Chapter 75
Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1886
Perhaps James would’ve been surer of his ability to help if he wasn’t assigned to stand in an alleyway, alongside his uncle’s friend Hezekiah, as the rest of the team slowly moved in on the Vampire they’d been tracking. According to Jordan’s instructions, James was to stay with Hezekiah, and if someone were to happen to be injured, the rest of the team would send someone back to get him. It wasn’t just the alley that made James uneasy, however. It was the fact that he had no idea what was going on. For all he knew, someone could get damaged blocks away, and he wouldn’t get there on time.
“Have you been hunting long?” James whispered to Hezekiah, thinking small talk might give him something to keep his mind off of the shadows that seemed to be shifting around the alley. His uncle had already assured him he’d be perfectly safe here, particularly since only Hunters could harm him now, but James still wasn’t sure.
Small talk was just about impossible, considering who he was paired with. Hezekiah only nodded his head. “Are you glad you went through with it?” James asked, and once again, Hezekiah’s head bobbed up and down. Figuring there was really no point in continuing, James decided to remain silent. Maybe he could hear the battle in the distance if he strained. His hearing was at least a little improved now that he had these superpowers.
The only noises he heard were emanating from the restaurants in the distance and people passing by on the street a block away at the end of the alley. The clomping of horses’ hooves, laughter, footsteps. Nothing alarming. Nothing unusual. Then, a new sound caught his ear. James looked at Hezekiah, who also seemed to be on high alert. The sound of metal crashing against the ground, shrieks, more loud noises, heavy footsteps sprinting in their direction.
A blur came flying past them, followed by another, and then another. James caught the pale face of a Vampire, his expression one of determination as he tore by. Aware that this alley had a dead end, James knew the Vampire was caught now as the man he’d seen his sister with earlier came to a screeching halt a few feet in front him. Margie pulled up next to him.
“Face it, Wilson. This is the end of the road for you!” the man shouted into the night.
The Vampire stood in front of the brick wall at the end of the alley, only twenty paces to James’s left. He was feeling the side of the building in front of him, as if looking for any sort of chink to dig his claws into so that he could pull himself up. There was nothing. He turned to face his assailants, his sharp teeth protruding from his jaw, his sunken eyes the color of dark steel. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Helms,” he hissed. “You know I’ve been waiting to take another piece of you.”
James wondered what that meant, but he only had to think for a moment before Helms held up his left hand. This close, James could see he was missing the last two fingers. “Not tonight, you’re not.”
The two men stared at each other, and Wilson shifted his gaze so that it was settling on James and Hezekiah as well. He let out a snicker, as if he thought neither of them a threat. “All right, Helms. Let’s dance.”
Margie took a step forward, but Helms placed his hand on her, clearly indicating he wanted to face the Vampire on his own. In a flash, the two collided, and even though his vision was much better than it had been before, James could hardly keep up with the quick, sporadic movement. Eventually, he noticed blood oozing from Helms’s arm, but if the infliction had hurt, the man didn’t let on. The Vampire was fast, and James wondered why he had even run in the first place. He seemed to be getting the upper hand.
“Helms!” Margie yelled as the Vampire began to slash at the Hunter. This time, Helms let out a low moan. The Vampire had the Hunter’s hair and was attempting to jab into his throat. Even though each movement was thwarted, the blood gushing from Helms’s arm was noteworthy now. It wouldn’t be long before he’d lose too much, and he’d be unable to stay on is feet.
“Helms!” Margie shouted again. James wasn’t sure, but it seemed like she was asking for permission to enter the fray. Helms was still trying to overcome the bloodsucker, but he was fading fast.
“Margie!” James shouted. “What are you waiting for?”
She hesitated again, looking at Helms and then at James. Though he wasn’t certain what the rules were, James could see if one of the other Guardians didn’t get into the fight soon, Helms would parish.
“I’ll go get Culpepper,” Hezekiah said, tearing off back down the alley, and James noted that was the longest sentence he’d ever heard the man speak. How Culpepper would help, James wasn’t sure. Unless he was presently inside of the alley unnoted, he wouldn’t make it in time.
It wouldn’t matter. Margie hurled herself at the Vampire, catching him around the neck and slamming him backward into the brick wall. At the contact, Wilson’s hands slipped from Helms’s head, and the Hunter fell to the ground. The Vampire looked surprised to see how strong Margie really was. Not only was she forceful, she was pissed. She began to throw punches at the Vampire, sending him reeling one direction than the other. James wanted nothing more than to continue to stare at his sister, but he had other matters to attend to.
Dropping to the ground near Helms’s form, he could immediately tell the Vampire had managed to severe several major veins in the man’s arm. He also had deep gashes in his skull. James pushed up the sleeves of Helms’s jacket and began to feel along the Hunter’s arms, trying to stop the bleeding before Helms slipped into unconsciousness. The second he placed his hands, a surge of energy left James’s body, and he could see the blood sputtering from the man’s arm begin to lessen.
A few minutes into the procedure, James realized Margie was sitting next to him on the ground. He glanced up but didn’t see the Vampire anymore and thought he must’ve managed to get past them, back down the alley. Oh, well, he thought, at least he didn’t hurt my sister.
“How is he?” Margie asked, her face revealing that she was genuinely concerned.
“He’ll be all right,” James replied. “If you hadn’t jumped in, though, there might’ve been no saving him.”
“I know,” she replied, quietly.
“Why did you hesitate?”
Margie let out a sigh. “Traditionally speaking, Guardians have waited for Hunters to ask for assistance before we attack. I was waiting for Helms to signal me.”
James raised both eyebrows. “That’s stupid. Clearly, he was in trouble. Just because he’s too stubborn to ask for help doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to use your own good judgment and help.”
If Margie agreed or disagreed, she didn’t say. “You’re fixing him though, right?”
James nodded, but the weariness was starting to get to him. He ran his hand back over Helms’s arm. He thought he’d gotten everything there. He turned his attention to the man’s bleeding head. These wounds were not as life threatening, but they still needed attention.
Footsteps down the alley drew James’s attention. Culpepper, Cornelia, and Hezekiah were there, along with a couple of other people James had met before, though he didn’t remember their names. Jordan Findley was absent, but Culpepper had already told James earlier that he wouldn’t be with them. He was in town to consult, not to participate.
“How is he?” Culpepper asked, coming to a stop a few feet away.
“Thanks to Jamie, he’ll be fine,” Margie replied, standing.
“And Wilson?”
“I got him,” Margie assured their uncle.
James was confused. He looked around, but he didn’t see a body.
“Good work,” Culpepper said, patting her on the shoulder. “I’m surprised he let you in.”
“He didn’t,” Margie answered quickly. “But if I hadn’t intervened, he would be dead. So I did it anyway.”
Looking up at his uncle’s face, James saw surprise and then acceptance. He nodded. “I guess there’s no reason to clean up the ashes since we’re in an alley.”
He had no idea what ashes his uncle was referring to, but he assumed it didn’t matter since he would certainly not be cleaning up anything. James felt his eyelids getting heavy. He did one more check of Helms’s body and decided he’d done everything he could. Giving in to the weariness, James leaned back on his heels and then felt himself falling. His sister’s arms were around him, and the next thing he knew, he was leaning against a brick wall. “Come on, Jamie. Let’s get you home.”
