by Brandon Hale
“Oh, he’s around,” Tina said, still smiling, “but you’ve ruined the surprise. You’re way too early. Dennis is still in Jackson’s Folly. How did you get here so—”
Lily shot her in the head.
***
In Jackson’s folly, the city formerly known as New York, Dennis howled with pain and rage.
***
Cassius watched from a nearby rooftop as Tina fell to the ground. He could almost feel that little channeler’s despair and hatred. “Dennis was right,” he whispered. “Turning you will be easy. And quite fun.” He turned and leapt to another rooftop, then another. Within a few minutes, he was gone from New Castle.
***
Lily stepped over Tina’s dead body. “Leo!”
“We’ll sweep the town,” Scott said. “I think we should stay together. Who knows how many others are hiding here.”
“LEO!”
“I’m here.”
They all turned to see Leo standing in the doorway of a nearby post office. Lily sprinted toward him.
“Something’s not right,” Grung said. “Look at him.”
“He just looks pale,” Scott said.
“Maybe,” Ellie added, “they’ve been feeding on him.”
“He’s clearly not a vampire,” Scott said. “He looks… like himself.”
“I don’t care what he looks like,” Grung said. “Something ain’t right.”
Lily ran to Leo, ready to give him the biggest hug of his life, but stopped a few feet in front of him.
He was pale. Very pale. His skin was almost white, but it didn’t look unhealthy. As a matter of fact, it looked quite radiant. When he smiled, showing extremely long incisors, despair invaded Lily’s heart.
“Oh, Leo.”
“What?” he said. “Don’t look so sad. I’m happy. Turns out, not all of vampires are the little monsters we faced in Iveyton.”
Lily didn’t reply. She just stared at him with heartbroken eyes.
“The war is ending as we speak,” Leo said, “and it’s not as bad as we thought. After the war, the werewolves just want nature, Lily. They want to run off into the woods and just be… left alone. And the vampires can’t live without humanity. They want to find a way to live together, in peace. Humans give blood to help each other. Why not do it for vampires?”
“Because vampires are evil.”
“And humans aren’t?” Leo asked. “Lily, we were wrong. Vampires aren’t evil. They’re just slaves to their biology. But some of them aren’t like that. I’m not like that. I’m still me, Lily. I’d never harm you. Ever. Think about it. You can still be you, but you’ll live forever! You’ll never get sick. You’ll never die.”
“I couldn’t join you if I wanted to,” Lily said.
“You mean because you’re a channeler?” Leo asked. “Because that’s not really an obstacle. A channeler is just someone who can focus their own desires. It’s not about good or evil, Lily. It’s about whether or not you want this. It’s more about a vampire’s sensitivity to the energy you put out. That’s why you have no impact on a werewolf. If you want to become a vampire, you can. And from what I was told, you’d be a powerful one.”
Scott stepped beside Lily and said, “You’re not considering any of this, are you?”
Lily wiped the tears from her face. “Of course not.”
“They have a good system figured out,” Leo said. “Humans will donate blood for a set number of years. When a human gets to thirty, he’ll be given the choice to become a vampire. But only if he wants it. It doesn’t have to be war, Lily.”
“I can’t do it,” Lily said with a shaky voice.
“You don’t have to,” Leo said. “That’s my point. This war is ending. After it’s over, you can live life as a human or a vampire. It’s your choice, Lily-bug.”
“No,” Lily said. “I mean I can’t kill you. I was able to kill my own father, but I can’t kill you. You used to be my Leo. But you’re not anymore, so don’t call me Lily-bug.” She took a deep, shaky breath, then said, “Do it.”
“Do wha—”
Leo’s eyes widened as a round shaft of wood burst from his chest, splattering Lily’s face with his blood. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He staggered forward, pulling himself from the stake, and fell toward Lily.
Lily jumped back and let him fall to the pavement.
Grung stood behind Leo, blood dripping from the stake on the end of his arm.
Lily looked down at the dead creature that was once her best friend. “I guess,” she whispered, “we don’t always win after all.”
***
Lily found Leo’s glasses in his shirt pocket and put them on his face. She sat beside him and held his hand.
“I failed him in every way,” she said to nobody in particular. “Every single way.”
“No, you didn’t,” Scott argued.
“I did, Scott,” Lily said. “I convinced him to go kill those vampires in Iveyton. I convinced him to help me kill all the people of Iveyton. He joined the Day Soldiers because of me. And he died because of me, both directly and indirectly. I didn’t just take his life… I destroyed it.”
“Lily,” Scott said, “he made his own choices. And he knew how important this was to you. He would have wanted—”
“Don’t give me the ‘he would have wanted’ crap,” Lily said. “You know what he would have wanted? He would have wanted to marry me and take me to Florida or Mexico, where we could have had a peaceful life together. That’s what he would have wanted, Scott, because he loved me. And I used his love to drag him into a life he didn’t want.”
“You’re disgusting,” Grung said.
Lily looked at him with eyes that showed a broken spirit. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Grung said. “Why don’t you lean over and spit in his face, because that’s what you’re doing to him anyway.”
“If you’re trying to inspire me to get up and take action,” Lily said, “you can rest easy, Grung. I just need a few minutes to feel sorry for myself, that’s all.”
“Then feel sorry for yourself for the right reasons,” Grung said. “You just lost your best friend. But don’t take his accomplishments away from him. Don’t take credit for the great things this man did. He killed hundreds of vampires in Iveyton, and he’s not a channeler. He killed one of the most powerful werewolves known. He warned the world of the invasion that started tonight. And let’s not forget, he single-handedly saved the lives of every person standing here right now. If you want to cry because the world just lost a hero, you do that. But don’t you dare act like he was some love-sick kid who stumbled into his own death… because if you do, I’ll kick your ass right here and now.”
“Grung—”
“I mean it, Lily!” Grung said. “This man is a hero and I won’t stand here and let you take that away from him!”
“He’s right,” Ellie said. “If Leo did this just to be near you, he would’ve quit the Day Soldiers and lived in Norfolk. But he didn’t. He stayed, even when it meant a transfer to another state.”
“Guys,” Scott said, “cut her some slack. Damn.”
“No,” Lily said softly, “they’re right. As usual, I’m acting like I’m the center of the universe.”
“What now?” Ellie asked.
“Greg might still be in—” Scott stopped mid-sentence when a faint beep came from his belt. He pulled his communicator’s earpiece from his belt and hooked it over his ear.
The team waited patiently while he listened to whatever transmission he was receiving. After several seconds, he looked at the others and said, “They’re ordering a full evacuation to the underground facilities.”
Ellie looked shocked. “They’re running?”
“Apparently,” Scott said.
“Where the hell are the underground facilities?” Grung asked.
“I have the loc
ations programmed into my portable GPS,” Scott said. After seeing everyone’s surprised looks, he added, “It’s part of the information expert gig. The problem isn’t finding them. It’s getting to them unseen.”
“How fast will they fill up?” Ellie asked.
“They won’t,” Scott said uncomfortably. “We have a slot. There’s room enough for all of us.”
“What the hell, man,” Grung said. “How many do they hold?”
“In all the American facilities,” Scott explained, “there’s space enough for about half the Day Soldiers.”
“No,” Ellie whispered as the ramifications of Scott’s statement began to sink in. “What about the people left behind?”
“Most will be captured,” Scott said. “The idea is that we go underground and regroup, then plan the rescue of the survivors.”
“That’s bullshit!” Grung said.
“Look at the alternative, man,” Scott said. “It’s either most of the people get captured or killed, or all of the people get captured or killed. Things must be bad down south. This was a last resort plan.”
“How the hell did we even get picked?” Grung said.
Scott looked at Lily.
“Oh,” Grung said. “Right.”
“So that’s it,” Lily said as she got to her feet. “The war is over and we lost. This day just keeps getting better.”
“We haven’t lost,” Scott said. “We’ve just been… wounded. We’ll heal from this.”
“So,” Ellie said, “if we have a slot, that means we don’t have to go underground by any certain time?”
“Right,” Scott said. “They actually expect it to take weeks for some soldiers to make it there. Why?”
Ellie looked at Leo’s body. “Tina said Dennis was in New York.”
“Technically,” Scott said, “she said he’s in Jackson’s Folly, but that’s just the name they gave New…” He stopped when he realized what Ellie was suggesting. “Oh.”
“You want to go after Dennis,” Lily said.
“I do,” Ellie answered flatly.
“I’m not opposed to this idea,” Grung said. “If the war is down south, I bet we can get there without much trouble.”
Lily looked at Scott. “You’re our voice of reason. Especially now.”
“Speaking as the voice of reason,” Scott said, “I vote we get to New York and kill that son of a bitch.”
Chapter 19
The Long Night
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Several hundred soldiers stood with their weapons drawn at the north end of the beach. One particular soldier paced back and forth in front of the large group. He was a man of about forty, with a wedge-shaped body, black cropped hair, and a face that wore the scars of many battles.
His voice carried power and sincerity to the listening soldiers. “Serving with you people has been the single greatest honor of my life. For ten years, we have protected Virginia Beach with strength and honor. The Legion has attacked us before and we drove them back!”
“Sir,” A soldier said from the front of the crowd, “are you saying we can do it again?”
The leader paused and looked at the soldier. They had all seen the reports. They all knew what was headed their way.
“No, son,” the leader said. “We’re not going to win this one.” He took a step back and raised his voice, speaking to the entire group. “As you all know, the enemy will be here any minute. I have never lied to you folks and I’m not going to start now. This is a battle we cannot win.
“There is no dishonor in leaving. If you want to find a place to hide, do it. If you want to run south, do it. If you want to swim into the ocean and take your chances with the sea, do it. You have fulfilled your obligation to humanity.”
One of the soldiers stepped from the crowd and said, “If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’m going to stay here and take a couple hundred of those bastards down with me.”
Another soldier screamed what had long been the Day Soldiers’ battle cry when facing vampires.
“Go back to sleep!”
Several other soldiers repeated the cry. Soon, more soldiers joined in until it became a chant.
“Go back to sleep! Go back to sleep! Go back to sleep!”
They all fell silent as the first line of werewolves and vampires came into view. The front row of soldiers dropped to one knee and aimed their weapons. The row behind them aimed their weapons as well.
As they began to fire, the werewolves leapt into the air.
A few seconds later, the vampires washed over them like a tsunami.
Norfolk, Virginia.
The communications officer looked out the window of the tower, watching the chaos below. His wife was somewhere down there. He remembered with disgust the day he convinced her to move onto the base. “It’s a dangerous world out there,” he had said. “You’ll be safer if you live on the base with me.”
He understood now that it didn’t matter where his wife lived. It didn’t matter where anybody lived. The war had never really been a war. It had been a game. The Legion’s game. And now they were tired of the game and decided to move on to something more fun. And because they decided to end their game, he knew his wife was either a vampire or she was werewolf food.
Several vampires were now climbing the tower toward him.
The game was indeed over, but the communications officer knew he still had some power. He had the power to decide how his game would end.
He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
Johnson City, Tennessee.
Charlie ducked into the alley and sprinted toward Kate’s house. So far, the bulk of the attack seemed to be in the middle of the city. Charlie prayed they hadn’t reached Kate’s neighborhood yet. His entire body ached with exhaustion. Every breath was agony, but he didn’t stop running.
He had to make it to Kate. He had to tell her. Now, at the end, nothing else mattered.
Charlie ran up the hill that led to Kate’s neighborhood. He risked a glance behind him and saw that most of the city was burning. Screams echoed across the city, but they weren’t close.
I have time.
He ran through her neighborhood and slid to a stop in front of her porch. He stood in her yard long enough to catch his breath, then stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door.
A large balding man answered the door. “Charles?”
“Mr. Howard,” Charlie said, “is Kate home?”
“Of course she’s home,” the man said. “What the hell are you doing here, boy? Get inside!”
“You should be with your family,” Mr. Howard said as they stepped into the living room.
“My family’s gone, sir,” Charlie said.
Mr. Howard didn’t ask for details. He just put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry, son.”
“Charlie?”
Kate was standing in the doorway leading to her kitchen. Charlie could tell by her eyes that she had been crying, but it didn’t detract from her beauty. If anything, it added to it.
“I love you,” Charlie said. “I realized tonight that I have never said that out loud. I love you, Kate. After I got my degree, I planned to ask you to marry me. You have always been the one part of my life that was perfect. I just wanted you to know that.”
“I love you, too,” Kate said. She was crying again.
Kate’s mom was looking out the window. “They’re coming,” She turned and looked at Mr. Howard. “Oh, God, Carl, they’re coming.”
Mr. Howard turned to Charlie. “Don’t just stand there, son. Kiss her.”
Charlie walked up to Kate, put his arms around her, and pulled her to him. “I love you,” he said again.
As he pressed his lips against hers, a giant wolf burst through the front door.
Tampa, Florida.
“Mom!”
Karen opened the bedroom door and said, “You’re supposed to be asleep, honey.”
“I can’t sleep,” Megan said. “I’m scared.”
Karen walked across the room and sat on the bed with her six year old daughter. “Now what,” she said, “are you afraid of?”
“Vampires,” Megan said. “Brett said they’re coming to get us tonight. He said he saw it on TV.”
“Megan,” Karen said, “you know your brother is just trying to scare you. We live in Florida. Now, what have I told you about Florida?”
“There ain’t no vampires in Florida.”
Karen smiled. She didn’t bother to correct her daughter’s grammar. Really, there was no point. “That’s right,” she said with a gentle smile. “And why are there no vampires in Florida?”
“Because,” Megan said, “vampires hate pretty things and everything in Florida is pretty.”
“That’s right,” Karen said.
“But I can hear them outside,” Megan said. Her little chest moved up and down rapidly and her upper lip quivered. “They’re screaming.”
“Honey,” Karen said, “that’s not vampires. There’s a party outside. Those people are just having fun.”
Megan’s eyes lit up. “Can I go?”
“No, baby. It’s only for grown-ups. But you don’t have to worry about vampires. That’s just grown-ups being too noisy at their party. You can go back to sleep.”
“Will you sleep with me tonight?” Megan asked.
“I will,” Karen said with a smile. “As a matter of fact, let me go get your brother. I think we’re all going to sleep together tonight.”
“Okay.”
Karen stepped into the hallway and began to walk toward Brett’s room. As she passed her bedroom, she saw a figure standing just outside her bedroom window. She turned and entered the room.
“Let me in, Karen,” the vampire said.
“You don’t live here anymore,” Karen said. “Go away.”
“Dammit, Karen,” the vampire said, “don’t be a fool. The werewolves will be breaking down your walls any minute now. They’ll rip the kids to pieces. To pieces, Karen!”
“No,” Karen said. “I’m about to make sure that doesn’t happen to them. Go away, Adam.”
“You’re going to kill them?” the vampire asked. “But I can save them, Karen! I can make them safe. Forever. Don’t you want that? I can make it so our kids will always be like they are right now. Our family will be together forever.”
