Chapter Two

The deadly party of four soon arrived outside the station that Jol had mentioned. It was a small complex with an electrified anti-lifeform barrier around it located almost outside Gaskell's eastern border and it served as the family's base of operations. On the way there Gerhardt explained to D that all of them lived there together and that they had been hired by the town to monitor and defend it 24/7. Each of the monster hunters would typically do a 12-hour shift on their own, ensuring that someone was always patrolling and ready to be dispatched to calls that would come in from the town. This arrangement had been working well for many years, making the town one of the most secure places in the entire Frontier. For this, they were paid well.

To access the complex you had to utilize an electronic pass at the main gate, the only section of the property's exterior that wasn't electrified. D was given Eve's. The passes belonging to the missing family members were deactivated.

Inside the complex were several small structures. Some could be easily identified as homes while others were clearly for storage of vehicles, tools and weapons. There was also a greenhouse, a sheltered generator, a grazing pasture with livestock, a large water cistern, and a garden where Frontier-hardy fruits and vegetables could be seen growing. The family's station was self-sustaining so that no one ever had to venture into town unless it was business-related.

Once inside, D and the three siblings tied up their mounts. Jol, who had the closest relationship to Eve, took her body to be prepared for burial. Gerhardt stayed with D, and Rhea donned her full hunter gear to go back out into Gaskell. Someone always had to be on patrol outside. There was no time to stay home and grieve. Only time to kill.

Gerhardt led D to his own modest home. "Welcome to the team. You can rest here while we're working together; they don't let dhampirs stay in town. I'll bunk up with Jol." Gerhardt unlocked the front door and ushered D inside.

"That will be why your station is so isolated," D stated firmly.

Gerhardt shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, man. You're a sharp one. We're all goddamned half-breeds here too." He stared at the beautiful hunter standing in the threshold of his home for a few moments and then followed him inside, shutting the door behind him. "You wanted to know why we're getting picked off. It's got to do with that."

D did not respond. He simply walked up to a window and gazed outside. From there, he spotted Rhea heading out of the complex on horseback. She had donned a dark grey armoured bodysuit, her two curved blades still resting at her sides, her eyes scanning the landscape for movement and irregularities. He continued to watch in silence until she and her mount disappeared over the crest of a hill. A rough voice that only he could hear then chuckled to itself, finding the lone girl heading out into the night after a vampire attack to her almost-certain doom to be tragically funny.

Gerhardt cleared his throat. "Long story short. We've all got different mothers. Humans, dhampirs, mutants. All from Gaskell, though. They were all part of the hidden at one point, taken from the town, forced to live up in Castle Morreau, all sent back months later knocked up by you guessed who. Had us all one by one in town. Mothers then had to live segregated from everyone else. Hated. Feared. Treated like shit. I'm sure you know how it goes with the hidden."

D said nothing as usual.

"I'm the oldest, 155," Gerhardt continued. "Eve was the youngest, 98. The land we're on now was where they kept our moms and us. After my mother passed I became a hunter. Made a pact with the town. Said we'll stay out here, prevent this all from happening again. Built up our complex. Hasn't happened since. Lord Morreau never even showed his face again after Eve was born, and by then I was already a hunter for a few years. But, seems he's back now all of sudden. Picking us off while we're out patrolling at night. Eve's body is the only one we've found so far. Not sure what twisted fuckery he's up to with everyone else we couldn't locate. Feel like we're all just some perverted experiment." Gerhardt growled and slammed his fist through a wall, his hand exiting on the other side. Pulling it out, he stared at it as if inspecting a wound but there was no damage to be seen. Dhampir regeneration was swift. "Buddy, time ain't on our side," he seethed. "I gotta know what's going on and stop this bastard! I only have Jol and Rhea left. This isn't how we're goin' out. So, rest up. We're heading out to Castle Morreau at sunrise." He then looked up at D again, who was still staring wordlessly out the window. "Help yourself to any supplies you need," he muttered. "I'm gonna go bury my sister."

No more was said. Gerhardt left, shutting the door behind him. D opened the window and listened to the sounds of the night pour in.