The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker

(Chapter song ‘I Know Your Secrets' by Tommee Profit)

ZEN

“Ok. We take three teams of four and we block all the exits. Any that push past, let them fry, but stay back. It’s messy when they pop.” I instruct as he shelter in the woods just off the property of an old century farmhouse. We have no idea if it was lived in or not, but if it was, my heart goes out to the people that lived there.

“Team 1 will bust the hive. Team 2, you got the Master. Teams 3 and 4 are clean up. Everybody understand?” I stand and look around the circle of men and women who are about to put their lives on the line for the planet.

“Yes, ma'am.” They all respond.

“Good. Get in position.” I order.

They all leave and bark out commands as they organize themselves. I check my guns and make sure my auto crossbow is loaded with bolts.

Lonnie leans his hand on the table beside me. “Was that Avery in the parking lot?”

I look down and fiddle with my gun. “Yes.”

“Did he explain?” he asks.

I slam my clip in and holster my gun. “No.” I say coldly and walk away.

“Why not?” Lonnie follows me as I make my way through the operations post.

“I wouldn’t let him. I don’t want to hear his bullshit. The videos were clear.” I grumble.

“But they really weren’t. We could be looking at a robbery or something. We didn’t confirm who was driving the car.” He says as I speed up.

“The look on his face and lack of denial says it all. He cheated on me and ran off with another woman. I don’t need him to tell me that. I sent him packing. He’s no longer a hunter with us.” I get to the tree line and look over the farm house.

“He’s one of the best hunters we got, Zen.”

I spin around and cock my head. “No, Lonnie. I am. I taught him everything he knows. We don’t need him"

“You know we do and you know you do, too.” He locks with my eyes.

I lean to him. “Then learn to live without him.” I lean back and turn. “I’m already doing that.” I press the communicator in my ear. “Move out!”

Teams of people in black combat gear run across the green and brown lawn. The house itself looks like it needs a lot of work. It’s graying, cracked up and peeling in various places. The roof looks saggy and the porch looks unstable, but for vamps, it’s perfect.

We split off in three directions around the house. I look up at the sun and out to the vast property. They dug themselves a hole because the distance to the next shadow is too far for them to run. Normal vamps are weaker than the super vamps like Damon Klouse. Masters like him are able to outrun the suns rays for some reason. I don’t really understand how it works, I just know how to stop it. A nice string of UV mines do the trick. The Master hits that while running and boom. They’re flooded with concentrated ultra-violet light, stopped under sunlight and explode within seconds. We have the place surrounded with them if this Master decides to go with that tactic. We may not have powers, but there’s always a weapon we can make to stop the creatures that do.

Communicator chatter fills my ears as we get closer to the house. My mind is floating to Avery standing in the parking lot. I feel myself being split in two. I want to hate him forever, but there’s a part of me that says who cares. He’s back now.

“Striker!”

Lonnie’s sharp tone wakes me up and I give my head a shake. “Yeah?”

“Are you with us? We're waiting for count.” He scowls.

I look around and see the eyes of my teams staring at me. “Right. Sorry.”

I jog up the porch steps and put my handle on the door. “On my count. 3…2…Move!” I open the door and we move into the house. Teams at the back, enter the back doors.

“Half up, half down.” I instruct.

‘Roger that.’

The team members at the back head for the second floor as we make our way through the house.

We move through the simple kitchen with wood counters. The blood smeared all over tells me there were people here and the vamps got them. The blood splattered white curtains blow in the breeze coming through the kitchen window.

With crossbows and guns at the ready, we walk around the island to a door that we believe leads to a cellar. I step to the door and smell it. The stench of death. “This is it.” I crinkle my nose and rub it.

“Find the Master. Kill him first and the rest will be easy.” Lonnie advises.

“All vamps are easy. Catch them while they’re sleeping and it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.” I smirk as I open the door.

Instead of stairs, I’m faced with the pale face of a young woman in an ugly ass dress. Her neck is covered in blood and her eyes are glowing green.

I lose my air as my eyes widen. This is definitely the farmers wife. “Um… Hi. I just love your house.”

She opens her mouth filled with fangs and screams at the top of her lungs. More screams come from the second floor and the basement.

I lock with her eyes and raise my crossbow to her heart and fire. She wails as she falls. Gunfire erupts upstairs and I look to the dark.

Hisses and growls come up from the basement and stairs turn jet back with green glowing eyes.

The house shakes as feet hit the stairs and floors.

“FUCK! BACK OFF! FIRE AT WILL!!” I order.

The upstairs teams leap from the upper floor over the railing of the stairs. They’re followed by a wave of vamps, wearing black and sounding like rabid dogs.

The men cramp themselves in the hall as they fell back to us and fire bullets and stakes.

“HOW MANY ARE FUCKING IN HERE?!!” Lonnie yells as we are all forced back to the living room.

“HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW! JUST KILL THEM.” I yell back.

It’s like an infestation of cockroaches as we get surrounded by them. We drop the ones in front and the ones coming up from behind climb over the bodies.

The house is rumbling and our ears hurt from all the guns. The room is filled with smoke and we shelter those who have to reload.

They block the exits and the doorway entrances to the meager living room look like a New York subway station as more vamps pour out of the basement.

“WHAT DO WE DO?!” Lonnie shouts as he changes his clip.

“GET OUTSIDE, OBVIOUSLY!” I fire into the heads of five vamps and have to reload.

They push on the left, start grabbing my men and disarming them.

“Shit!!” I turn to the left and try to push them back with gunfire, but there’s too many heads and hands to deal with.

Three vamps take the necks of three of my men and I put bullets in them as a response. Then all hell breaks loose.

“Oh, look. Delivery.”

I raise my head to the back of the hive and a large man with a black ponytail stands in the middle of the swarm.

“FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!” I raise my gun and fire a succession of bullets.

He dodges them all and uses his vamp speed to cross the floor and reappear in the middle of us all.

He bares his fangs and backhands Lonnie who’s thrown back behind him and lands on the floor. He’s immediately attacked by vamps and the other hunters help him.

I try to shoot the Master, but he knocks my gun out of my hand and I throw a punch to his jaw. I dodge his punches and he tires to bite at me. I slam my boot into his shin and he stumbles. I uppercut him and falls back.

“How do you like that, Twilight?!” I huff and prepare for his return.

“Lady. That glowing pansy got nothing on me and you, sweetheart, aren’t the vampire slayer.” He grins.

“No. I’m worse.” I scowl and rush him.

I throw kicks and punches as the room becomes deafening with yells, hisses and gunfire. My men run out of ammo and are forced to fight hand to hand. They’re quickly swarmed and fight with everything they have.

The Master swings and smashes the mantle off the fireplace. I watch stone crumble to the floor and raise my eyes to him. He smiles and tries to grab me, but I duck around and kick him in the back. He falls forward and takes a few punches from my other men.

“SHIELD YOUR EYES!!”

I hear a familiar beep and cover my eyes. A UV mine explodes and the vamps squeal like pigs in pain.

“GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!”

We run for the front door and jump off the porch with the vamps right behind us. I call to the teams outside.

“GET READY! FIRE!”

They ready their weapons and as soon as the vamps exit the door, they open fire. But it’s a tidal wave we weren’t prepared for. We also didn’t take the time to actually assess the situation. I didn’t take the time. I just wanted Avery off my mind. This is my fault.

We run like sprinters across the property but the vamps catch up and start to take us down.

My legs are grabbed and I hit the ground. I spin around and kick the vamp in the head and he lets go.

“THEY’RE NOT EXPLODING!!”

“DAMN IT! THEY’RE FIRST YEARS! THE ALLERGY HASN’T KICKED IN YET.

“FUCK, ZEN!!’

“WHAT?!!”

Vamps leap into the air, land on my men and tear out throats. One hunter runs by me and a vamp takes him out from the side and wastes no time. He kicks and screams as the vamp feeds.

“Jesus!” I panic and look ahead. “THE MINES!!”

Of the 16 hunters, 10 of us ran for our lives. We fight and punch them off then make breaks for the safety net.

One grabs me from behind and I throw him over my shoulder. I slam a boot on his chest and jump over him, making him groan under my weight.

The Master laughs as he runs up the side. He knows he’s just training his vamps with us and it’s fucking sick. I look up ahead and see the marker.

“JUMP!”

All 10 of us jump forward over the mines and hit the ground. We roll and stop on our buts.

The vamps hit the thick strip of UV bombs and they explode. The entire area is filled with blinding white light. Even firsts years can’t handle that much concentrated sunlight. They scream and they’re bodies explode.

We cover ourselves and it’s not long before blood and guts rain down on us. When the ringing in my ears stop and I can see again, I lower my arm from my eyes and grin as I search the smoke and falling debris.

The other guys laugh and whoop it up. We were about to fully celebrate until dark hisses came from the wall of smoke caused by burning vamp flesh.

I see the eyes and I push back. “Oh shit!!”

The Master and more vamps jump through the cloud and hit the ground.

“RUN!!”

We trip over ourselves getting to our feet and hit the trees. Lonnie grabs a fallen branch and drives it into the stomach of the vamp that tried to jump him. The vamp yells in agony and falls to his back holding the branch. As other jump his body, we take off and try to grab branches as we run through the trunks.

We get separated and I veer off into a denser area. My boots crunch through the debris as my men shout and scream over the hisses of vamps.

I round a path and pass a tree branch. I run back, pick it up, turn and the Master blurs in front of me. I yelp and step back as I grip the life out of the branch.

He lowers his eyes to me. “You destroyed my children.”

“I put them out of their misery.” I spit as I walk backwards. “I did them a favor.”

He looks me over. “Are you sure? You look as though your human life isn’t what you want. There’s benefit to being me.” He smirks.

“Don’t think so, bloodsucker.” I narrow my eyes and glance quickly behind me as I continue to walk.

“That’s rude. I realize you’re about to die, but you don’t need to use derogatory terms. We’re mature adults. You should be able to plead for your life without personal attacks.” He looks at me as though we’re in a debate club.

I stop and look at him like he’s nuts. ‘Seriously? You’re about to rip my throat out and you’re worried about me offending you?”

He ticks his head. “If you want me to take your pleas seriously, a little manners will go over better. Especially, from a woman.”

I huff a laugh. “Fuck. I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

I flip the branch in my hand and start to run at him when the forest fills with howls.

I freeze and turn. My brows scrunch and the Master hisses as the trees fill with large wolves.

“SHIFTERS!!” Lonnie cries out just as the area fills with the deep growls of werewolves clashing with the vamps.

“LONNIE! GET OUT OF THERE!!” I turn to run back to my men when my arm and throat are grabbed.

I stare into the Masters pale green eyes. His lips part in a smirk. “You’re not going anywhere. I need to replace my children. Might as well start with you.”

I choke and try to pull his hand off my throat as he opens his mouth and his fangs descend. I try to scream, but nothing comes out.

He leans to bite my neck, but the next thing I know, I’m flying across the forest and land in the dirt. I roll, stop on my stomach and raise my head.

I cough out the chokehold as I watch a black and white wolf bite and tear at the Master. He tries to fight back, but two more wolves jump in. Flesh flies in all directions. The dying squeal of the Master makes me cringe. The wolves are coated in blood in seconds.

I don’t know how many of them there are but fights are all around us. I have no idea who called them or how they found us, but I guess I can’t really look a gift horse in the mouth.

I steady myself on a trunk as I get to my feet and the wolves calm down. They step back and I swallow when I see the hallowed out body of the man that tried to kill me.

They turn to me and I push off the tree.

The black and white one whines amd turns to face me. We lock in a stare and I get chills. He lowers his head and a wind kicks up. I hold a hand up to protect my eyes as it spins around the wolf and he shifts. The others behind him shift, too.

When the wind dies, I’m left in utter confusion. My eyes sting as I stare into the eyes of the man I loved. My eyes flick to the woman behind him that was in the security videos.

I slightly shake my head. “No.” I whisper.

He steps closer. “I tried to tell you.”

My anger rises and combines with my fear. I don’t know what to think.

“NO!!” I yell, throw the branch at him. He knocks it off its path and tries to approach me, but I take off in shock and devastation.

“ZEN!!”

Everything came out in that moment as I ran back to base. Tears flow and my breathing was broken. I tried to outrun the fact that not only was she better, she was a shifter. He was a shifter. He left me for an entirely different species and I can’t deal with this.

I round the path into the trees and trip on the ground. I land on my hands and knees as I sob to the dirt. I stumble as I try to pull myself up to the table. I get to my feet and lean on the table. As I catch my breath, I try to make it make sense and hold the back of my hand under my nose as my breath hitches.

A twig snaps, I whip my head to it and look to the table. I snatch a gun and aim it.

He comes out of the trees with his hands up. “I know this is confusing. I can explain…”

“GET BACK!” I demand as I train the gun on his heart.

He holds up his hands. “Calm down.”

“CALM DOWN?! ARE YOU FICKING NUTS?!’ I yell through broken tears.

“I promise. I have my reasons…” He steps closer.

I suck in a breath and stand my ground. “No.” I grit. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!!.”

“ZEN, PLEASE!” His eyes plead with mine and I can only shake my head.

“PLEASE, WHAT, AVERY?! PLEASE WHAT?! YOU GONNA TELL ME TO OVERLOOK IT? THAT YOU’RE THE SAME?” I yell as I aim my gun with shaking hands.

“NO! THAT’S NOT WHAT…” He protests.

“I’M SUPPOSED TO JUST FORGET THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY DID YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR SPECIES, BUT YOU BLEW OUR LIFE RIGHT TO FUCKING HELL TO TURN INTO THAT?!” I shove the gum his way as more tears fall.

“NO! LET ME EXPLAIN…” He throw his hands out and takes a step.

As soon as his foot landed, I fired the gun. The bullet hits his chest just below the shoulder and he falls to the ground with a loud growl.

His hand holds the bullet hole and he looks at me like he didn’t think I could do it.

“AVERY!!”

I stiffen up as the other two with him run up the path.

“Striker!” Lonnie runs up behind with the survivors of our teams. He looks at me then the scene in front of us. “Avery?”

Avery looks at him and his brows stitch up. I can see Lonnie is completely dumbfounded. Like I am.

He's helped up by the woman who’s eyes glow and she starts to snarl at me. I clench my teeth and aim my gun as others behind me grab guns too.

The other two lift their chins as Avery tells them to stand down. He turns to me and his breath is labored. “Zen…”

I wipe my nose and shake my head. “That was a warning shot, Kirkland. Thanks for the assist, but that doesn’t rule you out. Take another step and I’ll finish you off.” I made sure he heard how true that warning was.

I see his eyes glass over and he looks to his shoulder. The woman leans to his ear and tells him something. He nods and looks back at me.

“At least you’re honest.” He mumbles. He turns and they’re surrounded by wind.

My hair blows and I watch them turn back to wolves. He whines as he hobbles on three legs. The other two put him in between them and they run out of the camp.

Once he’s gone, I drop the gun and breakdown. Lonnie grabs me and holds me as I cry into his shirt.

“It's OK. It’s OK.”

He holds my head as my wailing sobs fill the air.