WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Fifty-Three

 WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES

Chapter Fifty-Three

Juvêncio spent the whole afternoon studying a map of the region. He marked the points where the bodies were found in the last few days and also the places where he had contact with the beast.... he noticed that there was a pattern, which was repeated.

When Santana arrived, responding to a request from the police chief, the two pored over the data collected so far... it was time to draw up a strategy. As there were eight people in the group... if Professor Matilde decided to participate in that night's excursion, Juvêncio was thinking about dividing the group into two groups... he would stay with the three Marias, since he was instructed never to separate them. them, and another group formed by the delegate, his assistant, the doctor and the teacher.

After much deliberation, they finally devised a strategy for the night hunt. They would go in two groups, as they initially agreed. They would patrol at two different points and the first group to spot the beast would notify the second. They didn't know exactly how they would communicate, but they had a good couple of hours to figure it out.

Around five in the afternoon the whole group got together. It was still a little early, but they ate their evening meal anyway, as they would have to leave before night came. The night before, the beast had gone out hunting much later, but as they managed to hinder his attempt, they decided it was better to prepare to face a hungry vampire...

They checked their equipment and finally headed towards the prairie. When they started the ride, the sun was still high...Not that high, of course, but they would still have about two, three hours of daylight, which was the same as saying they were relatively safe.

They finally reached their destination, when they split into two groups. They agreed that as a signal a fire arrow would be thrown into the sky... as they would not be so far from each other, they believed they could identify the signal. And so, each group went to their observation point...

The first to notice something different in the surroundings was Torquato. The silence that fell over the place where they were was not normal... and that left him on alert. When Santana noticed that his assistant was looking everywhere, listening for any strange noise, he also put himself on guard... and signaled for his companions to do the same. Everyone quickly tried to protect themselves...

The silence that hung in the air was sepulchral... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the feeling the four felt was like being at a wake... everyone ducked behind the stones that were there, picked up their weapons and waited... .

Of course, you never know which direction an attack might come from... and you might hide right in the attacker's path. That's what happened to the group. They had taken shelter precisely in a place that would serve as a route for the dinosaur...

Fortunately the animal was large and, when it was approaching, the group noticed it, managing to hide in time. But it was really a close call. The lizard ran past the place where just a few moments ago the four were sheltering... a little more and they would be trampled by the huge saury...

After a few moments they recovered from their initial shock. They decided to follow the animal. After all, he had gone hunting. And it was time for the hunter to become the hunted. It was time to warn Juvêncio's group, but they thought it prudent not to use the fire arrow, as they had agreed. This would put their quarry on alert, and they wanted to use the element of surprise.

Matilde applied to notify the police chief. Santana didn't think it was a good idea, but the group supported the teacher's decision. And so, while the three knights chased the lizard and his master, the teacher ran towards the place where Juvêncio and the girls were lying in wait.

A short time later Matilde was already talking to Juvêncio. Immediately, everyone jumped into the saddles of their mounts and set off in the direction pointed out by Matilde. One hand on the harness and the other on the rifle... and so everyone prepared for the inevitable confrontation.

It didn't take long and soon the whole group was together, in pursuit of the vampire. Which still had a good lead. They followed the trail left by the animal, which was crushing everything in its path. After some time, Torquato raised his hand, asking the group to slow down... the dinosaur could now be seen by the group...

Juvêncio made a gesture with his hands and instantly everyone separated, forming a large fan, heading towards the target... the group's intention was to leave their opponent immobilized in a circle of fire... in this case, crossfire of bullets silver. If everything went well, the vampire's career would end that night...

When they were getting close, they noticed that the monster was surrounded by a mist, which increased as it advanced. And, at a given moment, when they were ready to surround the beast, the animal simply disappeared. They reined in their mounts, trying to understand what had just happened. The three Marias knew, but were not authorized to tell. And they knew in advance that this was Anhangá's night. And nothing, absolutely nothing, would stop him from feasting and quenching his thirst for blood...

Juvêncio dismounted and began to examine the track. He wasn't exactly surprised by what happened, after all it wasn't the first time he faced an enemy of this magnitude. He knew that the forces from beyond didn't follow any logic, the manifestations had their own way of acting... he didn't have much hope of discovering any clue that could lead them to where the monster could be attacking...

After some time observing the ground, and after talking to Torquato, Juvêncio came to the conclusion that the vampire would attack northwest of where they were. Everyone rushed to the location indicated by Juvêncio. This time they were really at full speed, as they knew it was a race against time. The life or death of innocent people depended on their speed...

After half an hour of galloping, they found the first victim. They didn't stop for long. Your speed in chasing the monster could save some lives. This time they headed north. Once again they found another victim. This time they headed south. They didn't have to move very far from where they were. The beast was about to attack its third victim of the night. They began to shoot at the beast, which was frightened by the unexpected intervention. Once again the group had the displeasure of looking into those flaming eyes...

Unlike the first time, when the beast had fled the confrontation, this time it came with all its fury towards the group. The guns started to sing, and the dinosaur was hit several times. The animal fell. At the same moment, his rider jumped and tried to run through the forest, using the night to protect himself and escape his pursuers...