London 1880
April…
“For heaven’s sake, do stop fidgeting, Pratt. Honestly, you’re making me nervous just looking at you. It’s a routine part of our training, I assure you,” Heading said, rolling his eyes at William.
William lowered his hands from his waistcoat and placed them on the seat, just in time to steady himself as the coach hit a rather hard bump in the road. He was a bundle of nerves, but this was the first time he would meet the Hunters he’d heard about, the men who were out fighting these monsters without any supernatural abilities. He was both in awe of them and a little fearful. He knew they had a reputation for being crude and unpleasant, but surely their toughened exteriors were due to the horrors they had to face. The horrors he might face with them if this excursion proved fruitful. He might very well see one of the monsters from the books in the flesh tonight, so he was having a little difficulty sitting still.
William looked up to see Edward Roth surveying them, sighing as he did so. He was the liaison between the Council and the Hunters, and neither much liked the other. They were not overly fond of Roth either; the Watchers, because he was the one they associated with this traumatic ordeal and they saw him as no better than the barbaric hunters he introduced them to, and the Hunters, because he continued to weigh them down with Watchers who had to be taken care of. In a situation where their lives were at risk, they had a hard enough time looking after themselves.
Julian Heading was made to be a Watcher, both from his outward appearance as a well dressed, rigid, somewhat haughty man, and from his attitude of self-importance and general boredom with life. He had studied to be a Watcher since he was a young boy and strove to be the best, hoping to catch the Council Head’s attention. If he played his cards right, he could end up with a high position within the Council. This could eventually lead to him becoming the Head of the organization.
William, on the other hand, was a new addition to the Watchers in training. For the past few months he had stumbled his way through the training program. He had very nearly destroyed headquarters when he set off an Adronian Ferintoff crystal by accident one day. It was agreed that he be kept away from magic and mystical artifacts for a while. Roth’s furrowed brow as he studied William made it obvious that like every other member of the Council’s staff, he was certain a man like William would have fled the fold long ago. Instead, William had persisted in his training, eventually leading to the required field experience.
“Well,” Roth said, suddenly, “better have the coach ready early tonight. Make no mistake boys, you’ll be running for the hills in no time, even the star pupil.” He chuckled at Julian’s disapproving glare.
William watched his fellow trainee out of the corner of his eye. The man was tall and confident. His chestnut hair and mustache were groomed to perfection. This whole journey seemed to bore him. William was worried he would make a spectacle of himself in front of the Hunters, but Heading seemed to view the exercise the way he viewed anything else, as something not worth his time, an inconvenience that must be dealt with before he got down to serious business.
When the coach came to a halt, Roth exited first and waited for his two charges to follow him. He led them down narrow, twisting streets and stopped in front of a public house.
“Might have known this would be the sort of place where Hunters would arrange our meeting,” Julian muttered.
William looked at Roth to gauge his reaction. The older man just pursed his lips and straightened his back before swinging open the door and walking inside. William allowed Julian to pass then he followed. It was noisy inside. There were plenty of patrons enjoying their evening’s entertainment of singing, dancing, and of course, drinking, and no one paid attention to the newcomers. Roth led them through the crowd of people to a room near the back where things were a little quieter. He continued to a table in a far, dark corner and stopped. He bent over to talk to someone for a minute before turning around and gesturing to William and Julian.
“Allow me to introduce Julian Heading and William Pratt, your apprentices for the night.” Roth smirked as he pointed to each of the men. “Gentlemen, this is Mr. Ashton Gray, and Mr. Geoffrey Hobbs, your Hunters for the evening. They’ll be teaching you the basics and allowing you to observe them in action.”
William and Julian peered around Roth who stepped slightly to the side to allow them to see the two Hunters. The one Roth indicated as Gray was quite relaxed looking; leaning back in his chair, feet stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. He was of slim build and hardly seemed the type to be out fighting demons. He acknowledged them casually with a slight nod, but William didn’t miss the way he scanned them up and down, no doubt making a mental note of what he could judge of their characters. The one called Hobbs was a larger man, with ginger hair and a mustache he was absently scratching with one finger. He was sitting straight up and clutching a glass of whisky; his fingers tapping against the glass in a speedy rhythm. He looked them over then stared at them coldly. William shifted beneath his gaze. He got the feeling they were very unwelcome. Hobbs turned away from them to catch Gray’s eye.
“So which one do you want then?” he asked loudly, ignoring the outraged noise that escaped Julian.
“Does it matter?” Gray asked, lazily, his attention focused more on his drink than any of the men surrounding him.
“I beg your pardon! We are not some worthless—” Julian began.
“Not really, but I picked last time. It’s only fair,” Hobbs said, continuing to ignore Julian.
Gray scanned William and Julian again, before shrugging and facing Hobbs.
“I suppose I’ll take Willie-boy there. He seems less high-strung.”
William caught the odd look Roth threw Gray as if to say, “Are you mad?” William was offended, but he understood what Roth meant. He was much more nervous than Julian. He knew full well Roth expected him to bolt at the first sign of danger, and he was almost certain that’s precisely what he would do. Julian was livid, his face turning a dark shade of red in fury from being spoken about in such a manner by people he considered to be practically thugs.
“All right, fine. I’ll take the arrogant sod then,” Hobbs replied, finishing his whisky in one gulp.
William looked at the ground quickly to hide the smile tugging at his lips. It was even more difficult to stifle the chuckle that rose in his throat when Heading’s face turned from red to purple. Gray spared a smirk at Heading and returned to looking at his drink.
“You’re splitting up I take it?” Roth asked, smiling, clearly amused by the flustered Watcher and the uncaring Hunters.
“Not much around lately besides a couple of vampires. Just fledges, nothing too serious if you can get them alone. We’ll split up and cover more ground then meet in the large Woodrow Cemetery to finish off the night. We’ve a recent burial due to ‘animal attack.’ It’s most likely a vampire that’s going to rise tonight. We’ll do our best to get them a good look at one, even if it is slow around here,” Gray explained, knocking back his drink and standing up.
Hobbs reluctantly rose to his feet and picked up his coat, shrugging it on and finally turning to Heading.
“Come on then, let’s get this over with. The sooner we hunt down some beasties, the sooner you can run off home to Mummy, and I can get back to doing this God-awful job sane people don’t want without having to worry about someone else’s skin besides my own,” he said, gruffly, shoving past the slightly smaller man and making his way to the door.
Heading stood there gaping like a fish for a few moments before realizing Hobbs wasn’t going to wait for him. He cast an angry glare at the other three before hurrying after his guide. William watched them go then turned back to Gray, who was watching the door with a smile on his face. He noticed William looking at him and walked over to pat him on the back.
“Best be getting to work then eh, Willie-boy? Come on, I’ll watch your hide for you, but you better do as I tell you, understand?” he asked, seriously.
William nodded his agreement.
“Good. Right then, follow me. We’ll meet you here in a few hours,” he said to Roth, who was settling himself down at the abandoned table.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here warming my bones and enjoying a few drinks in the short time before I have to take them back home. No offence, Pratt, but none of you Council chaps last too long around here. Not when you have to face something with teeth and realize that it could actually kill you. God, I hate my job, but a man has to eat. Don’t hurry back, though I know you will,” Roth grumbled, signaling his need for a drink and shooing them away.
Gray sighed and looked to the ceiling before making his way to the door. William followed close behind, vowing to himself to do exactly as this man said and try to stay out of his way. He felt for the stake he had concealed in his coat. He doubted he would be using it, but it was precautionary for a Watcher to keep a stake on his person when travelling at night, and considering their venture tonight it would at least make William feel more secure.
***
“So Willie-boy, what has you studying to be one of the Watchers?” Gray asked, as they strolled down yet another dark, empty street.
“William.”
“I beg your pardon?” Grey asked, confused, glancing sideways at William.
“My name. It’s, eh, William, not Willie,” William said, quietly.
Gray continued to look at him, one eyebrow quirked, and the trace of a smile on his face.
“Right. So why are you working for them? You don’t strike me as the type to go in for all that nonsense. Roth mentioned you’re new to this demon business.”
“Nonsense? Forgive me, but aren’t you also working for them? Demons do exist, so how could it be nonsense?” William asked, curious.
“Oh the demons are real, true enough, and the Council chaps do have a job to do training the Slayer. No, I meant the holier than thou attitude of theirs, as if the fate of the world rests on their shoulders. I do work for them, but only because it’s difficult enough for us to earn a living while trying to handle the demon population. At least with them funding us we aren’t overworking ourselves trying to put food on the table and keep people safe. We work for them out of necessity, because they are the ones who live the good lifestyle, locked away behind closed doors, barring the ones who get a Potential to train. You seem like an honest enough man, and not one to look down on others. It doesn’t particularly fit with the Council image.”
“You’re the first person to say that to me. The man who introduced me to all this seemed to think I would fit right in. The rest thought it was more likely I would turn down the offer and pretend I’d never heard about any of this.”
“That’s because they can’t look beyond what they see on the outside, which as far as you’re concerned, is a gentleman who engages with respectable members of society, but is the studious type, perfect for one of their researchers, even if you are a little timid.”
“But that isn’t what you see?” William couldn’t help asking.
“Well, if men were what they appeared to be, yes, but then I wouldn’t be a demon hunter, would I? What I think is that you’re a very moral person. You want to do the right thing, which is a rare trait in a man. Despite your fears or lack of ability, you’re willing to work hard to help people, which you think you can do if you become a Watcher, am I right?” Gray glanced at William again, waiting for an answer.
“You don’t think Watchers help people?” William asked, admiring the man’s perceptiveness.
Gray turned his attention back to their path as he led them down an alley and through another maze of shadowy cobbled streets.
“Possibly. It’s difficult to say. Watchers aren’t my favorite people, and Hunters aren’t theirs, so any opinion I have is biased. I suppose they do help people in a way, if they’re the right kind of Watcher. My sympathies tend to lie with those who venture outside a safe-house and save lives while putting their own in danger. You didn’t answer my question before, about why you’re working for them.”
“You answered it yourself. I want to do the right thing. I tried to forget it at first. Tried telling myself it was preposterous, but I knew it couldn’t be after—well after I saw the Council Headquarters. All those books about demons, the Slayer and magic convinced me. How does a person just forget all that? How could they ignore that knowledge? There are real manifestations of evil out there that at any moment could kill a loved one or the person themselves, and they can brush it off as if it’s nothing?”
“You’d be surprised how easy it is for people. It’s actually rare for a person to face up to the truth, like yourself, and that is what makes you unique. You weren’t born into this life like that other Watcher was. You were thrown into it unexpectedly and you’ve accepted it. That has more of a Hunter quality to it. Even so, this isn’t a desirable life. It’s dangerous for you and your family. Which is why most Hunters are people with nothing left to lose but themselves.”
They continued walking in silence. William pondered what Gray had told him. He agreed with him about the Council. So far reading books on the subject didn’t appear to be of much help to anyone, learning what was already known by the scholars who wrote them and doing nothing about it, but surely they were doing some good in the world? He admired the Hunters and looked up to them, but tonight he would see what their lives were really like, and that was what he wanted to know most of all. He felt proud that Gray had said he had a Hunter-like quality to him when William was just a bumbling fool in everyone else’s eyes.
“So how is your training going anyway?” Gray broke the silence again as they headed towards the graveyard.
“Oh, as well as can be expected for someone like me. The research is tedious but manageable. Magic is most definitely not my strong point. Weapons I can manage, but then that’s in a training room against a static target or occasionally a fellow trainee.”
“Which basically makes it pretty much redundant for all the fighting capability a Watcher has,” Gray put in.
William sighed and nodded in agreement. Gray chuckled.
They entered the quiet graveyard and made their way through the weaving pathways circling the markers of the dead. They came to a halt at the top of a slope where a tree stood tall and proud, it’s branches forming a protective canopy over the graves beneath its roots.
“Luther Fairwell,” William read from the grave marker they had stopped in front of. “This is the one you expect will rise tonight?”
Grey nodded, staring at the pile of earth in front of him. He turned his gaze to the path to see two figures approaching.
“Looks like they made it here alive then. Probably didn’t run into anything either since the other chap’s still here.”
William looked up as Hobbs and Heading approached. Hobbs was looking extremely annoyed and Heading’s mouth was a tight line. William wondered if they had perhaps had a fight. He was almost positive they had or rather Heading had said something the Hunter didn’t like and got a tongue-lashing for it. Heading wasn’t used to being treated with anything other than respect, but William guessed that Hobbs had very little patience for the “arrogant sod” and saw no problem putting him in his place. Part of him wished he’d been there to see it.
“Quiet night for you too?” Gray asked his friend who came to stand beside him.
“In a manner of speaking,” Hobbs answered dryly.
Heading stood on the far side of Hobbs, keeping a gap between them and didn’t even spare a glance at the other two men, staring ahead at the still earth instead. They waited for about a half an hour and nothing moved. They stood in uncomfortable silence, William casting glances at the others occasionally. Heading was still in a snit, refusing to acknowledge anyone, and the Hunters just kept an eye on the grave, well used to the wait. An owl hooted nearby, adding to the eeriness of the dark graveyard, a fog slowly beginning to roll in, the longer they stood there. Eventually, Heading’s patience ran out.
“Oh, for God’s sake, how much longer? Are you sure it’s supposed to rise tonight? Do you have the right grave?”
Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at him. Hobbs let out what almost sounded like a growl, raising his eyes to heaven before turning to his charge.
“I’m terribly sorry that the vampires don’t want to be more punctual for you, your Highness, but then demons were never much known for courtesy. Perhaps you should take it up with them when they get here. The least they could do is rise to kill you on time, isn’t it.”
Just then a hand burst through the soil at their feet, and all four of them jumped back, startled. Gray and Hobbs recovered quickly, grabbing their stakes and adopting a defensive stance. William and Heading backed up to a safe distance, their eyes wide as they watched two, dirt-covered, pale hands claw their way up out of the soil as the vampire emerged. They gasped when they saw its face. Bumps and ridges marred its forehead and nose; its eyes were golden and cold, like a true predator, and its fangs were extended, the sharp points highlighting how lethal this creature was.
“Just keep back and you’ll be fine,” Gray said, keeping his eyes trained on the vampire.
Suddenly, they heard noise coming from behind them. They turned to see two more vampires emerging from graves nearby. William felt his heart stop, and his blood ran cold. Heading yelped and darted behind William, turning an accusatory glare to the two Hunters between him and the first vamp.
“You said there was only going to be one!” he shrieked, panicked.
“I want to smack you more with every second that passes,” was Hobbs’ reply as he backed up slowly, turning to face one of the advancing vampires from behind while Gray remained locked on the first one.
That left William facing the third, Heading remaining behind him. William was frozen in place as he watched it advance.
The other two creatures snarled and approached the Hunters slowly then attacked. Hobbs blocked the second vamp’s attack and turned, leading it away from the little group and giving himself space to fight. Gray sidestepped the newly undead Mr. Fairwell and swiped at him with the stake, grazing its chest on the way by. It snarled viciously and lunged again, and Gray fended it off with the stake, keeping it at arm’s length.
William watched the third vamp jump towards him in shock.
“Your stake! Use the bloody stake!” Heading screeched.
This jerked William out of his panic long enough to allow him to jump away from the attacking vamp, narrowly missing its fangs. He bumped straight into Heading and the two stumbled backwards. Heading tripped and fell, landing in a heap, and William, in turn, tripped over Heading’s feet, crashing down on top of the other man.
“Agh! Get off me!” Heading shouted, trying to shove William up and scramble out from under him, screaming when the vamp dived for them again.
William watched the vamp descend towards him, his eyes wide, fully expecting to feel its fangs bury themselves in his throat. Some survival instinct he was unaware of kicked in at the last second and his hand holding the stake moved into position. William saw himself reflected in the creature’s golden eyes seconds before the thing exploded into dust, having thrown itself onto the stake. He coughed and choked as he breathed in the dust particles then gagged at the thought of breathing vampire dust. He crawled shakily to his feet and brushed himself off, rapidly removing the dust from his clothes and hair. Heading sat there in shock, uncaring of the dust floating down on top of him.
“You staked it. It exploded. It was about to…” he trailed off, and his eyes glazed over as he stared ahead at nothing.
William could still hear the scuffles of the other fights behind him and watched as Gray ducked a punch from his opponent, using the opening it afforded him to thrust the stake upwards into its heart, causing it too, to burst into dust, making a disturbing noise of pain as it vanished. Hobbs prepared himself as his vamp charged towards him and swiftly kicked out a leg to trip it up, sending it sprawling face first into the dirt. It landed only a few feet from where Heading was sitting on the ground, and seeing the thing stare him in the face and hiss at him, the Watcher emerged from his daze, scrabbling backwards quickly. The vamp snarled and moved towards him, but Hobbs was on it in a second, shoving the stake into its heart from the back then it too was dust. Heading proceeded to faint, his eyes rolling up as he collapsed on the ground with a thud.
“Well, that went well,” Gray commented, as he stared down at the unconscious man.
“Huge improvement, if you ask me,” Hobbs said, returning his stake to his coat and dusting himself off. “Blasted creatures. Why do they have to do that? Ruin perfectly good clothes, they do.”
“Now look who’s complaining about the courtesy of vampires,” Gray said, grinning, turning to William to share in the joke.
He looked the frightened man over and his grin changed into a sad smile. He walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
“Sorry, Pratt, forgot you were new to this. Now, you’ve seen what they’re like. Wait a minute, you staked one didn’t you?” Gray asked, frowning thoughtfully.
“What?” Hobbs asked, looking over at William who was shaking a bit. “He staked one?”
William nodded. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to…that is to say I don’t know how I did it, it just—fell on the stake.”
“However it happened, it was bloody brilliant man. No one gets one their first time out, especially not Watchers in training. That was marvelous and star pupil Heading fainted. I dare say you’ve just proved my earlier point, Willie-boy,” Gray said, grinning again and clapping William on the back.
“William,” came the automatic reply.
“Yes, yes, William.” Gray winked at Hobbs. “What do you think, Geoffrey? There’s a bit of a Hunter in him, wouldn’t you say?”
“There might be, but I don’t think he’s exactly up to our sort of work, do you?” Hobbs answered, gesturing at the shaking man.
All of this was a shock to William’s system, and since it was practically a guarantee that these trips would frighten the trainees away and back behind some desk in Council Headquarters, William thought he was doing awfully well to still be standing here, even if he was a little ill. The world had seemingly decided to start spinning, and William was getting rather dizzy as he tried to remain upright. He focused on Gray as best he could when the Hunter moved over to study the prone Heading on the ground.
“You have the smelling salts? I don’t fancy carrying him back to Roth.”
Hobbs rooted around in his pockets before locating a small bottle that he handed to Gray. Gray bent down, removed the cork, and waved it under the unconscious man’s nose. Heading’s nostrils flared a bit and his nose wrinkled up like a rabbit’s; then suddenly his eyes popped open. He struggled to sit up and clutched his head with one hand. Grey re-corked the bottle and handed it back to Hobbs, who returned it to his pocket.
“Come along then, let’s get you both back. Wouldn’t want to be caught unawares by any more vampires out and about, now would we?” Hobbs said, waiting for the expected reaction.
Realization dawned on Heading who bolted upright, shot to his feet, and rushed to stand between the two Hunters. William nodded and joined the little group, replaying the scene in his mind. The vampire’s fangs as they reached for his neck, the golden, hungry eyes, the snarl and the foul breath before it was gone, all because of a sharpened piece of wood he’d moved at the last second.
They made their way out of the cemetery and back to the pub, where the coach was waiting. Gray went inside to look for Roth, but Heading didn’t want to wait that long, and he climbed inside the coach. William paused for a second before following, settling himself into the seat. They waited a few minutes, Heading looking out the window anxiously until Roth appeared and hauled himself inside, letting the door close with a bang behind him.
“So how was the adventure then? Stake any vampires boys?” he asked, winking, before barking out a laugh.
William nodded and Heading ignored them. Roth’s laughter cut off when he saw William’s nod.
“You mean to say you staked one? No, the Hunters did, right? I mean, you didn’t actually get one on your own did you?” he asked, incredulously.
“Fell on the stake,” William mumbled staring at his hands.
Roth continued to gape at him but William didn’t acknowledge him. The coach set off and the three sat in silence as it swayed and shook, rolling along on the cobbled street, leaving Hobbs and Gray to watch them from outside the pub.
“And there go another pair. Why do we keep agreeing to do this? Let someone else babysit the young-uns for a while,” Hobbs grumbled.
“It’s supposed to be a compliment. They give them to us because they know we’ll keep them alive,” Gray answered.
“Nearly bloody didn’t tonight, did we? Exactly where did those other two vampires come from? I don’t like those kinds of surprises. I’m going to have to have a word with Archie about that. See why he forgot to mention three victims of animal attacks were buried there recently, and not just one, though I’m betting the answer is he was too busy emptying bottles to remember the facts correctly. Bloody useless lout.”
“Well, it was experience for them. Expect the unexpected, and Pratt staked one.”
“By accident.”
“By instinct. He’s not like the other ones. He’s…realistic, and he wants to help, like we do.”
Hobbs turned to Gray and raised an eyebrow.
“You aren’t seriously delusional enough to think he might become a Hunter, are you? For God’s sake, it’s a wonder he stayed with the Council. You saw the state he was in when they left. The man was terrified. Hunters are born into the profession or forced into it by circumstance. It has nothing to do with choice. You know that.”
Hobbs entered the pub, leaving Gray outside to stare at the place where the coach had rounded the corner. He scanned the shadows around the pub for a minute before turning to follow his friend, sighing sadly.
“I know. I know all too well,” he whispered as he went inside.
[Reviews - 14]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 1378 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Posting day has arrived. Here's where you learn how William met Gray and Hobbs. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter End Notes:
So, I would love to know what you guys think of this story? Even a simple like or dislike can help a writer. Feedback is fuel :-)