But Eliza wasn’t still human, so she’d suck it up. And somehow, she was supposed to catch a demon creature and bring it back with her while simultaneously killing two or three Vampires and bringing in the ringleader? Easy peasy....
Sergio switched the engine off, and Mila turned around from the front passenger seat to look at all of them. They’d already had an hour long meeting before they left HQ, but now that the location was different than what they’d planned for, Mila would be compelled to speak. Eliza did her best to tune in, even though she was preoccupied with getting out of the vehicle and shooting things.
“As you can see, Sylvester has switched up his hunting grounds. We have it on good authority that he is staked out in the outer yard of a warehouse a few blocks up this street and over one. It’s a large complex with a chain-link fence and several other buildings dotting the perimeter. We believe there are at least two or three other Vampires with him. They are newbies and likely to be impulsive. So be ready. An important reminder that your bullets are not likely to be as useful as your knives. We do have a shipment of titanium coming our way, but it will not be here for a day or two. So be ready to pull your blades. We want to take Sylvester if we can, but ending him is better than letting him go.”
Once her colleagues seemed clued in to her directives, Mila continued. “We’ll be in teams of two, as usual. Dom and I will go around to the eastern side of the building. Brit and Andor, I want you to come up from this end of the building,” she pointed out the window, moving her finger in the direction she wanted them to go, “which would be from the north moving south, and Eliza and Sergio, you will have to come in at an angle from the southwest.”
Eliza was terrible with directions, despite the fact that she had a compass in her eye, so she just nodded, knowing Sergio would get her there.
“Finally, should any of those black crawling creatures present themselves, we will do our best to capture one of them. All of the male team members have nets and rope in their possession. Any questions?”
Eliza had no idea if the others were planning to nab one of the little demons, but she didn’t dare question the idea to Mila, not now anyway. She kept her mouth shut and shook her head. Nope, not a question here.
“Very good. Be safe and attentive. And remember, when I say it is time to go, it is time to go.” She was looking at Eliza with that last remark, and Eliza nodded at her, even though it was more in line with her nature to smart off.
Mila turned and opened her door, and the rest of the team got out as well, Eliza stepping around to the front of the vehicle where Sergio was putting the keys in an interior pocket of his black leather jacket. For some reason she couldn’t pinpoint, he looked amused. She’d wait until they were away from the rest of the team to ask why.
Brit and Andor shot off together, cutting through grassy areas around dilapidated buildings while Mila and Dom headed up the sidewalk. Eliza and Sergio walked with them until the pair cut off, gesturing back and forth about which direction to go, and Eliza assumed they were discussing it through their IACs.
“What’s so funny?” Eliza asked once she had Sergio alone.
“Huh?” he asked, feigning innocence. “Oh, nothing. I was just imagining us tying one of those creatures to a long pole and carrying it back to the car like the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.”
“Right?” Eliza said, though she had no idea what he was referencing. Even when she looked up what Return of the Jedi was on her IAC, she didn’t know what scene he was talking about and decided there was no point in going any further. “But I think KC told Mila we need to try to get one of them, so maybe she felt compelled to pass the message along.” There was no reason to mention that both Aaron and Jamie had already told her as much.
“Good luck with that....” Sergio muttered, and Eliza was glad they could agree on something. She had never quite felt included in this team, so moments of camaraderie were few and far between. “It’ll be hard enough to get Sylvester, and we know how to capture Vampires.”
She agreed with a nod, thinking there wasn’t much chance of that happening either but keeping the thought to herself. They walked a little further up the sidewalk before Sergio started to angle off to their right. Eliza went with him because she assumed he knew where they were going, and she was clueless. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She knew that was because there were Vampires nearby. Not that she was concerned about them, but they always made her feel like she’d just chugged down a glass of milk that had been sitting out too long.
Mila sent a message that she and Dom were in position, and Brit and Andor followed confirming their location as Sergio slowed in front of her and pulled out his Glock. Eliza did the same. It crossed her mind that she should be in front since he was a Hunter and susceptible to Vampire bullets, but as far as she could tell, none of these Vampires were armed; none of the others in Daunator’s troupe had been.
The chain-link fence in front of them was taller than most at what appeared to be at least ten feet. It wouldn’t be any trouble for them, though, and as Eliza watched, Sergio took a few steps back, ran forward, and leapt over top of it, landing on his feet on the other side. He turned to her in anticipation, and Eliza backed up. She wished she’d had that second shot of Transformation serum because it would make it even easier, but she was pretty sure she could jump over without touching like her partner had just done.
