Unconventional Methods

Don't be salty. I'm just a seasoned hunter.

Image generated in Nightcafe.

Tonight’s prey was tricky. The vampire had managed to slip away from the pair of hunters several times already, evading both Lucy’s blades and Niall’s gunshots with irritating ease. When the monster turned into something like an inky panther and bounded off with a mocking laugh, all she could do was stare sullenly after it.

“…Well that was horrible. Made us look like idiots.”

“Yeah, and silver bullets aren’t exactly what I’d call cheap, you know,” Niall grumbled. “There’s gotta be a way to deal with this guy! I mean, he dissolved into some sort of inky weird shit that I can’t shoot. And normally everything you do works really well, but you weren’t faring any better out there.”

“No. And we can’t afford to let him get away again; he’s caused too much trouble as it is.”

There’d been a rash of people left anemic by this monster, fed on until they were weak and lethargic. His kind had no regard for the well-being of others; he’d continue to drain his prey until death if he wasn’t stopped. The problem was that sludgy form of his. It wasn’t a typical vampire ability at all, almost like he was using something else…

It was a long shot, but they were out of options. Lucy looked over at the younger hunter.

“Hey Niall, remember that thing you wanted to try?”

From his smile, you’d think she just told him it was Christmas morning.

There was a small, abandoned building on the outskirts of town that the undead would use a an emergency shelter from the morning sun. Lucy had staked the place out on numerous occasions, picking off unwary bloodsuckers. This was where the two of them would set their trap. Instructing Niall to get things ready, she went off to find their quarry alone.

Dawn was an hour away by the time she caught sight of him, oozing his way out of someone’s window. Whatever kind of magic he was using, it wasn’t in the usual vampire playbook. Hopefully Niall’s garlic salt theory held up, because if it didn’t, she was in deep trouble. Lucy flicked a knife at the monster as he reformed, just grazing his ear.

It was a risky strategy. The closer sunrise got, the more dangerous a vampire was. They were much less likely to hold back, desperate to find cover before the morning light consumed them. For all she knew he could lunge and tear her throat out, leaving her inexperienced partner to deal with him alone. On the other hand, that same desperation made them predictable. If it came down to getting into a fight or hiding from the sun, most of them would hide, even if it meant diving under a dumpster.

The vampire yelped, rubbing at his ear. With a baleful glare he rounded on her, claws extended and teeth bared. Lucy threw a few more knives at him, skipping backward and keeping out of the range of his angry swipes. The more time she could waste, the better.

She sure hoped Niall had covered that place by now.

“You’re just wasting your time, woman,” he snarled between slashes. Lucy kept harrying him, inflicting a few cuts here and there, dancing around and noting with satisfaction how sloppy his attacks were becoming.

“Maybe, but I’m not the one that needs to worry about the time, now am I?” she asked, glancing meaningfully up at the lightening sky. Following her gaze, the vampire’s eyes widened. Rather than continue the fight he melted into a puddle of inky sludge, reforming into a stag and bounding away.

Perfect.

She followed, continuing to poke and prod at him. A knife here and a thrown vial of rose-laced water there kept him going the way she wanted. Just to keep him scared, she even shot a couple of silver-tipped crossbow bolts at him. Any alley or side street he tried to veer into was quickly cut off, leaving the frightened vampire with only one place to go for safety.

Right to the edge of town. Right to the little derelict building. The stag bolted through the door, if for no other reason than to avoid the flurry of thrown weapons that came after him. Just before Lucy followed, she looked over at the side of the building where a tall, lanky shape waved at her and darted around the back.

Good. They were ready.

Kicking in the door, Lucy followed their target. She was out of breath and exhausted from being up all night, but in one hand she gripped a hawthorn stake and in the other a silvered blade. Whatever happened, she was ready to make one last go at this guy.

“Gonna ram one of these through your heart before the night’s over. Maybe if you’re nice I’ll even let you pick.”

The vampire’s eyes went wide with fear before noticing how tired she looked. Confident that he still had the upper hand, he sneered at the hunter.

“Like hell you will. I’m gonna drink you dry and go to bed happy. Don’t think your little friend’s off the hook either; he’s on tomorrow night’s menu.”

Grinning a sharp-toothed grin, he hunkered down on all fours. Closing his eyes he prepared to change, only for nothing to happen this time. No inkiness, no shapeshifting, no nothing. He stood back up, panic replacing the confidence from a few moments earlier.

“The hell? What’d you do?”

Niall stood in the doorway, a small, cylindrical container in hand. “Lined the whole place in garlic salt,” he said. “Sorry if it spoiled your magic trick.”

The look of disbelief on the vampire’s face was priceless. Taking advantage of the opening Lucy moved in for the kill, ramming the wooden stake right through his heart. The beast crumbled to ash with a final, outraged howl.

Job done, the pair trudged home. Niall elbowed Lucy lightly, holding up the now-empty container of garlic salt.

“…Told ya it’d work.”

“You win. It works.”

“Think your family would be up to adding it to their monster-hunting kit?”

“Don’t push it.”