Five forms could be seen running through the night as if their lives depended on it. Snaking their way through the back alleys.
"They were waiting for us!" shouted Connor, pulling up the rear, tossing a grenade behind him.
"It was only a matter of time, this way," said Tripp, turning right after throwing a grenade ahead as the vamps attempted to cut them off, just as the one behind exploded, taking out a couple of their pursuers.
Another explosion, and they all somehow managed to cross the street, shooting at anything that so much as twitched. Blurred forms speeding this way and that, dodging their shots as they reached the other side.
Luckily, they were in a remote part of the city late at night, so there were no civilians, though the explosions would likely draw in law enforcement.
"How much further?" asked Bob, panting heavily.
"Almost there old man, don't die on us now," said Galen, pushing him along.
"Should have never come with us. Hell, leave him behind and let him bait them away," said Jay, whose head snapped left upon receiving a swift slap from Penny.
"Shut your mouth Jay, or I'll shut it for you, permanently," she growled, in no mood for his bullshit.
He scowled as Galen laughed.
"Stop fucking around! I'm not letting us die here!" Tripp yelled, firing off another shot as a blur swept past, knocking him down.
"Tripp!" cried Penny, firing her buckshot, hitting the vampire as it swooped in for a second pass. Its chest erupted in agony as wood and vervain struck it, collapsing to the ground, withering in pain.
Conner rushed over, stake in hand, and finished it before it could recover.
Quickly helping Tripp up, they continued to flee.
"It's just up ahead!" shouted Tripp.
Pastor Young, waiting for them inside, came out guns blazing, pistols in each hand, laying down covering fire.
One vampire who got hit cried out in alarm, "No!" as he felt the werewolf venom-laced bullets coursing through his veins.
"Out of the way, we'll take care of this," said a vamp, speeding straight through the bullets unconcerned and unaffected as he tanked each one, tackling Galen and Bob.
"Hybrid!" shouted Conner, switching to a hand crossbow after getting a good look at his face.
"Eyes!" warned Pastor Young, throwing a flash bang.
Covering their eyes, they used the opportunity to escape from their blinded foes. Galen and Conner pulled Bob to safety as they all rushed inside, shutting the door behind them.
"We need first aid here, he's bleeding pretty badly," said Conner, checking Bob's wounds.
"Do we have any vamp blood left?" asked Tripp.
"No, no vamp blood," said Bob weakly.
"Bob, you might not make it otherwise," said Tripp.
Bob shook his head, "No."
"Get down!" Galen yelled. The window next to the door shattered from something being thrown.
"I don't think they're giving up yet," said Galen, peeking back out, watching the vamps surrounding the place.
"What about the cops, surely they'll leave once they come," said Penny.
"Depends if they're not already compromised," said Tripp.
"Uh, guys, I think we have bigger problems, Get To Cover!" shouted Galen, diving to safety as the vamps outside threw molotovs at the building and through the windows.
Flipping tables, they tried to create a makeshift barrier as the place began to burn.
"We can't stay here; it won't be long before they can get in, or we burn," Pastor Young coughed as the room filled with smoke.
Then the backdoor exploded.
"What the fuck was that?" asked Tripp, trying to shake the ringing out of his ears.
"Claymore," said Conner.
"You rigged the back?" asked Pastor Young, unaware.
"Did I not tell you?" asked Conner sheepishly, so used to working alone, he forgot.
"Any other explosives lying about you may have forgotten to mention?" asked Tripp heatedly.
"No, didn't have time," said Conner, hunkering down after firing a few shots as another cocktail hit the building.
Galen, meanwhile, kept shooting out the window every chance he got, itching for a fight.
And when they thought all hope was lost, the vamps outside fell clutching their ears.
"Something's happening," said Galen as the fire receded.
"This isn't natural," said Pastor Young.
"Thinking witch?" asked Tripp.
"Why would a witch help us?" asked Conner.
"It's safe to come out!" someone yelled from outside.
"Jay, check it out," ordered Tripp as he put pressure on Bob's wounds.
"Why do I have to?" asked Jay indignantly.
"I'll do it," said Penny, giving Jay the stink eye as she crawled past him to the door with her buckshot ready. Slowly opening it, she peeks out and sees all the fallen vamps suffering for some unknown reason.
"They're all down. I see a guy going around staking them one at a time. I'm going out," said Penny.
"Penny!" cried Tripp as he saw her leave, "Damnit, Galen, Conner, please go back her up," said Tripp.
"On it," said Conner, crouch-walking to the door with a pistol in one hand and a crossbow in the other, with Galen following suit.
"It's safe to come out," said Galen, eyeing the possible witch as Conner and Penny started helping the unknown man put them down.
Tripp and Pastor Young carried Bob out and set him down, only to realize he's already passed.
"Damnit Bob, you didn't deserve this," said Tripp, closing his eyes.
When he finally looked around and saw the unusual sight, Tripp finally set eyes on the unknown young man and the witch who came to their rescue.
"Not sure how you did it, but thanks for the help strangers," said Tripp.
"No problem. We hate vamps as much as the next guy. I'm Matt, and this is Bonnie," said the stranger, offering his hand.
Bonnie stood standoffishly with arms crossed, letting Matt do the talking.
"Tripp," he said, taking the hand, "And I see you've met Penny, Conner, Galen, Jay, and Pastor Young, along with good old Bob."
"I'm sorry for your loss, wish we could have gotten here sooner," said Matt, glancing at the body.
"It's not your fault, he was old, and I'm sure he went the way he wanted," said Tripp.
"So, how did you get into this mess?" asked Matt.
"They were waiting for us after a mission where we used a vervain smoke grenade, tear gas for vamps. We put on our gas masks and took every vamp down, but a trap awaited us as we exited. Thankfully, they underestimated the smoke; as we opened the door, it blew into their faces, giving us time to act," Tripp explained.
"Interesting, never thought of using vervain like that," said Matt.
"Yeah? What exactly did you do to get them like this?" Conner inquired.
"Oh, that would be my friend's magical music box, play it and anything with supernatural hearing will be crippled with pain, making them easy to deal with," said Matt.
"Fuck me, are you serious?" asked an astonished Galen, eyeing the witch.
Matt grinned, "It was quite the find when we found it."
Jay snorted, "You're telling me, all this time I could have been using a music box to kill them, the fuck am I doing working out and risking my life like this?"
"You found it? You didn't make it?" questioned Tripp.
"That's right. It was something we found," Matt clarified.
"That's a shame, we could use more of those," said Tripp.
"You're telling me," said Galen, kicking a dead vamp.
After running back inside, Conner returned with a syringe and used it to take the venom from the hybrid.
"Clever," Matt commented.
"When you've been doing this as long as us, you pick up things," said Conner, sticking the needle in above the fangs.
"Hey, I think this one's also a hybrid," said Galen, pointing out another.
"How did you find us?" asked Jay pointedly.
"We were tracking a vamp when we came across this situation and decided to help," Matt replied.
"And thank goodness you did," Penny remarked, tears in her eyes as she stood by Bob while Pastor Young administered his last rites.
"It's strange how the cops never showed up after all those explosions," Pastor Young commented when he finished.
"I did a spell to keep others from bothering us," said Bonnie, speaking for the first time, drawing all eyes to her.