A Vampire's Battle

by Raven Steele

  Returning to the fight, I sliced through heads to make my way to Briar. She’d unleashed her Komira powers, and even though she had been shot in the calf, it barely affected her. We fought together, back to back. Mateo and Angel fought in the same stance on the other side of the room. Gerald, Luke, Aris, and Loxley protected the front entrance. It felt like we were gaining ground but then another wave of Hydes appeared. I kept my eye out for the Phoenix, who could appear at any moment. At least I didn’t have to worry about Korin showing up. We also didn’t have to worry about any vampire Hydes. They too were confined to the night. That was the only reason we weren’t getting slaughtered right now.

  “Hey!” Aris yelled to garner my attention. “We need to get out of here!”

  The prisoners we’d freed made it outside, the ones who had survived anyway. Aris and the others continued to fight the Hydes, but there will still waves of them coming. We had to get out.

  “Go! We’ll be right behind you!” I pulled the trigger again. More electricity shot from the blaster, knocking two Hydes to the ground. I quickly killed them but just as I straightened, the claws of another sliced into my back. Biting pain shot through me. I spun, swinging my sword sideways. It slid through a Hyde and cut him in half.

  Glancing up, I caught Aris disappearing through the door after Loxley. I didn’t see the others. They’d probably already left. Mateo and Angel were fighting their way toward the entrance. I began to do the same. Briar was on the stairs, still in full-on Komira mode, and laughing hysterically. She tossed a Hyde up to the chandelier. A sharp spike pierced the back of his head and came out through his eye socket. His feet kicked the air uselessly until he finally stilled.

  “Let’s go, Briar!” I called to her.

  She actually looked a little sad at my request until another pack of Hydes came roaring out of the hallways. She leapt off the stairs and sprinted toward the door, firing her blaster in wind mode. I ran after her, ducking slightly so she could shoot those behind us.

  Mateo waited for me at the door, but just before I reached him, an invisible force slammed into my chest. It was so powerful, my body flew backwards dozens of feet. I hit the ground hard, my head jerking against the marbled floor. Stars exploded in my vision, and my ears screamed a high-pitched tone. If I had to guess, someone had shot me with a blaster, but where had it come from?

  Moaning, I rolled over, attempting to scamper out of the way. My blurred vision detected bodies coming at me. Lots of them.

  With nowhere else to go, I scrambled backwards deeper into the cathedral. I turned into a narrow hallway I had never seen before. My vision cleared and hearing returned. Mateo and Briar called for me in the distance, but I had to keep running. Dozens of Hydes chased me with no indication of slowing down.

  I dove into another hall, this one void of pictures on the walls. It smelled different too, like formaldehyde and cleaning supplies. It reminded me of something, but I was too busy running for my life to remember what. Had the Kiss still flowed through me, I might’ve tapped into a sliver of its power, giving me the strength to take on dozens of them. But as I was now, I couldn’t fight this many.

  Turning again, I groaned, discovering it was a dead end. Without hesitating, I quickly opened a door to my left, then quietly closed it behind me. I listened closely, my heart roaring a painful beat within my chest. Dozens of footsteps sounded in the distance, all headed my direction. Fear pushed me deeper into the room. I took a quick moment to see where I was, hoping desperately for an exit.

  Letting me eyes adjust to the darkness, I inhaled deeply, then coughed, choking on a pungent smell. Grimacing, I looked around, nearly stumbling when I realized where I was.

  Stacked length-wise against the walls, thin and naked bodies nearly reached the ceiling. Many of the dead bodies had deep purple and blue bruises spread across their gray skin. Some had old gash marks that looked like they might’ve come from a whip. Based on their condition, I couldn’t tell who were supernaturals and who weren’t. This place, this terrible rancid place, must be where Korin tossed those who died in transition. Or maybe it was for those who fought against him. Whatever the reason, this was a room for the dead.

  And now I was trapped inside with them.

  My stomach rolled and acid climbed up my esophagus. Disgust and horror bled through my body, making me stagger. Footsteps outside the door grew louder. Forcing myself to focus, I frantically searched the room for a place to hide but there was only bodies. No closet. No furniture. I gripped my sword tighter, thinking I could fight my way out. I might be able to.

  Fear and doubt plagued me. I wasn’t as strong as I used to be. The Kiss was gone, leaving me vulnerable.

  With only seconds left, I made a decision. I began to strip. Ripping off my mask, I tore off my shirt and tucked it between two bodies, shoving my swords in with them. My pants and shoes came next until I was wearing nothing. Completely nude in a room full of dead bodies. For a quick moment, I heard Briar’s voice in my head spouting off one joke after another. I might’ve thought my current situation humorous too if I wasn’t about to do something so repulsive it made me gag again.

  Choosing a pile of bodies in the back corner, I began to climb the stack, using their heads as footstools and whispering my apologies. I was almost to the top when the door flew open. I dropped my head to a naked woman’s back, rooted in my spot partially on top of the pile. The smell of formaldehyde filled my nose and I clenched my teeth to keep me from spilling the vomit lurching up my throat. Rage at Korin’s barbarism, his lack of respect for the dead, and his outright brutality made my whole body ache with the need to slice his head from his body.

  He needed to die.

  The room was big, but not big enough to keep from being discovered in seconds. The moment they came close, they’d see how awkwardly I was lying on top of the bodies. A close examination would reveal how very undead I was. Well, I was dead, but a different kind of dead. The good kind of dead. Was there such a thing?

  Realizing my thoughts were rambling out of fear, I forced myself to relax and concentrate on not moving, not breathing. Maybe they wouldn’t come all the way into the room.

  My hopes were in vain.

  Hydes, one after another, filed into the room to examine all the bodies. The second they looked closely at me, they’d know. My weapons were tucked between two bodies below me. I could reach them quickly and fight if I had to. If only they couldn’t see me! Hiding was my best option, and one I was no longer afforded.

  I closed my eyes as they drew closer. Don’t see me. Don’t see me.

  My flesh began to tingle all over, but I was too concerned with their footsteps coming closer and closer.

  Don’t see me, I willed again.

  The tingling on my skin turned to heat and began to burn, but I didn’t dare move. I could hear two Hydes practically right in front of me. If I opened my eyes, they’d be right there.

  They paused, their steady breathing calm and composed. Only a few feet from me. The burning on my skin reached a new level, and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.

  As soon as they grabbed me, I’d make my move, hoping to use the element of surprise to take them out. From there, I’d just start swinging. Maybe Mateo and Briar were coming after me. I could yet live.

  After several seconds and nothing happening, I slowly opened one eye a tiny crack. Like I sensed, two Hydes stood in front of me, their eyes roaming carefully up and down the stack of bodies I was lying on. Yet, their gazes slid over me. Maybe my awkward position wasn’t that strange, no matter how out of formation I was compared to the others.

  Behind them, another twenty or so Hydes roamed the room in pairs, examining each pile of bodies. After a moment, the two in front of me moved on. Just in time, too, because my teeth were grinding together, trying to hold back the pain wracking my body.

  While the Hydes filed out of the room, I sucked in a tiny breath, trying to figure how I’d gone unnoticed and why my body was scorching. The door
closed, and I slid off the corpses, grimacing when my foot became entwined in a woman’s hair. I quickly readjusted it and stumbled to the floor, rubbing at my arms. I glanced down expecting to see my skin red with blisters, but instead, I saw nothing. Literally. I stretched out my arms, my eyes wide and pulse racing. My arms were gone. But not just them. All of me was gone.

  I was invisible.

  Chapter 9

  It was impossible. I couldn’t just disappear.

  And yet, here I was, invisible. And on fire. And the heat seemed to be intensifying, burning inward.

  No longer afraid of being heard, I gasped for air as pain enraged every nerve ending in my body. Somehow, I had made this happen. There had to be a way to fix it. Puffing air out desperate, puckered lips, I thought back to what I’d been doing when the Hydes came in. I’d been lying on dead bodies wishing they wouldn’t see me. I didn’t want to fight them all.

  My breathing hitched. Had I made it happen by willing it so? I couldn’t begin to think how that might be possible, but it seemed the only explanation. If I could make it happen, I should be able to unmake it. I lifted my invisible hand into the air and, staring at it hard, whispered as fiercely as I could, “I’m here. Show me.”

  My hand still burned, but the outline of it appeared, shimmering in the darkness. I continued to focus, willing it to return. A moment later, it did just that. I touched it with my other hand, tears crowding my vision as the invisible flames licking my skin began to subside. It worked! I laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. What had happened to me should’ve been impossible and yet, it had saved my life.

  I reached between the two bodies that had been concealing my weapons and clothing and began to get dressed, choking as I pushed the mask back over my face. It now smelled like dead bodies. I ignored it. I had to get out of here, my mind racing as I ran towards the door. Whatever was going on with me wasn’t natural, which meant there would be consequences. I feared finding out what those might be. There was one person I could think of who might have answers for me. Cassandra. All of this started after she saved me. Could she have done something to me? I slipped my sword’s sheath onto my back and adjusted it until it found its home on my back.

  As soon as I got out of here, I planned on talking to her to find out what she did. And second, how to undo it. I didn’t want to feel that pain again.

  First things first. Get the hell out of here and back to my friends.

  I pressed my ear to the door, listening closely. When I was sure there were no sounds, I quietly opened it and slipped outside. I kept to the shadows as much as possible and soundlessly made my way back to the entryway where the sounds of fighting still raged. Just before I reached it, I withdrew the swords on my back. This time, there was no other way than to fight.

  I stepped out of the hallway at the backs of several Hydes who fought near the front door, battling my friends. They had all returned. Even Rocky was there blasting whoever he could with the weapon on his knuckles. Hopefully he had placed Lynx somewhere safe.

  With Hydes distracted and unaware of my presence at their backs, I exploded forward, swinging my blade at every neck in my vision. I managed to kill four before they turned their attention to me.

  My eyes locked briefly with Mateo’s, and I could feel his heart skip a beat. At the sight of me, my friends pushed harder, focusing their attention on the right side, as if to clear a path for me. I began to do the same, using the slippery floor to my advantage. I ran and dropped, sliding on my knees along blood-soaked marble, dragging my blade through the knees of several Hydes. The upper half of their bodies hit the ground. They were unfazed, still chasing after me, pulling themselves forward with their hands.

  I reached Briar and Mateo at the narrow opening they’d created for me. Aris and the others fought to keep the Hydes from sealing the entrance all together.

  Grinning, Briar nudged me just as she stabbed her blade into a Hyde’s eye socket. “You don’t die, do you?” She wiped blood off her forehead before it had a chance to run into her eyes.

  “I’m already dead, remember?”

  She laughed, killing another Hyde.

  Once we were all together, watching each other’s backs, it was easier to fight. We drew strength from each other, much in the same way soldiers bonded fighting side by side. In less than a minute, we’d managed to battle our way to the entrance. Rocky was through first, followed by Teddy and Luke, who turned to help the rest come through the opening.

  “Loxley!” Gerald yelled. “Your turn!”

  She turned to run toward him, but all of a sudden a bullet tore through her shoulder, spraying blood into the air. Another struck her leg. She tumbled to the ground.

  “No!” Briar screamed and Gerald roared in rage. At the sound, Luke rushed back in to help.

  All of us moved to help her. Hydes blocked our way, pushing us further back into the cathedral. With Angel watching his back, Gerald scooped Loxley up and handed her off to him. “Take her out of here!”

  “Stop!” Loxley cried, but Gerald had already turned into the swarm of Hydes, swinging an ax back and forth like a mad man, determined that no one would get passed him. One head after another fell through his rage. Blood misted the air, coating his face and bear arms, running onto the already drenched floor.

  Still a ways away, Luke and Briar fought to help Gerald, but he was surrounded by Hydes. Scrambling forward, I tried to go to him but the entrance was closing off again, blocking everyone inside.

  “Get the hell out of there!” Briar yelled at Gerald.

  He glanced over at his shoulder, fear filling his eyes as he realized his predicament. He pushed harder, kicking and swinging his ax, but it was useless. I yelled out, trying to get to him. Hydes completely overwhelming us, pushing us back towards the door. It was do or die for all of us.

  A long blade shoved into Gerald’s back. His mouth opened in shock, blood draining from it.

  “No!” Briar screamed.

  The sword went in deeper, then another blade sliced into his stomach. And another, and another. The Hydes exploded in activity, their kill driving them into a frenzy. The rest of the Hydes fed off their energy, striking out at us. Suddenly he was lifted into the air by a sword, his body limp and broken. Chunks of muscle and skin were missing and his arm was hanging by a thread of skin.

  “We must leave!” Mateo called.

  “No!” Briar sobbed again, heart wrenching and in utter agony. Anguish held me frozen. I didn’t know Gerald, well but I knew he was a good man.

  “Samira!” Mateo’s voice snapped at me, and I turned to see a surge of new Hydes descending the stairs.

  Eyes wide with fear, I grabbed Briar’s arm, pulling her with me. She resisted, trying to push through the Hydes to get to him, her Komira powers exploding through the room. But it wasn’t enough, and there was nothing we could do for him. Dragging her with me, I slowly backed up toward the door, fighting my way out.

  Briar suddenly broke from my hold and ran forward, but Luke grabbed her. “He’s gone!”

  She shoved him away, her eyes all fire and ice. Angel appeared in front of her, grabbing both her shoulders. “He gave his life so we might live. So live. Fight another day.”

  She searched his eyes, her bottom lip trembling.

  “Briar, we can’t hold them off any longer!” I shouted.

  Mateo and I continued to battle them, but in a matter of seconds we would become overrun. Gerald had disappeared into the mass of Hydes who still hadn’t stopped tearing at his body. Briar choked off a sob, then nodded. Angel and Luke both grabbed her, shoving their way towards the door. They fought their way through, then we turned and ran.

  I sprinted into the daytime, the sun high in the big blue sky. It was a different experience running for my life in sunlight so exposed, and my fear spotlighted. It made me want to cower.

  At the edge of the property, the last of the freed prisoners disappeared through the barrier and to the other side. I glanced over my shoulder.
My friends, every single one of them, ran all around me. Hydes exploded out of the entrance behind us, weapons still firing.

  Briar and I locked eyes. She nodded once, and we split ways. The shifters, including Loxley who kept glancing back at the cathedral with a pain-filled gaze, followed the freed prisoners through the barrier onto Raven Street, and we headed back to the underground entrance. I didn’t know if Hydes would follow us. Would the Phoenix risk exposing his soldiers to the world just yet?

  Aris reached the manhole first. He hauled the cover up and motioned us inside. “Hurry. Get in!”

  Teddy dropped through, followed by Angel. Mateo and I came next. Aris climbed down and pulled the top over us.

  As soon as we hit the ground, we took off running. Sewage water splashed and rats scampered. Mateo grabbed my hand, and I squeezed it tight, tears streaming down my face. We’d lost a good man today. We’d almost lost each other.

  We could’ve easily died!

  Mateo was feeling the same desperation through our bond. We’d gotten through so many dangerous situations together, but when would our luck run out? I had a feeling that one of these days the Reaper would come for us himself.

  After a while, we slowed down. There was no movement behind us, no sounds of Hydes tromping through the tunnels. We were safe.

  Chest heaving, I came to a stop and ripped off my mask. It was suffocating. I threw it to the ground and bent over, hand on my knees, to catch my breath. My chest was tight, suffocating as I thought about Gerald, and how Loxley was feeling.

  That could’ve easily been me and Mateo.

  Fear, rage, and anguish swirled in a tornado of emotions.

  Gritting my teeth, I shoved it all down. Just because I no longer had the Kiss didn’t have to mean that I wasn’t in control of my emotions. There was a time and a place for them, and right now wasn’t that time.

  I sucked in deep breaths, noting the way Mateo hovered over me protectively. They’d all stopped, catching their breaths. I had a feeling we were all thinking the same thing. How close we’d all come to death this day. How lucky we were that only one of us hadn’t made it out.