The Dead War Series (Book 1): Good Intentions (24 page)

“Good. Are you ready to talk to the one lead we have?” Matthew asked.

Warren took a deep breath. He looked at Matthew and nodded. In retrospect, Warren was relieved he had confided in his partner when he did. He trusted in their relationship enough now to let it all hang out. Matthew knew his friend’s “condition” even though it still shook him up, especially when Warren became glassy-eyed over spilt blood. Warren wished he had the control of the older ones; the pride of the Pack, those who could walk into a slaughterhouse and never even blink. He marveled at the amount of self-control one must have to resist such a temptation. He admired his Pack leader, Xander, for his superior self-control. However, Alexander, known affectionately as Xander, treated his Pack with that same amount of control which sometimes got on Warren’s nerves. By the same token, Xander was equally protective of the Pack; Warren respected and loved him for that.

Xander never really approved of Warren's choice to join the Police Force. He was true to the traditional ways; old traditions had wisdom. In Xander’s opinion, it just wasn't wise to take up a profession that might expose your secret. Being a police officer was high on his ‘hell no’ list. Although, Xander did acknowledged the benefits one could gain from working within and beside the law. He wasn't blind to that fact, but he feared Warren would be exposed, then hunted down because of what he was. Xander would not stand for that. Warren remembered the heated argument he'd had with Xander when he informed him that his secret had been exposed to his partner. Xander had threatened to kill Matthew, said he knew too much, but Warren had convinced him that this exposure was a move in the right direction.

Xander had scoffed at that statement. It didn't ease his suspicions or his thoughts of killing all who knew about them. It was one thing for the whole supernatural race's existence to be exposed. It was another to announce yourself as one. Because of that, Xander kept a close eye on Warren, the orphaned son of his Pack mates.

Warren’s mother and father had been murdered by a renegade group of deranged mortals. They shot both of his parents, piercing their brains with silver bullets while they were tending to their farm. Warren had barely escaped with his life. He ran into the woods, staying hidden until nightfall. Then he had gone to the one place his parents told him would be safe if anything ever went wrong. He ended up on Xander’s doorstep in the middle of the night, a scared six-year-old boy. Xander had taken Warren under his wing and raised him as his own. Warren was brought up in the traditional ways of the Pack. Despite all of Xander’s teachings, Warren had embraced the “mortal” lifestyle, including his career choice. Ever since his parents were murdered in front of him as a child, he had wanted to be a cop so that he could catch the bad guys.

Warren thought Xander should loosen up a bit. He knew that due to Xander’s old age, change was always difficult, especially after having lived for over two centuries. His Pack Alpha was pretty much hell-bent on keeping with tradition and was most reluctant to change the old ways.

Warren was silently thankful to Xander for allowing him, however reluctantly, to work with S.U.I.T. While walking toward the one lead they had in their current case, knowing he wouldn’t get much from him, Warren reminisced on the day, long past, when he had been at home watching TV and his favorite family cartoon show had been interrupted for a special news bulletin. He remembered thinking it
better be pretty fucking important to interrupt, “The Samsons”
. He'd sat there and watched history in the making as the report commenced to prove supernatural existence beyond what the human mind could comprehend. It was all over the radio and had even worked its way into the cable network channels. So even if people were watching
QueerPeople
, they were going to know the news.

Warren watched, along with billions of people worldwide, as the supernatural world was exposed for all to see, for all to know. An overambitious reporter had scooped the story of a lifetime, revealing a corrupt politician who had been bitten and turned by a tiger. He was among several other politicians who were secretly keeping an abandoned military base in Death Valley. They'd had the hidden facility specially designed to perform experiments on vampires and shape-shifters and study the results. His mouth had dropped open as he'd watched that report. He'd felt grateful that he had been skilled enough at deceiving the mortals about his true identity thus far. He had learned how to control his hungers and lust, well enough to remain unnoticed, and unchallenged (outside of Matthew).

Xander had resented everything about the outing. It angered him that shape-shifters were tortured and killed at the military base. He had known that mortals would react badly after finding out.

“Mortals always hunt down and destroy what they can’t control, or understand, or what they fear,” Xander had said as he made numerous phone calls to other Pack leaders arranging an emergency meeting.

Xander had been right. In the months that followed, after the humans got over the shock of supernatural beings existing in their world, mass paranoia began. People had begun to panic and there had been pure chaos. Humans started looking over their shoulders; people started killing each other over the slightest suspicion.

Warren remembered getting a call from a hysterical woman who said her husband had just shot and killed their neighbor with a sniper rifle. Her husband was convinced their neighbor was a vampire because he only saw him up and about at night. Turns out the now dead neighbor liked to take nightly walks because he suffered from insomnia. The madness didn't stop there. The crime rate increased; it was the highest in years. The ironic part of it was it wasn't the supernatural creatures that were committing the crimes, but the human race itself killing other humans as well as supernaturals.

It was not until some bills were passed a year later that the madness subsided. Angry and fed up family members were tired of fighting for their lives and the lives of their loved ones who had been turned. Those people made their voices heard loud and clear and the government had to acknowledge that the worldwide, fear-induced bloodshed had to be dealt with and fast. Martial law was enforced, giving the government time to think of a plan.

Some supernaturals, fearing they would be hunted down and slain, decided to form a Council in an attempt to gain positive exposure and establish themselves among the humans. They joined with the American government to share information and develop laws equal to those the human race already enjoyed. The human race was trying to restore order from the madness they had caused. They were trying to get control over what they could not comprehend. Many supernaturals believed that the human race was foolish and vain to think that they could be the overlords of all the supernaturals' power and wisdom. The humans had been underestimated. America was the first country to form the “Laws of Co-existence” with the supernaturals successfully. Most of Europe followed, then Canada and Asia, making the “Laws of Co-existence” partially international.

The first bill that was passed into law clearly stated supernatural creatures were now required to obey the same laws as every mortal. If they committed a murder, they were arrested and were to have their day in court. If a supernatural was suspected of a crime, and if they turned themselves in willingly, they would await their trial date for up to a period of seven days. They would then be tried by a mixed jury of humans and supernaturals (shape-shifters only), and if found innocent, they were set free but monitored ... if found guilty, they were to be executed immediately. However, if a supernatural refused to be taken into custody, they were executed on the spot. Due to their supernatural abilities, their right to “Due Process” was not equal to that of humans.

Law number two was more for vampires than shape-shifters. No drinking from mortals who were not willing. It was understood that a bite from a vampire was equivalent to sex for a human. You could not arrest and charge two adults for having consensual sex; therefore, you could not charge a vampire for getting “bloody” with someone who consented to the bloodletting. However, the union could not be fatal; it also had to be with an adult. Anyone under the tender age of eighteen was jailbait and anyone who did not consent was considered raped. In addition to this law, the willing conversion of a mortal was prohibited. It was considered suicide if a mortal consented to conversion. Of course, vampires didn't really adhere to this portion of the law.

The vampires had taken to that law rather harshly. Some of the young ones retaliated. They had no idea what humans had in store for them. If found in the act of “raping,” “murdering” or “child molesting,” if that supernatural couldn't be apprehended in a “peaceful” manner, they were to be shot and killed on the spot. This was stated in the news bulletin when they announced the new laws. What they didn't say was that they had gathered a great deal of information on the supernaturals, due in part to all the materials and documentation gathered from the secret facility in Death Valley. For instance, a trained mortal knew what to look for in appearance, physical attributes, etc. The government was better prepared and was well-equipped to deal with the supernaturals. The S.U.I.T. Organization was armed with ultraviolet gel ammunition for the bloodsucking undead and liquid silver-nitrate bullets for shape-shifters. These specially designed bullets would explode upon impact and work their way through the blood stream, making it virtually impossible for any to survive. Regular silver bullets hurt and took longer to heal, but didn't kill the shifter unless they struck in a vital area. Any liquid silver entering the blood stream meant an inevitable death.

Warren wondered if Xander would be able to survive a vital hit from a regular silver bullet. He suspected that because of his age he may be able to heal, if he drank the blood of the Pack Matron. However, he doubted Xander would be able to survive being shot by a liquid silver-nitrate bullet. The humans had been prepared. After a few vampires who were in violation of law number two were made examples of, the vampires were “less inclined to exhibit any
rash
behavior.” Or so that’s what the Secretary of State said during his speech when he announced the decrease in supernatural crime. Warren had to admit the thought of a combustible silver-nitrate bullet going through his chest
would
make
him
feel a little more law abiding. His other Pack mates had been outraged, feeling helpless against the change. Warren wondered in amazement if this was the first time the supernatural race felt truly vulnerable. He suspected Xander wasn't worried, but cautious ... always cautious.

Law number three was pretty much directed at shape-shifters. Shape-shifters were to go to a government protected and sanctioned hunting ground on the nights when there would be a full moon. Some of the Pack leaders had disputed this bill. Many said they had their own private property, and would not take too kindly to being monitored while they changed, mated and hunted. After three months of deliberation, the government relented, only to revise the bill. The revised bill now stated if one did not have a “designated” hunting ground, you were required to go to a government sanctioned one provided in each state. Once finalized, there were no exceptions to this law. If found off hunting grounds, the shape-shifter would be contained, charged, most likely deemed dangerous, then executed.

In the beginning, there were a lot of unexplained “accidents” when a supernatural was taken into custody for suspicion of committing a crime. They were often tortured or murdered by spiteful officers wanting revenge. It was during this time the supernaturals protested while their council spoke out against the cruel and illegal tactics of the government's supernatural police force. The entire S.U.I.T. organization went under investigation. The offending officers were arrested and sentenced.

The last bill to be added became law number four to establish equal protection for supernaturals. For there were individuals and radical humanist groups who decided to turn their Thursday night poker club into outlandish cults that would chase down members of the supernatural race to destroy what they could, by maiming and killing whomever they could find. This new law, which was much needed, prohibited any type of vigilante acts of violence upon a member of the supernatural race. Many outraged groups felt that the human race should not have to share the world with “freaks”. They vowed to continue their “fight against the forsaken,” as they called it. Warren had arrested a few of these fanatics, satisfied to have finally rid the streets of them. Though he knew where there was one, there were several thousand. However, there were enough intelligent civilians, including politicians, who knew that to start a war with the supernaturals would incite the destruction of the human race. These individuals lobbied ceaselessly to pass law number four; they knew that the government had to offer protection to the supernaturals in order to guarantee protection for human existence.

The laws left little room for mischief and seemed to keep things under control. Supernaturals were U.S. citizens rightfully. All of humanity now knew they could not destroy the supernatural race; some humans didn't want to destroy supernaturals at all. Many historians were baffled and marveled at the whole idea of immortal creatures; beings that have seen empires rise and fall, wars begun and ended. They knew who shot two of America’s most famous presidents. They knew what it was like to watch Rome burn and hear the psychotic tunes from the Emperor’s fiddle. Then there was the medical scientist who wanted blood samples, urine samples, sperm and egg samples. They wanted to know what was in the supernaturals blood that was different from their own, and how to make that blood work for them.