Felix handed him a bag. He unzipped, and inside were shotguns, shotgun shells, and iron fillings in ziplock bags.
"Fill them up with the iron fillings. We are hunting the shtriga today," Felix instructed.
"Wait, you are telling me there is a shtriga here and now?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, if we had just walked into the hospital without a good reason. We might have spooked it," Felix explained.
Nathan quickly got to work filling the shotgun shells with iron filings. Hours later a little past midnight, they went looking for the shtriga.
Pointing their short-barreled shotguns the slowly roamed the hospital halls. A door suddenly opened and they both pointed their guns at it.
A nurse walked out and immediately put her hands up.
Felix shushed her and told her they were cops. He waved her over and she did as she was instructed.
They entered the NICU and low and behold, there it was. A hooded creature with twig fingers. Hunched over one of the babies in the ward, it drained its life force.
Felix pointed and fired. Nathan on the other hand grabbed the barrel of the gun.
"You could hit the baby," Nathan said. Felix missed and the Shtriga noticed them. It lunged at them and they both fired at it.
Unfortunately, the iron filings had no effect. The shtriga swung sending them flying into the wall.
The loud crash frightened the babies and made them start crying.
The shtriga ran out the door and they got up and followed it.
As they chased it, Nathan stopped to catch his breath.
"Go ahead, I will catch up," Nathan said as a throbbing pain heaved at his right abdomen.
Felix nodded and went after it. After a little rest, Nathan went to look for Felix.
Felix barged out, "Did you see it?"
He startled Nathan.
"I hit it but nothing. I think it's only vulnerable when it feeds," Felix said.
As he walked back in the opposite direction.
Nathan asked, "Where are you going?"
"To get a baby," Felix said.
"Wait, you want to bait it with a baby? We can't, what if it kills the baby?" Nathan advised against it.
"We have to, we don't know when we might get another chance," Felix explained.
Nathan followed him, fortunately for them when they got there. They found the shtriga feeding.
They slowly approached it hoping to get a clean shot. They suddenly heard a rattle from behind.
They turned and a shtriga grabbed them. As their legs dangled mid-air. They turned to see the feeding shtriga run.
They simultaneously fired at it and it threw them across the room.
"Two shtrigas, I thought you said they never move in pairs," Nathan said as the Shtriga charged at them.
This shtriga looked different than the other one. More human, with uneven teeth and pale white eyes.
Unlike the other that walked like it was floating. This one sounded heavy with the sound of footsteps.
"We need to regroup," Felic said as he helped Nathan up.