Chapter 37 - Hunters From The West

As he strolled into the house, it was clear to see from the items tossed around that whoever had lived there had packed in a hurry before clearing out. As he strolled around the house, he was impressed with its space and yet it's ability to keep the undead out. It was built for survival and comfort, something that was not seen that often these days. He knew the moment he set eyes on the small compound that this was the place they were looking for. It seemed like just the getaway that the people they were looking for would use. Someone smart enough to have an exit plan from Denver would no doubt have a hideaway to get to so they wouldn't have to be on the road that long. If they had driven straight here from the slaughtered check point, it would have taken less than two days. It took the Californian Independent Army a little longer to track this place down, and it was already cleared out. The man was in the kitchen, checking out the coffee machine when a soldier walked into the room and saluted him.

"At ease," the man replied without even looking. He could hear the sound the boy's arm made and knew what he had done. "Report."

"We found some tracks, and they look quite similar to the ones left by the convoy that ambushed our men," the soldier replied, "It's a little snowed over, but we can still make them out. I think it's been at least a month since anyone was here."

"In what direction are the tracks leading?" the man asked.

"They appear to head East, General." The boy replied.

The General stopped fiddling with the coffee machine and looked back at the young man. "East? Are you sure?"

"Our trackers are pretty sure about it, Sir." The boy confirmed. "The Convoy appears to have moved east."

"That's surprising," the General said, "I would have traveled north to avoid the undead. They're either not as experienced with moving across the lands, or they had a specific destination in mind when they departed."

"Why are we following them, Sir?" the boy asked his superior.

"We are following them because I said so," The General sniped back.

The General walked closer to the young man. "Did you know anyone at the check point that was ambushed, soldier?"

"No Sir!" the boy replied without making eye contact.

"Regardless if you do or not," The General said as he stepped closer, "No one kills our people in such a brutal fashion without consequences! If you take out any member of the Californian army, you will pay for it!"

"Yes Sir!" the boy called out. "We will make them pay!"

"Go fetch the Sergeant." The General ordered.

"Yes Sir!" The boy said before running out to comply with his orders.

As the General was waiting for the Sergeant to return, he returned to the coffee machine and began to set it up. He stood there and patiently waited as the machine slowly made the pot of coffee before him. It was about half finished when the Sergeant reported to him as ordered.

"You called for me, General?" The Sergeant asked.

"I did," the General replied, "This place is quite interesting, isn't it?"

"Is that so?" The General said, still watching the coffee machine. "Explain."

"There are not many windows," The Sergeant started, "And the ones that are present can also be sealed off."

"That's pretty handy if you want to keep the dead out." The General suggested.

"Well, you don't have to keep them closed to do that." The Sergeant continued, "The windows that are here are rather thick. I'd even say they're bulletproof. Whoever was living here was well stocked and was ready for almost anything."

"What is the confusing part then?" The General asked.

"There are only two exits," The Sergeant answered, "One in the garage and the front entrance."

"That is incorrect, Sergeant." The General retorted. "There are three exits."

"Where is the third?" The Sergeant asked.

Without turning to face the Sergeant, the General reached to the wall beside him and hit a small button that was beside the light switch. When he tapped the button, the window in the ceiling twenty fleet above the kitchen slid open, showing them nothing but cloudy skies above.

"It actually answers a lot of questions." The General said as he started to pour two mugs of coffee as the machine had finished making its pot. "How do you take your coffee, Sergeant?"

"Just sugar, please." The Sergeant replied, "Two spoons."

The General walked over with both mugs and handed one of them to the Sergeant, it was easy to tell them apart as the General had sugar and some cream from the fridge in his mug. The cream still looked good so the General was willing to chance it since he preferred some creamer in his coffee. After the General handed the Sergeant his coffee, they stood there for a few moments, sipping their mugs and looking at the new opening in the ceiling.

"I'm still not getting it, Sir." The Sergeant finally admitted.

"Not only are we looking for a Vampire," The General explained, "But based on the evidence before us… we're looking for one that can fly."

The Sergeant almost spit his coffee out of his mouth.

"He flies?" The Sergeant repeated, "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm quite positive." The General insisted, "It explains a great deal. Such as how the people in the convoy managed to get out of Denver without us noticing or being able to stop them. Your people had the city surrounded, and no one reports anyone escaping the city or getting by them. My guess is the convoy was never located within the city, and this vampire just flew them over the walls all out of town where the convoy was neatly stashed away for their escape."

"That does explain a lot," The Sergeant concurred, "We had the city surrounded, and no one got past us. The sky was the only part we didn't have covered."

"I didn't realize those blood suckers could fly," The Sergeant added, "That makes them a lot scarier."

"From what I've been told, flying isn't very common." The General said, "Only certain vampires can fly, which means the one we're looking for might be rather old."

"That won't make things easier for us." The Sergeant said, sipping away.

"What makes you say that, Sergeant?" The General inquired.

"If he's quite old, then it's safe to assume he's educated." The Sergeant answered, "I mean what would you do if you could live forever? I'd read a lot of books and take most of it in like a sponge. Then there's also a chance he's served at least once in his long lifespan, so he'll also have military experience. That would certainly explain the hideaway and the pre-planned escape."

"Both good points, Sergeant." The General agreed. "That would indeed make things difficult, but he also cares about these people. He took them into his home for a while, at least until they decided to move east."

"Where do you think they went?" The Sergeant asked, "New Lycan?"

"Doubtful," The General answered, "It was too close to the full moon. We'll follow the tracks as far as we can, and once we lose them we'll use drones to scout for possible destinations. If it leads us to New Lycan, we'll deal with it. I have a feeling they probably avoided that city, especially people coming from Denver. Lycans wouldn't want to take them out of fear."

"Fear of what, Sir?" The Sergeant asked.

"What should we do with this place?" The Sergeant asked.

"Have the men ransack it for supplies," the General answered, "And when we're finished with it, burn it to the ground. Remove this as an option for that blood sucker."

"Yes, Sir." The Sergeant said, before making a salute and leaving the room.

The General walked out of the house and to the Humvee that was waiting for him outside of the gate. He watched as the house was set ablaze and the flames quickly consumed the place from within. Yet as he watched the small structure burn, all the General could think about was that fateful night when Denver fell. As far as they had known, the operation has worked exactly as they had planned. No one escaped, at least no one did by ground, and no one of the actually assault was killed in action. There were some injuries, but no deaths from the any of the infantry that were attacking the city. It wasn't until the next morning when they discovered the Californians that were killed at the check point. Based on how brutally everyone was killed, this was more of a slaughter than an actual fight. Everyone was slashed with precision, killed before they even had a chance to defend themselves. They were taken by surprise and had no idea what kind of monster they were dealing with until it was too late. He probably tried to talk his way through the checkpoint, but as soon as he realized they soldiers were not going to back down, the vampire slaughtered them. Most of them never saw their death coming, all except the last one.

The last victim was a woman, and she had managed to get a few shots off before her demise. The General remembers finding her lifeless body, drained of all life by a single bite mark that was present in her neck. It was cliché, but effective. It was also the most disturbing thing that he had ever seen. She wasn't chopped down quickly like the other soldiers at the checkpoint, but slowly drained of her life. It had to be an agonizing and inhumane way to he killed. Her blood was consumed until there wasn't enough left inside her for her body to function. Her skin had turned a light shade of grey, as if her soul was being s.u.c.k.e.d out as well as her blood.

It was a sight that upset the General when he first laid eyes on her, mostly because it was his fault. He had personally assigned the woman to the checkpoint for a reason, which was to keep her safe. His obsession with her safety is what eventually put her into harm's way, and that infuriated the General the most. It was why he and his men were still looking for that damn bloodsucker. He didn't care what the politicians said, or the excuses that were made by the Vamps in Europe. He was going to find the blood sucker that slaughtered the checkpoint, and deliver some Californian justice.

"Let's get rolling," The General ordered, as he pounded the roof of his Humvee. "We've got a damn bloodsucker to kill."