"You know what I mean, human," Enoch emphasized on the word human as if it was a disgusting word. "How odd that you try to lure us to the place where the hunters are already present, ready to attack back at us."

  "You must be badly mistaken, but as you see, I am working just for myself and not with anyone else. What would I get by working with them?" Douglas raised his hands as if he didn't know why he was even being blamed right now. "What I am interested in is the girl. There is nothing else that I care about."

  Joaquin's face twisted into a sneer, and he ordered, "Get our men ready and tell them to prepare their best weapons against the vampires. There is no point in delaying and it is time we go get the land and the girl we have been waiting for. Get the vehicles and the weapons ready. We will be leaving immediately. And you," he pointed at Douglas. "You will be riding with me, the last thing I need is for you to wander around and do something I do not like. Because don't forget, if you try to betray us I will kill you."

  Soon the vampires got into their vehicles, and headed right towards Veteris, ready to claim the land, which included the lost town of Willow Creek.

  Back in Veteris, some of the guards, who were guarding the place near the back side of Veteris property, were walking back and forth, when suddenly one of the guards was shot right at the back. For a few seconds, the vampire guard didn't move, and the next moment, his body started to turn dry.

  The other guards, who were near, witnessed this, and one of them shouted, "There's an attack here!" Turning the nearby vampires alert. Not a moment later, gunshots were heard that echoed through the forest.

  Roman picked up the faint echo, and so did the other Elder vampires.

  Donovan commented, "Looks like the more anticipated war of Veteris has finally started." Out of habit, he snapped his fingers, only to realize that he didn't have the ability to apparate to another place. "This is bullshit," he cursed, not liking the fact that he was an average vampire.

  He heard something recoil, and he took one step to the side, feeling something graze past next to his cheek. It left a red line and his face turned sour.

  One of the vampire students asked him, "Elder Donovan, is there no way to kill them all at once?"

  Pointing the gun forward, Donovan said, "Well, children. It is time that you make use of this valuable opportunity and sharpen your skills rather than waste my own energy and depend on me. It is time to thrive," not wanting to admit that he had no abilities right now.

  When he caught sight of one of the humans, he pulled the trigger, and they heard someone fall on the ground.

  "What an aim, Elder Donovan," praised one of the younger vampires.

  "Of course," replied Donovan with a proud smile. "Now get to work, or do you want me to do all the job myself?" he glared at them, when the hunters soon started to fire their guns and make use of other weapons on the night creatures.

  The hunters of Greasy Corner had invited other hunters, who lived in the nearby towns to come join them in killing the vampires, who had been hiding here for who knows how long. They stepped in with their guns and other kinds of weapons to kill the vampires, and soon everywhere in the forest, hunters and vampires got busy fighting with each other.

  Julie, who was in the process of finishing the procedure, paused when she heard the sounds coming from the front and right side of Veteris.

  "We are being attacked," said Cillian, who had turned his head in the direction of the echo.

  "Mm," hummed Mr. Evans. "Seems like it started before the anticipated time."

  "When did you anticipate it?" asked Julie with a frown.

  "A few hours from now. We should finish the ritual sooner," said Mr. Evans, but before Julie could continue it, a few hunters spotted them.

  Cillian turned to Julie and said, "Keep going with the ritual, we'll take care of the rest. Don't lose your focus."

  It was because Julie would soon be opening the forbidden door, and the last thing they needed was more darkness coming out of it, than putting it back in.

  Some of the hunters aimed their weapons at the ghosts, who stood around. And when the bullet passed through, that only ended up with their resources being wasted, one of the hunters asked, "Why is the vampire not being shot?! It's like I am aiming at nothing!"

  "It must be a different kind of creature! Use another weapon to capture and kill it!" said another experienced hunter.

  The hunters moved towards Veteris in batches, and when Joaquin and his men entered, ready to attack the Elder vampires, the hunters pounced on them! Believing they were who lived in Veteris, and had anticipated more hunters.

  "Kill them all!" The old hunter ordered his men and women, and he pulled the trigger on some of the vampires, who fell on the forest ground.

  And as much as the hunters well fully equipped, they weren't as fast as the vampires, and were quick to die, with their neck snapped or heart pulled out from their bodies.

  In the infirmary, Olivia, Elder Remy, and doctor Isolde worked on creating the replication antidote, and they were running out of time. Isolde asked the Elder vampire,

  "The fight has started, what if the vampires get shot before we deliver the antidotes?"

  "Let us hope they don't. If they do, we might just have to make more space in the cemetery to bury them," replied Elder Remy.