I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important!" Vasiliy snapped, shaking Quinlan's hand off his shoulder. "Look… Mia's in trouble, okay? That's why I'm here!"
Quinlan's eyes suddenly shot wide open.
"Her whole building's infected, and she's trapped inside. Those things are everywhere… dozens of 'em! I told her I'd get her out, but I'm gonna need a team in there with me…"
At this point, Quinlan was already walking away briskly.
"Hey… where are you going?" Vasiliy called.
Quinlan marched brashly towards the van and climbed into the driver's seat. "Get in," he ordered firmly. He slammed the door shut, and as soon as Vasiliy sat into the seat beside him, he sped off down the road. He drove without saying a word, and he didn't slow for any bump or any corner.
Within minutes, the car screeched to a stop outside Mia's apartment. Quinlan jumped out and stormed inside as quickly as he could. Vasiliy followed behind him, trying his best to keep up. As soon as they walked into the building, a Strigoi launched at them from out of the darkness. Quinlan caught the creature by the throat and clenched his fingers around its neck. He dug his fingers deep into its flesh, and when he found its stinger, he yanked the organ right out of its body. The creature fell to the ground, gurgling and convulsing. But as Quinlan looked down at the twitching corpse, his eyes grew wide and his body suddenly froze. At that moment, another creature came charging towards them… but Quinlan still didn't move; he didn't even look up as his gaze stayed transfixed on the ground in front of him. Vasiliy quickly pulled out his gun and shot the charging creature between the eyes. Quinlan didn't even flinch as it came close to him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Vasiliy yelled, looking at Quinlan. He wondered what on earth could've caused such a warrior to stand frozen in battle. But then he followed Quinlan's gaze and saw, on the ground next to the dead Strigoi, was a dog lying on its side with its golden fur covered in blood. Its eyes were peacefully closed, and its four legs were stiff, stretched out in front of its body.
"Shit…" Vasiliy muttered. He took a deep sigh. "I think she knew this would've happened…"
"Is she safe?" Quinlan asked, turning to Vasiliy with a look of urgency in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"Where is she?"
"Follow me…"
In the stairway, they encountered more Strigoi. This time, Vasiliy ploughed through them with all the firepower he had, and he found it rather exhilarating compared to his last encounter. Then, when a horde of Strigoi burst into the stairway below, Vasiliy took a grenade from his pocket and hooked his finger through the pin. He tossed the grenade towards the creatures, and the metallic bulb bounced down the steps with a clink, clink, clink. Vasiliy and Quinlan ran through the door on the second floor, and in the stairway behind them, the loud explosion echoed through the hollow and shook the ground and the walls. The noise brought out several more Strigoi from inside the apartments. Vasiliy reloaded his gun, and together with Quinlan's machine pistols, they destroyed the creatures within a matter of seconds.
When the hallway fell silent, Vasiliy ran towards the apartment where they had stayed. But when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped.
"No, no, no… this can't be right…" he turned to Quinlan, his eyes wide with fear. "This door was locked…"
The fear in Quinlan's eyes was no better concealed as he looked at the door flung wide open, and the wood cracked and splintered. "Are you sure this is the apartment?"
"I… I don't know…" Vasiliy hoped he had mistaken, but as he shined his flashlight around the room, he knew it was no mistake. "This is definitely the apartment..."
Quinlan stepped into the doorway, and suddenly, he caught a scent in the air – blood. He clenched his fists and walked into the room, his heart pounding like a mortal man's. He followed the scent to a chair in the middle of the room, and on the back of the chair, he found a smear of blood… and the blood carried a familiar scent.
Suddenly, Quinlan felt his chest constrict… as if something had stolen the breath right from his lungs. A cold chill washed over his body as he stared down at the crimson stain on the wooden grain of the chair. And again, he found himself unable to move… unable to look away.
Vasiliy, however, had not succumbed to despair. But then again, he had not seen the blood. "Mia?!" he called, marching from the living room to the kitchen, and shining his light in every corner, hoping to find her there. "Mia! Come on… please be alive…" he uttered under his breath. "Mia!"
Then finally, there was a distant voice… faint and muffled, "Fet?"
Quinlan and Vasiliy both sprung to attention and listened closely, wondering if they had imagined it.
"Fet…"
This time, they heard it clearly. The immense relief that Quinlan felt was almost like an electric current surging through his body, reanimating him with life.
"Fet… in here…" the soft voice called.
They ran towards the sound, following it down the hallway and into the bedroom at the end. The room was empty, but within seconds, Vasiliy realised where she would be. He flung open the closet door and shined his light inside… and there she was, sitting on the floor, huddled in the corner. Frightened and trembling, she looked up towards the light with eyes ever so innocent… large and desperate… windows to a broken soul. "You came back…" she uttered in her broken voice.
"Of course I came back!" Vasiliy exclaimed, pulling her to her feet.
Quinlan stood a few paces back, unable to take his eyes from her. He stared at her deeply, savouring every bit of reality that she was alive and he had not lost her. "Mia…" he finally called to her.
Mia's heart skipped at the sound of Quinlaln's voice, and as her emotions flooded her, she let out a cry as she eagerly reached out for him. He touched her arm to let her know where he was, and immediately, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Quinlan!" she cried, holding him ever so tight, her chin against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his neck. This time, he did not pull away, but he embraced her in return… though only gently at first, and perhaps with uncertainty… until he finally allowed himself to reciprocate the sentiment. And when he unshackled his restraint, it was as if a fire erupted within him, and he enclosed his arms around her completely, pulling her into him. She responded by curling herself upon his chest.
Vasiliy stared at the two of them in bewilderment. He thought he was going crazy for a second, seeing something that wasn't really there. But the more he looked at them, the more he realised it was not his imagination, but there was indeed something there… although he had no idea what. He thought he would ask her about it later… ask her if she had lost her mind. But then again, she was blind.
Suddenly, Quinlan lifted his head, his eyes gleaming and vigilant. "There are more coming," he said, sensing something in the air. "We have to go… now." He glanced swiftly around the room, and when he spotted the window, he walked hurriedly towards it. Without hesitating, he smashed the glass with his elbow and the shattered pieces fell around him. On the outside of the building, heavy metal bars encaged the window.
"Those bars are bolted into the walls – I don't think we can…" Before Vasiliy finished his sentence, Quinlan had gripped the bars in his hands and given them a firm push, and the bolts came right out of the wall, crumbling the bricks around it as it came loose. He tossed the heavy bars onto the pavement below and they landed with a loud crash.
The creatures could now be heard scampering through the apartment. Vasiliy quickly reloaded his gun and aimed it towards the door, ready for them to come through at any moment. But Quinlan had no plans to fight this time. He went straight to Mia, and took her arms and placed them around his shoulders. "Hold onto me," he told her, as he swept her up in his arms. Her body felt as weightless as a feather to him.
With Mia in his arms, he dashed across the room… and just as the creatures burst through the door, he leaped through the window as effortlessly as a cat. Mia gasped at the sudden feeling of freefall as they dropped from the second story, and she held desperately onto Quinlan's shoulders. Within a split second, he landed on his feet on the pavement below, and she felt the impact reverberate through his body. Any human would've shattered their bones from a fall like that. But Quinlan stood straight to his feet.
In the room above, Vasiliy stood shooting the creatures as they ran through the door. Dead bodies started piling up in the doorway, and the creatures were tumbling over them to get into the room. Vasiliy backed towards the window and glanced over the ledge – it was far too high to jump. But he had to get out – he realized he couldn't hold the creatures like this; they were getting too close and he couldn't shoot them fast enough. He cursed in vexation at the fact that Quinlan had simply abandoned him. Left without a choice, Vasiliy pulled another grenade from his jacket and threw it into the middle of the room. Then he turned and climbed onto the ledge of the window and looked around frantically for a way down. Then, just as he spotted a water pipe along the side of the building, the grenade behind him erupted in a deafening explosion, taking out all the creatures in the room. At the same time, the force sent him hurling off the ledge… but not before he managed to leap towards the pipe and grab onto it. The pipe ran all the way down to the ground – it was the escape that he had been looking for, as if fate had planted it right there for him.
On the street below, Quinlan set Mia down on her feet, but she didn't let go of him.
"Please tell me we're out of that place," she whimpered.
"We're out of there," he said plainly. He pulled her away from him, but only to look her up and down. His eyes glimmered as they absorbed her intensely. "You're bleeding…" he noted, slight concern in his voice.
"It's just a cut," she said, as she held out her bleeding hand in front of him.
Suddenly, the sweet scent of her blood under his nose awakened his stinger and it rattled like a caged beast inside his chest. He growled as he turned his head and pushed her away, holding her shoulders back away from him.
"Shhh… it's ok," she whispered, pressing closer to him. Ever so tenderly, she placed her bleeding hand upon his cheek and turned him back towards her. He wanted to pull away, but she persisted, holding his cheek and hushing him with gentle reassurance. When he finally gave in to her will, he turned and looked at her face… and in that instant, he somehow tamed all his primal urges, and he realized he wouldn't lose control. He could never hurt her… and he was finally beginning to trust in that.
She brushed her fingers across his cheek, moving close to his lips… so close he could almost taste the tiny particles of blood in the air. He gently grasped her hand and held it in front of him. "Let me see," he purred softly. He looked down at the wound and caressed his thumb over the broken skin. "It has already stopped bleeding," he said, as he clasped her hand in both of his and held it close to his chest. He looked into her trusting eyes… and she smiled faintly.
By then, Vasiliy had climbed down from the building and was stomping towards them with a grumpy look on his face, hiding the fact that he was really pleased with himself at how he managed to escape.
"Thanks for leaving me up there!" he scoffed.
Quinlan smirked. "Now we're even."
"Yeah... I guess we are. Now let's get the hell outta here."
Quinlan helped Mia into the van, then climbed in after her and sat beside her. He let her arm touch his, as he knew this always gave her comfort. As soon as Vasiliy started to drive away, Mia breathed out a long-held breath of relief. She closed her eyes and shuddered at the thought of everything that had happened.
"You ok?" Vasiliy asked, as he heard her trembling breath.
"Yeah…" she murmured.
"I would've come sooner, but… you know what it's like with the soldiers and…"
"I know," she stopped him. "Noah and the kids… are they ok?"
"Yeah, everyone's fine." He looked at her in the reflection of the mirror and hesitated, "Hey… um… I'm sorry, but your dog didn't make it…"
"I know," she said softly.
"What are you going to do now? I'm mean, how are you going to get around and everything?"
Mia didn't answer. And at that moment, Quinlan felt a great turmoil within him, and he clenched his jaw. It was getting harder and harder to keep the truth from her. He knew what he should do… what he should have done a long time ago… and perhaps this time, there would be no other choice.
The drive to the warehouse continued in silence, and in the comfort of the silence, Mia turned to Quinlan and laid her head down on his chest. He put his arms around her and she closed her eyes, listening to the beat of his heart against his muscular chest. Her body eased into the relief that she was finally safe… safe in his arms, and how could she not feel safe in arms like these? At that moment, she did not have a fear in the world. However, as Quinlan sat there, holding her like he never wanted to let go, there was a feeling inside him that he just could not shake – he felt… afraid.
