Chapter 11

Inhaling deeply, Adullam spoke calmly, turning his head toward Fredricx, "May I sheath my blade?"

His jaw clenched, but Fredricx nodded, dropping the Hunter's arm and sharply prodding him forward by his lower back. True to his word, the Hunter carefully slid the weapon into its sheath and raised his hands parallel with his shoulders. In the background, Lucas was vomiting again, spraying blood on the ground below.

"When the moon replaces the sun, that man you are frivolously saving will transform. Another hunter will come along and slay him in a less merciful fashion. This way, he will die a human, respect preserved."

"He does not have baffling sickness," Fredricx shouted, "He will not turn into a beast."

"Fredricx, I'm sorry," Adullam started. He spoke as if to calm an ill tempered child. "I made a mistake. I misjudged." He turned, now facing Fredricx. His hands started to lower. "I don't think your friend will live much longer regardless."

"That hunter just tried to kill me!" Lucas exclaimed, swiping leftover vomit from his face with his sleeve. "How do you know this Hunter, Fredricx?" Lucas demanded, coughing again, "He just tried to kill me. I'd vomit again if there was anything left in my innards."

"I'm Adullam," the Hunter smiled, showing yellowing teeth and extending a handshake, "I won't try to kill you again unless it comes to it."

There was a furious headshake coupled with a bewildered look of enlarged eyes and slightly open mouth. Lucas didn't accept Adullam's hand. Instead, he turned his words, but not his attention to Fredricx, "Where is Ettie? It's nearly dark."

"Old Yharham."

"Old Yharham?" Adullam's eyebrows raised. "Why is she there?"

"Why, in sweet name of the Healing Church, would you care about her?" Lucas berated. No one acknowledged him.

"She washes clothes for the aristocracy."

"She isn't safe there."

"How do you know?" Fredricx asked, feeling tension start to build between his shoulders and deep within his skull. He could still feel the adrenaline from their encounter, but this was different. Locking his jaw, Fredricx's whole person seemed to bubble.

There was a sideward glance as well as a sigh from Adullam. "I overheard something earlier today from Father Gascoigne. If Ettie is in Old Yharham, she is in danger."

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Fredricx watched as Lucas slumped inside his apartment. His muscles seem to shake in his jaw and face. Blood colored his clothes.

"I'll go get her," Fredricx stated.

"You'll go get her," Adullam mocked with an exasperated tone. "The moon is out. Beasts wander the streets. Only hunters are fit to be out after dark, and even then, we aren't safe."

"I'm going to get my wife, and I'm taking this with me," Fredricx referenced the gun that he was still holding, "Give me your other bullets."

With a slight smirk, Adullam fished around in his overcoat pocket and surrendered a handful of bullets. These weren't like bullets Fredricx had seen as they were lighter and had a liquid that sloshed around the inside.

"Let's go," Adullam, of all reactions, smiled.

"Why would you?"

"I desire it."

Fredricx left the incense lanterns with Lucas, detailing the plan to him. Without surprise, Lucas didn't approve, but likely desired even more to have the hunter out of the perimeter. By the time Fredricx had secured Lucas inside his own apartment, it was dark. The moon had replaced the sun as a pitiful light source, casting darkness and calling out beasts.

"Let's go," Fredricx demanded, shifting the gun's weight and fidgeting with the extra bullets in his pocket.

"I'll lead." With that, Adullam started the street. From the folds of his overcoat, he produced another pistol.

Fredricx followed after. His heart rate was elevated. Was he that far removed from combat? Obviously not, he had just disarmed Adullam with little trouble. Was it being in the streets on the night of the hunt? Sure, this was a first, but he had a Hunter's gun and the Hunter it belonged to to watch his back. It had to be Ettie as the source of his anxiety. She was possibly alone, and according to Adullam, she was in danger.

There was a tall figure approaching them, larger than any human. The figure didn't have a gait like a normal man, but was hulkling and laborious. As they grew closer to another and to niether man's surprise, the figure was not a man. Instead, it was terrifying. It was closer to a wolf than man, covered in fur and hunched over, and brandished a torch in one mitt and a sharp farming tool in the other. The beast's breathing could be heard from their position, still many yards away.

Adullam stopped, glanced backwards at Fredricx, and tilted his head to the right, signaling him. They ducked into the mouth of an alley, backs pressed against the side of a building. The beast drew closer, breathing louder and louder until it stopped level with them. Adullam had his sword drawn. The beast threw its head back, inhaling. It was searching for them, scanning the street. At once, the beast's eyes locked with Fredricx. Drawing to its full height, it raised its weapon. However, Adullam was faster. Like a shadow, the hunter was suddenly behind the beast. Delivering a swift blow, it fell, and Adullam's sword plunged through its chest. He used his boot on the creature's back, pushing it forward as the weapon slid out. Splattered with blood, Adullam was more concerned with shaking the red from his blade than his face.

"Let's keep going," Adullam urged. They did, stepping over the beast's mangled body.

As the continued, they encountered more beasts. However, they mostly dealt with them by waiting for them to pass by or by backtracking.

Some of the beasts were worse looking than others. Some still wore clothes, which Fredericx had recognized from the windows of shops. Some were human sized and others larger. All of them reeked of spoiled blood. The fur would be matted and patchy. Through the patchiness, jagged round scars would appear like measles.

Regardless of the night time, the city was not quiet. The beasts were incredibly loud as they would wail and scream at another. The people, hidden behind doors, were varying degrees of loud as they would sob, vomit, and pray. Fredricx and Adullam were far quieter in comparison.

As they descended a flight of stairs, Adullam halted, causing Fredricx to almost fall into him. "Back up," he hissed.

Fredricx attempted to peak around the corner. Sure enough, the beast in front of them was nothing short of just that. It was double the height of either of them and broader than a wagon with gray skin. Tattered clothes covered its body, and the creature wielded a brick from the Healing Church construction sight. The beast screamed something unintelligible and charged.

"Back up," Adullam swore again, "I can handle this."

Fredricx stayed, watching from the corner, as the creature swung it's brick. It narrowly missed Adullam, instead catching his coattails. These, too, seemed unharmed. He darted alongside the creature, slashing it with his sword. The creature hardly reacted, swinging again. Another slash from Adullam. Another swing, but this one was different. This one made contact with Adullam, who was casted to the ground with a thud and a grunt. The sword left his hand, spilled on the ground a couple of feet away. The Hunter rolled, staggering up to his feet and lunging. He was intercepted by the creature, who plowed a beefy shoulder into the Hunter.

Adullam was once again on the ground. He had obviously become disorientated by lulled eyes and limp response time.

Fredricx wasn't going to watch what was going to happen next. He wasn't going to watch Adullam's body being pulverized by this brick, which was supposed to become part of the Healing Church. In all likelihood, the brick would be recollected and used. Adullam's blood would forever become part of the Healing Church. His blood like the blood of many others was nothing, but a bolster for power.

Fredricx was not going to watch. Although he was not a Hunter, he was a soldier. Soldiers did not watch. They fought. The sword was farest away from Fredricx in comparison to the Hunter and beast. It was instead cast up against a wall. It wasn't lucky, but it could be worked with. There was no way to quietly slip past the beast, so Fredricx backpedalled the stairs and trailed along the iron fence in the direction of the Hunter's weapon. The beast was still wailing on Adullam, who had gotten further instead of closer to his weapon. In a feeble attempt, Adullam fired his gun several times, staggering the beast ever so slightly, but this wasn't enough.

Fredricx was now past the beast on his upper level and jumped over the fence. Within seconds, he made contact with the ground below. A pain shot up his knee, but Fredricx was more concerned with the beast. Managing not to get its attention, Fredricx scrambled for the weapon. Grabbing the handle, it was cold in his hand. It was different than any sword he had handled before. This weapon was designed to kill beasts, so Fredricx would.

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The hulking beast was still paying him little mind, choosing instead to focus on Adullam, who was now out of bullets and swearing. Fredricx walked forward with the sword in one hand and the gun in the other. He raised the firearm, leveled his shot with the beast's skull, and fired. The beast fell forward, striking a knee to the ground. Taking the opportunity, Fredricx rushed forward, using his momentum to thrust the sword almost blindly into the creature. It connected deeply. Fredricx gave a tug on the weapon to free it from the body, but to no avail. Instead, the creature, with the weapon lodged in its back, whipped around, now facing Fredricx. Panic started to rise up, but instead he chose a slow breath.

He dug around in his pocket, producing another of the bullets. Loading the gun quickly, he brought the pistol up and fired. It connected with its target, but still wasn't enough. The creature remained standing, choosing to rush at Fredricx in retaliation. Fredricx loaded the pistol again and fired. The bullet whizzed through through the air, stopping the charging creature. It, at once, fell over, collapsing a couple of feet from Fredricx. The impact send wind up, along with the stench of blood.

It wasn't finished as the creature moaned and fought to swing a fist at Fredricx. The fingers snatched up his leg, but Fredricx used the misfortune to his advantage. It hurt, but didn't distract him from loading the pistol. He could feel the mechanisms of the pistol were set, so he pulled back the hammer with his free hand. Attempting to pull him to the ground, the creature squeezed Fredricx's limb, which felt incredibly frail in its grasp. Firing, this bullet connected point blank with the beast. The sound was deafening, but the creature was dead, grip loosening.

Yanking his leg free, Fredricx limped around the creature and pulled the weapon from its back. Dark blood dripped from the blade's end. Adullam was finally to his feet, leaned up against the wall. The same one that Fredericx had descended from. The Hunter was breathing heavily, but unclipped a blood vile from his belt. It was exactly as Fredricx had seen countless times as it contained a glass cylinder of blood fitted inside a metal capsule, which was all attached to a painfully long needle. Without hesitation, Adullam struck himself in the thigh with the needle. The blood quickly drained inside of the Hunter, who immediately withdrew it and cast it onto the street. The glass shattered. However, Adullam was no longer panting, but stood up on his own. He unclipped another vile and repeated the process. His body seemed unnaturally unscathed from his encounter. The beast had connected its weapon with the hunter over and over, but Adullam seemed fine, giving his unfittingly wide smile, "You slayed your first beast, and not a kind one, Fredricx."

Fredricx nodded, offering a grin. Adullam gestured for his weapon, which Fredricx reluctantly agreed.. They started again through Yharham during a night of the hunt, but, at once, did not seem so ominous.

"You should become a hunter, Fredricx, and rid this city of this infestation," Adullam smirked, delivering a victory plow to the creature.

Blood buzzed around his body, adrenaline pouring through his veins. It was exhilarating. For once, Fredricx was in control of his destiny. Now, this destiny was to save Ettie.

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