Chapter Seven

The girls moved quietly through the large compound as Ariana lead them.."Its just around the corner here" she whispered as the girls scurried to a large metal door..

"wait a second, what if someone is out there" Kelly said as she hesitated..

"trust me I have a plan" Ariana smiled wickedly as her hand went to the door knob and she turned it slowly..She pointed for Natalie and Kelly to lean up against the wall and to be quiet as she opened the door.."Just the person I was looking for" Ariana smiled wide as she as Kelly and Natalie looked at each other with wide eyes and then a mans voice was heard..

"Ariana what are you doing out here" one of the guards named Eric said as she sauntered over to him..

"Oh come on Eric, you know I get bored in there" she said as she got in front of him.."is that a new shirt?" she smiled sweetly..

"Um yeah... I uh" he said nervously as she touched the collar..

"Very sexy" she smirked as he cleared his throat quick..

"You really shouldn't be out here" he said quickly as she rolled her eyes..

"why? I'm just looking for some conversation" she grinned as she touched the side of his face and he flinched some.."conversation is good" she moved closer until her body was pressed against his..

"Ariana" he said with a heavy breath as she stared into his eyes and pouted at him..

"Eric" she purred her words as he visibly swallowed hard..

"you really should go back inside" he said with a lump in his throat..

"But its more fun out here" she smiled as she went to move her mouth to his but he backed up some..

"if you get caught out here" he said quickly..

"Oh screw this" Natalie huffed loudly as she pushed the door open and just as Eric turned to look, Ariana pulled her gun on him as his eyes got wide..

"You know I had this Natalie" Ariana huffed..

"Yeah well we don't have time" Natalie held her knife out to Eric..

"what the hell are you doing" Eric said as he went to move and Ariana pushed the gun into his chest..

"Just don't move alright, come on Kelly lets move it" she called out as Natalie walked closer to him and Kelly peeked out and then joined them...

"Listen this isn't funny ok" Eric said nervously..

"who said anything about being funny, Kelly get his weapons" Natalie ordered as Kelly's eyes got wide..

"Listen just hold up a sec" Eric went to move his hand and Natalie jumped and put the knife at his throat..

"Oh I wouldn't do that Eric" Natalie warned..

"Geez, really Natalie" Ariana huffed..

"Just get his stuff ok and hurry up" Natalie said as she pushed Eric's back into the wall as Ariana and Kelly began to take the guns and knives off of him.."don't try to be the hero man, it wont end well" Natalie warned him as he swallowed hard..

"this is all you got?" Ariana said as she held another gun and Kelly held a knife..

"Listen guys I don't know what your thinking of doing but when Bo finds out" Eric said as Natalie pressed the knife a bit harder into his neck and he promptly shut up.."ok ok, just think about what your doing"

"why don't you just worry about yourself" Natalie began as she looked over at the girls and it was just enough time for Eric to grab at her hand as he yanked it back from his neck..

An all out struggle began as the girls grabbed at him and he yelled loud, calling for help and just as his walkie talkie began to go off, Ariana used her gun to hit him hard in the head as he fell forward..

"damn it, he nearly broke my wrist" Natalie huffed as she rubbed her hand..

"he isn't dead is he" Kelly said with fear..

"well I had it handled, why did you have to rush in like that" Ariana snapped at Natalie..

"Listen we can do this back and forth crap but I have a feeling if he doesn't answer who ever is calling him, we will be surrounded" Natalie said quickly..

"fine" Ariana huffed as they all walked around him..."i had this" she said under her breath and then they all took off running across the large field of grass to the border of the complex..

Once they got to the large fence that surrounded the place it was a clear shot through the woods. They ran until it felt as if their legs would give out..

"i just need to sit...for a sec" Kelly said nearly breathless as they stopped..

"we cant stay long, they could already be looking for us" Natalie said as she looked around. They were completely surrounded by woods..

"this is exciting" Ariana said with a grin as she looked at them.."but I still had things under control before" she added as she directed it at Natalie..

Natalie rolled her eyes.. "we got out ok, thats all that counts"

"how exactly are we gonna be able to get back in" Kelly asked as Natalie looked at her..

"why would you want to" Natalie said quickly..

"hey listen we were just going for a hunt alright, im not planning on staying out here" Ariana said quickly..

"Bo is gonna be pissed, what if he doesn't even let us back in" Kelly said with worry..

"he cant hold us like prisoners in there" Natalie snapped.."were all hunters, right? I mean who is to say if we can leave or not"

"yeah but he is gonna be pissed" Ariana said with worry in her voice now..

"Maybe we should just head back, I mean if we just explain to him" Kelly said quietly..

"im not going back, not just yet" Natalie said as she began to walk past them.."are you coming over not" she yelled out as Ariana and Kelly looked at one another and then they quickly walked after her..

They walked for a few miles until they finally saw a road.. None of them saying a word as exhaustion began to hit and they all began to wonder if this was a good idea after all..

"there's nothing around here but a dirt road" Kelly said with a huff..

"I'm getting tired, we should just head back, this hunt is officially lame" Ariana said as she stopped and put her hands on her hips..

"listen guys, we all know what is out there ok and if we take this road then were bound to find a town" Natalie said even though right about now she too was thinking of giving up..

"its gonna be dark soon ok and I don't know about you two but I seriously don't want to be out here in the dark" Kelly began with a shudder..

"when was the last time either of you too a risk" Natalie finally said as they looked at her.."staying in that compound has made you both soft"

"hey listen I can hold my own, I mean just last week I took down a demon" Ariana said proudly..

"she did, I was there" Kelly added..

"well then what the hell are you both waiting for? This is our chance to prove ourselves as not only strong women but true hunters" Natalie said loudly..

Meanwhile across town by a nearby abandoned factory, a lifeless head of a demon rolled against the concrete.."Yeah! Now thats what im talking about!" John hollered in the air as he looked at Steele..

"It does feel pretty damn good, doesn't it" Steele grinned.."i think I got my fill for the night"

"yeah I think im good too" John said as they began walking back over to the SUV. The sound of Johns phone alerting him to messages got their attention.."shit, I bet Bo is wondering where we are" John said as night quickly approached on them and he picked up his phone and began going through the messages..

Steele started up the truck as John cursed under his breath.."he's pissed huh?" he said as he looked at John..

John shook his head and gritted his teeth.."even worse, a couple of the girls took off"

"what? Who?" Steele said in shock..

"guess" John said dryly as anger began to build in him..

"No freaking way, the red head?" Steele said with wide eyes as he began to drive..

"Yeah and her roommates, lets go" John said as he tried to contain his anger..

The woods made the darkness of night seem even darker as they ran, almost completely out of breath.."come on hurry, this way!" Natalie yelled out as the sound of a wolf could be heard in the distance and the girls ran as fast as they could..

"this is so not good" Kelly yelled out as the howls began to get louder and louder. It sounded like there had to be at least six of them out there. Quickly the hunters had become the hunted..

"now isn't the time Kelly!" Ariana yelled at her friend and then she screamed as a large black wolf jumped in front of them and they skidded to a halt.."Kill the sons of bitches" Ariana shouted as they all began firing their guns but it seem to do little damage to the large wolf..

"lets go!" Natalie yelled as they took off running to the right, the wolf hot on their trail..

They dodged branches and logs on the ground as they scattered to the left and the right. Before any of them knew what was happening they were split up as they all continued to run through the dark forest. It was after a few moments that Natalie slowed down and looked all around here. All she was equip with was a gun with one bullet left and her knife. Things definitely weren't looking good for her.

The sound of a howl in the distance and then a scream had her heart racing. If something happened to the girls because of her she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She began to run in the direction of the scream but seemingly out of no where she saw bright shining eyes as she skidded in the dirt and there stood before her a large gray wolf as she backed up slowly..

"good doggie" she said with her voice shaking as she slowly backed up from the large beast and he snarled at her, foam coming from his mouth as she swallowed hard.."Just stay there ok" she whispered as she continued to back up but then the wolf lunged at her and she didn't even have time to think as she stood frozen in fear but just as the wolf flew in mid air, so did something else, something large that tackled it to the ground. It was so dark that Natalie could barely make out what she was seeing but she could make out a large body. Then she saw long dark hair and then a yelp came out from the dog as she backed up and nearly fell onto the ground as blue eyes met hers and she gasped. She knew those eyes but it wasn't just that, she saw something else, fangs.."John" she gasped as he stood up and breathed heavy as he wiped the blood from his mouth.."Holy shit, your a... a.." she began to say in a panicked voice..

Her voice was cut off from another growl that came up behind her as she spun around.."get down!" he yelled as she did just that and she felt a huge thud come onto the ground. By the time she looked up John stood there looking over the dead wolf..

"John..JOHN!" Steele's voice was heard in the distance as Natalie quickly got to her feet as she looked at John who looked absolutely pissed and then there in the distance the outline of Steele's large body came running over, something was in his arms. It wasn't until then that Natalie saw Kelly running next to him as he came over to them.."she's hurt bad, we gotta go" Steele said as Natalie now saw Ariana's bloodied body in his arms..

"we shouldn't of gone out here, we shouldn't of" Kelly cried..

"bring her back, I got these two" John said as he looked at Steele who promptly took off running with Ariana In his arms..

"I'm so sorry, if she...if she dies" Kelly continued to cry but Natalie was in too much shock to show any emotion. What she had just witnessed shook her to the core, John just wasn't your run of the mill person, no he was something way more, he was a vampire..

"we don't have time for any of that, lets go" John barked at both of them as he began to walk fast..

"wait, wait up" Natalie said as she ran over towards John who spun around quick..

"what the hell were you thinking huh, are you trying to get everyone killed is that it!" he yelled at her..

"I wasn't..i" Natalie began to ramble some..

"You just don't get it do you, I had to kill two of those things back there and we could of used them to our advantage" he snapped..

"Listen its not just her" Kelly finally added as she wiped away tears..

"both of you are not only stupid but a risk to us all" John yelled as he spun from them..

"we shouldn't of gone out here" Kelly said again towards Natalie who just shook her head as they followed John. She had too many questions that needed answers right about now and she was gonna get her answers!

The remainder of the walk back to the compound was an uncomfortable one not to mention Natalie couldn't get the image out of her head of John, he had fangs. He was a vampire. Normally a thing like that wouldn't freak her out so much but she hadn't even thought to think that he may be one of the monsters out there but now she knew and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.

By the time they got back to the compound it was pure chaos as Bo stood at the doorway, a look of disappointment on his face.."My office" he said sternly to the two of them as Kelly and Natalie looked at one another and then slowly walked to the office.

John followed them there as they entered the room, Natalie turned to say something to him but instead she was met with the door slamming in her face..

"we really fucked up" Kelly said with a tear stained face.."she's gonna be ok, right?" she looked to Natalie for reassurance but Natalie didn't know what to say as she walked over to a chair and sat in it..

It was only a minute later that the door opened up again and both girls looked as Bo came in, staring hard at them..

"Bo im so sorry" Kelly began apologetically as he put his hand up to stop her..

"do you both have any idea what you have done here" he said angrily..

"we were just" Natalie began but he cut her off too..

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Ariana could of died out there because of your recklessness" he snapped as he looked at them both..

"she's gonna be ok, right?" Kelly said with a trembling voice..

"your lucky Steele got to her when he did" Bo said as he walked over to his desk and stood by it.."whose idea was this" he said but he didn't look at Kelly, he only looked at Natalie and she rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.."Kelly wait for me in your room" he said as Kelly just looked at him with wide eyes.."Now" he demanded as she quickly got up and scurried out of the room and then he looked at Natalie..

"Listen if you wouldn't just keep us here like prisoners" Natalie began angrily as she looked at Bo..

"Prisoners? Is that how you feel, like this is a prison? No one is making you stay here and im starting to think that maybe I made a mistake by letting you stay" he began and she went to talk but he cut her off once more.."Let me finish" he said angrily as she sunk into her chair more as she looked at him.."you have broken my rules, defied the compound and put everyone at risk" he continued..

"we just wanted to do what everyone else is allowed to do, were hunters" Natalie said quickly..

"Your childish, immature and reckless" Bo barked at her.."there is a reason we do things here the way we do, there is order here" he finally took a seat now.."and right now all I want to do is tell you to get the hell out of here" he said with a heavy breath and she stood up now..

"fine, I didn't want to stay here anyway" she snapped at him.."im getting Rex and were leaving" she spun from him..

"Your brother stays" Bo said as he stood now...

"you cant keep him here" Natalie snapped as she turned and looked at him...

"i don't think you understand how things work here Natalie" Bo walked around his desk and got in front of her..

"i don't need to stand here and take this from you" she yelled at him..

"then go, I wont stop you" Bo put his hands on his hips..

"fine I will" she said defiantly and then she turned from him..

"But im telling you that you wont survive out there and then what? Your mothers death will be for nothing" he said as she turned and looked at him..

"don't you tell me about my mom" she said with her voice trembling now as emotion began to take her over.

"how do you think your mom would feel right now, seeing you act defiantly and putting yourself at risk? Do you think she would be happy" he said angrily at her..

"You know nothing about me" her voice shook..

"i know that your a lot stronger then I give you credit for but your childish behavior over runs everything" he finally said low...She went to talk but he moved in front of her.."don't be stupid Natalie, you need us just as much as we need you"

"I don't need anyone" Natalie said abruptly..

"everyone needs someone" Bo said calmly as she rolled her eyes.."im gonna offer you a chance, a chance to make good on the bad"

"no thanks I think I will just take my chances out there" she said as she turned from him but he was right in front of her as she gasped and backed up..

"you have a chance to avenge your mothers death and to make a difference in this world, but in order to do that you need to focus on whats important" he said seriously as she rolled her eyes.." you have a lot of growing up to do Natalie"

"I survived out there for years, ive killed, I know whats important" she said angrily..

"and yet here we are and do you feel like you have done the best you could because from where I stand all I see is a strong woman wasting all of energy on bitterness and selfishness" he stared at her.."you claim to love your brother and yet your actions speak otherwise"

"don't bring Rex into this" she said with a shake of her head..

"your still that scared little girl, the one who is too frightened to let anyone in because she has been hurt too much and broken so deeply" Bo said softly now and she felt tears threaten to fall..

"You don't know what your talking about" she said strongly..

"I know that your afraid of being hurt again, your afraid of letting anyone in" he said with a heavy sigh as a knock on the door was heard.." come in" he said as he continued to look at Natalie and Cris stepped in the office. Looking at them both he finally looked to Bo..

"Michael was able to stop the bleeding with Ariana" Cris said softly.."she is going to make it Sir"

Bo shook his head with relief.."thank you Cris, keep me updated" he said as Cris looked at Natalie once more and then left the room as Bo looked back at her.."you can trust me Natalie, im not the bad guy" he turned and opened the door now.."You can go and face this world alone or you can trust me so we can do this together"

Natalie didn't say anything to him as he moved aside and she walked out of the office only to see John standing there, he refused to look at her and then he was heading into the office as Bo closed the door and Natalie went to look for Rex..

"I warned you this would happen" John said as he walked across the room and grabbed a cup and a bottle of whiskey from the table as he poured himself a drink..

"she'll come around" Bo said as he walked over and John looked at him..

"Your kidding right? Ariana almost died tonight so that she could go off on a ridiculous hunt" John said as he downed the drink.."she is reckless and irresponsible" he said with a shake of his head..

"and I remember not too long ago when you were going down that same path, must I remind you of who you use to be" Bo raised an eyebrow at John..

"thats different, im not like" John began as Bo cut him off..

"you were just like that John, out of control and reckless..I remember, I was the one to find you" Bo said seriously..

"yeah well I have an excuse" John said sarcastically as he poured himself another drink..

"you cant blame your choices on genetics John, we all make our own choices and you choose to change but it wasn't an easy task" Bo said honestly..

John drank back his whiskey and sighed heavily.."she should just leave"

"and go to what? Her death?" Bo shook his head.."You know I would never allow that"

"than what? Let her stay and put us in danger again because she cant help herself" John shook his head.."Your making a wrong decision Bo, the girl is trouble"

"and thats exactly why your going to reform her" Bo said calmly..

"yeah no thanks I already tried that" John said quickly..

"your taking her on your next hunt" Bo said as he walked around his desk..

"what are you crazy? No way, you saw what happened today" John said adamantly.

"she wants to be out there, she needs to see the truth, she needs to trust" Bo said as he poured himself a drink..

"she almost got Ariana killed and your going to reward her?" John said angrily...

"not reward John, were going to show her that she needs help out there, she needs to see that we aren't the enemy" Bo said seriously as John just shook his head.. He didn't like this idea, not one bit.