The Worst Hunter

The Worst Hunter
Sarah's POV

The silver blade went through my ear and lodged itself in the wall behind me.

Catherine Mills threw another blade, and I rolled behind Santos's desk. Supernatural energy ignited this one, and it sliced through the metal desk like butter.

Catherine yelled in the dark, "Where's Elena?" "I smell her fear!"

I shouted back, "She's not here!" in an attempt to find out where Catherine was hiding.

Santos shot Catherine's voice three times. All the bullets struck was air.

"We need more light," Santos whispered to me, "because she's moving too quickly."

I raised my hands and allowed my fingers to emit silver light. The FBI office glowed brightly.

I was not prepared for Catherine Mills, who stood in the middle of the room. Her blond hair and warm smile gave her the appearance of a typical soccer mom.

Her eyes, however, were entirely black.

"There's the power Elena gave you," Catherine exclaimed with joy. "Give it to me, and I'll quickly kill you."

I threw silver light at her and asked, "How about no?"

Catherine ducked with ease. "You don't know what you're dealing with, Sarah Chen."

"A crazy woman who murders families?"

Catherine chuckled. "You know how long it takes to kill one person at a time? Hours. If you do it correctly, killing an entire family only takes ten minutes." "I'm not crazy. I'm efficient."

I was ill. This woman discussed killing kids as if it were her job.

Santos tried to move behind Catherine by going around the side of the room. "Sarah, don't stop her."

"Why do you target families in haunted houses, Catherine?"

"Because ghosts are great witnesses because they can't lie to investigators like Elena and they remember everything."

"What do you mean?"

Catherine tossed another silver blade. This one burned like fire and grazed my shoulder.

Catherine flashed that dreadful, amiable smile and said, "Elena uses ghosts to solve crimes. Doesn't she talk to the dead?" "But I make sure there are no ghosts left to speak because ghosts only speak the truth."

"You also kill the ghosts?"

"I absorb them. Elena loses her witnesses, and their energy makes me stronger."

Abruptly, Elena's voice reverberated throughout the structure. "Catherine Mills, release them."

Catherine whirled. "Elena! Finally made the decision to come along?"

Elena passed through the wall as if it were composed of fog. Her silver eyes were blazing with power, and she appeared stronger than ever.

"Santos, Sarah, leave now."

I said, "We're not leaving you."

"You must. Stopping Catherine is not the most important thing."

Catherine chuckled. "I'll venture that you learned about Tommy Chen."

My blood turned to ice. "How about Tommy Chen?"

Elena's face turned pale. "Sarah, there's another Hunter. Tommy Chen has killed thirty-one people in the last year. He has the same first name as your nephew, but they are unrelated."

Santos looked at Elena and asked, "Thirty-one?" "We've tracked more Hunters than that."

"He doesn't kill individuals," Elena stated somberly. "He murders whole families—parents, kids, grandparents, and anybody else connected to his targets."

Catherine gave a hand clap. "At last! Someone who knows how to be efficient!"

I felt like puking. Tommy, who had the same name as my naive six-year-old nephew, was killing entire families.

I inquired, "Where is he?"

Tears welled up in Elena's silver eyes. "Sarah, he's no longer targeting random families in rural Montana."

"What do you mean?"

"He's going after families that have the last name Chen."

The globe ceased to revolve.

"My family name."

Elena gave a nod. "Tommy Chen is trying to reach every Chen family in America. In the last three months, fifteen families with the name Chen have passed away."

"Why?"

Santos barely avoided Catherine's second knife throw. "Because he was hired to exterminate anyone who might be your kin, Sarah!"

"That isn't feasible."

"Is it?" Catherine asked, her black eyes shining. "The Organization wants to ensure that you have no family left to worry about or anyone to divert your attention from taking care of them."

"Elena," I uttered urgently, "we must stop him."

"I understand, but we can't go to Montana and fight Catherine at the same time, Sarah."

"After that, we parted ways."

Together, Elena and Santos exclaimed, "No!"

"Sarah," Santos clarified, "you're going to fall into another trap if you travel to Montana by yourself."

"More Chen families will perish if I don't go!"

Catherine was approaching us while holding silver knives in her fingers. "I have a schedule to follow, but this is touching."

"Sarah, there's something else about Tommy Chen," Elena said, moving between Catherine and me.

"What?"

"He's something more than just a hunter."

"What's worse than a family killer?"

Elena lowered her voice to a whisper. "He is a hunter with the ability to replicate supernatural abilities."

My heart stopped beating. "Copy them?"

"And Sarah, he's killed a lot of supernatural beings. He steals their power every time he kills them."

Catherine chuckled. "With his werewolf strength, ghost intangibility, vampire speed, and roughly twenty other abilities, Tommy Chen is the most dangerous Hunter alive."

"How is that possible?"

"Practice," Catherine advised. "Practice on innocent families is endless."

Santos took hold of my arm. "We can't fight someone like that, Sarah."

"We must make an effort."

Elena gave a headshake. "I have to go alone. Not we."

"You can't take on someone with twenty supernatural abilities by yourself, Elena. You're still recovering."

"If I don't stop Tommy Chen tonight, seventeen people will die. He's on his way to the Chen family farm in Whitmore, Montana, and I have no other option."

"Seventeen?"

"A reunion with family: Three generations of Chens came together for a wedding."

I had the impression that I had been punched in the stomach. A monster is about to massacre seventeen defenseless people, including children.

Catherine simultaneously threw two knives. Elena used silver light to catch them both in midair.

"Elena," Catherine remarked, "you're making this too simple. I'll be here murdering Sarah and Santos while you're in Montana fighting Tommy Chen."

"No, you won't."

I had never seen Elena's eyes shine so brightly. Her body exploded with silver light that filled the FBI office.

Catherine was gone when the light went out.

I inquired, "Where did she go?"

"She will be unconscious for approximately six hours. I sent her somewhere safe."

She said, "Elena, you look terrible." She was exhausted from using so much power.

"I'll get better on the flight to Montana."

"What plane?"

Santos was on her phone already. "In three hours, Elena can reach Montana on an FBI jet."

I said, "And us?"

Elena took hold of my shoulders. "You can't accompany me, Sarah."

"Why not?"

"Because Tommy Chen doesn't kill Chen families at random; instead, he studies them first and is familiar with their lives, careers, and friends."

My blood became icy. "He is aware of me."

"He is aware that you are a detective, that you possess supernatural powers, and that you will come to stop him if he kills enough Chen families."

"There's another trap."

"The biggest trap yet. Tommy Chen has been preparing this for months. He wants to simultaneously steal Elena's and your abilities."

Santos hung up the phone. "The plane is ready. Elena, you must leave immediately."

"What about the other Hunters on our list?"

Elena gave me a sad look. "There may not be anyone left to stop them after tonight, Sarah."

"What are you referring to?"

"I mean, Tommy Chen will become unstoppable and be able to hunt humans and supernatural beings day or night if he kills me and takes my power."

My eyes began to well up with tears. "You can't do this alone, Elena."

"I must."

Elena began to move toward the door, but she halted and turned around.

"There's something you need to know, Sarah, if I don't return."

"What?"

"The Organization has been manipulating everything since the beginning, which is why they wanted you to possess supernatural abilities."

"Tell me."

Elena had sorrow in her silver eyes.

"Because you're the last member of your family line to inherit the Chen family's ancient power, Sarah, and you're not just any detective."

"What ancient power?"

"The ability to command, bind, and even permanently destroy supernatural beings."

I looked at her. "That isn't feasible."

"The gift is passed down through the generations and has been dormant in your family for more than a century. Your great-great-grandmother was a supernatural hunter in China."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner, Elena?"

"Because Tommy Chen isn't just killing Chen families for The Organization; I didn't realize that until he started targeting them."

"Then why?"

Elena's voice was hardly audible.

"He's killing them because he knows that your dormant power will awaken to protect the survivors if enough Chen family members perish."

"And then?"

"And then the ability to control all supernatural beings on Earth will be passed down to whoever kills you."

The only sound in the FBI office was the beginning of a plane outside.

Elena went to the door and then turned around again.

"Tommy Chen will be more than just the most dangerous Hunter alive if he wins tonight, Sarah."

"What will he be?"

"I am the king of all supernatural beings."

Elena disappeared behind the wall, leaving Santos and I to face the most horrifying realization of our lives.

In Montana, I was fighting for more than just Chen families.

I was fighting to keep all the supernatural beings in the world from being taken over by a monster.

Elena was facing a foe who had been preparing for this battle for months, and she was going into it weak and alone.

A text message buzzed on my phone.

"Detective Chen, Elena is on her way to me. I appreciate how easy this has been. I'll have both your and her power by morning. Tonight is the last night of the Chen bloodline." said Tommy Chen.

I showed Santos the message.

"We have to help her," I stated.

"Sarah, Elena specifically said—"

"Elena is falling into a trap, regardless of what she said!"

For a while, Santos was silent. Then she reached for her keys.

"There is space for two people on the FBI jet."

"You'll assist me?"

"Sarah, we're all dead anyhow if Tommy Chen awakens your power and steals Elena's."

We dashed for the door, but I halted when I became aware of something awful.

"What if Tommy Chen kills Elena before we arrive, Santos? What if it's too late?"

Santos gave me a worried look with his amber eyes.

"You'll be the only one left to stop him, so you better hope that ancient Chen family power awakens quickly."