“What the fuck?” Julia said.

Those eyes did not shrink, either from the initial scare or the fact that bullets bounced off Clara… Good thing she has a strong heart.

“We use these for training,” Clara said after grabbing the submachine gun with the loud rattling drum. “Watch.”

Clara trained the barrel on an assortment of furniture and unloaded the full drum. By the end of it the group was left deafened, facing furniture littered with bullet holes.

“Shoot me,” Clara said, imitating a drill sergeant.

“Yes, Sister,” Agnes said.

It was the first time someone referred to her as a nun and Clara honestly hated it. The sisters were always old, stiff, and formal. At least I’m old.

Agnes aimed for the chest and fired. Julia’s eyes expanded in size, as the powder charge went off. It was a good shot, a quarter of an inch off from where her heart was. Yet it bounced off the clothing and landed harmlessly on the stone floor.

The second shot did the same even with an impact against her forehead. Neither projectile left any visible marks. She’s pretty good with the weapon.

Clara spotted a way to let Julia and Agnes blow off some steam. They came upon an arsenal of weapons, of various calibres, and styles. They even had one of the derringers that she used back in the day.

Her fingers went over the barrel before picking it up by the pearl grip. The familiar texture and feel took her back to a simpler time before dredging up all the times she got herself into trouble.

“Safe as always?” Clara asked in Latin.

Amelia nodded before that smile faded away, whereas Agnes was already smirking. Clara tossed the weapon to the acolyte while eyeing a Thompson submachine gun.

Clara smiled, enjoying being around another who did not heed the rules. If there was any group that excelled at this, it would be this one.

“Werewolf populations have rebounded and are now found in cities,” Clara began. “Ghouls are interbreeding with captive human females…”

While much could have been said on the latter, Clara considered it a mercy to leave the rest to their imagination. She really hoped that they would not press her on that subject.

“Wonderful thing…” Clara said with a straight face, even though every word dripped with sarcasm. “It while it saved from being raped and tortured, and it also sent me on a rampage that decimating most of the city’s vampire population.”

“A dozen or so?” Amelia asked.

“They are far more numerous than we believed,” Clara said. “I’ve seen battlefields littered with less dead.”

Since the hunters were not going to be open with her, then Clara would delve into the minutiae.

“What else has changed?” Agnes asked before clamping her mouth shut.

“What’s that?” Amelia asked.

Clara mulled over how to best describe the purpose of this device. It was possible that they knew it as something else entirely.

“Something that triggers a psychotic break if you are at risk of being turned by the likes of them,” Clara replied nonchalantly.

While Amelia did not respond, a quick glance in an accelerated state showed they all bore the signs of confusion… just me? Really?

“We’ve never heard of such a device,” Amelia said after looking back to confirm the acolyte had the same opinion.

“They weren’t embedded with a failsafe?” Clara asked.

They were walking two and two down the main chamber passing by individual niches. The place had not changed, which Clara found comforting. Amelia and Clara took the lead as equals, while Julia and Agnes kept busy chatting about their respective worlds.

“What’s that?” Amelia asked.