Chapter 45
Aaron shot the first male Vampire in the head at close range through a pillow in an attempt to muffle the sound. It was a bit successful but the woman next to him began to rouse, and he knew he’d need to work more quickly now. Three shots later, and all of them were dispatched.
Their neighbors had heard the noise, however, and shouts from outside let him know that he was needed in the yard. Realizing Jamie and Taavi likely had any back exits covered, he sprang back through the front of the house and saw three Vampires fleeing the middle house. Two women took off running for the sugar fields while the man, a large Hawaiian native built like a brute, rushed at him.
While hand-to-hand combat against the bloodsucker would have been more fun, Aaron’s new philosophy was, “If you have the shot, take it.” There would always be more opportunities to fight. As the Vampire lurched at him, teeth bared and hands splayed, he shot him twice in the heart and watched as he burst into a spray of ashes.
The woman had spread out and were covering the ground quickly. They were both out of range now, so he would have to work quickly to get them both. He could hear that Jamie and Taavi were both engaged in the back and would be of little use to him right now.
He took off sprinting at an angle toward the female Vampire closest to him. He still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of running and shooting at the same time, so he holstered his revolver. She was quick, but he was faster, and just before she reached the far end of the sugar field, he careened into her sending her flying thirty feet into the air, her black hair billowing out around her. By the time she hit the ground, he was there, and she didn’t even get a chance to protest before he sank a silver bullet into her heart.
The sun was higher now, which helped him to spot the remaining female as she entered the forest on the other end of the field. He rushed off in that direction, unwilling to let her get away.
Though the trees made visibility more difficult, she was leaving a trail of broken branches and torn up terrain that made her easy to track. After a few moments, he began to feel her up ahead, could sense her fear, and then he saw her leaping over a downed tree twenty yards ahead. He pulled his revolver, and steadying himself, took the shot.
He hit her, but not directly in the heart. The silver would still have its effect though. She dropped to the ground, writhing in pain from the burning sensation that pulsated throughout her body starting at the hole he’d left in her right shoulder.
Hurrying over, he spun the older blonde woman onto her back so that he could take better aim. Her lips were drawn back, fangs bared, and her gray eyes were open as she winced in pain. While it was sometimes tempting to let them suffer, he was in a hurry to go check on Jamie and Taavi, so holding her down with his foot, he placed the gun barrel on her chest and pulled the trigger. In a poof of ashes, she was gone.
Returning to the houses, he found Taavi and Jamie sitting on the front porch of the middle house. “Well, that didn’t go as planned,” the doctor said as he polished his revolver.
“You can say that again. How many did you take out?” Aaron asked.
“Five, but one got away,” Taavi explained. “We’ll have to track him down later.”
“I took out seven. I guess the estimate was just a little off.”
“Guess so,” Taavi nodded. “Sorry.”
Aaron laughed. “Don’t apologize. I think it’s just evidence that there is a growing problem on the island.”
“Yes,” Taavi agreed. “We need to get it back under control.”
“I’ll let Jordan know,” Aaron assured him as Jamie rose and came to stand next to him. Taavi continued to sit on the step and catch his breath for a second before he finally pulled himself up. “Let me know what we can do.”
“Thank you,” the Hunter said, offering his hand, which Aaron took. “Oh, here’s your gun,” he said pulling the revolver from his back waistband.
“Keep it,” Aaron insisted. “I’ll get you more of the special ammunition it takes. It looks like you might need it.”
Once again, Taavi thanked them, and Aaron followed Jamie back toward the car. As they climbed in and headed back towards Pearl Harbor, Jamie said, “Well that’s enough excitement for one day!”
“Yes, it is,” Aaron agreed, intending to head back to his apartment to get some paperwork done and enjoy the pristine ocean views.
It was just past 8:00 when they realized something wasn’t right. They were still a little way outside of Pearl Harbor when they first spotted the unusual amount of aircraft in the distance, and the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard off in the distance. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good, and Aaron pushed the engine even harder in an effort to get the physician back to his post. It seemed Pearl Harbor was under attack.
“They’re bombing the fleet!” Jamie shouted over the sound of Japanese Zeroes buzzing overhead. “Get me as close to the hospital as you can!”
As they neared the military base, they could see hundreds of Japanese planes circling around the harbor, the shriek of bombs falling from the sky and the subsequent explosions too loud to even speak. Additionally, bullets dropped from the sky in blankets as all of the military facilities in the area became targets as well as many other buildings.
Aaron was only able to get so close to Jamie’s hospital before his car was hit by enemy fire. Pulling to the side, he got out, and without a word, Jamie took off in a blur headed toward the hospital. It was difficult to see exactly what was going on, but if the naval carriers in the harbor were hit, there would be thousands of casualties.
