Chapter 341
I knew who was speaking to me before I even turned around because, even though Alex isn’t the only Revolutionary War soldier on campus, he’s the only one who addresses me that way. I tried to control the crimson in my face. “Thanks,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
“Oh? Have you been battling the creatures of the night since you were quite young?” he asked, his expression showing true interest.
“Actually, no. I didn’t even know about them until I was fifteen. But I’ve been on quite a few hunts. I’ll be done with my training after one more observation.” I didn’t mention that my sister had been dragging out that “one more observation” for over a month now.
“Splendid!” he said with a genuine smile. “Ah, I remember when I was first released into the wild. Such a glorious feeling. Although, my first encounter with a Vampire as a primary Guardian on my own was quite difficult. I almost lost my poor companion that night.”
“Really?” I asked, stepping away from the wall where the Berettas were all hanging in a row. “What was that like?” He’d told me lots of stories, but I hadn’t heard this one.
“It was a dark, gloomy evening in mid-October, near All Hallows Eve, and our Leader, a big brute of a man named Justus, sent me out with a small, skinny lad by the name of Hershey. He had only just been cleared himself, and I thought the entire operation to be full of folly. But Justus insisted the ghoul we were sent to obliterate was not a threat at all, and everything would be just fine.”
He had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, and I forgot I was dripping sweat from my earlier exertions and needed to go take a shower and get home before my mom started texting me. “I guess Justus was wrong.”
“Indeed! While the Vampire wasn’t particularly powerful, it hadn’t been changed for long and was quite vicious. We stole into an abandoned cabin in the middle of the night, hoping to take it by surprise. Instead, it was Hershey and I who ended up astonished at the speed and agility the creature displayed.”
Silently, I wondered if Hershey was the man’s first name or last name. It even crossed my mind that he might be speaking of Milton Hershey—the candy bar guy. Stranger things have happened. I didn’t want to stop the story to ask, though.
“We crept in slowly together, through the front entryway. A full moon illuminated the space, but the monster was nowhere to be seen. Our intelligence had not warned us of any other levels or dwelling spaces—only the cabin primary. So we were turning to leave, thinking perhaps the Vampire had moved on to other hunting grounds.” He paused dramatically, and I leaned in, waiting for it. “Then, out of nowhere, a door opened in the floorboards, across the room. It was a cellar we had no idea existed. The Vampire charged across the room, aiming right for Hershey. We had little time to react. I fired and missed. The creature tore into the side of Hershey’s face with its claws, doing its best to grab hold of his neck. I stood there, panicked, not sure what to do and no longer trusting my weapon.”
“Was Hershey okay?” I asked, still hanging on his every word.
“No, he was bleeding, and the Vampire had managed to take hold of his neck with its sharp teeth. Somehow, Hershey managed to use the wall behind him as leverage and kick out, knocking the creature off balance and sending him back across the room. He was desperately wounded, and I realized I needed to get my act together if I was to get my partner out of that situation permanently unscathed.”
I assumed that meant not dead. “Did the Vampire come back at you?”
“Not at first,” Alex said, shaking his head. “In fact, he stayed down there quite some time, which gave me a few moments to tend to Hershey’s wounds, though I am no Healer. I had just picked up my weapon off of the floor when I heard a clattering behind me. Hershey grabbed his musket and fired, though there was nothing there to aim at yet. A thick smoke filled the cabin. And then, the Vampire simply sprang free from the cellar door, its fangs barred and dripping blood. So, I fired again, using the smoke as a screen as I discarded my musket and moved in to tear the beast’s head from its shoulders.”
“And that worked?” I asked, trying to envision the scene as it unfolded over two hundred years ago.
“Oh, yes. He was soon a pile of ashes there on the cabin floor. It was one of my first kills, but certainly not my last.”
I couldn’t help but smile, even though the story was centuries old. I imagined he must’ve gotten some kills during his training, as I had, and thought it was cool to have that in common with him. “That’s so fascinating. I am always so amazed at how you were able to be so successful with such rudimentary weaponry.” Alex often spoke of how useless their muskets had been, even though they used silver infused bullets. I knew he was working on a variation of the gun he’d used back then with my dad and the other engineers because he liked the style of the musket he’d used for so long but wanted something more accurate.
“Yes, my dear,” he said with a nod, agreeing that the muskets had been less than stellar. “That is precisely why I say to you, do not worry if these Glocks and Berettas, as you call them, fail you. The true measure of a man, a woman.... a girl, perhaps, in your case, is the ability to find the strength from within to do what is needed at precisely the right moment.”
Even though I wasn’t particularly thrilled to know he thought of me as a “girl” and not a woman—not that he was wrong—his words meant so much to me at that moment, I’m sure my face was glowing. What an important sentiment to keep in mind at all times. Finding the strength from within to do what needs to be done wasn’t always easy, but it was always right.
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