SORRY THIS THING IS SO DANG LONG~ HOPE Y'ALL HAVE LOTS OF FREE TIME XP (7,111 words)

 “Snake, stand up.” I said as calmly as I could, trying to ignore the blood dripping down his fingers and the smoke lifting from his skin. He staggered to his feet, arms crossed protectively over his chest, and took a labored breath.
   “Yoichi. Can you stand?” I asked, my gaze flitting between the vampire and the open doorway. It remained empty but I could feel the seconds slipping through my fingers, certain any moment now another guard would come tearing inside. 
   Yoichi’s eyes flickered and he moaned a weak reply, struggling to lift his head. Ryu stood quickly and pulled Yoichi up, supporting Yoichi’s sagging weight with an arm around his waist. 
   “Snake, can you and Yoichi support each other?” I asked, stooping to shake Kris gently. There was a trickle of blood on his temple and a bruise already forming against his white skin, his eyes firmly closed.
   “Yeah.” Snake grunted, his voice laced with pain as he shuffled over to Yoichi. He offered a careful forearm to the vampire, bracing himself as Yoichi took it and then transferred his grip to Snake’s waist. 
   “Ryu, I need you to take Aoi. Do you think you can manage him?” I asked, calling Ryu’s attention from Snake to me. Ryu knelt by Aoi and gave his shoulders an experimental heave, nodding at me and then peering closer at Aoi’s neck with a frown. 
   “He’s still bleeding, Tao. This should’ve clotted by now.” Ryu said, demonstratively pulling the collar of Aoi’s shirt aside to reveal the jagged bite in the warlock’s neck. Blood had already coated Aoi’s exposed skin and was spreading down to darken his shirt, his skin growing paler by the minute. I hesitated for a moment then shook my head, speaking firmly.
   “We can’t do anything about it now; we have to get moving.” I said, bending over to shake Kris’s shoulder harshly. I gripped the front of his shirt and yanked his weight up, draping his arm over my shoulder and turning with difficulty towards the doorway.
   “Follow me.” I said, pausing briefly to grab the guard’s knife from the ground and fit the hilt snugly into my palm. 
   I walked cautiously out into the hallway, realizing just how vulnerable we were. Luckily, the dark hallway was empty and I took a moment to lean Kris back against a wall and wait for Ryu and Snake. 
   “Which way?” I asked, waiting for Snake to look at me. He had one arm curled around Yoichi’s waist and his other bloody palm was latched onto Yoichi’s bare shoulder, keeping him upright. 
   “Left.” Snake said firmly, his eyes flickering. I nodded, about to shoulder Kris again when Yoichi swayed forward, gripping onto Snake’s shirt so firmly his knuckles turned white as he tipped away and vomited. 
   The black liquid splashed against the ground and pooled thickly, shining under the flickering lights bolted to the roof of the hallway. Yoichi took great gasping breaths, his head hanging down and his hair concealing his face, sweat shining on his bare torso. Snake tightened his hold on Yoichi, nodding at me as he began to pull the vampire forward. 
   “Just keep moving.” Snake said, letting me pull ahead with Kris and my knife. Ryu brought up the rear, staggering slightly under Aoi’s weight across his shoulders. 
   We continued straight, all of us braced for either the exit or more guards. The hallway eventually emptied into a large room with a steel door set in the opposite wall, a rickety card table set up in the middle of the room. 
   The three hunters sitting at the table all looked up, their shocked faces quickly transitioning into scowls. I quickly propped Kris up against the wall, lunging in front of the others and brandishing my knife.
   One hunter seized a gun from the tabletop, simultaneously standing and leveling the barrel at me. My arm whipped back and I flung the blade with all my strength, watching it sink true into his neck just above his collarbones.
   He fell with a gurgle and his free hand clawed at his throat, his finger reflexively squeezing the trigger as he dropped. The bullet flew past me, sinking into the hallway wall as I jerked to the side. I threw myself forward, arms outstretched for the fallen hunter, struggling to reach the knife before the others got a chance to draw.
   I yanked the knife out with a splattering of blood, stretching out on my back and raising it above my head just in time to block an overhead attack from the second hunter’s blade. I was spreadeagled, both hands locked around the knife’s hilt as droplets of blood continued to drip from the knife onto my throat.
   I met the hunter’s eyes and returned his snarl, both of us grappling for the upper hand. I heaved my arms to the left with all my strength, rolling to the right just in time for our blades to skid apart. I was soon out of range and continued rolling, getting to my feet quickly and repositioning myself between the hunters and Kris.
   The third hunter pulled a gun and I was trying to decide whether to throw my knife again or wait when the steel door exploded with a deafening crash. Dust billowed into the room and chunks of the cement wall went flying, a large shard slamming into my face and slicing my cheek. I doubled over, raising my arms to protect my head from more debris, feeling a warm rush spread over the left side of my face.
   I struggled to focus, watching the feet of the knife-wielding hunter turn away when he spun around. 
   He was suddenly gasping on the ground in front of me, his throat sliced wide open and blood pouring out. I staggered back and straightened up, struggling to focus on the tall figure still charging from the doorway. 
   A traditional katana flashed in his hands as he whipped it in a crescent around his hooded head, building up momentum for a smooth strike at the hunter with the gun. Only the quick flick of the hunter’s wrist saved his life, trapping the blade in the curve of the handgun and deflecting the sword with a shower of sparks.
   The hunter took a few quick steps back and raised the gun, firing into empty air when the swordsman ducked and swept a low kick at the hunter’s ankles. The hunter jumped over the kick and brought his aim lower, grunting in frustration as the hollow click of an empty magazine broke the sound of the fight.
   The swordsman didn’t hesitate, executing a diagonal downward cut and knocking the gun out of the hunter’s hand. The swordsman spun rapidly, his blade flicking out and moving so fast it appeared to do no damage. Seconds later, the hunter’s head began its rapid descent from atop the man’s shoulders, hitting the floor moments before his body followed.
   I looked at the swordsman in shock, taking in the tight black shirt and pants he was wearing, a glint of metal at his belt hinting at more weapons. There were slits cut in the black wrapping covering his head and face so he could see, his eyes fixating on me coldly as he flicked the blood from his blade and turned towards me.
   “Thank you—” I began breathlessly, stepping forward and bowing to him slightly. His eyes narrowed seconds before his sword jumped forward, striking dangerously close to my neck as I leapt backwards.
   “Tao!” Ryu cried out, his anxious voice distracting me as I struggled to keep my footing and wield my knife.
   The tiny blade was no match for the katana and I frantically waved Ryu back, backtracking towards the hallway as fast as I could. My only hope was the faint possibility that the hallway would be too narrow for the katana’s length to be used effectively, and I struggled to get back.
   The swordsman stalked slowly after me, knowing he had me cornered, and I was unpleasantly aware of the droplets of sweat sliding down the small of my back. My hand flexed around the hilt of the knife as he came closer, smoothly sheathing the katana in the long case slung diagonally across his back, unsheathing a wakizashi just as smoothly from a second hidden sheath. 
   “Snake. Is Kris awake yet?” I asked quietly, not daring to look behind me. I hadn’t used wushu in a competition since I was young, and this man just took out two skilled hunters like it was nothing—some back-up would be nice. 
   “No.” Snake panted. My heart plummeted and I met the swordsman’s eyes again, struggling to convince him to stop.
   “Look, I don’t know who you are, but all we want is to get out of here.” I said, holding my free hand up in a gesture of appeal.
   The swordsman stopped and looked at me for several long seconds, his eyes colder than before.
   “You are all abominations.” His voice was rough and icy, his eyes unreadable beneath his hood.
   “What? We’re human.” I said, grasping for a way to make him let us leave. He scoffed, pointing at Yoichi and Snake with the tip of his sword. I moved instinctively so the sword was pointed at my chest instead, forcing him to focus on me. 
   “You are a human liar.” The swordsman said, a faint accent surfacing in his voice. I shook my head, forced to stop when his sword flicked under my chin and tipped my head up. The steel was cold against my throat and I swallowed hard, feeling the sharp metal prick my skin.
   “Hey. Don’t look at him, look at me.” Ryu commanded loudly, his shoulder brushing mine as he stepped up next to me. 
   “Ryu, get back!” I hissed, trying to push him behind me. The sword dug warningly into my throat and I coughed when it compressed my airway, cutting me with a metallic hiss. 
   I looked back at the swordsman, surprised to see his eyes go wide with shock. The sword wavered and then tipped down, his hand falling slack as he stepped forward towards Ryu.
   “M-Masamoto Ryu?” The swordsman whispered, awe tainting his voice as he stared openly at Ryu.
   “Yes?” Ryu said hesitantly, looking worriedly at my throat and then curiously at the swordsman.
   “I…I must have made a mistake. Follow me.” The swordsman said after a few seconds of silence, turning abruptly and sheathing his wakizashi.
   Ryu and I traded a puzzled look before I shrugged, reaching back for Kris. I started to go first but Ryu stopped me, shaking his head.
   “He knows me. Let me go first so nobody gets hurt.” Ryu said, bumping Aoi up higher on his shoulders and following the swordsman slowly. 
   The swordsman led us through twisting turns, tracing a careful path through the hallways. He was silent and didn’t stop to look back at us or check if we were keeping up. Ryu stumbled a few times and I could tell Yoichi and Snake were slowing behind me, our trek interrupted a few times when Yoichi had to stop and vomit that same thick black liquid.
   The swordsman didn’t ever speak but paused once when Yoichi had a particularly bad spell that left him shaking and panting on his knees. Snake pulled Yoichi gently to his feet, trading a worried look with me and biting his lip.
   “I’m fine.” Yoichi breathed, coughing a fine spray of black onto the back of his wrist and wiping his lips afterward, smearing collied streaks onto his cheek. 
   The swordsman shrugged and turned, continuing to stride away with purposeful steps. Ryu followed and then I started to walk again, listening for Snake’s steps behind me and the shuffling footsteps of Yoichi. 
   We passed several bodies on the way out through the hallway, all hunters who had been killed with weapons in their hands. The swordsman’s work. Ryu stopped in horror next to one of them and I pushed ahead, taking his place quietly. We continued on for several minutes, the scraping sounds of our steps echoing around me. 
   There was a set of stone stairs rising up in front of me suddenly and I tripped, almost dropping Kris. I would’ve fallen if the swordsman hadn’t lunged back, grabbing me with a strong hand under my arm and steadying me effortlessly. 
   “Thanks.” I gasped breathlessly, continuing when he dropped my arm silently and continued walking. 
   The stairs emptied out into what looked like a cellar, a door in the opposite wall cracked an inch or two. I paused to let the others catch up, meeting Ryu’s eyes and giving him a reassuring nod.
   “Through here.” The swordsman said, pushing through the door into a rotten wooden room. I realized we were inside an abandoned house, my nose wrinkling at the stale scent of decomposing leaf matter and a few rotting animals scattered god knows where throughout the building.
   We stepped through the front door, the wooden planks of an ancient porch crumbling around my feet and causing me to stumble. I found my footing and reached back to help Ryu find a safe path. 
   We stepped down from the porch onto grass and I looked around, joy at being outside mingling with worry for my friends. 
   It was night time, the moon high and full in the dark sky, the air crisp and biting. I looked back at the rundown house behind us, inspecting the chipped paint and broken windows. We walked a few hundred yards down the sidewalk, stopping when the swordsman abruptly paused. 
   “Your car is there. This is where I leave you.” The swordsman said, gesturing towards a black shape parked at a nearby vacant lot. 
   “Who are you?” Ryu asked with a puzzled frown, shaking his head. The swordsman did nothing but bow deeply to Ryu and then turn, striding away quickly.
   He melted into the night before we could ask anymore questions, and then I found myself leading the others towards the lot as fast as we could manage.
   Reaching the escalade was a relief and it took only a brief search of Kris’ pockets to locate the keys. I helped load everyone into the back seat, piling people in together. I grabbed an old sweatshirt from the trunk and gave it to Snake, motioning for him to try to keep it pressed to Aoi’s neck.
   I swung into the driver’s seat, glad to have Ryu sitting next to me in the passenger seat. I started the car and flicked on the headlights, tearing forward with the rough scratch of tires on gravel.
   “Grab Kris’ phone, call Calum. Tell him to meet us at the house.” I said, finding Kris’ phone in the console between the seats and offering it to Ryu.
   Ryu took it and tapped at it experimentally, confirming my worst suspicions with a shake of his head.
   “It’s dead.” Ryu said, setting it back down in the console. I swore colorfully and tightened my blood-stained hands on the steering wheel, trying to work the stupid GPS.
   I finally got onto familiar streets and was able to sneak glances from the rearview mirror into the backseat, making sure everyone was still mostly alive looking. 
   “Here.” Ryu interrupted me, pulling a handkerchief from inside the passenger glove box and offering it to me. I glanced at it in confusion, trying to focus on the road.
   “What’s that for?” I asked. Ryu shook the handkerchief and I took it confusedly, frowning.
   “Your cheek; it’s bleeding.” Ryu said, looking concerned. My brow furrowed as I pressed the cloth experimentally to the left side of my face.
   Pain flared instantly, hot and sharp, and I pulled the white fabric back quickly. It came away soaked with blood and I checked myself in the rearview mirror, finding my face a mess of gore. I pressed the handkerchief hurriedly over the unintelligible wash of blood, grimacing at the sudden burning throbbing pain.
   “Why’d you have to tell me about it; I couldn’t feel it until now.” I grumbled to Ryu, secretly grateful that he caught my attention before it got too bad.
   “Just focus on getting home. We can take care of it.” Ryu encouraged. I nodded, trying to focus on finding Kris in the rear view mirror, his barely-open eyes reflecting the light of passing streetlights.
   Reaching the gate made me weak with relief, hurriedly tapping in the code and pulling into the driveway. I swung out of the driver’s seat and opening the back door, helping Yoichi out.
   I propped him up against the car until Snake was out to help him inside, leaving me to support Kris. Ryu picked up Aoi and we all staggered for the front door, seeking the light and warmth that poured from the windows. 
   I banged on the front door as hard as I could, sagging when Alek’s welcome fa