Chapter 14
Michael Ellis looked up at the sky as the rain began to fall. It was going to be a pouring night but he was determined to follow through on the plan. He was determined to make things right not only for the people of Ellis but for his family.
He wasn't sure why the girl Angela told him to be at the main entrance of the mine when he knew the mine tunnels better than anyone else. He practically grew up visiting the mines and going down them. He was probably lucky that he didn't contract black lung given the frequency he had been down there. Yet she told him to guard her back entrance. She also told him to do what he thought was right with whatever came out.
Another thing that she told him to do was to produce a nice distraction. How the hell was he supposed to do that? He was still on the fact that she had asked him to wait and keep out of the action. He had offered and she wasn't taking it? It was perplexing.
Still he went to the mine and since he was near the main entrance, he thought of a nice distraction. The thing was that it could be dangerous for her if she was caught. At least he had something of a signal to fall back on. She said that he would know. Michael couldn't help but wonder if her friends got flustered with her way of thinking.
The distraction was set and now he was waiting for whatever he needed to do. He studied the outside of the mine and remembered the days when it was active and Mad Eye. That old man was one of his best memories. He sighed.
Making the decision, he stole into the mine. To get down into the tunnels required use of the elevators. He had everyone believe that there was no power but he knew better. He kept the power going because they were people too. He didn't figure that they would use the back entrance. Then again it was easier access as Angela had pointed out.
Michael flipped the switch to turn on the access elevator and was going to bring it up when a sudden inspiration hit him. Grabbing a pair of old gloves that he had stashed in his jacket, he put them on and grabbing the elevator lines, he slid all the way down. It produced the familiar thrill he had when he used to do that to annoy his father when he would slide down from the second story balcony. He smiled a little at the memory of those times. That was when he first learned about the Ellis connection to friends in the mine.
He landed on the elevator and then dropped to the ground floor. He pulled out the flashlight that he had stashed and switched it on. As an added precaution, he screwed on a red light cover. It would enable him to get through without being revealed too soon. Knowing them however, he wasn't going to risk being found. It had been ten years.
Michael went to the main shaft that headed downwards to where he wanted to go. Even though they had the whole run of the mine now, Michael could tell that the years kept them away from the parts where the crews worked. Old habits die hard, he supposed.
He continued down the tunnels while flashing the light on the walls. When he started noticing the scratches on the walls, he slowed down to examine them. He recognized a few of the gouges made. The new ones though had him almost grimace. The newer ones were human and made by fingernails. It began to dawn on him that Joseph had been doing things that bordered on brutality.
Michael knew that he needed to right things but it seemed like the girl Angela was on that. He could hear the roars. They were getting louder and he could hear distinct words. They were saying something about the vampire here. He knew that had to be the girl.
After showing up at her doorstep and her giving the plan, he asked her about herself. She was not in the mood for small talk but once he started revealing the clues she had left behind, it took an interesting turn. She never confirmed anything but she didn't deny anything either. He knew that she was different and certainly not what Ellis, Oregon had.
The growls and noises seemed to intensify. It sounded like a rabble rousing or something. Some of the sounds sounded like they were going to head this way. So the girl would need a distraction. Michael knew what he could do and set about doing it. It was going to be a bitch on what was left of the mine but if he could set things right, then maybe…
It took time but he had managed to rig up a distraction. He was putting the finishing touches when he heard scuffling sounds. He paused to listen to them. They weren't the sounds of them in their aggressive forms. Michael turned and brought up his light. He walked towards the sound and paused. They were heading towards the main exit.
Michael headed towards the elevator using a side shaft to cut off who was coming. He managed to get there and he waited. Sure enough he was greeted by a girl and two kids. He knew they were like Joseph. He didn't have a gun but he stood there looking at them. He didn't have a gun but the fact that he was holding a light at them and he was pretty well toned could prove to be very intimidating to them. He could tell that they were either scared or confused. He asked, "Are you all right?"
The girl holding onto the two kids replied, "The vampire… she let us go." She sounded confused when she said that.
Michael knew then that they encountered Angela. He started piecing together why she said stay at the main entrance and provide a distraction and left that comment about doing what was right. She must have figured out that there might be others who probably didn't want to die or they weren't involved at all. They just didn't have anywhere else to go. Takes one to know one.
Michael studied the three of them and asked, "What did she say?"
The girl looked at him with a puzzled frown. She then said, "She said to teach them that not all hunters are alike."
Michael took it to mean that the 'them' referred to the kids. At that moment the boy said, "She was awesome with that gleaming sword. It had blood on it and she pointed it at us but she let us go. She was cool."
It was a surprising thing to hear from a kid but Michael silently agreed. She showed mercy to them even though they were related to the others in terms of what they were. She probably went through what Joseph and his pack did but just came out the better for it. It was a lot to think about but right now he had to deal with the three of them. He replied, "Well she has a job to do. Right now let's get you on the elevator. Are there any more of you?"
The girl looked at him with a confused frown. "You're helping us?"
"Yes. You didn't do anything wrong. Go on. The elevator is that way." Michael gave a slightly confused frown as he pointed out the way. "Just wait there and I'll take you back up."
He didn't wait to see if they would go or not but headed back down to see if there were any more of the Lupei that she had let go. He got close to their haunts and started slowing down. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of a fight since that would be counter productive. He could hear growls and roars all over the place and the echoes were nerve wracking for someone made of lesser stuff. The tunnels were also lit with white light but they were miners' lamps and such. It helped but he still kept his red light on.
Michael made his way towards the sounds coming towards him. He didn't have a weapon but he would put up a fight. He stood there holding his flashlight as the growls and heavy thumping came closer. He braced himself but it surprised him when he saw one of the Lupei come crashing past and down a cross tunnel. It was followed by a fully shifted Lupei who appeared and was carrying a limp man.
Michael recognized him as one of the deputies. Was this Lupei a friend or an enemy? He found his answer when the Lupei spotted him and walked forward. He stood there as it brought the man who was half walking and half carried over. It then asked, "Are you here to help or are you going to stand there?"
Susan had contemplated going back the way she came in when she followed Angela. She remembered though that Michael Ellis was going to be near the main entrance and for what purpose, she wasn't sure but he had a means of getting out and away from the others once the path was cleared. It was risky since Deputy Russ was still woozy from his escape attempt.
Still once she managed to get him free of his chains, they were good to go. She tried not to notice the bodies of the other Lupei on the ground. She had contributed to that carnage but it was a matter of defending herself and the human. Angela knew that and tried to knock them silly so that they would live but Susan knew that once they figured out her old friend had vampire blood, it was all over.
Out came the sword and Susan watched as her friend tore a swatch through the squad of Lupei. It was too late though. The call had been sounded and more would be on the way. It also meant that Joseph would be waiting for Angela and he was going to do terrible things. Susan knew that Angela would kill Joseph if he left her no other choice and she wasn't going to hold it against her. Besides, she had killed her kind too.
Knowing what was right and the better option, Susan helped Charlie Russ up and started heading towards the main entrance. Granted at first she was a little rattled at the prospect since she didn't know the mines like Michael Ellis or Joseph but she did have a couple of things working for her. One was the photographic memory technique that her friend had taught her and second was her sense of smell. All she had to do was go where the smell of the Lupei was faintest.
It was like tearing through a maze full of booby traps. What didn't head for Angela headed straight for Susan. Susan didn't want to risk getting Charlie hurt but he managed to snap out of his daze and realize what was going on. At first he struggled with her thinking that she was going to eat him or something. When he realized that she was there to help, he calmed down. In fact he became insistent on being able to help.
Together they barreled through the tunnels. They came across Lupei who were on their way to 'get the vampire' and Susan took them out before they said anything that reached the deputy's ears. It was probably pointless but Susan got the feeling that he was just barely dealing with the fact that there were creatures that were not the normal kind he was used to. That was a problem that would have to be worked out later.
It took time and a couple of beatings on Charlie's part that they were able to get to the main access way that led to the elevator. They were still in Lupei territory so to speak but they were getting closer. The animal sounds were becoming fainter.
"So what do we do when we get to the elevator? I thought the power had been cut?"
Susan looked at Charlie and replied, aware that her voice sounded gravelly and like a male's voice, "There are things that were kept secret for a reason."
Charlie for his part took everything in a stride as best as he could. He really couldn't close his eyes and pretend that it wasn't real. Those wolf man creatures were real and they wanted to kill one that was like them and someone they called a vampire. It was something that required a heavy drink and a lot of thinking time later.
His rescuer he thought was there to kill him but when she protected him from the others. It dawned on him that she was a friendly so to speak. She told him that they needed to get out and he was all for that. When she said that they would have to go through more of those things, inwardly he balked but he knew that it was probably the best way to get back to his Nancy. He agreed and followed picking up an old shovel to use as a weapon.
Now that they were almost there, it had occurred to him that if they were to use the elevator, how the heck were they going to get it to work? When he asked the question, the response had him baffled. He leaned on his shovel to take a breather and replied, "So you're saying that Ellis kept power going, he just switched it off?" He frowned at that since he wasn't sure if he heard things right. As far as he knew when the mine closed, everything shut down. So Michael Ellis had a different plan when he closed the place?
"I am not saying that is for certain but it seems a likely scenario. We just have to find a way to switch the power on." The response was issued in a mater of fact way while Susan darted her head forward to see if there were any more Lupei.
"Oh good," Charlie replied nodding in a slightly sarcastic fashion as he leaned on his shovel. He was exhausted and he was certain that he had at least a dozen sore spots that were going to have to be explained at some point. "So what's the plan? Walk right up to it?"
"That would be the case," Susan replied with a slight growl snort out of force of habit. She was aware that she looked like a beast but that couldn't be helped at the moment. The deputy needed a Lupei to watch his back.
Charlie would have responded but he was knocked over from behind. There appeared another one of those creatures but it looked bigger and meaner than the ones he tackled with previously. Its fur was matted with battle scars and it was growling and baring its teeth. He managed to bring up his shovel and knock the thing upside the head.
All he got for his troubles was the shovel being yanked out of his hand and broken in half. The thing then looked at Susan and growled menacingly at her, "You would betray your kind for them?"
Susan felt her hackles rise in agitation and anger. She wondered how much of it was the animal and how much was herself. It was always difficult to tell. She retorted, "I do what I want when I want."
"Then you're a traitor."
Susan was ready for the tackle since that was always the case when she came across something that thought she was nuts for helping humans. She wondered if that was how Angela felt and what she got when she first started out doing this work. It would explain a few things on certain levels.
The Lupei used his weight and momentum to tackle her but Susan countered by using her feet. She put them on the Lupei's chest and with her legs pushed him over her. His momentum was enough to send him flying a bit of the distance. It gave Susan time to yank Charlie to his feet and half drag him towards the tunnel that would lead him straight towards the elevator. It was there she saw Michael Ellis holding nothing but a flashlight and he looked like he was prepared to use it. She asked, "Are you going to help or are you going to stand there?"
He replied, "Friend or foe?"
"What do you think?" Susan couldn't help it. It never occurred to her that he would be able to tell the difference. She thought he was being annoying in his cautiousness.
"Can we get out of here?" Charlie interjected as he let go of Susan's fur. She had half dragged him and he half walked that distance and right now he was ready to walk on his own two feet.
Michael said, "Yeah, elevator straight that way." He then went to go check on something and picked up something.
At that moment, the Lupei that Susan had vaulted appeared. He snarled and said, "No one is going anywhere."
Michael paused and said, "Yes they are. This is still my property that I let your pack stay in."
The Lupei growled, "You're the Ellis? You betrayed our trust." It lunged at Michael with the intent to crush him into little pieces.
Michael was ready for it and sprang out of the way. He rolled on the ground and came up revealing one more of the family's secrets. He growled and his voice sounded a little distorted and replied, "The Ellis family kept their side of the bargain. It was Joseph who decided to kill again and he killed my friend."
Susan looked at Michael in surprised. He hadn't shifted but his voice was distorted with power and his eyes took on an ice blue sheen. His reflexes were like Lupei as he leapt out of the way and she could tell that he had strength since the blow he gave to his enemy was enough to make him stagger back. It was also then she learned a horrifying truth.
True that she didn't want to and couldn't go against Joseph but she couldn't deny that Joseph had a hatred of anything that was human and was trained as a hunter. She couldn't blame him since he had been orphaned by hunters and even though Gerald Ellis took him in and raised him like a son, the people of the town spoke whispers. Well that was what he told her when they first met.
Susan had to wonder how much of what Joseph told her was the truth and how much of it was his own hatred. Angela showed her that not all hunters were alike. She saved her from them and then let her accompany her. That alone was unheard of since vampires and the lycan clans were traditional enemies… at least to those who followed the histories. It was an age old blood feud that raged through with the few that popped up intent on carrying it out.
Yet Susan had to believe that there was some good in Joseph. She had seen it in the way he treated her. He even admitted that he once loved her. He had seen how he was with the children that came to them when they had nowhere else to go. Maybe he saw a bit more when Angela first fought him and she tried to get him to stop. She trusted that Angela would try again even if she were struck with a blind rage whether it was for revenge or because she was being the mama lion protecting her cubs. She trusted that her friend would do the right thing.
"I always knew that Ellis was a recluse at time but I…"
Susan looked at Charlie who had been watching the same thing. She then heard slight whimpers and gasps of amazement. She turned to take a look and saw a girl and two kids with her huddled in the elevator. She could tell they were Lupei. Her friend spared them; she knew that. She said, "Go over to the elevator. Make sure they are okay."
Charlie turned to see the girl and the kids. He wondered if they were like the thing that rescued him since it was hard to tell since they were human. It didn't matter though. His years of training as a cop kicked in and even though his body was sore, he ran over and began to assess the situation. He asked them, "You okay?"
Meanwhile Susan loped to find a vantage point to attack. Michael was holding out well against the Lupei just by dodging and she could tell the Lupei was becoming frustrated. Michael was still human and that meant he was smaller and had the reflexes of his blood. Susan tried to catch his eye so that they could set up a means of getting rid of this Lupei.
Michael was having too much fun. It was like when he played with his dog in their racing games. The games were a means of keeping in shape in terms of his abilities which were purely physical. His mother had been happy that he was athletic but looking back, he could recall how worried his father had been. His father had been worried that he would come out like Joseph and in Michael's view that wasn't bad in his mind. What his father had been worried about was the town finding out.
Gossip was a mean killer and Michael suspected that was what killed Joseph and set him on his path to hatred. His father didn't want that to happen to him. Instead he was made to believe that it was a dirty and awful secret and that dictated his actions. Now he can set things right with the girl and the kids and Susan. He might have some problems with a few religiously minded folks but he was certain he could work that out.
Dodging another blow, Michael was able to whirl around and he caught Susan's eye. She made slight motions to relay an idea she had to take down the Lupei. Michael didn't make any majorly visible acknowledgements except to maneuver his body to get the Lupei into position. He was aware that he was making the Lupei frustrated since he was moving just as fast but had a slightly quicker reaction time.
"You are a traitor like her for going against your kind. Even if you are only part Lupei."
Michael moved to the final position. It was a perfect setup for Susan to pounce and send him back into the tunnels. He gave a slight smirk and replied, "I go against those who kill without reason. Joseph is telling you to kill everyone in blind hatred."
"Hunters are evil. They are the ones that kill without reason. The two that we caught trying to help the prisoners escape are going to be an example of that."
"Those hunters aren't like the others."
All eyes turned to see the girl that had come with the two children standing there. The Lupei growled and replied, "They are all the same Mary Lou. You know better."
"I thought I knew. Now, I see the truth. Joseph attacked the taller of the two when he smelled her scent on him. The hunter did nothing except defend himself," Mary Lou replied.
"It was a trick."
"No it wasn't," Mary Lou replied. She didn't know what she was doing but she was going to help the Lupei that came with the human and the offspring of Gerald Ellis. "He could have attacked me to escape but he didn't. He didn't even kill Orin, the guard when he escaped. She let us go."
It was enough to distract the Lupei. Susan took the chance as he roared and made to charge at the girl. She pounced and caught him square in the chest. She used her momentum to roll them near the tunnels. It was like being in a scuffle fight with two puppies learning in their play.
Michael took advantage of the situation and grabbed the device that he had gone to get earlier. He motioned for Mary Lou to get back and towards the elevator. He just had to wait until Susan got the Lupei in there and clear. Then he would have the distraction. It wasn't the best plan but it should do the trick.
Susan rolled trying to get inside. She received scratches from the Lupei's swipes and she returned the favor. She could tell that it hurt and she took pleasure in it. She could hear the growls become lesser and lesser. Her friend had almost cleared out the place. She could add to the total since this one was bent on being a killer.
In a last ditch effort, Susan grabbed the Lupei and using her strength, she kicked him hard. She sent him flying and he went into the tunnels that went into Joseph's lair. She had noticed the explosives when she dragged Charlie through there. They were meant to collapse the tunnels and drive whoever was left towards Angela. She had to get him just inside.
She was close and he got up. Taking running start on all fours, she charged the Lupei and when she was close enough, she gave a double palm thrust into his chest. That was enough to send him right where she needed him. She then heard a very loud and distinct war cry that she hadn't heard before but she recognized the pitch. Her friend was still fighting. She gave a roar, "Now!" She took off running towards the elevator.
Michael heard the loud cry and Susan calling out. He didn't want to do it since she was still in there but he had to. Gritting his teeth he made the decision and detonated the explosives. The rumble was intense as the vibrations were felt throughout the mine. The falling dirt wasn't helping and the passengers on the elevator were wondering if they were going to die.
The rumble died down eventually and Michael stood looking at the plume of dirt and dust that was flying. He had to be sure. It was a long wait as he stood there staring. He then heard a cough and some noise. He tensed when he heard it but when Susan came out shaking the dust from her fur, he couldn't help but smile. "You're crazy."
"No more than you Ellis," Susan replied. She looked at the tunnel she came through, "Let's get them out of here. She will handle the rest."
"You sure? Shouldn't we come back?"
Susan heard a lot in that war cry. She replied with a slight smile that was a bit said, "I am sure. She will handle it and she will do the right thing."
A/N: So Michael and Susan form the other part of the plan. Nice filler. Next time, Angie soars in like the Vengeful Virago she is. Stay tuned...