CHAPTER FIVE
RED SKY

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It didn't take nearly as long as Josie would have liked for the sun to finally reach the horizon and begin to tip below it. As the orange sky darkened, Luella made the rounds, waking first her daughter and then Nicholai before waking the three hunters that had crammed into the guest bedroom so that they would all have time to properly prepare and gather all of the things they would need before leaving the home for the night.

Though she was reluctant to rise after only a couple of hours at most of rest, Josie did so anyways. She crossed to her wardrobe and pulled open the bottom drawer where she kept the outfits for when hunting would require more physical activity than was practical for a skirt. Though hunting didn't always come with the foresight to know when a lead would take a turn where a skirt would be impractical, there were a lot of times that were one would know a skirt would be the wrong choice.

She pulled pants, a blouse and vest, her favourite pair of boots out of the drawer and then the matching coat off the hanger above the drawers and placed them all on the edge of her bed. With her clothes decided, she moved to the chest she kept in her room and opened it, revealing all of her hunting equipment. She pulled out each of the pieces that she would need, placing them beside her clothes. When she had everything she would need, she began to get ready.

First she began putting her clothes on, leaving her blouse unbuttoned and coat off for the time being. She secured leather bracers over her shirt sleeves to protect and strengthen her arms, the tied the leather neck guard under her collar to protect her neck from any unwanted fangs, allowing her to button up her blouse. Finally, she pulled on her boots and slid two stakes and two knives into the slots on the inside. Then she threw her coat over her arm and picked up her case, heading down the stairs.

Nicholai was just opening up the secret door underneath the staircase where they kept the rest of their hunting supplies and she heard the sound of dishes in the dining room that told her James, Oliver and Eugene were already there, eating.

"Someone's taking their time," Nicholai teased as she stepped up next to him.

"My sincerest apologies that some of us must further protect ourselves, lest we join the legions of the undead," she teased in kind, handing him her case.

"Fair point, I concede."

"Of course, I was also able to change my clothing, something not everyone here can do," Josie said, leaning to try and further see into the dining room. "How bad is the smell in there?"

"You and your mother should be fine, but I am out here for a reason. Aside from not needing the same kind of sustenance," he explained.

"Have you fed? It will be a long night."

"Tonight, I don't believe I will need it. Have you looked outside?"

"I was a little preoccupied, why? Should I?"

"Might be worth the moment it takes," he told her, turning back to the compartment.

Now feeling suspicious, Josie crossed to the door and pulled back the curtain on the window next to it, eyes widening in alarm at what she saw. Not only had the light orange that she'd seen earlier darkened to a deeper shade, but the sky had turned to a deep, bloody red colour. Josie inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before turning back to her friend.

"Red sky," she noted.

"Sailors will be delighted," Nicholai said. "So t'is a shame that we are not sailors."

"Indeed," she agreed. "We will have to make sure our new allies are well prepared. With what little time we have left before the sun completely sets, there is no way to get to every house. We will lose some tonight."

"Without a doubt." Nicholai passed her back the case, not clipped shut but closed, so that what he had added but not organized would remain inside. "Your mother is waiting for you in the sitting room, she is insisting on doing something with your hair. You can organize that while I prepare mine."

"Have James, Oliver and Eugene gotten theirs?"

"They are eating first."

Josie nodded and headed into the sitting room where she found her mother waiting with a brush in hand. She sat down in front of Luella, placing her case on the coffee table in front of her, pulling it close enough that she could still reach it while her mother did her hair.

"We don't have much time before dark and we need to reach the others before nightfall. Just a simple updo tonight, I think, Mother," Josie said.

"That's what I was thinking," Luella agreed. "And a few pieces just here at the front."

"We cannot be too plain, can we?"

"I knew you took after me a little," Luella said, smiling as she leaned down to kiss her daughter's temple.

As her mother began working on her hair, Josie began organizing her case, keeping her head up the entire time. This was a skill that she had practiced at length, many a time, with her father. Though she was quite certain that this was not the scenario he had envisioned when they were practicing. The intention was that she was supposed to know her case and its contents well enough that she could find whatever she needed by feel and memory alone. In the dire situation that she would need something from it and couldn't see it, she would be able to retrieve it and wouldn't be in danger. Keeping her head straight while having her hair done may not have been the intended lesson, but it was applicable nonetheless.

When Luella finally finished her daughter's hair, Josie looked down at her case and smiled when she saw that it was all in perfect order. Just as she was closing her case, Nicholai came into the room with his all in order as well.

"Oh, very cute," Nicholai said. "I quite like the strands at the front, they frame your face."

"And that is why you are my favourite," Luella said, kissing his cheek as she passed him out of the room.

"Hey!" Josie protested.

"I'm her favourite," Nicholai echoed, smiling brightly.

"Oh, shut it, you." Josie stood up and picked up her case. "We've got to lock up the house and I have to get myself some food. If they can find this house, it will no doubt be a target. And with Father still missing..."

"Your home should be locked up as tight as possible, I agree," Nicholai said as they entered the dining room. "Did you three lock up the office?"

"Tight as a drum," James confirmed.

"Good, we don't have time to stop at the office," Josie said as she sat down next to Oliver, beginning to load up her plate.

"Alright, you three can assist me in locking up this house while our lovely boss gets some sustenance," Nicholai said.

Shoveling the last remains of the food on their plates into their mouths, James, Oliver and Eugene stood up from the table and followed Nicholai out of the room. They began their journey around the house, pulling down the steel panels that covered the windows and doors and any other way into the home. They brought up bags of salt from the basement and used those to line the outer walls as an extra barrier of protection.

By the time they had finished, Josie was done eating and had pulled her coat on. Luella carried down a sleeping Tori so that they could go down into the basement where it would be safest that night. Hugs and goodbyes were passed around before Josie and Nicholai ushered them down and shut the door, firmly blocking it off as well. Josie lingered there for a half second before she followed after her best friend to the door.

The five of them passed out of the home and then locked and blocked off the front door. As a final touch, Josie hung a garland of garlic from the handle to ward off the undead.

Josie kept a tight grip on her crossbow for their entire walk, keeping it pre-loaded with two wooden stakes in the case that anything came up to them with bad intentions before the sun fully set. She was sure that their new allies would not be thrilled about having to stay up through the night, but she hoped that their drive to protect their town outweighed that.

"You're particularly anxious," Nicholai noted to Josie as they walked.

"Yes, well, we walk under a red sky, do we not? I have every right to be more anxious than usual. Especially considering the circumstances that have brought us to be under this red sky."

"It is not our new allies that worry you?"

"No, they have proved themselves capable and knowledgeable. I mostly worry about how well they will take to vampire hunting, but I worry about how anyone will take to it," she said, with a pointed look at Oliver. "Especially those not of our world and accustomed to it."

"I believe they will take well to it," Nicholai decided.

"Oh, do you, now?" she questioned, raising a brow.

"Yes, they are all fighters and have clearly faced magic. A few of them even have it. They have faced villains and other foes, coming out of it victorious. While they have not faced my kind, they are not the novices we usually have to teach. And they are especially not new to fighting for their lives," he explained.

"All very adequate points," Josie conceded. "Let us just hope that you are correct."

Ahead of them, the blue house that belonged to Emma appeared. Josie and Nicholai exchanged a glance and made their way up the walkway to the house. Nicholai was the first to reach the door so he was the one to knock. A moment passed before the door opened to reveal Killian, looking confused at the three extra men standing behind the two teenagers.

"May we come in?" Josie asked. "I'm afraid that tonight will be more perilous than previously thought."

"Who the bloody hell did you pick up on the way?" Killian asked.

"Three employees of my father's."

"Of yours as well, you mean," James pointed out.

"My father is the one who started the business that employs you, you work for him," she argued, turning back to Killian. "Now, really, we need to get ready. Tonight is not going to be an easy one."

"Why do you say that?" Killian asked, opening the door for them.

"Because we're under a red sky, of course."

Quickly coming inside, Nicholai was not shy in yelling for everyone to gather quickly. All of their new allies hurried into the main sitting room. Recognition quickly turned to confusion once again when they all spotted James, Oliver and Eugene standing behind Josie and Nicholai, similarly suited up.

Despite their confusion, everyone found a seat and waited for Josie to begin whatever speech she clearly looked like she was preparing for. Josie took a deep breath and set down her case.

"To begin, I would like to introduce you all to my father's three employees," she said, gesturing to the men behind her. "James Evans, my father's oldest employee, he was working for him when I began my formal training. Eugene Hughes, he was hired just around the same time I began working. And Oliver Shaw, he was hired about six months ago but has more than proved himself. We will need the assistance of all of them tonight."

"Why is that?" Regina asked.

"Because of the red sky?" Killian questioned.

"Yes," Josie said.

She looked over at Nicholai, who gave her a look of encouragement before she turned back to the others. Josie had never had to teach so many people to hunt vampires at once with so little time to do it. She never had to teach this many people to hunt vampires at all. Usually, when they were instructing someone on how to ward off the undead, her father was the one that took the lead. He was the expert, after all. And standing there in front of so many that needed their instruction, the absence of her father felt all the more apparent.

It was a comfort, at least, to have Nicholai by her side.

"Unfortunately, we do not have as much time as we would normally like to have when giving instruction such as this but, alas, under a red sky, time is not a luxury we can afford to waste," Josie began.

Nicholai stepped forward. "Despite being formidable enemies, vampires, particularly the ones you will more than likely be facing tonight, are predictable and simple creatures. They will want to feed and that is all they will care about."

"And, most importantly, you need to resign yourself to the fact that you will lose members of your community tonight," Josie explained, quickly continuing before the arguments she could see forming could come forth. "Whether they are turned or simply killed, there will be a few at the very least."

"Though I wouldn't hope for a small number," James added.

"Isn't the whole reason you're here to teach us how to protect the people of Storybrooke?" David asked.

"We are here to teach you how to do the most that you can for your community. But unfortunately for the residents of Storybrooke, those who originated in Nightmore will know the implications of a red sky and thus the precautions they must take to protect themselves and their homes against the undead," Josie explained.

"A red sky at sunset means a blood moon will rise," Nicholai said. "A blood moon empowers the undead and creatures of the night further than a regular moon. Tonight, we are stronger and more dangerous."

"The residents of Nightmoor will know that when a blood moon rises in the sky, they must lock down their homes. The residents of Storybrooke will not know this, as it was something carried over from our world. Their homes will not be as well protected and this will make them targets."

"Nightmoor?" Emma asked.

"The name of our world. While the five of us reside in the area called Transylvania, there are other towns, cities and larger provinces. But we all reside in Nightmoor, regardless of who rules the land we live on," she explained.

"So, how do we protect ourselves and our citizens?" Regina asked, arms crossed.

"Firstly, for the living amongst us, I recommend neck guards. We have a spare few to pass out," Josie said, kneeling down to open her case and pull one out. "The leather is strong and while it will not prevent a vampire's fangs, should they persist and be unable to be dispatched, it will give you valuable time before they reach your skin."

"Secondly, wooden stakes are an essential," James continued as Josie passed around the neck guards they had. "While a stake through the heart will kill the vampire, it can also be used to pin them down, should you not be able to get a clean shot at the heart."

"Fortunately for all of us, despite my father being missing, he found it incredibly relaxing to make stakes. We have enough to build entire homes from," Josie said.

Returning to her case, she grabbed one of the stakes from the top of it and gently tossed it to Henry, who just barely managed to catch it after fumbling it a little. Josie couldn't help but smirk as she turned away to gather more stakes to pass around.

"Tonight, you will easily be able to identify vampires. The ones encountered tonight will be driven by their bloodlust. There is a large chance that many of them will be freshly risen, so they will be deathly pale and covered in the dirt they were buried under. Depending on how long ago they were risen, they may also be covered in blood," Josie explained.

"They will be sensitive to sunlight and we cannot cross a solid line of salt. Given that we are unholy creatures, we will flinch at the sight of the cross, holy water will burn them and we cannot cross onto hallowed ground. And, of course, in most mirrors, we will have no reflection," Nicholai explained.

"Finally, should your neck guard fail you and you are bitten by a vampire, it is of the utmost importaance that you do not panic."

"Excuse me?" Regina questioned.

"We're supposed to be calm if we're bitten by a vampire?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Josie said. "It will not change anything if you begin to panic, it might, in fact, make things worse. The best thing you can do for yourself and those around you is remain calm and finish dispatching of the vampire. Nicholai and myself, as well as James, Oliver and Eugene, will do everything we can to ease you through the transition, make sure that you develop the correct habits and learn to control your new self."

"That's it?" Snow questioned.

"You'll just... help us through the transition?" David asked.

"Once a vampire's venom enters the bloodstream, there is nothing that can be done," Nicholai said, looking down. "And once it reaches the heart... what's done is done."

"There's no cure?" Henry asked.

"I would not still be among the undead if there was," Nicholai snapped, prompting Josie to put her hand on his arm gently and give him a soft look. He sighed and looked back at Henry. "My sincerest apologies. The lack of cure for my... condition is what some may call a sore subject."

"Let's get you all ready to go," Josie said, steering the subject away from Nicholai.

With that, the five hunters began to go through their cases and hand out the needed supplies. Between the five cases, they ended up having just enough neck guards for everyone that needed one. They passed out a few bracers they had in their cases and Josie smiled when she went to hand one to Robin and he showed her the one he was already wearing.

When everyone had sufficient armour to protect themselves, they handed out stakes and quickly began with demonstrating how to wield them and where was best to hide them on their bodies. In sleeves, boots, waistbands. Anywhere they could be kept securely. Josie showed David briefly how to use his sword to deflect before he went for his stake while Nicholai helped Killian come up with different ways that he could make use of his hook.

Of all of the people in the room, Josie was the most concerned about Henry. He was the least prepared for the long night ahead of them. She took the extra few moments to work with him but they didn't have enough time as she would like to fully prepare him for what they were going to face. And it was for that reason that when they came to dividing into groups, she suggested that they go back to their previous groups so that Henry was in her group once again. Josie instructed James to join Nicholai's group and Oliver and Eugene to join hers so the two groups were even.

Before too long, the sky had darkened to a shade of red so dark it was barely red any longer and the moon had begun to rise into the sky. It was finally time to face the long night ahead of them. Josie tried not to think of how many bodies there would be to collect in the morning.

"Oh, and one final thing that you should all know before we go out there tonight," Josie said. "While vampires will be the most deadly thing we face out there tonight, they will not be the only thing stalking us."

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an. a little exposition-y maybe, but teaching was the whole point and I didn't see a way around that. any bets on if anyone will die or be turned? hope you enjoyed it!