A sickening pattern of groans came from the edge of the tunnel and a pair of eerie yellow eyes appeared to glow in the darkness. Maggie’s heart leapt in her chest. Kinder whirled and positioned himself in between her and the eyes. Whatever it was moved into the light with the step, drag, step, drag of something with a gimpy leg and its breath wheezed in and out like a balloon with a hole in it.
What emerged from the shadows was something she was totally ill-prepared for. Even the earth-shattering events that had taken place over the previous weeks couldn’t hold a candle to what stood before them now. The fact that it had once been human was only slightly apparent. It wore blue jeans and a torn hoodie sweatshirt, but the similarities ended there. It stood on two legs with its shoulders hunched over and its elongated arms nearly touching the ground like an ape. Its hands were stretched out of proportion and its fingers curled into angry hooks at the end. Its feet were elongated, too. It stood up on its toes like a dog would. Its skin tone, an ashy gray and much of it covered in course hair. But she was drawn into its face most of all. Its nose and mouth had grown out into a snout with large, jagged teeth bared.
Kinder hissed at it. Bared his teeth and took up a fighting stance.
The monster flinched slightly and edged away from them. It dragged itself back into the shadows with a throaty growl until it was hidden once again.
Kinder turned to her quickly. “We’re not safe here. We must move.”
He scooped her into his arms and took off running again. She tried to look over his shoulders to see if the thing was following but there was nothing to see behind them except darkness. “What the hell was that?”
“That was what we vampires refer to as a hell dog. If it had been uninjured it most surely would’ve attacked. The virus mutates them into perfect killing machines.”
“But that didn’t look like a vampire at all! It looked like a…”
“Werewolf.” Kinder interrupted. “After everything you’ve seen, did you not think that it was possible for such things to exist? Think of all the stories you’ve ever heard about werewolves. Transform by the light of the full moon? False, they become hell dogs and stay that way. People associate the full moon with them because they are only seen at night and they like to howl when the moon is full. Killed by a silver bullet? False. Human romanticism at its finest. Truthfully, any catastrophic tissue damage will kill vampire and hell dog alike. They shape shift? True the first time. When people never find them again, they assume the hell dog must revert back to human form to hide amongst them during the day. Infectious bite? That one is true. Just like when vampires bite, because hell dogs are nothing more than mutated vampires.” He glanced down and studied her face for her reaction through the slats of dim light that passed over her face as they ran down the never-ending sewer tunnel. “Learn something new every day, hmm?” Kinder said with a smirk.
Maggie was left with her thoughts for a few moments. With nothing more than the wind in her hair and the steady breathing from Kinder’s pursed lips. She couldn’t help but be amazed by his speed and lack of fatigue. The doctor in her wondered what medical miracles would be performed if the virus could ever be harnessed. Her train of thought was just getting interesting when he slowed to a stop and set her down next to a ladder that led up.
“Here we are, home sweet home.” He motioned with a flourish of his hand for her to climb the ladder.
She hesitated for only a moment before grasping the ladder and climbing. At one point her foot slipped on a slimy wrung but she recovered. At the top, they entered a drab cinder block room with a dull light illuminating the walls. On one end of the room, a shallow tunnel lined with pipes and hissing steam valves ran far enough that she couldn’t see the other end. “Down there?” She asked, pointing.
“No, no, here.” Kinder moved to the far wall of the room and pulled open one of the cinder blocks to reveal a small number pad that he used to key in some type of code. A seam appeared in the wall that had looked flawless a moment before and the bricks moved in and over revealing a similar passage beyond. “Come, quickly.” He ushered her into the passageway and the wall slid shut behind them.
Lights turned on for the length of the short hallway. Two heavy doors stood on each side of the hallway with one more on the opposite end. She followed Kinder through the door at the end and stepped into a room much like the main computer room at R.O.K. headquarters. This one, however, was in a state of panic. Four men and two women were moving quickly from computer to radio and back again, trying to make contact with whoever might be at the other end.
One of the men snapped up when they walked in. “Sir!” He yelled. “We’ve got terrible news. The government has attacked City Base 2. We’ve been trying to contact them for half an hour now, but… nothing.”
“I know. We were just there and barely escaped.” Kinder sighed and looked down at the floor then straightened himself up and tried to tip up his chin. “We must assume they are all dead or taken prisoner. We cannot go back for survivors. There would most likely be a trap waiting for us.”
She could feel the energy in the room deflate. The peoples’ faces had been panicked and worried when they walked in, but now they were devoid of any hope. One of the women burst into tears and the other had to console her. “I’m sorry.” He continued. “Terribly, terribly sorry. Radio the other bases. Tell them to stay out of the tunnels for the time being. They are much too dangerous now. And tell them to stay away from City Base 2. It will be watched for some time. Have everyone switch to emergency frequency two and maintain radio silence for twenty-four hours. This is my friend Maggie.” He gestured with his hands. “She will be staying with me for the time being.”
Maggie’s eyes met those of the woman consoling her crying friend. The woman stared back with a look, something like pity. A nervous tingle ran up Maggie’s spine. Kinder continued past the grieving people and she followed him.
They walked for a long time before they arrived at a huge set of heavy wooden doors. Kinder opened the door and they stepped through into a palatial room with high, raftered ceilings and books lining nearly every wall. A huge four-post bed lay on the far side of the room. A big wooden table sat on one side of the room with an assortment of papers and charts strewn across it. Rich looking furniture sat in various arrangements throughout. A settee and two chairs were arranged in a sitting area around the hearth of a giant fireplace with a warm fire roaring like the devil’s mouth.
Maggie went to one of the chairs and sat down. It was surprisingly comfortable and the fire felt good. She shivered as though she had just realized she had been cold all the time they were running through the sewer tunnel. She took a deep breath and sighed as she remembered Tank. Her eyes welled up again and she fought back the tears. She thought of Gabby and Chris, dragged off in chains or worse. She remembered Matt’s lifeless body dropping down onto the gravel next to her. “All those people.” She said.
Kinder had walked over to the large table and was hunched over the papers, studying them. “Yes.” He paused. “An unfortunate necessity.”
She said nothing for a moment, then realized what he had said. “Necessity? What are you talking about?”
Kinder rose from his papers and turned towards her, clasping his hands behind his back like a disapproving parent. “We are in a war, my dear. Like it or not, some things must be done. Vengeance is a great motivator.”
She could hardly believe what she was hearing. “What are you saying?” She stood and walked to where he was standing so she could look in his eyes. “Are you saying you did this? Did you tell them where we were?”
He chuckled. “Of course. You didn’t think they could’ve found our lair by themselves, do you?”
“You son of a bitch!” She slapped him as hard as she could but it was like hitting a petrified slab of beef. Her hand stung and the bastard just smiled at her.
“Be happy you don’t smell as delicious as you look.” He said. “You are alive because I need you and that i
s the only reason. Be careful the trouble you give me does not exceed your usefulness.”
“I’m leaving.” Her voice didn’t have anywhere near the authority in it that she thought she had mustered. “You can… you can go to hell if you think I’m helping you!”
He smirked again and leaned in closer. She could feel his hot breath on her face and she suddenly felt very afraid. “I don’t believe I gave you that option, Miss Stone.”
Chapter 29
He could hardly believe his good fortune when he saw her walking towards him. Yes indeed, God was smiling down on Frank Dixon. Not two hours earlier he had found a nice supply of food and fresh water, but now he had someone to share it with. He began walking across the overpass towards her. She stopped in the middle of the bridge and waited for him. She looked so lost and alone. He couldn’t help but reach out to her. She was only six, maybe seven years old. Her little pink jacket zipped up tight around her neck. Her tiny legs protruded from the bottom of her coat with white stocking feet and black leather shoes like she was on her way to a dance recital.
When he reached the middle of the overpass, he stood next to her and looked down at the street some twenty feet below them and tried to act casual. After a few moments he spoke to her. “Your mom sent me to check on you. You okay?” He looked down at her and her eyes widened from beneath her fur trimmed hood. She shook her head no and a tear ran down her face. He knelt down next to her. “You know where your mom is?” She shook her head again. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you. You know what we’re gonna do?” He asked. She shook her head yet again. He leaned in and whispered into her ear. He whispered the most vile, disgusting thing he could think of. Then he grabbed her shoulders and held her so he could watch her expression change. This was what he wanted, what he loved. To see their little faces go from joy to horror when they realized what was about to happen to them. Oh, the evils he had gotten away with since the vampires began to take over. He had delighted in so many horrible things since they had come. Of course, they weren’t horrible to him. They were his art. His victims were his endless tapestry of torment. Oh, how he loved it! This little girl would be his finest work!
She screamed and tried to break away from him but he had the little jacket held tightly in his fists. He chuckled and roared as she fought fruitlessly to break away. He never saw the man come up behind him.
He felt a hard slap on his shoulders and his shirt was given a hard yank from the back that hoisted him up to his feet. The man spun him around and grabbed his shirt in two powerful fists, drawing them nose to nose. “Call me crazy, but something tells me you don’t know this little girl.” The man said through gritted teeth.
Frank was never a big guy, but you didn’t make it far with his type of hobby unless you knew how to protect yourself. He drew a knife from his waistband and reached back to thrust it into the man’s gut but someone else grabbed his arm, a woman, and wrenched the blade free with surprising strength. He strained to look back enough to see the blade tumbling uselessly to the pavement beneath. Oh crap. “Listen!” He spat. “I was just trying to help her! She wigged out on me! I offered to help find her mom!”
By that time, the woman had gone to the little girl and consoled her. “Get her out of here.” The man holding his shirt growled to the woman then turned his attention back to Frank. “What’s your name?”
“Frank.”
“So, what were you up to, Franky boy? See a little lost sheep and you just can’t help yourself, ey?”
Frank looked away from the man’s face. He looked anywhere that would take him away from the man’s piercing eyes.
“Now, my girl and I, this is our turf.” The man said. “We get dibs on anything around here. C’mon, tell me. What did you think you were gonna do with her?”
Salvation! A killer just like him! What luck! Maybe he could still talk his way out of this one! “You know,” Frank tried to play coy, “the usual stuff.”
“Like what? You gonna rape her, Franky?” The man was smiling now.
Frank smiled back and nodded.
“Maybe stab her some? Cut her a little?”
Frank smiled and nodded.
“Cut her a lot?”
Frank’s smile broadened again as did the man’s.
“You know what I’m gonna do, Franky? I’m gonna let you go. I like you, Franky. You’re alright.”
Frank smiled again. “It’s good to meet like-minded people.”
“I agree.” The man said. “Cause other people are always judging us. But I don’t judge, Franky.” Then the man’s expression changed from smiling to deadly serious. His tone went from jovial to dangerous. “Because judgment is God’s job. I just make sure you get there to see him.”
“Son of a bi…” Was all Frank could get out before he felt himself falling. He thought he was going to die but he felt the impact and was thankful he had survived the fall until the pain hit. It came on like a torrent. First his back, then his legs. Pain raged throughout his body. He screamed but his voice only echoed through the empty street. A breeze picked up and blew some old newspapers and dust up into a small whirlwind, then settled again. He heard movement from the overpass he had been on a few seconds ago and looked up to see if the man was still there but he was gone. He heard the movement again and looked into the darkness under the overpass.
From a small cubby under the overpass dominated by darkness, he saw a pair of bright yellow eyes, then another, and another appeared. “No!” He screamed and struggled to move but one leg was badly twisted and crumpled underneath him. Moving would mean straightening it out and the large bone protruding from his thigh told him that would be difficult and very painful. He began to panic. “No!” He screamed again as he clawed at the ground, trying to turn over, to get up, anything.
A throaty growl came from the darkness under the bridge, a stark reminder that he wasn’t the only evil thing in the world anymore. He looked up at the sun hanging low on the horizon. It seemed with each moment that the shadows got longer and the eyes got closer, never emerging from the cold embrace of the darkness surrounding them. “No.” He said pitifully. His legs wouldn’t move. His breath was rapid and hollow. A tear ran down his face as the eyes got closer. Somehow, he hoped that the anticipation of being torn apart by bloodthirsty monsters would be worse than the actual slaughter… It wasn’t.
“She okay?” Charlie asked Julia after they had left the child molester at the bottom of the overpass.
“Yeah, a little shaken up is all. What did you do with him?”
“Found out his plans. Then I let him go.”
Julia gave him a look of shock initially, then one of understanding. “Disaster brings out the worst in some people, I guess.”
“No. That bastard was a straight sicko. The vampire issue only gave him cover to do what he was already doing. Don’t worry. He won’t bother anyone anymore. What’s her story?”
“Her mom went out to try and find food a few days ago and never came back as best as I can tell. She won’t say much.”
Charlie sighed. It was hard enough to keep themselves and four vampires alive, much less a little girl. “Well, we’ve got to bring her along. It’ll be dark soon. Maybe we can try to help her in the morning.”
They walked back to the motel and were just about to walk up the stairs to the second level where their room was when Julia stopped in her tracks and grabbed Charlie’s arm. “Wait.” She said, looking around, searching for something.
“What’s wrong.” Charlie readied the M-16 that he had slung over his shoulder.
“I remember this. A dream I had a few nights ago. I blew it off because she was in it.” Julia nodded towards the little girl holding her hand. “It seemed like a false premonition at the time, but now…” She trailed off. “Something happens but I… There!” She shouted and pointed at a long row of tall bushes.
The bushes rustled and Charlie trained his rifle on them. “Come out here! Whoever you are or I’ll sho
ot!” The bushes rustled again and a woman emerged. A woman Charlie never thought he’d see again. It was Ginny. She was dirty, badly bruised and bleeding from multiple wounds, but it was definitely her. He was stunned. She hopped out of her cover in the bushes on one foot. Her left leg dragged behind her. Her kneecap was exposed and much of the meat around her knee was flayed away. It looked like a shotgun wound. In addition to that, she had a large knife protruding from her gut and what appeared to be a large caliber bullet wound in her shoulder.
“Virginia!” Julia yelled and stepped forward quickly to catch her before Virginia’s head could hit the ground. The woman collapsed utterly into Julia’s arms. “We’ve got to get her inside!” She yelled to Charlie.
Charlie threw the weapon over his shoulder again and scooped Virginia into his arms. “C’mon.” They ran to the room where the others would be waiting for them just as the dark things began to stir. The sun was sinking behind the horizon as they moved into the motel room and sealed the door behind them.
The vampires were already moving in the bathroom. “Is everything clear out there?” Came a muffled voice from behind the door.
“Yeah, the sun’s almost down. You can come out.” He answered. There was some more shuffling and the sounds of latches being unhooked before the door opened and the four of them stepped out.
“We were starting to worry about you two until…” Sylvia stopped mid sentence. “What the hell is this?” She asked with obvious annoyance.
“We didn’t have much choice. We can try to…”
“Ginny!” Madeline yelled and ran to her daughter’s side. Charlie had set Virginia down on the bed where Julia sat holding her hand. “My God, what happened to her?”
“I don’t know.” Julia said. “We were just walking back and we found her. But she was in the sun, Mom! She was in the sun!”
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