Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van Helsings“The water stinks,” Heath commented as Cameron started the engine.“Yes, still water,” Talen nodded wisely. “What is underneath is beginning to rot and the current here is not strong enough to sweep it away. Hopefully, the water will drain soon to the ocean.”“Mosquitos are going to be a nightmare soon,” Cameron agreed steering the boat expertly across the water, trying to remember where there might be submerged trees that might get tangled in the motor. The passage across was weaving as a result, but neither of his mates complained.On the island, the little brunette sat just above the corpses of the sheep and watched their progress, and up the hill, the red-haired woman he had seen earlier with his father and Harry sat like a sentry upon the rocks.“We have to be careful,” Heath observed, following Cameron’s gaze. “We know nothing about these women, and this could be trouble.”“I wonder if they’re th
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsLyric wanted to trust the three men who crossed the flood to the island, but she recognized the risk in doing so. She did not know them or their motivations, and Arthur would recommend caution in such circumstances, so she kept her story light on details and her answers to their questions short as she led them around the island to where Niarthen lay.The little fire beside him was starting to go out again. She knelt by him and placed her hand on his chest. He was still breathing. Relief was heavy and she closed her eyes, her forehead sagging forward to rest against his.“A merman,” the taller blonde man with the longer hair murmured as he saw Niarthen. “I have rarely had the opportunity to get so close to one. They are very defensive and hostile even to other supernaturals.”“Not Niarthen,” she sat up and shook her head, wanting to assure them that Niarthen wasn’t a danger to them. “Niarthen isn’t host
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsThe hospital had become the center of Havermouth in the aftermath of the Van Helsing’s eviction. Not only had the community rallied around those people who had been trapped in the hospital during the occupation, but the relocation of injured from Haven Farm and the ongoing water-illness infections kept the halls busy with people in various states of distress.Leighton’s sleepers had been relocated to the wards, and with them had come the witches, vampires, and Meguitte and Connery.The lower level of the hospital carried the scent of food from the steady stream of trays being wheeled from the kitchen towards the elevators. Those who had been affected by the water-virus required a massive amount of calories to regain weight lost to the illness.Sigrid held her breath as she and her Triquetra squeezed into an elevator along with two volunteers and their laden trolleys. The smell of food did not normally
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van Helsings“No biting, and no chewing,” Harry cautioned the zombie-woman sternly as they held a knife to their wrist. “Are we absolutely clear on that? This,” they gestured to their body. “Is an artwork. You do not maul it. That would be very rude of you, and we would have to rethink the hospitality that we are extending you.”“I’ve… eaten recently,” the woman grimaced slightly. “I think you’re safe from me. I’m not so thrilled about this blood thing, but…” She glanced towards the doorway to the room in which her green-haired man and Jules were. “It seems to work.”“Mhm,” Harry used the knife. “Open up.”“Heath and Talen are bandaging that other woman, and Rhett’s snuck out for a smoke,” Cameron commented wrapping his arms around Aislen’s waist and nuzzling into her hair. “How are things here?”“We put the big green-haired man in the bathtub like she insisted we do, along with a kilo of salt, and your dad’s in th
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van Helsings“Well,” Connery said as Sigrid and her Triquetra left. “Nice chat.”“Hmm,” Leighton chuckled through his nose as he returned to his workstation.“She is eager to turn her mates,” Meguitte explained Sigrid’s chilliness to them both. “Plus, she’s Sigrid,” she added with a quirk of her lips as Connery raised his eyebrows teasingly at her. “She was Talen’s second in charge when Concordia was Concordia,” she said to Leighton. “All but a queen in his absences, and when we left Concordia, she managed his businesses whilst he traveled the world with his mapping ships…”“She is very impressive,” Leighton said with a small smile. “You do not need to make apologies for her, Meguitte. We all have our moments of… hmm,” he gestured to the vials before him. “We all possess our flaws and weaknesses.”“I think Aislen is having one of those moments,” Meguitte sighed heavily, bracing the heel of her hand on the counterto
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsVampire blood was sourced from two locations.There were a number of Van Helsing prisoners, survivors of the attack on Haven Farm or rounded up from around Havermouth and the surrounding area, who occupied scavenged and re-built cages in one of the hospital wards. They “donated” every couple of days, and their blood was packaged and distributed around the vampires in Havermouth for convenience.There were also volunteers from the Havermouth civilians who, as they came to understand the needs of the supernatural amongst them, saw that they could give back to those who protected them. Gratitude was not universal. Many of the humans were hostile, suspicious, and reluctant to interact with anyone who was “out” as supernatural.Those who did volunteer sometimes did so with ulterior motives. It had not escaped Havermouth’s human residents that the supernatural were generally better looking, stronger, and fas
Havermouth, Present Time“Fuel is becoming an issue,” Talen observed as they drove towards the train bridge. The arrow on his tank showed that it was under a quarter full. “We must hope that they have managed to get the petrol stations operational again and that there is petrol within them, or we will all be walking in the future.”“River is going down,” Rhett commented. “I can see the safety rail of the bridge.”They all turned to look as they passed that section of the road with its bedraggled-looking ropes of yellow “Do Not Cross” tape and the stranded 4WD peeking through the current. The water had retreated back, revealing more of the road, and leaving its edges entangled with debris.“I’ll be happy when we can use that bridge again,” Aislen decided. “I’m really not a fan of the train bridge.”Silence fell in the cab as Talen confidently navigated the train tracks to the other side of the river. A roadblock on the inner side of the bridge stopped them and a pair of green-clad were
Havermouth, Present TimeLunch was served in the conference room. The control room buzzed with energy as the werewolves monitored whatever it was that they monitored, and Aislen watched them through the open door as the kitchen staff placed a plate of sandwiches and fruit onto the conference table along with coffee and juice in a sweating glass jug.“What are they doing?” She asked Rohan as he helped himself to the food.“Monitoring the outside world, mostly,” he replied offering her coffee. “Listening to the news reports and broadcasts of parliamentary meetings. Others are communicating with other branches of the army. Some are monitoring the Van Helsing’s communications.”“Anything interesting?” Heath wondered.“It’s all interesting to someone,” Rohan offered the plate of sandwiches around the table. The Triquetra and Talen declined, shaking their heads. “More for us, eh, Aislen?” He set the plate between them. “Something needs to happen and soon,” he continued answering Heath’s que