Shield of Silence

Father Xang was on the corner of the room, cleaning the guns, doing inventory. The 46 years old man was a soldier and a Jesuit, arguably redundant, but no one here cares. He has been our connection with the logistic and material supplies of our more religious brothers. There was no chance for us to survive without their help, specially now. Most of us don’t care for the religious aspect, myself included. We have all sorts of cynical people here, some militant atheists, a couple spiritualists, some non-practitioner Christians too.

Marcela keeps our finances organized, acts as our public face for the neighbours, and takes care immediate medical assistance when it is needed. She is a dog’s doctor, but I would trust my life to her before I trust any hospital. When she cannot help, chances are there is nothing else to be done. She is ever bit as committed to the cause as anyone else here. Just don’t go in the missions, because the mind-shielding discipline do not work well for women. It is, after all, the single most important tool we have against vampires.

Adonis has been learning it from Father Xang, Bruno and myself.

Bruno is a former US Marine, former drug dealer, and former father of four who had all his children butchered along with their mother by a vampire. That lest bit of information is the one that defined his change in life, from soldier of fortune to fanatic Vampire Hunter. Like the rest of us. Bruno is doing the teaching now, sitting in that old sofa. Repeating world I said to him few years ago, when everything was simpler.

Back in the days when he was reaching the level of practice that Adonis has conquered now.

“The art of mental shield, as you realize now, is the art of mental silence. We focus entirely in the outside, the inside has to me empty, and that is fundamental. Despite the fact that our options for reaction when caught by surprise became limited. We train ourselves to follow instinct and trust our fate, superior forces, whatever you choose to call it. Because we need that silence, when we have a trap set and wait for our prey.

Vampires can hear our minds. Telepathy. Some of them do it on purpose, some have little control over it and react to it in a instinctive level. Many can whisper commands directly in our mind too, manipulate of senses and emotions.

When you have your discipline well developed and your exercises are done daily. The silence in your mind means that either no vampire is nearby or the vampire you are tracking is not aware of your presence at all. Under those circumstances, we proceed with our plan in a mission.

When you hear the sound of drums coming from deep inside your head. That means the vampire has felt your presence. It is searching with his mind and whatever Evil power it has. However, it has not yet figured out where you are, or how dangerous.

Under those circumstances, we usually abandon the hunt and leave. The faster those drums sound, closer the vampire is to identify you. The louder they sound, more serious the situation is, stronger is the mind of this vampire. Do not always means a physically stronger vampire, but that is likely. Leave, push the panic button, so your companions can know and do the same.

If you heard guitar, flutes, an instrumental melody of any sort. The vampire knows exactly where you are. It is inside your mind, moving. You are compromised.

Detonate your corporal explosives or put a bullet in your head if you think you cannot fight anymore. Try to escape, or try to attack the vampire, but stay away from your companions, and be sure to be as loud and noise as possible in your actions. Your companions will understand what it means, and we will evacuate this place as soon as one of them give the alarm. If you survive the night, we will observe you from distance and test you to be sure you have not been compromised.

Until that happen, do not approach any Hunter Bar or safe house. We will kill you on sight.

The assumption we must make is that everything you know is now in the hands of this vampire who got into your mind. This is not necessarily true, but we must play safe.

If you hear a voice singing, no words, just the moan sound of a melody. Is too late to run, too late to fight. That means the vampire is inside your last line of mental defence. And it is a vampire capable to use telepathy as a weapon. Your only hope is to kill yourself, if you hesitate the vampire will use you as a weapon against your companions.

This system has been in use since the times of Hammurabi. Hunters survive thanks to that, both in the religious orders and in non-religious bands like ours.

We all know that kill vampires is our definitive purpose in life. We all hate the monsters, who took those we loved from us. We know humanity would be completely defenceless without people like us. Dedicate militants, holding the ground and ready to pay the ultimate price for that.

They have every advantage.

Now more than ever. Since the Disclosure the vampires can hunt humans and kill openly, without risk of being punished for it. Our laws and our govern protect them, accept their “need” as inevitable part of nature. Unavoidable fate.

When we hunt and kill vampires, that is terrorism. When they hunt and kill humans, that is their natural necessity and must be respected.

That’s why we must remain vigilant, and minimise our risks. Now, more than ever.”

I am no longer as sharp as I used to be. My mind is still strong, possible stronger than ever. My knees now make too much noise. Next action can be my last run.

Is good to know the fight goes on without me.

Ten nights from now, we are destroying an old and powerful Noble Vampire. Not one of the homeless vagabonds. One of those who enjoy the protection of its personal private army of human traitors of humanity. This monster has been murdering humans since the days when Homer was alive, the author of Iliad and Odyssey.

No hunter could hope for a better last run, to close its trajectory on Earth with a golden key.

After that, if I survive the night, I shall stay here. Cooking, cleaning, and helping with whatever task I can, in the logistic side of the operation.

After that night, I must get used to be called “grampa” by those young generations. No point in complaining anymore. No point in fight the inevitable. Only vampires and their blood slaves never age. I am happy to remain human, and master of myself, up to the grave.

Like any half-decent vampire hunter has to be.