Chapter Text
In the world of humans and vampires, there were hunters, sent out to kill the bloodsuckers who cursed the world with their presence. Vampires fed off of humans, using them as a food source, and trapping them under spells. Vampires had a way of getting what they wanted, they could easily lure a human in with their eyes, making the human do whatever the vampire wanted. It was scary, a tool used to kill humans. Vampire hunters were trained to hunt down these monsters, killing every vampire they came across. These hunters were trained since they learned how to walk, as humans with powerful abilities were assigned to become vampire hunters even if they didn’t want to.
They learned how to fight, wield weapons, survival skills, you name it. It was to be killed or kill in this kind of world. Vampire hunters learned how to kill these beasts, from silver blades to training to resist the eyes of a vampire. The second you’re under a vampire's curse, it’s over.
Vampires have been terrorizing the world for decades now, no one was sure how they came to be. People stated that vampires have been around for centuries, living with us but never making themselves known. Living in secret until they tried taking over the world, trapping humans in cages, and using them as food.
Humans were used as blood vessels for decades but soon overpowered the bloodsuckers, turning the tables on them.
Once humankind went ahead and wiped out most of the vampires they could get their hands on, they created an organization to kill these monsters.
And my family ran the whole thing.
For generations, my family was taught how to kill these monsters, using our own powers we were gifted over the years. Even if vampires had the power of mind control with their eyes, we had many different abilities we could use to slay a vampire.
My father was the leader after my grandmother stepped down, and I was next in line to take the organization under my wing. Though, I was still very young and had a long way to go before I could even dream of running things.
The organization had groups, and I was the leader of mine. It wasn’t very large, just five of us. Xavier, Jeremiah, Caleb, Tara, and myself. I picked my team out, finding the best people with skills in their fields. I was confident in my team, and there was not one mission we failed. We were the highest-ranking team, no other team in the organization could top us.
Currently, we’re discussing going on a mission to track down a famous painter who’s rumored to be a vampire. “It would make sense why he spends all of his time inside and never shows himself,” I stated as I looked through the files that were given to us. “Ugh, can we take a break, pip-squeak?” Caleb questioned me, reaching over to snatch the sheets of paper away from me. I couldn’t help but glare at him, crossing my arms. “Well, after we do this mission… we get two months off for our overtime, so I want to do this as quickly as possible…” I trailed off, twirling a piece of my hair around my finger.
“She’s right! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can relax!” Tara spoke up with her normal positive attitude as she flashed me a happy smile, and I couldn’t help but turn my lips up as well at her addictive smile. Tara was always such a sweetheart, shes a true gem in our group.
“Wait, but it’s saying this is a one-person job… what the fuck?” Caleb mumbled as he leaned closer to the paper, squinting his eyes. “Huh? No way, that’s literally a rule.. no one-person jobs,” Jeremiah spoke up for the first time in a while, as a sleeping Xavier was beside him. Jeremiah sounded tired himself, unlike his happy-go-lucky self. Everyone was tired. “Let me see,” I said as I snatched the paper away from my childhood friend, he couldn’t help but huff at my actions, shooting me a playful glare.
Reading the paper, I pressed my lips together. Is this what my dad mentioned a couple of days ago over the phone?
Note:
This mission will be a one-person job.
A team of 5 will not be required, please contact the organization if there are questions.
“I mean, it does look simple,” I grumble as I flip through the papers, my tired gaze reading the yap of text. “All that’s needed is to kill one lazy vampire,” I said as I placed the papers down, leaning back in my chair. “I’ll go ahead and start the mission tomorrow,” I declared, running a hand through my hair as I was careful not to get my rings caught in my hair.
“Nah, no way. Have someone else do it,” Caleb spoke up, crossing his arms. “If we pass on the mission, we can go on vacation early!” he said with one of his dumb grins, leaning over to me for a second before he leaned back in his chair and got comfortable once more.
“I don’t pass on missions,” I stated as I let out a yawn, stretching my arms over my head. “She’s right, what if they just give us another harder mission cause we pass on it? Let’s just take the easy peasy one… and go on vacation,” Jeremiah said, supporting my words. At least I had a backup! Thanks, Jeremiah. “Let’s just.. talk about this more in the morning,” Tara said with a loud yawn, resting her head on my shoulder as she looked ready to fall asleep.
I gently patted her head, knowing we did just get off a mission that lasted us a week. Maybe that’s why I wanted to do the mission, my teammates worked their asses off. “Alright, let’s all head to bed and we can bring up the discussion in the morning,” I told everyone, yet another yawn leaving my lips as Caleb yawned right after me.
Once I said that, everyone instantly started moving. Tara got up and dragged herself upstairs, whilst Caleb walked to my side. “I don’t want you doing it alone, pip-squeak,” he said as he ruffled up my hair, causing me to huff and fix it. “Worried about me?” I asked with a small grin. “Well, yeah. It’s the first time anyone has ever done a mission alone,” Caleb said as he watched me get up from my seat.
“And hopefully the last, I’ll be fine!” I reassured as he pushed in my chair for me. “Yeah yeah, well I guess I’ll just have to convince you not to go in the morning…”
“Good luck with that,” I stated before someone cleared his throat, causing us to look over. A now-awake Xavier was staring at us, and I couldn’t help the little frown that formed on my face. It’s always awkward seeing your ex… I noticed only us three were in the room, yikes. At least Caleb was here.
“What’s going on?” Xavier questioned us, trying not to meet my gaze. “Well, we got assigned a single-man mission,” Caleb said with a grumble, resting his elbow on my shoulder as he leaned against me.
This guy is lucky I didn’t tumble over.
“What? That doesn’t make sense,” Xavier questioned, shaking his head. “Well we got it, my father even signed it,” I reasoned as I reached down, grabbing the papers from the table. I turned them over to face the half-awake man as I pointed to the signature at the bottom… “see? It’s approved,” I stated with little to no emotion in my voice, it was clear I didn’t want to talk to Xavier.
“Weird, why don’t you call him to double-check?” Xavier questioned me as I heard Caleb yawn, feeling both of their gazes on me. “No reason too, I’ll depart in the morning,” I reassured. My father would never assign me something that I have to double-check on. He would never put me in serious danger.
“No,” Xavier said as I flashed him a glare. No? Who does this cheating bastard think he is? I could see the protective glint in his eyes and I wasn’t a fan of it. “You don’t call the shots here, I do,” I stated before I began walking away, causing Caleb to almost fall, seeing as I was his support. “Hey! I almost fell here!” Caleb said as he ran after me, a little chuckle leaving his lips.
I completely missed the way Xavier and Caleb glared at each other, tension rising.
I did not want to deal with my annoying ex. He wants to tell ME of all people NO? Crazy. My anger was clear as my steps echoed through the hallway, walking up a set of stairs. It's been so awkward recently with having to deal with my cheating ex-boyfriend around, but at least I'm getting over him.
I walked into my room, hearing Caleb still on my trail. “Go to bed,” I grumbled, shooting him a look over my shoulder. “But I want to bug ya some more pip-squeak,” he said with his dumbass grin, leaning against the wall. “Well I’m tired…” I replied back, running a hand through my hair as a dramatic sigh left my slightly chapped lips. Where is my chapstick hiding?
“Hi tired, I’m Caleb.”
Oh my god…
I SLAMMED the door shut, causing a surprised gasp from Tara who was busy putting on her skincare. I paused, forgetting I shared a room with her. I shouldn’t have slammed the damn door.. whoopsies! “I’m so sorry, Caleb was being a jerk,” I reasoned as she slowly nodded. “It’s okay! I get it,’ she said as she let out a quiet snort, she found our playful actions funny…
“I’m NOT a jerk!” Caleb was heard from behind the door followed by loud stomps of his feet. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I laugh left my lips, “what a dork,” I grumbled to myself, but my lips had a soft smile.
“You two are such a cute duo! Oh also, your boyfriend was trying to call you…” Tara said as she glanced over at my phone that was resting on my bed. “Boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend…” I said as I made my way over to my neatly made bed. “I thought you and Doctor Zayne went on a date?”
I instantly paused, thinking about my day with Zayne a couple of days ago. He had invited me out to coffee a couple of days ago when we both weren’t too busy. The chemistry was there, the way we stole glances at each other that seemed oh so long, the way his fingertips touched my skin accidentally… I shook my head, waving off my face with my hand. We had agreed to meet up again tomorrow, that’s why I'm so eager to get this mission done.
“HUH? No oh my god…” I said with an embarrassed flush on my face, sitting on my bed and taking my device into my hands. “He just.. invited me out for coffee,” I said as Tara of course didn’t miss for a second the way my lips were curved upwards into a silly and shy grin.
“Isn’t that a date?” Tara asked with a large grin on her stunning features, as she applied a lip mask to her already perfect lips. This all reminded me I needed to do my nightly routine… but I couldn’t go to bed just yet anyways. “No… it’s getting coffee with a friend,” I defended myself with a small frown. “Besides… it’s too early to get with someone else,” I explained as I stared down at my pink and white bedsheets for a moment, my eyes turning glossy for a moment before I blinked rapidly for it to disappear. I guess I wasn’t totally over Xavier, but Zayne was making it easy to move on…
Tara instantly frowned, turning in her chair as she noticed my sudden sad expression. “Oh, I’m sorry for pushing…” she said with a look of guilt washing over her. I felt bad for making the mood all gloomy when she was trying to be a good friend and hype me up…
“No no, it’s fine!” I said honestly, flashing her a grin as I crawled into my comfortable bed, turning on my phone. “Do you want to do a face mask with me?” She asked as I heard her open up a package. “I haven’t washed my face yet… I need to call HQ to update them before I can get ready for bed… I just want to be lazy right now,” I lied. “Ohhh! Okay! I’ll save you one then!” She said happily, knowing I’d probably ask her to do another face mask with her tomorrow night anyways.
Looking at my messages, a small grin slowly went across my face. He really did text me like he said he would, it made me feel like a teenager with a silly little crush…
Zayne
1 missed call
Zayne
Are you busy?
I’m heading home now.
Me
Sorry!! I was wrapping up a meeting with my team.
Did you eat the lunch I made you?
Zayne
I did, thank you.
Did you eat?
I grinned happily as I felt my feet kick, he ate my lunch! I paused for a second, noticing my silly schoolgirl actions as I couldn’t help but cringe. Oh my god... No way I'm this down bad?
Me
Yeah! I made some stew for everyone then some carrot cake.
Zayne
They say carrot cake is bad for you.
Me
Are you saying this because you dislike carrots?
Zayne
Yes.
Me
It tastes NOTHINGG like carrots.. Kind of?
Zayne
Maybe you should make it for me.
I paused, was he asking me to hang out or something? I couldn’t help but giggle, twirling a piece of my hair around as I heard Tara snort as I shot her a look from behind my phone. “Ignore me…” she said with an innocent smile from behind the skin care mask, acting as if she wasn’t watching me swoon over a doctor via text.
Zayne
It seems I need to go back to the hospital for emergency surgery, I will text you after.
Sleep well.
I instantly frowned, looking at the time.
10:23 pm. Poor guy! He needs a break. I didn't even have the time to agree to his little hang out idea...
Me
Really?:( Well take care!! Goodnight
I groan as I sit up from my bed, looking at Tara who was busy laying in bed reading one of her books. I stared at her for a moment, grateful for her presence. Back when Xavier and I ended things, I moved out of our shared room, ready to move into my own room. But, I always had issues sleeping alone in a room, it scared me for some reason. Thankfully, Tara knew this of course, and instantly wanted to become roommates, and I agreed. We’ve always been good friends, but I felt like this bonded us more like sisters. Tara was my literal sunshine, along with Caleb… Jeremiah was too, that guy always knew how to cheer me up.
With a sudden heavy sigh, I realized I had tasks I needed to complete, even though that was the LAST thing my sore body wanted. But I needed to do it, my teammates were tired and I wanted to spend time with Zayne tomorrow… I had to get this mission done early.
“I’m going to go take my call,” I said as I got up, flashing her a silly grin. “Okay! Be back soon, it’s getting late…” She trailed off as she checked the time. I felt guilty for lying straight to her face... But I was sure she wouldn’t mind when I stated we could rest tomorrow.
“Yup! Will do!” I said as I opened the door, taking a step out as I let out a sigh. Geez tonight will be a long night for sure.
——
It wasn’t even an hour later that I was leaving our main base, heading out to the big city. It was late at night, and the stars were not even visible because of the pollution of the city. If I did the mission now, we could all just relax tomorrow. I was confident I could do this, with my posture held high as I walked with a sense of confidence. However, my eyes felt tired as it slightly rang some bells in the back of my head, what if this became an issue?
The mission seemed so easy, I just take out the vampire, and that’s it? No catch? Of course, this did seem a little bit suspicious, I would never take action if I wasn’t sure. But, I remembered my phone call from my father yesterday. He stated I would be thrown a curve ball of a mission, something I’d never seen before… this must be it. No one has ever taken on a solo mission when it came to vampires, maybe my dad wanted to see my work when I did the job myself. I have to impress my father, I need to impress Grandma.
This walk was also so peaceful to me, I was heading towards the ocean. I could already smell the salty air that seemed oh so peaceful and fresh, it made me feel relaxed and laid back. Oh wow, I missed late-night walks like these.
No one really messed with me, walking right past me as I kept my guard up even through my calm and relaxed nature. Who would want to mess with someone in a hunter uniform? That was my protection as a lady walking around at night. Even though I would think it’d be interesting if I had a menacing dog walking beside me to keep me company and protected… maybe I should invest in getting a hunter dog.
Maybe it was a little silly of me to do something without letting my team know, I would be pissed if they did this without me knowing. But knowing how tired and exhausted everyone was, I figured this was my job as their leader. I need to make sure they all get their rest as soon as possible, I hate seeing the tired looks on their faces. Besides, I know how badly Caleb wants to get this hunter stuff done so he can relax, I can see his energy draining out of him. Constant hunter tasks can be annoying and exhausting, mostly when you do them for 3 months straight. I felt myself growing tired as well, I just wanted to enjoy my vacation. Maybe even spend time with Zayne.
I paused at my own thoughts, blinking. Was I really thinking about the super hot doctor after I just broke up with my ex only a month ago? It felt wrong moving on so fast… but Xavier seemed to have no issue with moving on instantly. Gosh. Even if I was fangirling over Zayne earlier, a part of me felt guilty for some reason,
I still remember how I walked into that bar and saw my boyfriend kissing another woman. I was stunned. I never felt my heart break into so many pieces, seeing my man who I thought I was marrying one day kissing another woman. Who mind you, was way uglier than me? Yikes. I knew my worth, I knew I was better than that slob he was kissing… I worked hard to make myself the woman little girls are inspired to be when they grow up.
Even though I considered myself strong and beautiful, I couldn’t help but burst into tears when I saw the scene, it was so heartbreaking. We were dating for 4 years, even before we were assigned to the same team. I thought he was my soulmate, my everything, my forever. So seeing him with another woman’s tongue down his throat made my knees almost give out, I could feel my heart dropping into my stomach as a cold wave washed over me.
I instantly ran to find Caleb that day, crying in his arms as he comforted me with his jokes and reassuring tone. Caleb might’ve lost his mind, almost attacking Xavier when he saw him again, but I managed to break it up. I couldn’t have my team fall apart because I was upset a man broke my heart. That was idiotic of me if I were to let it happen, I needed to be stronger.
Caleb has always been there for me since we were young, best friends for as long as I can remember. I met him after grandma took him in, his parents magically disappearing one day. He was never really adopted by my family, he was simply a family friend who lived with us. He was like a brother.
I shook my head, letting out a yawn as I tried to ignore all of the rushing thoughts that flew in my head. I needed to focus, even though nighttime walks always caused me to think about how chaotic my life is...
Suddenly, hands grabbed me and I felt panic rush through my whole body. My heart dropped into my stomach as I was suddenly snatched out of my spacing out. My eyes shot open as I was pulled into an alleyway, my ears instantly ringing as my heart seemed to speed up. My tired state made it so I wasn’t able to respond quickly enough, my body being pushed up against a wall as I tried shoving whoever was manhandling me.
A hand was on my mouth, a body pushed against mine to keep me still… Locking eyes with deep blue ones that seemed all too familiar. I instantly glared, my body relaxing as Xavier slowly took his hand off of my lips. This bastard. I felt rage rush through my whole body like I had just splashed with hot water. He was stopping me from doing a mission? I could tell in his expression that he was worried and panicked, his big blue eyes that I was once in love with wide as they stared at me.
“Why are you going alone?” Xavier questioned, his voice mellow and quiet, I could slightly hear the worry. “Well because it’s a one-man mission, duh?” I said, matching his tone with only more annoyance, it was clear I didn’t want to see him, nor was I happy by his dumb actions. “But why now? Couldn’t this have waited until morning? Couldn’t we all just have gone instead?” Xavier questioned me, as my glare thickened. Is he an idiot? It's a one-man mission. Why was he so worried?
“Too many questions, you know better than to question me,” I stated as I narrowed my eyes at him, anger laced in my tone and expression. I could easily get Xavier fired as a hunter, and he knew that. Maybe I should have listened to Caleb when he told me to take Xavier off the team. But Xavier was smart and a good teammate, if I fired him we would be falling down the charts in our ranks.
“This is dangerous,” Xavier stated, his blue scanning my face as if he was looking to see if I was injured or not. I could feel the rage form in my heart even more as if it was about to bust. “Since when do you care?!” I snapped, pushing the ashy-haired male away from me, as he willingly stumbled back… I couldn’t handle this anymore. My hands formed fists as my glare stared at the man who was only looking at me with worry, the rest of his face was unreadable but I couldn't care less.
“First you cheated on me, and now you’re acting like it didn’t happen?!” I said as I threw my hands up, my whole body felt like it was on fire because of how angry I was. I haven't snapped at him since I saw him cheating on me with another woman. I had a lot of pit up rage in my heart, and being alone with him when he was trying to act like I was doing something dumb made me even more pissed. “You don’t have a right to worry about me anymore! You broke my heart!” I shouted, my voice echoing off of the alleyway as a nearby cat meowed in surprise and dashed off after my voice boomed out. “I loved you! I fucking loved you!” I said as my tone of voice cracked, tears starting to form at the corner of my eyes as my body began to shake. “How could you do this to me?... I thought I was going to be yours forever…” I asked as I looked at his blue eyes as I didn’t care to read his emotions, turning my head away from him. “I promise you it wasn’t what it l-”
I cut him off instantly.
“Excuses! God I should have listened to Caleb when he warned me not to get close to you!” I rambled as I waved my hand, turning away from him. I remembered how Caleb told me not to get close to Xavier when we first met him, maybe I should have listened to him. Caleb was always right after all.
Xavier stared at me as I blocked out anything he was saying, he was just trying to reason with me when it wasn’t going to work. He fucked up enough already. “Whatever, don’t get in my way again. I’m leaving,” I said as I wiped my tears, my posture high as I walked out of the alleyway, trying to fix the feeling of a broken heart.
—-
I sighed as I finally reached my destination, feeling relieved that the walk didn’t take me much longer than it did. I was still annoyed about the Xavier situation, my emotions all over the place but I chose to shove them down my throat and deal with them later.
I looked at my watch, tapping it a couple of times as a holographic screen tinted a shade of blue appeared before my eyes. I reached out, my fingers against the screen that didn’t feel real. I swiped through it, finding the information on the painter.
His name was Rafayel, 24 of age, and he was a famous painter who never really made appearances outside. I scanned his face, taking notice that this man was quite handsome, but I shook the thought away. He was a vampire I was supposed to kill. Continuing on with my reading, it stated he had the ability to use fire. Oh great, I might be getting burned tonight. It’s fine, maybe it’ll burn my hair off my skin… I didn’t really want to wax tomorrow.
With a sigh, I swiped my hand through the screen, making it disappear. “This seems simple enough,” I said as I twirled a piece of my hair around, a hand on my hip.
I then began walking, seeing if the gate was locked… Not like it mattered anyway, I could easily hop it.
But I was kinda taken aback when it just opened with a simple push, a laugh leaving my glossed lips. “Wow, a famous painter doesn’t lock his gate? In this city? Yikes…” I said as I walked through, my eyes scanning the place. It seemed quiet, only the sound of the ocean was heard. That’s to be expected… it is super late. I should be in bed, dreaming about making out with Doctor Zayne as I sit down on his lap.
PAUSE.
What the fuck? What's wrong with me?
With a shake of my head, I walked up to the mansion, remembering how the information stated this was his art studio and how he lived there. Wow, rich people live… Well, I can’t say anything… I grew up pretty rich myself. With my family owning the vampire hunters HQ, I was pretty rich.
I took notice of how pretty the mansion and scene looked, kinda envious that I didn’t live in a super grand mansion all to myself… But then I remembered if I did live in a mansion all to myself, I would call my dad crying because I’m scared a ghost would eat me… then he would send fucking Caleb to live with me.
I walked up to the door, placing my hand on the handle. Walking straight in would be too easy, right? I couldn’t help but laugh again quietly as the door opened, clicking my tongue. Yeah no, this was way too easy… there had to be a catch. Maybe he knew someone was coming in to hunt him, so he just let the hunter walk right in. Vampires have done this before I’ve noticed, letting their prey walk right into their trap.
“If you know I’m here, why not come on out?” I said out loud, not really expecting an answer as I grabbed my gun from my sheath, my grip tight. My eyes scanned the area, looking for a sign of anyone. I couldn’t see anyone, I couldn’t even hear anything. It was all kinda uneasy, but I’ve been through some of the most scariest shit in the world, so this was easy as pie.
I looked around in the dark, my eyes squinting to adjust to the lighting. Unlike vampires, I couldn’t really fucking see in the dark. I was gaining a slight headache from my squinting, but I decided to suck it up and finish up the mission. I couldn’t help the quiet yawn that left my lips though, causing me to sigh to myself.
As I continued to walk my guard was up, and I noticed a dim light. I slowly followed it, gun in hand. I tilted my head to the side, my hair following my movements whilst I took notice that the light was a small candle. Once I was face to face with the candle, I looked around, seeing no one. I wanted to use the candle as a small light source around the big mansion, so I reached for it before I paused. What if it was some kind of trap that would set off if I touched i-
I was about to move away before suddenly the ground opened up under me, and I instantly lost balance and fell downwards. A surprised gasp left my lips, and my body instantly fell to the harsh ground in the blink of an eye. I looked upwards, my lips parted in shock as I watched the floor close up. I was trapped.
Fuck, I should have prepared for the worst. What was I thinking? Was I so tired to the point I was cocky?
I tapped my watch a couple of times, making it shine a bright light to brighten up my surroundings, my gun held forward... The only reason I didn’t use the light before was due to the risk of being easier to spot when I was lightly walking around with a damn device that shined like the sun.
Taking notice of my new environment, I realized I was in a fucking jail cell. There was purple carpet and blankets across the room, making it a bit homey but that didn’t make anything feel better when I was staring at thick bars.
And it also didn’t make anything feel better when I saw the same man I was sent to kill behind those bars, smiling at me. My whole body ran cold, as I tried firing my gun towards him, but it didn’t go off. What the fuck?
“Hello, Miss Hunter.”
Fuck.
Plan my funeral.