Chapter 118
The sun was a sliver over the horizon as Aaron steered the Buick Century down a deserted highway headed toward Kahuku Sugar Mill. They’d arranged to meet a local Hunter, a man Jamie didn’t know, by the name of Taavi near a row of abandoned plantation houses. Rumor had it some Vampires had been using them to hole up in during the day. Aaron reminded him of the situation as they went along. The buildings were at least a century old, and the plantation was 6000 acres. How anyone knew for certain where the Vampires were hiding was behind Jamie, but he knew Ellie likely wouldn’t even be up by the time he got back to his apartment, let alone have left her parents’ house, but she had the afternoon shift at the diner, so even if it took a few hours, he hoped to be back in time to have lunch with her before she headed to work. He had a feeling between the two of them, he and Aaron could handle just about anything the island Vampires had to throw at them regardless of what this Taavi person had to offer.
Aaron pulled the car to a stop on a narrow gravel road. Up in the distance, Jamie could see a stocky male form standing amongst the trees. They got out of the car and headed that way. “What’s his name again?” Jamie asked before they reached him.
“Taavi Kalani,” Aaron replied. Jamie couldn’t help but notice the man standing in front of them looked a little uneasy.
“Good morning,” Taavi said as he shook their hands. “Thank you for coming out and meeting me today.”
Aaron introduced Jamie and then remarked, “Beautiful day.” The sun was mostly up, though there was still some darkness beneath the trees. “What do you have for us?”
Gesturing to a group of three buildings set off from a drive just past the trees in a small clearing, Taavi said, “The houses are over there. I think they are in there now. I’m sure they were out late last night.”
“You’ve seen them?” Jamie asked as they stepped back under the cover of the palm trees. The group was far enough away that any inhabitants might not notice them unless they were on the lookout, but it was always best to be cautious.
“Yes, and last night we got a report that a young lady was taken from the streets in Honolulu. We think they are the culprits. They are getting more brazen.” Taavi shook his head as he was speaking, like he was having trouble believing the lengths these Vampires had gone to.
“Did one of our people actually witness this?” Aaron asked. Jamie could tell by his demeanor that his friend had underestimated the seriousness of the situation. Until now.
“It was the daughter of a Hunter who claims to have seen it. She has not yet Transformed and could do very little, but she said she could tell by their pale faces that they were undead, these people who snatched the young lady from the street near her home.” Taavi’s explanation was eerie. The sooner they got these monsters off of the street, the better.
Jamie had heard enough. “Well, if that’s the case, we may as well get this over with right now.” He pulled his revolver from its holster and checked the ammunition.
Catching Aaron’s eyes, Jamie could see a bit of surprise, but then he shrugged. “Do you have a weapon, Taavi?”
“Just the wooden stake I always carry with me,” Taavi replied, patting his pocket. “I guess we are not as advanced on the islands as you.”
“Not a lot of areas are using this new weaponry yet,” Aaron explained. “I’ve got an extra in the car. I’ll be right back.” Jamie knew he was referring to the new bullets he’d had a hand in designing. As Aaron rushed off to the Buick, Jamie stood with Taavi, neither of them saying anything at first. It was a bit awkward, but Jamie was mentally preparing to go to battle, and he wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
Taavi had something else in mind. “So… what’s the plan?” he asked.
Normally, Jamie would’ve left that up to Aaron, but since he’d been asked, he surveyed the situation for a moment and said, “I think we should go around back and let Aaron clear the first building. He’ll be better at it than either one of us.” He assumed if Taavi had never used a gun before, Aaron was the best candidate. “Then, we’ll move to the next house.”
A moment later, Aaron was back. “Sound like a plan?” Jamie asked, turning to him. “You clear ‘em one at a time’ we’ll keep an eye on the back doors?”
“Uh, yeah,” Aaron agreed, handing his extra revolver to Taavi and making sure he knew how to use it. Taavi held it like he was afraid it might accidentally blast his hand off.
“If I had known we were doing this now, I’d have brought a few friends,” Taavi muttered.
They began to move into the positions they’d discussed. “May as well get it over with. You said you thought there were eight of them, right?” Aaron asked
“That is our estimate,” Taavi acknowledged.
“We can take eight,” Jamie assured him, thinking Aaron could probably take eight by himself, especially if they were asleep and he had the element of surprise. Jamie gave a hand signal he hoped Taavi would understand and nodded in Aaron’s direction as he approached the front of the house. Jamie and Taavi quietly slid to the back, weapons in hand.
“I think we should back up a bit,” Jamie whispered, “and spread out.”
“Okay,” Taavi said, but there was a questioning tone to the word.
About the time that Aaron’s first shot rang out, Jamie heard movement in the middle house and then in the one on the far right as well. He barely had time to yell at Taavi to get ready when a stream of Vampires came flooding out of both back doors, and from the sound of it, there was a commotion in the front as well. “Aaron! Cover the front!” Jamie shouted as he opened fire on the band of ghouls heading at them. Taavi was over by the far house now, taking aim at the monsters who were clearly running to save themselves without thinking about what they might be running into, and as Jamie took careful aim at those coming out of the middle house, he was thankful Taavi was a pretty good shot for someone who said he hadn’t handled a gun.
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