Chapter 5

Daniel returned that night with her number unsure of how to proceed. He could no longer kill her and reporting the situation to his superiors was definitely out of the question. Daniel was simply too close to her now, and what was more he knew she was not evil. He had always been able tell even in early childhood when someone was good or bad. It was a feeling he got deep inside. With the good ones he felt comfortable and safe like a warm blanket was being wrapped around you. With the bad one's you felt a chill run up you spine. He had begun to feeling that warm feeling when he first saw her, that same comfortable feeling that meant that the Council had made another mistake. Still Daniel was glad for it otherwise he would not have met her. On his way back to his apartment picking up a duffel bag he had hidden behind a dumpster he stuffed his equipment into so it would remain hidden. Heading up the steps his thoughts drifted back to Leah. He quickly hid the smile that had begun to form on his face, as an all too familiar figure showed itself in the doorway of his apartment building.

"Did your mission go well?" Donovan asked. "Yes sir it is taken care of." Daniel lied. If they sent another team they might harm Leah and he couldn't allow that. Better they not know what really happened and she might possibly be forgotten. "Good we are now able to focus on more pressing matters. It seems another one is present here." Donovan said handing him a note, "Here is the address. See that it is done."

"Of course sir." Daniel said taking the note from him and reading it. As Donovan left Daniel couldn't wondering why Leah had not reacted to this other one as it had been with all the other new blood drinkers. Something strange was happening and he did not like it.

The directions took him to a group of apartments toward dowtown. Making his way to the roof tops he tried to climb in through one of the windows. As he began to enter a hand suddenly grasped him jerking him inside. Tumbling into the far wall Daniel tried to get up and see who it was. Looking where he had sat perched at the window he saw nothing. Hearing breathing to his right he swung with a backhanded at the target in his peripheral vision. As his hand reached the place where his target should be he hit nothing but air. Before he could recover a blow blindsided him sending him flying. He hit another wall face first. Shaking away the cobwebs he tried to gain his feet as he turned around. Now that same hand shot forward clamping down on his throat and lifting him off the ground. Though he tried with all his might Daniel could not free himself. Focusing on the person in front of him he noticed it was a woman. Unlike Leah this was not trying to be gentle. Her grip was like a vice clamping down each time he struggled tighter and tighter. Like Leah she too was attractive but in a different sense. This one was more dark and brooding. She had not said a word yet though her eyes and face told Daniel everything he needed to know at the moment. This strange woman was prepared to kill him if he gave her a good enough reason.

"Judging by your methods and weaponry you came to kill me. Too bad for you I'm not easy prey. Consider yourself lucky that you had not met my husband first. Lenny would have shot you no questions asked for breaking into our home." The woman said. "I'm sure he would if he had not been called away. It happens to cops from time to time." Another voice said, "Let me handle him Samantha we have already met." Stepping into the moonlight behind her that was coming in through the window the second person revealed himself. The man was well built and held a certain resemblance with the woman.

"How do we know each other? I don't remember your face." Daniel said. Smiling the man said, "My name is Anthony. The woman holding you is my daughter Samantha. You might recognize me by another name "Max" perhaps. Yes we have met before Daniel"

"But Max is Leah's dog." Daniel said not believing him. He barely caught the expression that crossed over Samantha's face. This woman recognized Leah's name. "I have gained the ability recently to take on other shapes. A side effect of my condition I am afraid. Now that we have been properly introduced you may let him down Samantha." Shooting him a questioning glance Samantha wondered what he was doing. Without even taking his eyes of Daniel Anthony said, "Don't worry I'll kill him if he doesn't behave. You do understand these conditions don't you Daniel? You behave you live, you don't and I'll make you a corpse. Simple but effective wouldn't you say." Nodding Daniel wondered how he was going to get out of this. Setting him down roughly Samantha backed away out of arm's reach. Stepping forward Anthony said, "I have heard of you. You are the Hunter. You and your fellow huntsmen kill vampire and werewolves. More recently you have killed... what is it you call us? Ah yes the new blood drinkers. I met one of your huntsmen once sadly he did not listen to my warning. I hope you are not as foolish. I made a note to learn more about you people from then on. Would it surprise you I have studied you as well? You are efficient normally I'll give you that. In this situation you are simply outclassed."

"I have heard some of this before and I killed all the others like you that I've come across." Daniel replied showing courage in the face of possible death. "I am certain you have not. There is no one like the two of us in the world. Even we are different. I am the first to be born this way and she is the second. I am the father of your so called "new blood drinkers". It was from me that they all sprung forth. I taught them how to hunt vampire and sent them on their way. I never realized what they would eventually become." Anthony said.

"What is wrong with them?' Daniel asked. "Simply put they are like the very creatures I made them to hunt and destroy. They prey off of vampire like vampire prey off of humans. My creations never kill more than what can easily be replaced, so as to not diminish their food supply." Anthony said. Now it all made sense. That is why the vampire feared them so much. For the first time in their history another creature was hunting not simply for survival, but for the pleasure of the kill. Now the vampires were facing a hunter just like them unmerciful and just as bloodthirsty.

"Why did they change?" Daniel asked. "What makes you think they did? Unlike me they were not designed to eradicate the vampire race. I was made to wipe them out. It was the reason for my existence. Later my creator changed his mind and out of guilt, and a growing love for me he raised me as his son. Still my goal has not changed since I became aware of my true purpose. For years I have sought to wipe out the vampire race only to fail because those I trusted to help me refused or died trying. I am genetically programmed to hunt vampire as is my daughter to a lesser extent. She knows what to do if pressed, but can easily refuse. I on the other hand crave it at times. I thought a recent confrontation with a werewolf would be enough to change things. When it bit me I did not die as a vampire would have. Instead I grew stronger than I believed possible. For a time I believed my condition had stabilized."

"Condition?" Daniel asked fascinated by what he was hearing. Never had he ever encountered a being like Anthony. As the man spoke Daniel could sense his exhaustion with life. By all accounts Anthony should look young and vibrant. He had no age lines now gray hairs to speak of, yet he seemed old as if he carried a great weight on his back. In comparison Daniel's own sorrows seemed miniscule compared to this man.

"I appear to absorb whatever improvements I can from any transfer of blood. In the case of the Vampire I was given the purest strain making me physically superior to all of them. While I grow gradually changing over time any new or improved DNA strain causes my body to jump to a new stage of development. When I encountered the lycanthrope I drank its blood and accepted its powers. This was not my intention when I was fighting for my life, but still it happened. Now other changes are happening. I feel different somehow. I hear whispers somewhere in the back of my mind. Right now I hear one that is louder than the others." Anthony said trying to focus on the voice. Looking closer at Daniel he saw that the young man had turned his eyes and appeared to be thinking of something. While he wondered what Daniel was thinking about Anthony heard him say, "I wondered if Leah is like the others. If they are like the vampiresS by nature could she be evil?"

"The answer to your question is yes and no. Physically Leah is like them but she was turned differently. Because of this she still acts like she is human." Anthony said. "I didn't say anything." Daniel said a bewildered look on his face. "Yes you did I just heard you ask about her." Anthony said. When Daniel shook his head indicating he hadn't done that Anthony was confused. When he realized what had happened Anthony was unsettled. Walking Spast Daniel he looked out the window appearing to be deeply troubled by this realization. "What is it?" Daniel asked. Samantha who had stood back listening to the conversation chimed in saying, "He heard your voice, but you said the question in your mind not through your mouth."

"I still don't understand. If anything that sounds amazing. Why would he seem upset about that?" Daniel asked. "Every change my father has experienced in the past has indicated a new transformation. As he said he had hoped it had ended. Now he is facing the possibility of changing into something worse." Samantha replied. "Why don't you change?" Daniel asked trying to grasp the significance of this discovery. "I was born this way naturally, not made as my father was, and my mother was human. Come with me please." Samantha said. Following her she showed him a cradle with a baby boy inside. "This is my child Tony. He is the offspring of my husband and I. My husband is also human just like my mother was. We can never fully be like my father. My changes are much more gradual than my father's. I did not experience the first ones until around my eighteenth birthday. Now I am not quite as strong as he is and I am a little faster. I imagine my son will be similar in most respects." Samantha said.