Chapter 3 - The Strangers

Cont. 10 years ago

Moore POV

How could he had been so stupid? We were supposed to operate under the radar and then he lost that girl, a fucking seven-year-old girl. I had my doubts about sending an inexperienced guardian to do the collecting from the States, but hey it was one silly girl - how hard could it be? Then again during the time I trained him, he always seemed a bit dumb. Guess we got that verified.

We couldn't allow this retrieval to go wrong so besides me I had selected two of our best guardians. Thank God money gets people talking. A part of me despised the dhampirs that reported to us, betraying their own kind for a few bucks. At least we had a purpose, we worked for something other than money. For something greater. I suppose in this shitty village, with all the run-down houses, the one who reported seeing his neighbors with a small girl who wasn't family really needed the money. I still thought he was a traitor, albeit a useful traitor. We approached the house and the lights were still on.

"Okay, so this is the plan. I'll knock and initiate contact. Hopefully they'll listen when I tell them we're here to collect the girl home and no altercation is necessary. However, the source told me that there is a novice at home and you both know how justified they can be. So in case they don't hand her over immediately I need both of you ready to incapacitate whoever causes trouble. I don't care if it's the novice, an old woman or a child. This is an in and out mission. Am I clear?"

In unison they responded "Yes, Chief Moore".

"Good, we're here. Let's do this."

Dimitri POV

I barged into the kitchen and ordered mama to take the girl upstairs. My stern voice seemed to scare Rose who was frozen in her place, but I didn't have the time to reassure her. Mama swiftly lifted her from her chair and made her way upstairs with hurried steps. Halfway up the stairs I caught a glimpse of Rose's face. She had the same look of sheer and utter terror as I'd seen in the woods. I felt my body reacting and adrenaline started to pump through my veins, preparing me to do my job. I heard Galina's voice urging me to collect myself, to get an understanding of the situation before engaging.

Step one was done, get the weakest links out of the way. Or so I thought, until I saw babushka step into the living room. Just as I opened my mouth to tell her to go back to the kitchen, or rather go upstairs, she gave me a look that shut my mouth. "This is my house Dimitri, I will not hide" she said as I caught a glimpse of silver in her sleeve.

The time seemed to slow down because just as I heard the bedroom door close upstairs a loud knock came from the front door. Babushka started making her way to open it but I quickly moved past her, putting her behind my back and this time it was me giving her a look that made her sigh. My instincts told me this wasn't going to be good. I put my weight against the already bolted door and asked "Who is it?"

"Good evening, sorry to come by after the darkness has set. We've gotten a report that you have a missing girl here. We've come on her mother's request to bring her home." I could hear that he tried to give a soothing and authoritative impression, but he didn't fool me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, trying to be as convincing as possible. I still refused to open the door, not wanting to let go of the last barrier between us and the threat.

"The mother and the rest of her family are worried out of their mind. We only want to take her back to safety" the man said, his voice still pleasant but had a sharp edge to it that wasn't there before.

I gritted my teeth fighting for control. She was safe here with me, not with them. "Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me boy. I suggest that you hand over the girl." his voice no longer friendly.

"You can come back during daylight and I'm sure that you'll see that you've been mistaken." babushka said behind my back.

"We trust our source, just allow us to come in and let us search for the girl. If we're mistaken there shouldn't be any problems right? Or do you have something else to hide?"

I didn't appreciate his snarky attitude, it made me think of Spiridon. I didn't have time to respond before I heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, what are you doing here, who are you?" Karo sounded frustrated and a bit drunk.

Fuck, this just got worse, why the hell did she have to come home now. I heard movements and then her gasp, followed by her voice that sounded muffled. Terror washed over my entire being as I realized that the ones outside now had leverage. Leverage that I wasn't willing to let go of. I had no choice but to open the door now.

With shaking hands I unlocked and unbolted the door, opening it a few inches. I could see three men, one of them holding a firm grip of my sister with his hand over her mouth. Her eyes were frantic of fear, and my earlier terror turned into fury. No - fury wouldn't even begin to cover what I was feeling after seeing that asshole laying his hands on my sister. One of the men gave me a smile that sent chills down my spine, and as he opened his mouth I realized that it was him who had spoken before. He had to be their leader.

"I strongly suggest that you hand over the girl now."

I looked him in the eyes, my fury giving me a new-found confidence.

"And I strongly suggest that you let go of my sister."

He gave the man holding Karo a small nod, who dropped the hand that was covering her mouth. He didn't release her entirely, still holding onto her wrist. I didn't trust them but I had no choice but to open the door more. I felt babushkas' presence right beside me and I knew that if looks could kill, the man who had spoken would be dead from her stare. I took a few steps outside the door, wanting to get closer to Karo.

Driven by my instincts, I suddenly launched myself at the man holding Karo, the element of surprise to my favor and I succeeded in landing a well-executed punch on his jaw. The man stumbled and dropped to the ground as Karo wrenched away and ran back towards the village, hopefully getting some of her friends. I engaged in combat with the other man that had been closest to Karo, and from the corner of my eye I could see that babushka had produced her stake and was moving towards their leader.

No longer having the element of surprise my new opponent was harder to beat. I knew I had to end the fight quickly as the man I had punched already stirred on the ground. My opponent managed to land a kick on my right side, but before he could regain both feet on the ground I surged forward, taking advantage of his exposed balance. He tumbled into the side of the house and I could hear his head smash against the wall. As his body slumped down I caught a glimpse of babushka getting hit in the temple. She cried in pain as she stumbled sideways. I felt paralyzed as ice ran through my veins, and I hesitated for just a moment. It was all they needed.

Both of my opponents had managed to get on their feet and used my distraction to their advantage. They managed to take me down and we grappled on the ground. It didn't take long for them to subdue me, twisting my arms behind my back in a firm grip. I felt someone's knee pressing down on my shoulder that felt like it could pop against my writhing. Just as I was about to maneuver out of the grip like Galina had taught me I heard someone cry out loud.

"Stop! I'll go, just - just don't hurt my friends!" Rose yelled, her voice powerful and in stark contrast to her earlier timidness.

"No!" I growled.

The leader had made further advancement on babushka who now sat down on the ground. She may have been trained as a guardian but her age wasn't in her favor. The whole situation looked rather grim, and I could feel one of the men releasing me, approaching Rose instead. She didn't look scared, instead she looked determined and just as the man grabbed her arm she locked eyes with me pleading me to accept the loss.

I felt like she was asking too much. How could I ever accept that she would let those bastards take her. As much as her unselfishness was admirable, I couldn't help but hate the self-sacrifice. Most of all I hated myself for letting my selfishness hinder me from continuing to fight for her. In a way I chose my family over her, the girl I swore to protect just a couple of hours ago, and I had already failed her.

The man holding Rose led her to the car with tinted windows, opening the door for her. As she hopped in, the leader looked at the guardian holding me down and I felt him release me.

I stayed on the ground, partly to show that I wasn't going to continue the struggle, but also because I couldn't trust my legs to keep me upright. The leader looked down at me with a smirk before opening his car door. I fucking hated him with every single fiber in my body. I registered every single feature of his face, sure that sooner or later I would make him pay. Sooner, not later.

When the last car door slammed shut and the engine started, I felt babushkas' presence beside me once again. As the car drove away into the darkness her hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before she went back inside. I knew that I needed to get up and go inside, the darkness wasn't safe, but I continued to stare where the car had disappeared. It felt like my whole world was upside down.