The Hunter's Mate.

CHAPTER 6: HOLLY.

HOLLY

I ran down an alley. I stopped at the big iron gate that blocked the way through. I heard footsteps behind me and turned. He stood there grinning, looking every inch the predatory animal that he was. He began to slowly move towards me. I knew that he was trying to scare me, that he would get a kick out of my fear. I looked around as if I was trying to find a way out. I'm doing my best deer in the headlights' impression. Suddenly, he stopped, looking confused. I smiled. He had realised that my heartbeat was steady. He had realised too late that i wasn’t the one who was trapped. I saw the panic on his face as he went to leave. Only to find his path blocked by my parents. With one swift movement, my dad had cut off his head.

I didn’t feel bad about what we had just done. That guy was a vampire, and I’d got his attention on purpose to lead him here. We had found him stalking a young waitress after killing and draining two other women. He deserved what he got. I watched as dad lifted his body into a dumpster and set it alight. I never really understood why everyone thought that a wooden stake to the heart would kill a vamp. It didn’t make sense. Their heart was no longer beating, so stabbing it with anything made no difference. Decapitation, on the other hand, would kill pretty much anything. It was always best to burn the bodies whenever possible, though.

I had been a hunter my whole life. I came from a long line of hunters. It was all I’d ever known. Life on the road. Lately though I’d been having second thoughts. I understood killing vampires demons and anything else that wanted to kill or eat humans, but I wasn’t really like my parents. They believed that anything supernatural should be killed. I didn’t agree. There were plenty of things out there who just wanted to live in peace. Werewolves, for example, they had a bad reputation because of the way that they are portrayed in film and books, but really, they are nothing like that. People forget that a werewolf is part human. They feel, think, and love like us. Mostly, they live in packs. Keeping to themselves. I have never known a pack wolf to ever hunt a human. They definitely don’t want to eat us. They eat normal food. The only exception that I know of is what’s known as a rogue. Years of living alone in the woods will drive the human part mad. The animal usually ends up taking over and can sometimes go feral. Dad just thought of them all as animals, though. Dangerous animals.

The other night, my parents had hooked up with some other hunters to attack a small werewolf pack just outside the city. I had refused to go, and I didn’t want to be part of that. Dad had come back grinning, gloating about how they’d wiped out most of the pack. Mum looked less enthusiastic. She quietly explained that there had been quite a few children in the pack. I looked horrified “He didn’t?” I asked, although deep down I already knew the answer. My dad just stood at the sink in the cheap hotel room “What’s the point in waiting until they’re older. They are still monsters.” He said matter of factly, washing the blood off his hands. “They didn’t even have wolves yet!” I said. He just laughed “Exactly its much easier to get rid of them before they can rip you apart. We lost Steve to one of those monsters.” He said. I had just turned away. It was no use arguing with him.

After burning the vamps body, we were making our way back to the crappy hotel that we were staying in. I was sick of these shitty hotel rooms, I desperately wanted a home. Maybe even a family, but I refused to bring a child into this life. The way that we were constantly on the move meant that finding a guy and falling in love were out of the question. My dad wanted me to marry a hunter, but I had no intention of doing that. I understood that we were saving people, and of course that’s important, but if I was completely honest, I wanted out of this life. Not that my dad would ever allow that.

I told them that I would meet them back at the hotel. I just wanted some peace. I wandered the streets of the city. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been walking, but it was starting to get light. I came across a woman sleeping in her car. She was wearing a uniform from the big fancy hotel a few streets away. I wondered what her story was. She woke up and jumped when she saw me staring. For a moment, her eyes changed colour. Great she’s not human. I pulled out my knife, and she looked afraid. Her eyes changed again, and this time, I got a better look. She whimpered in fear. So she’s a werewolf. I put my knife away. I had no interest in killing a werewolf. Not unless I knew that she had hurt someone. She looked confused, then grateful. She started her car and drove away.

I turned and saw my dad stood behind me. Jus face red with anger. He had seen the whole thing. He had come looking for me and wasn’t happy with what he’d found. He dragged me back to the hotel, gripping my arm so tight that I was sure it would leave a bruise. He started yelling at me once we were inside. My mum was confused and asked what was going on. He turned to her “Your f*****g daughter took pity on a monster. She let a were b***h go.” He spat sounding disgusted. Mum looked at me. “What happened?” she asked. I could tell that she was hoping that there was some good explanation. I shrugged “She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was just sleeping in her car.” I said. “Hadn’t done anything wrong yet!!!” he shouted “And how do you know??? She could of spent last night killing a bunch of people. Maybe that’s why she needed a nap!!!” he continued yelling. I started zoning him out, something that I’d got very good at over the years.