The two dreaded days passed by in a flash and Halloween night crept upon the country. Dark tendrils stretched across the sky, devouring its light and replacing the bright blue with a dark navy that readied itself to soon become black. To Rosa it looked more haunting than ever.
Rosa sat on the curb outside Louie's house, like she'd been ordered to, patiently waiting for her ride to arrive. With both Louie and Emma in agreement, making Rosa's opinion worthless, it was decided that she would head down to the HQ were she could be protected and watched during the events of the night.
'Guess Louie had finally learnt to trust again,' Rosa thought grumpily, recalling his suspicion against everyone with the sole exception of her sister and Zack.
Spine chilling winds rampaged, and thick, icy fog stained the streets. Rosa sank deep inside her coat's warmth for protection. Despite the frosty air, she wasn't troubled with waiting, her mind too busy to become overwhelmed with boredom and for her skin too be irritated by the air. Her last interaction with Louie played upon her mind like a looped movie.
"Don't do this alone," Rosa pleaded, following Louie around the house as he prepared for his hunt. Watching as he collected various armaments, vials, pouches and ammunition.
"I understand the necromancer needs to die, but there's got be someone at the HQ who can help," Rosa said, but of course it was to no use.
Over the last two days she'd spent her time researching and studying stories and records around the necromancers, specifically Orus, searching for any weaknesses and how they'd been hunted. She'd looked for anything that could bring her comfort and confidence in Louie's actions. But all she found was dread and horror. They were abominations, trapped on the line between life and death. Walking disasters of nature who sought and embraced the same death and the darkness that life fought against. And Orus … it was a devil among demons. Not much was a recorded upon the monster, only rumours and stories, all simply down to the fact that no foe in the past thousand years had fought him and lived to tell the tale. It was a heartless, sadistic and intelligent creature that killed without regret or hesitation, while seamlessly avoiding any possible threat to its life. If a threat to it even existed.
"I can't," Louie said simply, like he had twenty times before. "Everyone besides Zack would be a liability and I need to him to guarantee Valdosk's death. It must end tonight. Now get ready, your lift will be here soon." Their conversation ended with those words. Louie clambered into his car and vanished into the fog and Rosa found herself sitting outside.
"Please come back," Rosa muttered. He'd only recently entered her life but had been there for Rosa when no one else had. She couldn't lose him.
'Please not him,' she prayed, looking up to the heavens. Especially not to the same creature that murdered her parents. Her face contorted into a dark rageful glare.
"Butcher that bastard," she growled.
Down the road, two bright headlights pierced through the opaque fog wall and the hum of a car engine rumbled through the air. One of the black cars utilised by the hunters came to a stop in the road directly in front of Rosa.
Slowly the passenger window rolled itself down and the Sam's grinning face came into view behind the wheel.
"Need a lift?" she asked.
Rosa returned her friends contagious smile and jumped up from the curb. "Since when can you drive?" she inquired hopping into the passenger seat and raising the window back up.
The car's interior was cosy and heated, a warm welcome compared to the night's chill that Rosa had been forced to accept.
"Audrey's been teaching me since I was thirteen and I got my license once I turned seventeen," Sam said before continuing their journey down the road.
"Could you teach me?" Rosa asked in a hopeful voice.
"If you can get me permission," Sam said.
Instantly Rosa sulked into her seat, she doubted her sister would allow that anytime soon. If they all made it through the night maybe she could ask Louie?
"Then again we could always try and sneak out. I know where my sister keeps her keys," Sam suggested, a mischievous grin glowing upon her face. "We just need to figure out how trick our siblings."
"I bet we could come up with a few ideas," Rosa laughed.
They found themselves back on the main road and picking up speed as Sam attempted to get them back to HQ before the sky turned black. Families with kids dressed up as monsters and fictional characters wandered along the sidewalks knocking at houses and being rewarded with sweets and chocolate.
"Did you ever go trick or treating as a kid?" Rosa asked.
"No. My parents were always busy Halloween night and never really liked the idea of me walking around dressed as the monsters they lived to kill," Sam responded.
"Really? Mine didn't mind," Rosa said. "My first Halloween I ate so many sweets I ended up throwing up. My mum fumed at my dad for letting me eat so many."
Sam chuckled at her story as they carried on down the road.
"The hunt should have started by now," Sam said. "I Imagine Zack and Seis will be making quick work of this vampire lord".
"Good," Rosa nodded. "Will they definitely be able to do it?"
"With Zack there, it's not even a question," Sam then hesitated, obviously still deciding if she should speak whatever was on her mind. "Any idea why Louie isn't joining the hunt?" Sam inquired. "I asked my sister, but she says she has no idea and to be honest I actually believe her."
Rosa thought about lying and continuing the secret as she had been for weeks but, seeing how it'd be over after tonight no matter the outcome, saw no point.
"Hunting the necromancer that killed my parents and that has been stalking me. Goes by the name Orus I believe," Rosa explained.
The car suddenly jolted, almost stalling, as Sam faltered. She quickly composed herself.
"Come again," Sam said.
"You heard of a necromancer called Orus?"
"Yeah I know what it is. Was hoping I misheard you. How do you know that name?" Sam questioned.
"When something is stalking me, I tend to try and find out what it is," Rosa replied.
Sam froze, like she was paused TV, using whatever motor function she still possessed to keep them on the road. "Alright," she eventually got out. "That's a lot to take in. So the Last Necromancer is still alive, is after you and Louie has secretly went to kill it. Alone."
"That sounds about right," Rosa nodded.
"Your sister knows about all this?" Sam asked.
"Me and her both helped him solve the case," Rosa explained.
"I need to make a call," Sam announced, distraught.
"I wouldn't bother. He left a while before you arrived and told neither me or Emma his plans or destination," Rosa said. "Might as well do as Louie said to me, let the hunters worry about the vampire lord."
"The commander still needs briefing," Sam responded, in an irritated tone. Rosa noticed the speedometer slowly creep forward. "If possible we need to deploy reinforcements."
"They'd been liabilities," Rosa said, repeating Louie's words. "If you've read the stories too, you know it's true."
"We can't risk losing Louie Huntor. He's known for going haywire and acting independently but this is too far even for him. Hell, the fucking Knights of Praedator need to be called in for this sort of thing," Sam argued.
"We're not going to lose him! Not me, not the division!" Rosa snapped, startling Sam, causing the car to waver slightly. "He said he'll kill Orus, and I believe him and so should you," Rosa declared, and she truly believed it.
"Your right. If anyone can do this its Louie Huntor," Sam admitted. "But when we get to the HQ we are still informing the commander, he deserves to know what his hunters are doing."
"Fine," Rosa agreed. "Although I imagine my sister has already told him by now."
To say Emma wasn't happy with the outcome of her and Louie's argument would be an understatement.
An awkward silence overcame the car as they continued their drive to the HQ. They weren't far now Rosa noticed as they passed abandoned and isolate build sites and estates that led to the quiet side lanes. Rosa glanced up through the wind screen to witness the final dark navy patches of the sky becoming engulfed by a cloudy black.
Suddenly, a bestial roar boomed through the air. Both Rosa and Sam snapped towards each other, their eyes wide. They both recognised that roar, the exact noise which emerged from the camaz at the school attack. And what was worse was it was close, unnervingly close.
Sam's foot slammed down on the accelerator, uncaring of any speed laws or bumps she may have to face. Suddenly the car violently shook and jumped off from the ground slightly. Did they pass over a speed bump? No. Rosa quickly realised that was no speed bump.
Something hit the vehicle and before either of them could react the car flipped.