C5 Chapter 5

Collin was sound asleep when I continued driving up north. I received a message from Eric, telling me to follow him to Canada where he found a haven for hunters like us. I told him about the werewolves we’ve encountered and also the woman who had my dad’s wallet, turns out her name was Evangeline. She’s one of the original werewolves in Lycan Hills. I also mentioned that Collin was still with me which I am glad he is ‘cause I probably wouldn’t survive those werewolves. But as far as Eric knows, he has no idea why they were looking for my dad, especially what Evangeline have mentioned.

“Your dad did keep a lot of secrets over the years,” Eric’s message said, “we never really bothered asking or bombarded him with a whole lot of unwanted questions. As far as I’m concerned, he wanted me to protect you the way he did and that’s what I’m gonna do. Drive up north, we’ll see you then.”

That was the end of Eric’s message.

***

We made our way up to the abomination that was once Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh. Hours of driving, looking for gas stations to fill up my truck’s tank, Collin is still asleep. He’s been asleep for more than 5 hours, I thought, then I hear him groaning. I took a quick look at him and he suddenly jolts awake, “you good?” I asked. He massaged his temples while nodding yes. He took a deep breath and said, “we’re in Pittsburgh, right?”

Confused as to why he knew, “Yeah, why?”

“Turn right on that intersection, then left on the first corner. After that you stop the truck.”

I followed his directions and we stopped at condominium building that seemed to be in pretty good shape. Collin got out of the truck, motioning me to follow him. So, I turned off the engine, took my extra gun out from the glove compartment, got out, and followed. We entered the building like it was nothing. The inside was a wreck, it’s like the war only happened in here and not seen on the outside. I found Collin enter an elevator and clicked a button. I hurriedly went inside and glanced at the button he pressed, 15th floor. I looked at him and he was just staring straight, “you’ll find out when we get there,” he said as if he was reading my mind. I turned my head forward and looked down, feeling a little embarrassed about it.

The elevator made a sound and the doors slowly opened. Collin got out first, holding the door for me, and I stepped out. It was a penthouse. Collin walked straight to the left, then starts rummaging the cupboards, then the fridge. I opened the door after the kitchen and saw a fully stocked pantry, I let out a gasp and Collin walked towards me. “Nice,” he said and went in, grabbing a huge blue bag with a Walmart logo on the center. He grabbed as many as he could fit in the bag then we heard a door open. Collin pulls me in and slowly closed the door, motioning at me to keep quiet.

I can hear two men talking but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. One of them slowly stepped right outside the door, “look inside the rooms, I’ll check around here.”

I looked at Collin and saw his fangs showing, eyes glowing ice blue. I turned my gaze to the door as it was about to open when the guy who searched the rooms came and said, “nothing. All rooms are empty. Let’s just go or else Mr. Roth will kill us both for being here.”

Roth? I thought to myself then I looked back at Collin, whose fangs have retracted, and his eyes started to lose its glow. Without any second thoughts, he immediately ran out of the pantry, but the two men are gone. I slowly emerged out from the shadows of the pantry, “this is your dad’s place?” I suddenly said while looking at the floor, then I slowly lift my head up. “Y-yeah. That’s why I know this place,” he explained.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, “that’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say to me?”

My thoughts were racing. He told me he couldn’t remember anything – his family, his life, who he is – then a moment of clarity came to me. “You fucking liar!” I shouted at Collin and pushed him as hard as I can. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he shouted back, “What do you want me to say then?”

“You could’ve told me the truth! I would still bring you here if you did!”

I screamed at him and took the bag of snacks and essentials from the pantry. “Fuck you, Collin. Fuck you.”

“Mia,” Collin calmly said, “I’m sorry,” and with that he just….left.

I left the penthouse and entered the elevator, trying to catch up on Collin. “Come on, come on, come on,” I said to myself while pressing the “L” to get to the lobby. I heard a loud thump on the roof of the elevator, “not now please. Shit!”

The moment the elevator doors opened, there was someone standing in the middle of the lobby. I slowly walked out of the elevator then the creature turned to me. I cannot really see if it’s a man or a woman, but I know that something is off about this…thing.

Remember I said that I heard a loud thump? Well….she emerged from it. Coming from the ceiling and down to the elevator, staring at her. She stood up straighter and showed some fangs, “Vetalas,” I whispered then quickly turned my gaze to the one in the middle of the lobby.

“Nice to see you, Amelia,” the Vetala in the elevator said.

I lifted both my arms in frustration, “why does every fucking monster know me?!”

I looked around to see if there’s somewhere I could escape to, but there isn’t. Every possible exits are covered in huge debris that fell from the ceiling. “Don’t even think about it,” the one in the middle said as if she read my mind.

I took my Expandable Tactical Baton out from my back pocket and extended it. It may seem like a regular baton, but I had the end customized into silver. The first to attack was the one from the elevator, “I’m ready for you, Medusa, come and get it,” I said as I hit the Vetala on her side. Then the second one came running towards me and hit her head this time.

“Vetalas are snake-like creatures that hunts in pairs to make sure they capture their prey. They have sharp fangs and when they bite, the marks they leave on their victims resembles a vampire’s, making it harder for us to capture them, and they have a paralyzing venom that knocks out their victims cold. Do you know what kills them, Mia?”

“No.”

“Silver.”

“Silver? Just like werewolves?”

“Yeah, just like werewolves. A silver knife to their heart and twist it once will kill them instantly. Turning them into dust.”

I can still remember the day he told me about the Vetala. Every hit I make and every blow I got, I can hear my dad’s voice – reminding me of that conversation. I forgot that I always have a spare knife in my jacket’s inside pocket. Conveniently, it’s silver. Gotta thank my dad for this knife and for always having my back even if I couldn’t find him.

The Vetala from the middle of the lobby starts charging at me and with my knife at the ready, I stabbed her on the chest and twisted the knife. She let out an ear-piercing scream, the one from the elevator was weak. She was laying on the floor, “no! Amelia, please!” I walked towards the other Vetala, knife on my right hand. I knelt beside her, “I could’ve spared your lives if you did not attack me first.”

“I’m sorry. We’re just passing by. We thought –“

“Shut up. You don’t get to explain anything.”

“Please, Amelia.”

I smiled then I stuck my knife into her heart and twisted it good. The smile faded from my face and removed the knife. I went back for the Walmart bag and got out of the building as fast as I can.

My truck is parked outside but Collin was nowhere to be found.