Chapter 362: The Call for Draven
(Third Person)
Brackham strode back into his office an hour later.
His fury, which had begun in the control room, hadn’t cooled. Instead, it had only condensed, growing heavier and darker.
His secretary hurried after him with a tablet still clutched in both hands. "Sir—" she began timidly as the door shut behind them.
"The senators have been calling nonstop since the lockdown order. They are demanding to speak with you. I told them that you stepped out for a minute, but they—"
Before she could finish, the phone on his desk started ringing insistently and unforgivingly. The sound pierced the air like a nerve being struck.
Brackham stopped in the middle of the room, his gaze locking on the phone as though it had personally offended him.
The ringing didn’t stop. If anything, it seemed to mock him, echoing his own loss of control.
"Disconnect it," he said flatly.
"Sir?" the secretary asked, uncertain she had heard him correctly.
Brackham turned his head slowly toward her, his eyes hard. "I said disconnect it. I don’t want to hear another damn call from anyone."
"Yes, sir." Her voice trembled as she rushed to obey, pulling the cord free from the line. The ringing died abruptly, leaving the room too quiet.
Then, Brackham walked around his desk and sat down heavily, his jaw still tight. He rubbed his forehead with two fingers, then lowered his hand to the desk, staring at the polished surface as if he could see the chaos reflected there.
"Fools," he muttered under his breath. "All of them. They sit behind screens and papers and call it leadership. And now that the city is bleeding, they think they can run to me for comfort and questions."
The secretary hesitated, unsure if she should stay or leave.
Brackham didn’t even look up as he added coldly, "If anyone calls again—senators, press, or military—I’m not available. Not until I decide otherwise. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," she replied quietly.
"Good. Now get out."
She nodded quickly and hurried from the room. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Brackham alone with his thoughts and the faint echo of that relentless phone still ringing in his head.
He leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting toward the city skyline outside his window.
The streets below were already in lockdown, sirens wailing in the distance, flashing lights cutting through the fog.
Duskmoor was suffocating under the weight of its own fear. And Brackham was losing his grip on the illusion of control.
---
Two hours later, the muffled hum of helicopter blades cut through the silence of Duskmoor’s grey sky.
The whirring grew louder until the glass panes of the government house trembled faintly.
Brackham lifted his head from where he sat behind his desk, the half-drained glass of whiskey untouched since it was poured.
A few minutes later, his secretary burst in again, her face tight with apprehension.
"Sir," she said quickly, "the senators are here. They just landed—twelve of them."
Brackham blinked, almost disbelieving. "What?"
"They... they say it’s urgent. They are in the conference room waiting for you."
Brackham stood slowly, his jaw clenching. ’Those cowards should be hiding in their bunkers now, not marching into my office,’ he thought bitterly.
Still, he straightened his jacket, adjusted his tie, and walked out.
By the time he entered the conference room, the tension inside was palpable. The air smelled of stress and expensive cologne.
Most of the senators, their faces drawn tight with exhaustion and fear, were already seated around the oval table in dark suits.
"Gentlemen," Brackham greeted curtly as he took his seat at the head of the table. "I assume you are here because of the attack."
"We are here," One of the senators said, his deep voice cracking slightly, "because the city is in chaos. We have lost over a hundred civilians in broad daylight, and our military can’t explain what happened!"
"Unidentified creatures," another senator scoffed bitterly, echoing Brackham’s own public statement. "Is that the line we are feeding the people now?"
Murmurs of frustration rippled around the table.
Brackham’s eyes flicked from one face to another, his tone calm but cutting. "I don’t recall asking for your approval on my press statements."
"Then perhaps you should have," A senator with a bald head shot back. "Because your plan, your so-called decisive action to wipe out the vampires, has backfired, and now our people are paying the price for it!"
That struck a chord. The room went quiet. Brackham’s hand, resting on the table, curled into a fist.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and dangerous. "Mind your tone, Hughes."
"No, you mind your failures," Senator Hughes snapped, emboldened by the murmurs of agreement around him.
"You burned half a forest, spent millions in resources, and declared victory too soon. Now those same creatures are walking our streets and tearing our citizens apart!"
Several senators nodded, pounding the table in shared outrage.
"Enough!" Brackham thundered, the sound slamming across the room like a whip crack. "You think I don’t know what is happening out there? You think I wanted this?"
Silence fell again. The only sound was the ticking of the large clock on the wall.
Then, Brackham straightened, drawing in a slow breath. "We will restore order. The military is already securing the borders. I’m working on a solution."
"A solution?" Another senator asked incredulously. "What solution, Brackham? We don’t even know where those things are hiding, and your soldiers are dying faster than they can reload their guns."
Another senator, Senator Amy, leaned forward. "I heard that Alpha Draven was present during the attack earlier today," she said. "And that he killed some of the creatures... effortlessly."
The room stirred at the mention of that name.
"Yes," The senator continued. "If a single man can do that, then perhaps it’s time we invite him and his kind to help us."
A wave of agreement rippled through the room. Several senators nodded, murmuring support.
But Brackham’s expression darkened immediately. "No."
The murmuring stopped instantly.
Another opposing senator blinked. "No?"
Brackham leaned back, his voice a cold, measured blade. "You said you heard that the Alpha killed those wild monsters. But did you see how he did it? How he snapped their necks like twigs and tore their hearts out with his bare hands?"
The senators exchanged uneasy glances.
"That wolf," Brackham continued, his tone venomous, "could easily do the same to any of us, especially if he ever discovers what we’ve been doing. You want to invite a creature more dangerous than the ones already killing us? You want to arm the beast that could one day turn on us?"
A few senators murmured agreement, nodding nervously.
But Senator Hughes stood again, his voice sharp and trembling with fury. "What are you saying at this terrifying moment? The vampires are already inside our city! Keep this up, Brackham, and there won’t be any humans left to rule over!"
The others joined in, louder this time. "He is right!"
"We can’t do this alone!"
"Call for Draven!"
The noise in the room swelled like a wave breaking.
Brackham’s teeth clenched. His pulse throbbed at his temple as he glared around the table, the noise of their panic grating on his nerves.
Finally, he slammed his palm down on the table, silencing them all. "Enough!"
The noise died down immediately.
"You want to run to the wolves for help? Fine," he said, voice low and dangerous. "But when the wolves come, don’t be surprised when you are the ones they decide to hunt next."
The room fell still, his words hanging heavy in the air like smoke.