Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) (9 page)

*

“
They
’
re gone,
”
Superintendent Bryce yelled as he sprinted into the next street.

In the distance, a small red hatchback was coasting down the road away from them. There was no sign of the perpetrator
’
s vehicle.

The two junior officers caught up to him, breathless. Two hundred metres behind them, their smoking sedan rested against the brick wall. The bonnet was crumpled and there was nothing left of the front tires.

“
What do we do?
”
Officer Shukla said.

“
Get every available squad car out searching for a black SUV. For now, we need to control the media. Reporters are going to be here within half an hour. Keep them away from the hole. We have to come up with a press release before this thing blows up in the newspapers.
”

While the junior officer briefed the police station, Shukla turned to Bryce.

“
Do you think the manhunt will work?
”

Relucantly, Bryce shook his head.
“
They were professionals. I
’
ve never seen anything as smooth as that before.
”

He sighed and turned once again to look down the street.

“
I doubt we
’
ll ever find them.
”

*

Jake stared in awe as the Astra pulled into an enormous estate. In the middle of the grounds lay the same mansion he had woken in last night. He was sure of it. No other building in Melbourne could be so large. From the outside, the place looked even more impressive.

The building was modern, complete with a snaking gravel driveway that led from the entrance gates to the front of the house. From there, the path branched off in two separate directions. One led to the garage attached to the side of the mansion, and the other led to the circular courtyard in front of the porch. Crank dropped them off in the courtyard, then drove the Astra into the garage, out of sight.

Jake took a moment to breathe in the fresh morning air. He needed it. The sun had now risen, providing a sky full of vibrant colours. Birds chirped morning calls in the trees surrounding the property. It was then that he realised how tired he was. The adrenalin of the past twelve hours was finally wearing off. He was on the verge of collapsing. He hadn
’
t slept all night and was struggling to keep his eyes open.

He followed the two men up onto the patio. It was made of smooth concrete and ran the full length of the house, past the floor-to-ceiling glass windows on each side of the double doors. Wolfe slipped a key into one of the doors and swung it open.

Jake stepped into a colossal entrance hallway. Its white marble floor shone beneath the grid of halogen lights. A set of double doors on each side led off into different rooms. Both were closed. The hallway ran on before opening out into what looked to be the dining room. On either side of the entrance to the kitchen were dual staircases, made of marble just like the floor. They ascended up to a balcony overlooking the hallway. Behind the balcony was an upstairs corridor, trailing off into the distance. The house was quiet. The morning sun shone through the windows, casting a warm glow over everything.

The black man pushed open one set of double doors.
“
I
’
m off to bed.
”

“
It
’
s six in the morning?
”
Jake queried.

“
We stayed up all night waiting for your call,
”
the man said.
“
I
’
m a little tired.
”

Jake thought for a second.
“
You knew I would call
–”

The man nodded.
“
We assumed you would. No-one gets a glimpse of a slayer and then opts out. You wouldn
’
t have been able to live with yourself if you never found out any more about them. It would have plagued you for the rest of your life. Knowing that they
’
re out there, but not knowing anything else.
”

“
That
’
s exactly why I called. How did you know?
”

“
It
’
s human instinct. You can
’
t ignore curiosity.
”

With that, the man pushed open the doors and walked through. Jake caught a glimpse of a bedroom the size of his old house before the doors slammed shut in his face.

Wolfe, who had until now remained silent, led him through into a dining room equally luxurious as the rest of the house. Floor-to-ceiling windows on either side gave views of the surrounding grounds, lending the room an open, airy atmosphere. On the left was a dining room with a broad oak table set up as the centrepiece, and on the right was a kitchen complete with state-of-the-art appliances and a full-sized bar.

“
You knew I would make the call,
”
Jake repeated, still in disbelief.
“
Are you psychic or something?
”

“
It
’
s like Felix said
–”
Wolfe started.

“
Felix?
”

“
The man you just talked to. It
’
s like he said, nobody can walk away from a discovery like that.
”

“
I couldn
’
t. I sat there in the cell, and I just thought, how can I go back to my old life when I know these things exist? You know
…
to be honest, the whole family situation had pretty much nothing to do with the decision I made. It just helped that I had no-one to say goodbye to.
”

“
When you realise that there is a breed of monsters living on earth, it
’
s hard to care about anything else,
”
Wolfe said.
“
That
’
s what the five of us realised after we were rescued all those years ago. We could have returned to base, told them what happened. No-one would have believed us. We could have kept quiet, and carried on with normal missions. But we decided to hunt them.
”

A realisation dawned on Jake.
“
You
…
you never went back. Everyone thinks you
’
re dead. Your whole team doesn
’
t exist anymore.
”

Wolfe nodded imperceptibly.
“
We all needed to know more, Jake, just like you do.
”

“
That
’
s why I
’
m here.
”

“
Good man. You
’
re going to learn everything about them. First, though, you need some rest. Come.
”

Jake followed him through to the same living room he had woken up in twelve hours ago. It was surreal to think that during the space of time between leaving and returning to this house, he had been arrested and subsequently broken out of a police station.

And now he was back.

Wordlessly, Wolfe took him through a corridor that snaked around the swimming pool. Jake looked out through the huge windows and saw an identical corridor across the yard, forming a U shape as they both branched off from the living room. The pool lay outside, in the middle of the U.

They reached a single door, built into the wall at the end of the corridor. Wolfe opened it, and Jake stepped through.

“
This is your room,
”
Wolfe said.

It looked like the master bedroom of a five-star resort. Jake realised it ran the entire length of the corridor on the other side of the wall. Up the far end lay a king-size double bed, with an adjacent bedside table complete with a sleek, white laptop. Behind the bed, Jake saw the entrance to an en-suite bathroom.

“
Holy crap,
”
was all he could think to say.

“
Do you like it?
”

“
It
’
s probably a tad better than my jail cell.
”

Wolfe chuckled.

“
Your wardrobe is in there,
”
he said, motioning to a door in the wall next to them.
“
Now, I take it you need some sleep.
”

“
That
’
d be good. I
’
m about to drop off on the spot.
”

“
I
’
ll leave you to it then. Get some rest. You
’
ll need it.
”

Wolfe turned and left the room. On the way out, he thumbed a panel on the wall, and instantly the blinds running along the tops of the windows began to lower. Before the room turned black, Jake walked over to the bedside table and switched on the lamp.

He took a shower. The hot water poured over him and washed away into the drain in the centre of the bathroom. With it went the dirt and grime that he had accumulated over the past twenty-four hours. It felt good.

When he was done, he took a quick glance at himself in the mirror. His long hair was matted to his forehead. He swept it back and took a deep breath. This was his new life now. He had to forget about the old one.

He made his way, naked, into the bedroom and slipped into bed. The mattress was made of memory foam. It moulded to his body shape, enveloping him in comfort. He pulled the covers up over himself.

Jake lay there, staring at the ceiling, weighing the consequences of his actions. Everyone who ever knew these five men believed them to be dead. Technically, they didn
’
t exist anymore, and neither did he. He wanted to place his full trust in them, but he couldn
’
t. Not yet. He
’
d only met three.

His nerves were unshakeable, but they slowly began to fade as he rolled over and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was asleep.

He woke slowly. There was no light coming from underneath the blinds. It was dark outside. He lifted his head from the pillows and took a glance at the alarm clock.

7:53p.m.

He had slept all day. Light from the bathroom seeped through the crack under the door, gently illuminating the room. He had forgotten to turn it off last night.

He untangled himself from the sheets and moved into the wardrobe, which alone was the size of his old room. He pulled a pair of tracksuit pants and a Nike singlet off their hangars. They were just a few clothes amongst an arsenal of designer gear.

Despite a lengthy sleep, his eyes were droopy. His sleeping pattern had been thrown off, much akin to what he believed jet lag would feel like. He hadn
’
t experienced the feeling before. He
’
d never been overseas. His dad had never been that generous.

Scrubbing sleep from in between his eyes, Jake left the room and made his way down the corridor, out into the lounge.

“
Evening, sunshine.
”

The black man who had assisted in the breakout was sitting on the couch, typing away at a slim laptop. He had spoken without looking up.

“
Sorry,
”
Jake said.
“
I was pretty tired.
”

The man looked up and smiled.
“
No need to apologise. How
’
re you feeling?
”

“
Fine, actually. Well, as fine as I can be. Nothing hurts at least.
”

“
That
’
s good. I wouldn
’
t be surprised if you
’
d strained a muscle during the breakout. Stress can do that to you.
”

“
It
’
s Felix, right?
”

“
It is.
”

“
Thanks for getting me out of there, Felix. I
’
m serious. I can
’
t tell you how relieved I am.
”

“
Happy to help,
”
Felix said.
“
Honestly, when you hunt slayers for a living, police stations aren
’
t all that much of a challenge.
”

Felix stood up.

“
How are you
feeling
, though?
”
he said.
“
About all this?
”

Jake knew what he meant.
“
Not too bad. I don
’
t really know what to think about what
’
s happened. I
’
m alive. I guess that
’
s all that matters.
”

“
You
’
ve got an optimistic take on things.
”

“
I need to. If I stop and think about what
’
s happening it
’
ll be too much. I can
’
t shake this feeling that I
’
m in way over my head.
”

“
It would be strange if you didn
’
t feel that way, Jake. Slayers are a mind-boggling thing. But your choice isn
’
t as bad as you might think. You won
’
t be in any danger with us. We
’
ll protect you at all times.
”

“
Protect me from slayers?
”

Felix nodded, and Jake swallowed fear. He was reluctant to ever see one again. The dread that he had experienced during his encounter on the balcony had been too much to handle. He had been in the hands of a
monster
. Even recalling it made his palms sweaty. Felix sensed his apprehension.

“
Don
’
t worry, kid,
”
he said.
“
There
’
s six of us here, and we
’
re going to look out for you whenever we hunt. We won
’
t bring you in until you
’
re more than a hundred percent ready. Understand? That
’
s what we
’
re here to do, to train you so that you can be better than them. We wouldn
’
t throw you in the deep end for no reason.
”

“
So what exactly is going to happen?
”
Jake asked.
“
What do you want from me?
”

“
Easy, kid. Let me introduce you to everyone first.
”

Almost on cue, a man walked in from the kitchen. Like Felix, he was muscular. Jake figured it was a requirement of the slayer hunting business to be in peak physical condition. He was dressed in shorts and a singlet and padded into the lounge barefoot, sucking on a chocolate milkshake. His long, gritty hair was tied back in a ponytail.

When he saw Jake, his eyes lit up. They were bright green.

“
Hey!
”
he said.
“
Good to finally meet you. How
’
s it goin
’
, brother?
”

“
Not too bad,
”
Jake said. He was a little hesitant to jump into conversation.

“
This is Sam,
”
Felix said, as the two shook hands.
“
He
’
s our engineer, so to speak.
”

“
Engineer?
”

“
The guns, dude,
”
Sam said.
“
I build
’
em!
”

“
Build them?
”
Jake queried.
“
Why don
’
t you just buy them?
”

Sam laughed.
“
Boy oh boy, have I got a lot to teach you. Come, I
’
ll show you downstairs.
”

There was something quirky about Sam, Jake thought. He hunted slayers for a living, yet he was just an ordinary guy. He reminded Jake of
…
normal
people. Jake already liked the man.

They went through the kitchen and into one of the spare rooms branching off from the grand hallway. It was a gaming room, filled with various arcade machines and a full-size pool table in the centre of the room. Jake ran his hand over an old-school pinball machine as he passed it. Tucked into one corner was a flight of metal stairs, spiralling downwards into the depths of the house.

The three descended from the ornate furnishings of the house above into a room of stark whites and greys. The enormous space below the mansion was lit by neon lighting. Jake figured that the basement stretched the entire length of the house. It was split into two separate sections, each bigger than a concert hall. One looked to be a workstation, with rows of stainless steel benches positioned in equal intervals across the concrete floor.

The other was a gym. Sparring mats covered the floor and punching bags hung from the ceiling. In the corner lay a workout station, with twice as much equipment as his old kickboxing gym. Everything was in pristine condition, not a single weight out of place. At his old gym, the rusting weights, general untidiness and friendly atmosphere had make Jake feel at home every time he stepped in the door. Now, he shivered in unease. This place was a factory, designed to turn him into a killer as fast as humanly possible.

As Jake stepped down off the last stair, he saw two men hunched over a workbench, both with welding masks covering their faces. Their bare chests were glistening with sweat. One of the men was working over a piece of metal with a welding gun, sending sparks flying off the workbench. They noticed Jake, Felix and Sam come down the stairs and lifted the tinted visors off their faces in unison. The whining of the gun fizzled out as they cut the power.

Jake recognised the man on the left as Crank, the getaway driver. He had shaved his hair since the breakout; now, his blond locks were cut close to the skull. In any other situation, Jake would have been impressed by his musculature, but he was dwarfed by the man standing next to him.

This man was bald and black and stood at least seven feet tall. He was one of the largest people Jake had ever seen, and single-handedly made the other three men in the room look puny. Despite his height, his physique was not disproportionate. Quite the contrary, Jake noted. His biceps were the size of basketballs and his legs looked like tree trunks.

Jake feigned a blank expression, but was unable to hide his surprise. The other men noticed. Crank burst out laughing.

“
Long time no see, Jake,
”
he said.
“
I guess no-one warned you about Thorn.
”

The giant stepped forwards.

“
I
’
m Thorn,
”
he said, his voice deep. He stuck out a hand.

Jake shook it. Thorn
’
s grip was gentle.

“
Most people get taken by surprise at first,
”
he said.
“
Don
’
t worry, you
’
ll get used to it.
”

Jake laughed.
“
You did take me by surprise a little. Do people stare in public?
”

“
That
’
s why I don
’
t go out much,
”
Thorn said. He hesitated.
“
Something you
’
ll have to get used to, no doubt. I hear breaking out of a police precinct draws attention these days.
”

Crank stepped forward.
“
I
’
ve heard you want to hunt slayers, Jake?
”

“
I didn
’
t have a much of a choice,
”
Jake said.
“
But yeah, I guess it looks like fun.
”

“
It
’
s not,
”
Thorn said.

Jake was being sarcastic, but suddenly the friendly atmosphere evaporated. The air grew hostile.

“
Slayers are the most dangerous creatures you could possibly imagine,
”
Thorn continued.
“
One wrong move in a fight against one and you
’
ll have your throat ripped out before you can comprehend what
’
s happening.
”

Jake gulped.

Crank picked up the speech.
“
I
’
m guessing Felix told you that we will protect you. And we will. But there
’
s only so much we can do. Eventually you
’
re going to have to fight for yourself. This might be a bit much to take on but we
’
re not going to skirt around the truth.
”

“
And the truth is
…”
Jake said.

“
We do need you. That
’
s why we offered you this position. Slayers are posing more and more of a threat to us every day.
”

“
You know what,
”
Jake said.
“
I
’
m going to be honest here
–
I don
’
t understand how I fit into this. I
’
m sixteen. How can you need a sixteen-year-old?
”

“
We do,
”
Crank said.
“
We need another man. Several times we
’
ve been ludicrously close to getting outnumbered. Besides, you
’
ve already got the build of an adult, so it
’
s not like you
’
re physically limited in any way.
”