Chapter 10 - Brothers
October 1815, Trenton, New Jersey
MIKE
Butch waited for them in front of the house. The brothers had inherited the small cottage from their parents after they had been killed by vampires. Randy had been on a personal crusade when Mike met him a few years before and offered his help. The brothers were good men and appeared to be good hunters. Because of that, Mike felt even more guilty. He had been the one who introduced them to the Brotherhood and professional hunting. Sure there had always been people who hunted on their own, and Butch would probably have died by trying to take vengeance for the murder of his parents if Mike hadn't shown him the way. His younger brother, a teenager then, was thrilled to learn everything about hunting too.
Mike swallowed at the sight of Butch. He guessed the other hunter hadn't slept for days. Meanwhile more than a three-day beard graced his face and distracted at least a bit from the long scar across the side of his face.
Wade and George rode ahead and had already stopped next to Butch. Mike watched their leader getting off his horse and didn't miss Wade's stiff movement before he pulled Butch into a short tight hug.
They all were exhausted, being in the saddle the whole day with only a few short breaks. Mike glanced over to Bastian who had desperately tried to find a comfortable position for hours. When they'd gotten up this morning, he'd helped his friend adjust the stirrups of his saddle. Though they had not been at perfect length before, the main problem was probably that Bastian was not used to long rides like he and Wade were.
Anyway, the Knight focused on Butch, who'd started talking with wild gestures to the Guardian. Mike got off his horse and joined the men. Butch looked up at him when he was close enough. "Mike," the hunter said and met his gaze with red rimmed eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Butch," Mike said, taking the man's hand, pulling him into a short hug.
"Thank you for coming so quickly. I didn't count on the whole Triad though," Butch said, directed to all of them.
Wade nodded, "Of course, we came immediately. We don't know what we're dealing with so the more the better. Let's get inside and tell us what you know and what we missed since your message."
Settled inside, Butch told them that two further inhabitants had vanished without a trace. Mike could tell the hunter was on edge after a while of observation. The house was messy, the table full of open books for research and notes. The constant shake of Butch's leg, the bloodshot eyes, and the fact that he spoke nonstop told Campbell, the man was still in shock, not accepting that his brother was probably dead. Mike shouldn't think that way. They would find Randy, dead or alive, but he would get certainty for Butch and kill whatever monster that might be. It'd feel good to kill some unholy creature and finally do something right after all this drinking, the storm, the useless death of Henry Wilmington, an unprovoked werewolf attack, nightmares, and his heartache about the whole Diana-drama.
Mike tried to focus on Butch's report. "... I went back there armed to the teeth but the house was abandoned. No sign of the girl or her father. I checked the whole area. The shed, the barn, the root cellar. The last one had a secret door behind a shelf that led to some kind of mine shaft. I explored it until I found Randy's ring and purse in a puddle of blood. Here," Butch held a hunter's ring towards Wade who took the metal band.
Wade eyed the ring before he closed his fist around it with a grim expression. "We will take revenge for your brother, Butch. I swear."
Butch nodded and his chin began to tremble. Mike saw how much strength it cost him to talk about the last few days of horror. Butch had gone through this time all alone. No friend in reach he could trust with this.
George spoke up, obviously not as empathetic as Mike. "Did you explore the mine shaft further?"
"Not much. It ended in a narrow space, too small to get through, soon after the spot where they probably … killed him." Butch ran a shaky hand over his face.
Mike got up putting a hand on the poor guy's shoulder. "It's okay. You've told us everything we need to know. How about you rest up a bit and we try to track them down tomorrow morning. We'll do some research and lay out a plan. I'll wake you as soon as we know how we're gonna operate, okay?"
Butch nodded and turned to his room. After the door was closed, Mike sighed deeply.
Wade got up from his chair. "Alright, gentlemen, let's do some research. I'll make some strong coffee. Mike, you'll assist me. Bastian and George, you start with the books on the table. We will join you in a few."
Mike filled water into a pot for the stove while Wade put coffee beans into a hand mill he'd pulled from the shelf and began grinding them. Mike went through the cupboards and shelves to find four cups that were not used. He found the dishes right next to a bottle of whiskey. Mike closed his eyes for a moment to strengthen his power of resistance. He'd gotten this far. He'd not fall again. God, but how he could use a drink right now.
His too long stare into the open cupboard must have alarmed Wade. "Hey, Mike, you alright? Found some dead mice in there, or what?"
Mike cleared his throat. "No, uhm, I'm tryin' to find some cups that are not manky." Mike pulled the cups out while still eying the bottle but was able to close the cupboard. He was proud of himself to act like that.
"What do you think happened to Randy? I mean why did they leave his ring and purse but no other hint of his body than a bit of blood?" Wade asked him.
Mike was glad for the distraction from his thoughts still circling around the bottle in the cupboard. "I don't know. We need to check the area ourselves. I have the feeling the mine shaft is the key to their disappearance. Maybe Butch missed something. I mean look at him, he is barely able to eat. He is at the end. We can not leave him alone in this state. Bastian can't move with his sore thigh anyway, he will stay here with Butch. It's better Butch takes a break tomorrow. We'll review the scene with fresh eyes, then compare notes with him on what he found afterwards."
Wade added the coffee powder into the water and stirred everything with a long wooden spoon. "You're probably right. Maybe Bastian can find something in the books tonight that will be useful. What Butch told us convinces me that it's not vampires we're dealing with. Do you think it's another shapeshifter like in New York? That would explain the missing hearts. Maybe he keeps his victims somewhere for later. You know, as fresh produce."
"Not a shifter, or he'd have found some skin parts somewhere on the property. Do you really believe Randy could still be alive?" Mike asked, raising a brow.
"If he still had his ring on I could tell you. I'm connected to all brotherhood members by it. I can't explain it properly. It is like a buzzing. As long as you wear your ring it is like a flow of energy I can check."
Mike thought further about that energy. If even Wade could find a hunter with that, maybe George was able to perform something like that too. "That gives me an idea. Maybe George can do something similar with an item of Randy's. I mean locate him with the item."
"Yes, I'll talk to our Advisor later." Wade stirred the hot brew again. "What about you, do you feel alright?"
"Ask me after the hunt. We have to keep our focus on killing these bastards and finding Randy. At the very least, Butch needs a body and a funeral to draw a line."
"Yes, he does. I remember when we thought you were dead I couldn't believe it either as long as there was no tangible proof."
*** EST OT ***
WADE
It was way after three a.m. when they finally decided they had done enough research and went to bed. Wade was woken by Butch in the morning not long after seven a.m. "Wade, when do we leave? Mike said we'll go and check the house again this morning. He is already up. Do you know where he went?"
Wade forced his tired eyes open. Then the news sunk in. "What?" Wade mumbled, "Mike's out somewhere? Where is he?" Wade glanced at the empty bed on the other side of the small room.
"I thought you'd know."
Rubbing his eyes, The Guardian tried to make sense of the words. Luckily, at that moment they heard the front door open. Since when was Mike up early? He was usually the one that needed a kick in his ass in the mornings.
They heard the clattering of dishes from the kitchen. Wade sighed. "Go and wake the others. I wanna talk to you all before we go."
Butch nodded and headed to the other room where Bastian and George were bunked. Wade sighed. He'd felt lonely for days. He missed Clara beside him when waking up. He missed her feminine smell, her 'good mornings', and the warm smile always on her lips.
Butch was talking in muffled tones to someone in the other room. He heard Mike's voice answering. At least Mike was back. Wade had been a bit worried that Mike's absence could mean further unnecessary trouble.
Wade put his clothes back on and headed to his brother. Mike had cleared the table of the books and was about to put a proper breakfast on the table. The smell of eggs, ham and cheese considerably improved the stale air of the unkept cottage. "Good morning, Wade. Strain the coffee and we can eat. We all need our strength to get through this day."
He did as told as the others staggered, more or less awake, to the table to enjoy the meal. Wade became curious about Mike's significantly improved mood. He needed to find out what had changed since the campfire. But Mike was right, that conversation had to wait until after the hunt.
*** EST OT ***
MIKE
Butch was not happy to stay at home but he didn't go against an order from the Guardian. George, Wade, and Mike had come all this way to help him.
The property with the mine shaft Butch had told them about, lay near a hill. The house itself was nothing special - just big enough for a small family. A few paces away, on the right side, was a barn which had seen better days. Several planks were loose and the entrance was overgrown with ivy that had been ripped off recently. A bit hidden, right behind some hedges that were once planted to mark the border of the property, was a small hill, like it was common to build a root cellar under. Despite the harmless surroundings Mike felt like he was entering a battlefield not a farm. "Let's check the house first and give a bit more attention to the cellar and the mine shaft behind. I have a gut feeling about it," he said.
George tied his horse to the porch, pulling his machete from his saddle. "My gut is fed up, it's not talking to me anymore."
Shaking his head over his friend, Mike waited outside to keep an eye on the area, his loaded rifle in hand, while the other two checked the house. Everything stayed silent, not a single noise was to be heard - no birds, not insects - like something evil had forbidden them to talk. When the others came out again they broke the spell for a moment.
Wade shook his head. "It seems There's been no one here for days. Let's check your root cellar-gut feeling next."
George scouted the barn and the shed but found nothing there either.
Mike took the lead to the root cellar. The shelf was still shoved away from the hidden entrance that led to the mine shaft which Butch had talked about. They followed the tunnel with lanterns in hand to the end where they found dried blood but not enough for a kill. Mike tried to make some sense of the tracks on the dusty ground but the light made it impossible to read details from them. A few paces from the blood trail, a bank of rocks and rubble blocked any onward exploration. Mike reached his lantern through the narrow gaps between the rocks to see if something was behind it. The only thing that he could make out was the direction another tunnel went into. "There are more tunnels. I think on the left it leads under the barn or somewhere further in that direction. Maybe it is a tunnel system but this part collapsed. Wherever they are now. It is not here anymore."
"You know from down here in which direction the barn is?" Wade asked, surprised.
Mike always had a good sense for directions. He was quickly able to find his way in new places. "Aye, I'm sure it is."
They headed to the barn for a more thorough search but found no secret trap door or anything similar. With not much more information than they'd arrived with, they headed back to town around noon.
As they rode, Mike mused on ways to transport a body or a captured enemy somewhere. It wouldn't be easy to take them far. The vamp-ghouls must still be in the area. They needed more information. "Let's ask the families of the other victims about what happened before they vanished."
Wade nodded, addressing George. "George, will you be able to scry for Randy somehow? Maybe with a personal item? Mike pointed out that you might be able to do something like that."
"I'd need some special items. I've seen a store that might have the things that I'm missing. Let's split up and we'll meet at Butch's later."
Wade nodded before they separated and rode in different directions.
*** EST OT ***
MIKE
In the afternoon they met up as planned. Talking to the families had brought no further clue. Mike could tell Butch was agitated and it didn't take long for the discussions in the house to get heated. Randy's brother was a man for rough cut, not made for research. He was unhappy with the lack of progress. They had been here for a day and only confirmed what he had already known.
"This new species is fascinating," Bastian mused. "I need to check some more books and have to make notes, it could be some kind of mutation between vampires and ghouls or even shapeshifters."
Mike raised a brow. Their Scholar could be an acquired taste, appearing somewhat heartless to those who didn't know him well. He glanced at Butch's reaction, seeing him balling his fists, right before he grabbed the wooden plate full of nuts, smashing it into the wall behind Bastian. A few nuts hit him and Bastian put his hands up in defense.
"That's enough! Shut the fuck up, talkling about these demons as if they had a right to live!" Butch screamed at Bastian in distress.
Butch had already picked up the next dish before Mike was able to jump in and wrestle him back against the wall. "Calm the hell down, Butch! We're all trying to help here. He didn't mean to insult you. Let's get some fresh air, you need a walk. Come!" Mike roughly shoved the angry hunter out the door.
They didn't get far before they passed the first bar and soon after another one. Mike began seeing opportunities to drink everywhere and soon felt the shaking of his hand again. He must stay strong. It was neither the time nor the place to be weak.
Butch gave him a strange look. "How about a drink. You look like you could use it. I can for sure."
Mike wasn't someone to deny another man a drink to his lost brother but if he went though one of those doors, he knew he could not hold his promise. "I think we should keep a clear head until we get these bastards. Let's walk around town and plan our next steps. We must have missed something. I can practically smell it."
Butch looked like a hit dog but nodded. "Yes, you are right. As long as my little brother is out there we should try to find him."
Mike swallowed, Butch was clinging to the hope that Randy wasn't dead. He could hardly judge him for that.
They took a small path that led behind the houses of the mainstreet. On the next turn they surprised a couple making out at the backdoor of a saloon. Mike tried to look the other way but Butch suddenly stopped mid-movement and swore under his breath. "No fucking way!" The hunter hurried to the guy, grabbing him by his shoulder to turn him around. "Randy?"
Mike turned at Butch's words. Butch seemed to see ghosts everywhere. But then, as the guy turned and let go of the girl in his arms, she sank boneless to the floor.
"Butch, wait," he said to stop the hunter. A glance back at the man alarmed The Knight fully. The guy looked indeed like Randy but where before there had been a sympathetic smile for everyone, now there were fangs in the young man's face and a thin rivulet of blood was tracing its way down his chin.
"Good evening, Frederick, it took you quite some time to find me. I must say I was a bit disappointed. Much longer and I was going to pay you a visit."
The Knight drew his knife quickly, the back of his mind frowning over the unknown first name of Butch. Before he could interfere, Randy jumped at his shocked brother. Mike knew Butch was capable but he doubted the most seasoned hunter was able to kill his brother without hesitating. They were rolling on the ground, fighting, and the Knight had no chance of entering the fray with his blade without a good chance of accidentally hurting Butch. He shoved his knife back into its holster and tried to get a hold of the not-Randy.
Finally Mike managed to grab Randy's jacket from behind to pull him off his brother. It hurt him to his core to do what needed to be done but he saw no other way. Drawing his blade again, Mike found his arm suddenly caught by Butch.
"No!" The other hunter shouted, his grip stopping Mike's final strike.
It was enough of an opening for Randy to recover and slam his elbow into Mike's face, who stumbled backwards in pain.
Butch had picked up Mike's blade and defended the Knight from the monster. "You don't have to do this. If Randy is still somewhere in there, please. It's me, your big bro. We always took care of each other. You have to fight this thing, Randy." Butch's voice trembled with every word.
Mike was blinded by pain for a moment before he brushed his blood from his nose with a grunt. After a shake of the head to recover, he glanced back at the brothers seeing Randy baring his fangs again. That was enough! This monster wasn't Randy anymore. Mike drew one of his silver throwing knives and threw, hitting Randy right in his heart.
"No!" Butch took a step closer to his brother. But the effect of the silverblade was not what Mike had hoped for. Though Randy looked shocked at the strike, he didn't fall to the ground. The only effect seemed to be that he moved a bit slower.
Randy stared at him before pulling the blade out of his chest. "That wasn't nice, Mike. You said we would be safe in the Brotherhood and look at us now." He grabbed Butch who had been close enough and in shock, digging his fangs deep into the hunter's neck.
Mike had to do something. This battle would be a dirty one. He jumped on Randy to get him away from Butch, praying that a bite alone wouldn't be enough to infect another human.
The two ended up on the floor wrestling with nearly even power. The Vamp-ghoul-whatever tried to bite him too and Mike had trouble keeping him at arm's length. The creature had the upper hand for the moment. Campbell tried to find his side blade but only found the small coin-pouch instead. Anything to stop him biting would do for now.
Stuffing the pouch into Randy's mouth had far more impact than just saving Mike from a nasty bite. The moment it was in, all movement stopped and Randy collapsed onto Mike, a deadweight. "Uff." Mike pressed out.
Soon the weight was pulled off the Knight by Butch, who was over his brother instantly. "Randy?" Mike watched him frantically running a hand over the younger hunter's face to brush the long hair back. "Brother?" Butch pulled the pouch from his brother's mouth and Randy's eyes sprung open, before they could take in what was happening, Randy was going for his brother again.
Mike couldn't believe it. What the hell was happening here? There was no time to think about reasons now. Mike grabbed Randy and pulled him off Butch again, kicking his knee hard into the creature's face without much of an effect. Mike ducked away under a punch and rammed Randy with full force so that they both went to the ground.
Butch seemed finally to get over his shock and shouted at Mike. "Catch," throwing the purse at Mike, who caught it. Wrestling the creature down Mike tried again to shove the pouch into the thing's mouth. Randy blocked him several times before he finally was able to put it into place.
Catching his breath, Mike sat up straddling Randy's body. "Fucking shit! I don't know what they are but I already hate them." Mike turned his head to Butch. "You all right?"
Butch stared at the two but nodded.
"Good, then check on the girl. I'll make sure that he's not waking up again." Mike saw Butch's eyes widen in shock and added, "I'll not kill him. We take him to the others first. If there is a way to save Randy we'll leave nothing untired. I promise."
This seemed to calm Butch's nerves a bit and he got up checking on the victim. Mike turned to Randy again. Swearing he took his favorite ascot off and fixed the pouch so that it wouldn't accidently fall out of his mouth again. "Don't mess my ascot up, buddy. I'm really attached to this piece of fabric."
"She's alive - breathing - but is white as a sheet." Randy already bandaged the wound to her neck and she was at least semi conscious, letting out a weak grunt. "What shall we do with her? We have to take care of Randy."
"Do you know her?" Mike asked.
Butch shook his head. "No, I could take her to the doctor. He probably knows her, like everyone in town. He is a friend of mine."
Mike nodded. "Good. You take her to the doc and I'll head over to your house with him." Mike carefully shipped around using Randy's name. He didn't want to bring too much hope to Butch's heart. Though there was no way he wouldn't lose it if they had to kill his brother at home. "We'll meet there afterwards."
*** EST OT ***
MIKE
All the hunters were sitting in various corners of the small living room in the home of the Pike brothers, studying the books.
Suddenly Bastian shouted,"Here! This passage says something about a German legend of Nachzehrers," The Scholar began reading to them the part he'd just studied, "Silver weakens them but more effective is copper. They were often buried with a copper coin in their mouths and the people sewed up their mouths and eyes. Some say they must be buried with the face downwards in sacred ground."
Mike crossed his arms over his chest. "Well then they buried sleeping beauties, because as soon as we took the pouch out, he was very much alive."
Butch ran a hand through his hair. "What does that mean? We are not burying him alive, sleeping or not."
Mike turned to the hunter. "Butch, this isn't Randy anymore. I'm sorry. We must find a way to kill the monster in him and give him a proper funeral. He wouldn't have wanted to run around killing people."
Butch was shaking now from stress, looking at the Triad one by one. "But he's … he's my lil' brother … ", at last turning to Mike, desperately grabbing his jacket. "Mike please, there must be a way to save him," Butch begged before sinking back into his chair, hiding his face.
Mike let out a desperate sigh, patting Butch's shoulder. The Knight squatted next to the desperate hunter, searching for the other's gaze. "The bastard is gonna pay for what he has done to Randy, I swear." Mike said fiercy. "Go and rest up a bit. If we find even the slightest hint about what to do, I'll get you before we act, okay?"
Butch nodded, still staring at the ground while getting up and leaving for his room.
The Knight waited until Butch was out of earshot before he turned to Bastian and the others again. "What happens if we burn it? Will this kill the beast?"
Bastian looked at Randy, then at Mike. "I don't know. But we would be burning him alive, are you aware of that?"
Mike closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "I know. But maybe there is no other way to end this." He tried to think of another solution but nothing came to mind other than to cut Randy's head off. Butch would go insane about something like that. 'Lord, please, there must be a way,' Mike prayed. They also needed to find the other Nachzehrers before they turned more into their kin.
Wade had been very silent during the whole conversation but got up now. "I refuse to kill one of our own hunters. If we kill Randy we will be ending Butch's life as well. I know how he feels. I know what is waiting for him if Randy does not return to him. I suffered your loss for over a year, Mike. We need to find a way!"
George nodded grimly. "Did any of you find anything in these books about how a human gets changed into one of them?"
Bastian turned the page he had read to them. "Here, it's a note on why they often were thought to be vampires. Some used to suck blood too. I think it is possible that a bite and some kind of blood exchange would do it, don't you think?"
Mike shot Randy a worried glance. "Butch got bitten by him. We have to keep a close eye on him then too.
TBC
