I kept my UV gun in my hand, ready should I come face-to-face with my prey. How Eddie had gotten the thing on-board I would never know, but I was grateful for it.
We'd spent some time speculating on the reason someone would be after Eddie. It was clear that while Kabita agreed with me, Eddie was just humoring us. He clearly thought it was all one big coincidence. I had a hard time buying that, but I still couldn't figure out why Eddie would be part of the pattern.
The three of us spent the rest of the day searching the ship, marking off rooms as we went. At the rate we were going, it was going to take the rest of the year. After several hours we took a break. Eddie snuck us some food from the buffet, and then Kabita and I napped in his room until dark. Nighttime was always the best time for a Hunt.
After my nap I felt, if not refreshed, then at least more alert. Eddie offered to join in the hunt, but he was emceeing the steampunk ball that evening, so Kabita and I sent him on his way before heading to the place where the last body had been found. I didn't know what we hoped to find, but there wasn't anything. No clues. No residual vampire energy. Nothing.
"Listen," I said to Kabita. "A vamp's natural inclination is to go underground. The closest thing on a ship would be anything below the water line."
"Makes sense. We should concentrate our search below decks. Engine rooms. Storage bays. That sort of thing."
We'd split up and continued our search, which was how I found myself in a dim hallway somewhere in the belly of the ship. Between the bass roar of the engines and the poor lighting, I was getting a raging headache.
Somewhere deep inside me, something stirred, raising its head. The Darkness reminding me it was there, ready to be let out. If I used it, the headache would go away. I'd be able to see. The noise wouldn't bother me so much. And I'd probably find that damn vamp in half the time. But it would also bring me that much closer to the edge. To losing control for good. It wasn't worth the risk.
Then I remembered the red Xs on Eddie's wall. To prevent another murder, yes, it was worth the risk.
I took a deep breath and let the Darkness out. It surged up from that place inside me where it lived, spiraling through me and out the center of my chest. My vision narrowed to a pinprick. A point of light in a long dark tunnel. The sounds of the engines quieted. The pain throbbing at the base of my skull receded. Suddenly I could see as clearly as if it were broad daylight. I felt awake, alive, alert in a way I never did with my normal Hunter abilities.
Clenching the UV gun a little tighter, I picked up my pace as I moved down the corridor. The gripping on the back of my skull returned, but this time it wasn't a headache. I sensed the vamp. It was close.
I checked my phone. Not a single bar. No way to send Kabita a text. I was on my own.
I moved faster. The grip on my skull was growing tighter, a sure sign I was nearly on top of the thing. And then the feeling started to fade. With a frown, I stopped, turned around, and walked back a few paces. The feeling grew stronger. I should be practically on top of the vamp, but there was nothing there. Just an empty hallway. Nothing to hide behind. No doors. Nothing.
I glanced up in time to see the grate over my head come crashing down. The Darkness batted it away as if it were made of tin foil. It hit the wall with a loud clatter, leaving a dent in the panel. The vamp was another matter. It picked me up and threw me against the opposite wall. I hit so hard, I felt the metal shudder beneath me.
I brought up the UV gun, but the creature smacked it out of my hand. The gun skittered across the floor out of reach. The vamp snarled, flashing fang, eyes glowing a demonic red. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman, it was so emaciated. Definitely a soul vamp. A vampire who'd had a human soul trapped within it. And it was hungry.
It slashed at me with long fingernails. I twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding having my face redecorated. I twisted around, throwing a kick that connected with the vamp's knee. I heard something snap, and the vampire tumbled to the floor with an unholy shriek. I went for my gun, but the vamp, ignoring its broken leg, leaped at me. We went down in a heap, and the thing grabbed me by the hair, smashing my head into the steel plating of the floor. Warm blood gushed from my nose.
I freed the knife from my wrist sheath and stabbed backward blindly. I must have connected, because the thing screamed and rolled away from the blade. It was enough that I was able to use its momentum to throw it off me. I rolled with it, stabbing again with my blade. I missed the heart, but it screeched enough to let me know it was hurting.
Jumping to my feet, I ran for the gun. The vamp caught my ankle, and I went down. Hard. I was pretty sure I saw stars, but the Darkness pushed back the pain, forcing me to focus. My fingers closed around the gun just as the vamp's hands closed around my throat, squeezing. I choked, gasping for air. The vamp squeezed harder. Tiny spots of black danced across my vision. The Darkness roared in anger. It wasn't about to let me die.