Chapter 6

After Peterson’s burial, it was time to get down to business. It was about time the team learnt how to hunt and kill the bloodsuckers. They gathered in the briefing room ready for Rebecca to begin the lessons. She had not yet arrived. A while later, Claire’s phone buzzed. It was her mother calling.

“Meet me at the abandoned western trailer pack with your team. Be quick. Time is not on our side,” Rebecca instructed Claire.

“Okay. What should we carry,” Claire asked.

“As far as I am concerned… nothing. Not even your handguns. They are useless on these brutes but…since it is protocol, just carry them with you,” her mother answered as she hung up the phone.

Claire notified her team of what she had been told and without waste of time; they got into one of the police SUV cruisers and left for the park. After about a ten-minute drive, they arrived at the park. Rebecca was waiting for them parked at the gate.

Upon seeing them, she drove on into the park as they followed. One minute later, they arrived at the specific trailer. They got out of the vehicles and inside they went. Each one of them was nervous and looking around in fear.

Unlike other trailer parks, this particular one was abandoned. It was more of a scrapyard than a park. Scrap and old trailers were stored here. It was also surrounded by forest and bushes. Among the bushes were Roses, Vervain and Hawthorn. The bushy environment made everyone tensed, including Claire, except her mother.

She was already used to the environment. While hunting the bloodsuckers, she and Peterson spent most of their days here. Most of the weapons were stored there. Her mother reached for some club-like handle on one sidewall of the trailer.

She pulled it towards her. An opening on the floor clicked. She pulled the huge trapdoor up. As the door opened, a series of very bright white lights lit down the stairs. She went in and led them down the stairs. They followed mesmerized by what they saw.

Sooner than later, they reached the basement. This is where all the magic used to happen. It is where they were to get their training against the undead.

Rebecca bent down low and pulled a long drawer. Inside the drawer was one huge wooden-like box. She called Michael and Johnson to help lift it out of the drawer. Once it was out, she went ahead to open it.

Inside the box was various strange-looking weapons. First, before she could dig into the weapons, she began with the obvious.

“Before you can think of hunting and killing a vampire, you need to understand the vampire, yourself and, your advantages over the undead. This will be your first weapon. Let your surrounding work with you to help you fight the undead,” she began the lecture.

“Can you please explain in details what you mean by that,” Claire asked.

“What I mean is the natural resources around you that are dangerous to the undead. Sunlight for instance. Now, most of these creatures are not as active during the day. They cause mayhem at night mostly. This is not to mean they don’t walk during the day, they do. That’s when they scout their targets for the night.

“You just need to know how to identify them from the rest of the crowd. Since they hate sunlight, they walk under the shades, sunglasses on and, sometimes when it’s had to avoid, they carry around umbrellas.

“As you can see here, the whole area is in very bright white lights. This is just like the sunlight and it hurts them. With these here, they cannot get close. Unless of course…they find a way to put them out.

“The other weapons are those you saw outside as you came in,” Michael interrupted.

“What weapons? We saw nothing as we were coming in,” he said looking at the others.

“Well, I just forgot you are totally green. The bushes outside, those are not just bushes. They are any vampire’s weakness. The Roses, Vervain and the Hawthorn. We shall be using these as the major weapons and protection.

“Now…inside this box, we have as you can tell, the machetes, for decapitation, the stake, pushing through the heart weakens them, flame throwers and of course this,” she picked an old wooden but well vanished shotgun.

“This is not any other shotgun…no. This is a silver rounds shotgun. Silver is another vampires’ weakness. Silver buckshots are your best friends when hunting the undead, not the normal rounds you carry around in those things and definitely, not those small things you carry in the name of guns,” Hills interrupted.

“What about those who do not know how to shoot or any relatable technique besides opening up dead bodies like me here? What do I do?” Hills showed his concern.

Rebecca went to the box again and picked a medium-sized bottle and a crucifix, “here, these will help you greatly. Use them wisely,” she said handing him the crucifix and holy water.

Hills picked them and looked at them in wonder, “what are these and what do I do with them?” he asked.

Pointing at them, “that in the bottle is holy water and, that wooden cross is the crucifix. Sprinkle holy water on a vampire and it burns. The crucifix keeps it away, just like Hawthorn, Vervain and Roses,” Rebecca explained.

Johnson could not keep quiet, “do we need to study the Bible too coz, I think that’s where this is headed,” he queried looking serious and disturbed.

Rebecca walked closer to him and looked him into the eye, “Make sure you are baptized and deep in faith as well. Go to church every Sabbath and pray often. You really need God by your side. Forget the small thing you have there,” she pointed at his sidearm, “God is more powerful, trust in Him,” she responded.

Claire had something as well, “now that we know about these creatures, when do we begin?” she asked.

Her mother turned to look at her, “they began the minute you walked inside that door. For you, the day you were born. Lucky for me, you are law-enforcement and trained to use weapons except…” she pointed at Hills, “our friend here but…he has faith and holy water at least.”

Michael asked as well, “Is that all we need to know about the vampires?”

“Of course not. There is so much left for you to know about them,” she responded.

“What else remains?” Claire asked.

“How they kill and what happens to someone they attack,” Rebecca replied.

“Well then, teach us. We need to know everything there is about these beasts,” Michael suggested.

Rebecca approached him as well, “I am deeply sorry sir but, that you have to learn from the undead themselves. They are good at teaching how to kill a man. I teach how to kill them…the undead.”

“Is this our new working headquarters?” Johnson asked.

“Hell no…you cannot work from here. You still have your precinct. That is where you work. I brought you here because I had no strength to carry this huge box to you and of course, the bushes outside,” she responded.

“What about the weapons, how do we access them?” Claire asked.

“You can pick a few herbs out as you leave and carry with you. As for these others, I will decide when you have to touch them. In the meantime, use what is around you. Hawthorn for example, a very good guard to carry around with you. The Vervain, good to have in your system. It is poisonous to the bloodsuckers.

“For the Roses, very good to repair torn and broken relationships. They keep your love ones close. Now, if you will excuse me, I have somewhere else to be. No more questions please,” Rebecca, said as she showed them by hand to put back the box and leave.