Chapter 4

The police had classified it as an animal attack, but Timothy was not so sure. When he studied the blood samples that he had collected it was clear that this was no ordinary animal. Twenty vampires were not normally easy prey. Whatever had killed them had to be very powerful. Apparently the vampires had managed to wound the creature. As he studied their killer's blood he saw something strange. Santiago had taught him all he knew about identifying vampire and their mortal enemy the werewolf.

This sample seemed to be a mixture of the two. At first he thought the sample was contaminated but as he studied the DNA further he saw it belonged to the same individual. Picking up the phone Timothy dialed Santiago.

"You mean this Anthony was that creature that saved Leah?" Paul asked in disbelief in Santiago's office later on that night. "Yes he was, amazing isn't it that he survived the fire that caused his burns?" Santiago said with his usual calm. "Do you know what caused the fire that did that to him?" Paul asked his mind reeling. 'What was he doing back in L.A.? Obviously he must have had a good reason for leaving, so why return?' Paul asked himself.

"I should, I started the fire." Santiago said. The shock was evident on Paul's face as Santiago continued speaking, "Mary as you may remember sired me. After our falling out we parted company. When she wanted to get rid of Anthony seeing him as no longer useful she sent him after me. Mary knew quite well I would notice him following me. Anthony had no idea he was being set up, nor would he have cared at the time. He had gotten in to the habit of using drugs to wipe away the loss of his wife and child. Little did he know Samantha his daughter had managed to survive, but that is another story. Anthony had a death wish and I believing he was just a hired assassin was happy to oblige. I led him into a dark alley and waited on top of a building overlooking that alleyway. I had managed to lose him in the sewers long enough to soak the ground below with fuel. He did not realize the danger he was in until I lit a match and tossed it down. The alley burst into flame engulfing him. How exactly he survived when anyone else wouldn't have I don't know. What your friend Leah saw was the first part of his metamorphosis. His mind and body now realized their potential and began to grow as they were suppose to.

We are now looking at the final stage of his transformation. When it is finished few will be safe from him, they will be those he considers the same as him or those who could become like him. If you don't fit into either category you're as good as food to him, and he'll drain you dry without a second thought."

"How do you know so much about him?" Paul asked. "I studied the diaries his father made. I saw what the good doctor could not. He was blinded by his need for vengeance and later by his love for his adopted son." Handing over the copies of the diaries he had given Anthony he said, "Look for yourself, and you will see I speak the truth. Connor Burrows was a genius to accomplish what he did, but he did not bother to think of all the possible consequences. His failing has put all of us who remain in this world in grave danger."

"Can anything stop him?" Paul asked. Shaking his head Santiago replied, "Not when the change is complete. Ironically he may prove the greatest cause for peace. We will have to unite just to fend him off."

"I thought you said nothing could stop him." Paul said. "Physically he will be invincible, but one hope remains; his love for his daughter Samantha. If she stands firm and does not succumb she may hold the key to save us. United we may buy the time she needs." Santiago answered. Paul couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You would place our destinies on this one woman? Do you even know her well enough that you place such great trust in her abilities, and integrity?" Paul said.

"I do indeed, she is her father's daughter but without the perversion of the evil that exist in a vampire. We could all become possible Anthony's in our hearts, but she is different. She is pure and that is why her husband and father protect her. They don't want her to lose anymore of her innocence." Santiago said. Paul now understood Santiago's plan. It was a long shot but it was the only one they had.

Daniel Hunter roamed the streets of Los Angeles under a clear night's sky. Spotting his quarry below he pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back. Notching it he drew back the bowstring taking careful aim. Taking a deep breath he held it and fired. The arrow flew true striking the guard at the door in the heart killing him. Daniel exhaled taking stock of the situation. His senses strained to catch even a hint of an alarm being raised. When he was satisfied that no one had seen the vampire die he moved in taking his time so no one would notice his approach. He never relaxed despite fact this was as natural as breathing. It took an effort for him not to sneak around like he was doing now it was one of the reasons he had been chosen. Daniel was the Hunter. A title that made him special in the secret group called the Huntsmen. They were an order almost as old as vampires and werewolves themselves. Created to fight the forces of evil they did as their name suggested they hunted down all who might threaten humanity. Some such as Santiago or Daniel himself would argue that they did so indiscriminately. Daniel had been ordered to kill beings who did not fit the term of evil. Some had managed to coexist with humans or separated themselves from them so as not to harm them. They had lived peaceful lives until the Elders of the Huntsmen had told him to exterminate them. For being supposedly being such "monsters" those select few had died much the same as he imagined humans would. Their faces still haunted his dreams causing him many sleepless nights.

Turning his attention to the task at hand he pushed those thoughts aside along with his guilt. Clearing the building room by room he killed four more vampires as they slept preparing for sunrise in two hours. This done he left the scene making sure to take a series of twists and turns to lose anyone that might be following him as he had been trained to do. It was not long until he arrived at his rented apartment. Hiding his weapons in a gym bag hidden on the roof of a nearby building he entered his own apartment building and made his way upstairs. Daniel dialed a number on his house phone that he had memorized not trusting notes, he made sure to report in as he set down his gym bag next to the desk.

The voice on the other end was Donovan head of the Elders, "How did your mission go?" Donovan asked. "It is done sir. None of them escaped from the building." Daniel answered. "Good I have another task for you. We have tracked one of the new blood drinkers that are different from the ones we have seen before, this one lives in L.A. The address is..." Donovan said giving Daniel the directions to the creature's home.

These missions Daniel hated the most. As far as he was concerned the new blood drinkers killed other vampires; which was good riddance as far as Daniel was concerned. Not one had been recorded to have ever killed a human. Thus he saw little point in killing them. In a way they were doing Daniel a favor since they were more of these new ones than him. The Vampires were so focused on wiping them out instead of killing him that it made his job all that easier. For a time it seemed like the bloodsuckers were catching up to the huntsmen, perhaps even he as the last the hunters would have become the prey. Systematically the Vampires had begun to trace the Huntsmen, tracking those who were not wary enough until they finally caught up with them. Daniel had seen pictures of the aftermath and had been there to see the body bags. These new blood drinkers had granted the Huntsmen a reprieve. In Daniel's opinion his organization should be thanking them instead of hunting them like the rest. Unfortunately Daniel didn't get to make that distinction and orders were orders. If he didn't carry them out someone more inept would. Such a thing would get both human and blood drinker killed if they were lucky. The other possibility was only the human died. Daniel had enough experience in the field to know that one screw up could very well be your last. Most of the creatures they were hunting good or bad wouldn't give them a second chance. They knew that at least after the first attempt that their life was now on the line. Daniel couldn't really blame them. If he were in their place he wouldn't want to go out easy either but would want to take as many as he could with him before the end.

Daniel was better prepared to handle these types of situations, though it would not be easy mentally or physically. These new ones were tougher than the vampires he had hunted for years and far more aware of their surroundings to boot. One had sensed him coming, and had nearly killed Daniel in the scuffle that followed. He had spent weeks recuperating from broken bones suffered during fighting for his life before he managed to stake the creature in the heart. Daniel had gotten better hunting them since then so that didn't really happen anymore, but it still hurt like hell fighting one of them. These new ones didn't die like the others. The old ones it was one stab through the heart and it was over but this new batch was a different story, sometime it took three or four to finish them off and with them biting and clawing madly the entire time as they fought to survive. In some cases he had been forced to hack the new ones to pieces which was gritty work. They died like humans or werewolves bloody and gory crying out the entire time. Vampires on the other hand in when compared to the other two groups once you knew where to strike, you could kill them quick and clean with very little fuss. The Huntsmen had to establish clean up teams to dispose of the bodies of the new blood drinkers.