by P. T. Hylton
“First time I’ve ever heard her say don’t shoot the vampires,” Patrick laughed.
The team unloaded, knocking the Ferals off the transport.
This time, the Ferals seemed aware of the vampire protectors—perhaps because of their mental link— and they went straight for them.
The Agartha vampires kept a tight circle around the rover, even as the humans inside circled up as well, focusing on taking out the Ferals before they got to Jaden and his team.
Those that did slip through were quickly dispatched. All the vamps fought masterfully, but Jaden was the most ruthless creature that Alex had ever seen. Three Ferals lunged at him together, and he dodged a slash from one of their claws at the perfect angle so that the claws sank into another Feral’s neck. He spun, slicing off the heads of both entangled Ferals as he drove his other sword through the third Feral’s heart. As he fought, he continued to keep pace with the rover, never failing a single step behind.
Alex saw a blur of movement in her peripheral vision and looked up to see a Feral swooping down from above. She fired a round into its head and shouted to her team, “Watch the skies. Make sure that they don’t get to the ground.”
More Ferals attempted that tactic, leaping at the rover and soaring down at them. The team picked them off one by one, not letting any of them touch the ground alive. Corpses of the monsters rained down around them, and the rover bounced over the dead in the road.
One of the Agartha vampires broke away from the group and shifted over to defend George’s transport. He lunged at a Feral climbing the transport, but didn’t see the other two on the roof of the vehicle. They jumped down onto the vampire’s back.
Alex fired, putting a round into each of the Ferals’ heads. She dropped the empty clips and reloaded without taking her eyes off the battle. Her hands and body worked on muscle memory fueled by a lifetime of training, leaving her mind free to concentrate on the danger all around them.
She knew they were only a few minutes away from Agartha, but lasting even that long could prove impossible. Waves of Ferals were coming at them hot and heavy, attracted by the battle and crazed with blood hunger.
Alex glanced ahead to the vampires fighting in front of the rover and saw a horde of Ferals charging down the mountain. There were at least one hundred Ferals, all of them racing at full speed. This would be too much for even the Agartha vampires, she knew. The would wash over them like an avalanche.
“Munitions fifty yards to our twelve o’clock!” she yelled.
Ed, Patrick, Chuck, and Wesley launched grenades into the oncoming wave of Ferals. The Ferals ignored the tiny flying object and kept running. Four grenades exploded moments apart, tearing into the horde. Feral appendages flew like shrapnel all around the road and surrounding forest. The concussion wave hit the team hard enough to blow Alex’s hair back.
The Ferals attacking the Agartha vampires were distracted for a moment by the light and the noise from the explosion. The vamps didn’t let that mistake slip by without extracting maximum damage. They sliced through the Ferals one after another, their blades performing a deadly dance.
For a moment Alex thought that they had made it. After everything they’d been through and the impossible odds, she thought this was it. She looked past the smoke of the explosions and saw the entrance to Agartha in the distance. Aside from a few straggler Ferals and lots of Feral corpses, the path looked clear.
The moment passed quickly as she spotted a boulder the size of her torso flying at the rover.
“Look out!” Alex yelled. She grabbed Owl and jumped, pulling them both off the rover.
Chuck, Wesley, and Patrick moved fast, following their captain’s lead and leaping from the vehicle.
Ed was firing at a Feral behind them and didn’t see what was happening until it was too late.
The boulder slammed into the rover, nearly ripping it in two. The trailer careened onto its side, and Ed went flying into the snow beyond the Agartha vampires.
In an instant, Jaden was in motion. He leapt to Ed and scooped him up with one arm, holding a sword in the other. “Get them in the transport!”
His team responded just as fast. In a moment, every member of the GMT was being tossed into the back of the transport. Another wave of Ferals hit the group, and the Agartha vampires only had seconds to see to the GMT before rejoining the fight.
Through the back of the truck, Alex saw Jaden tearing through more hostiles. He looked different now. The graceful but brutal calm he’d displayed at the beginning had been replaced with something more animalistic.
He threw one of his swords, and it slammed into an approaching Feral, burying itself to the hilt. With his freed hand he plucked a flying rock from the air. He spun as he caught the rock and used the momentum to send it rocketing toward the oncoming wave. The speed and force of the object was so great that it tore the head off one Feral and buried itself in the chest of the one behind it. Jaden’s momentum carried him forward, and he sliced through a Feral as he grabbed his sword from the chest of his fallen enemy.
The Ferals all moved as fast as Jaden, Alex realized, but they were mindless brawlers with no strategy. Jaden dodged their attacks and cut them down, predicting their every move.
Alex looked past Jaden and saw one of his team, a short female, bringing up the rear of their defense. She carried a great sword covered in blood, and she sliced through Ferals as she ran.
As she attacked another Feral, a rock flew at her from behind, smashing into her upper back. There was a loud crack, and she tumbled forward.
“No!” Alex shouted.
Four Ferals were on her in an instant. They tore at her ferociously, claws ripping flesh. In seconds, they’d separated her arms from her body. Then one of them sank its claws deep into her neck, not to drink, but to destroy. With a mighty pull, it ripped her head off her body.
Alex stared in disbelief at how fast the Ferals had dismembered the poor woman.
“We’re here!” George yelled.
Alex spun, looking out the front of the transport. The blast door slowly opened as they raced toward it.
Alex’s eyes widened with delight as she saw what waited for them just beyond the door. Agartha’s other ninety vampires stood at the ready, lined along the edges with a space in the center for the transport.
The truck did not slow, even though the door wasn’t all the way up. Alex ducked instinctively as they sped through, their roof just clearing the door.
Jaden and his eight remaining vampires dashed inside behind the transport, but they were followed by two dozen Ferals.
The vampires of Agartha made quick work of the Ferals.
“Get the door!” Jaden called. “And turn the guns back on!”
The door slid downward, and the vampires removed the head of any Feral who attempted to duck inside through the ever-shrinking opening.
As the door was almost shut, Alex heard the rail guns ramp up. The Ferals screeched as the automated weapons activated and riddled the horde with bullets.
She fell back on the floor of the transport and allowed herself a moment just to breathe.
There was so much work left to do and so many questions left to answer, but for now, they were safe. They were alive.
And then the moment was over. It was time to once again be a leader. She got up and looked her team over.
Ed was clutching a nasty gash in his leg, but other than that, everyone appeared uninjured. Battered, blood-splattered, and dazed, yes. But they were alive. She was alive.
“All right, team,” she said. “Welcome to Agartha.”
They climbed out of the transport and stood, unsure of what to do next.
The GMT of New Haven and the vampires of Agartha regarded each other.
Then Jaden looked at George. “Get them inside. Once this area is secured, we have a lot to discuss.”
Epilogue
Jessica knew they were coming for her, she just didn’t know when.
She’d known she was in trouble from t
he moment Fleming had given his address the previous morning, so she’d immediately dropped off the grid. She had a bag with a few essential items at the office, and she’d grabbed that, told no one she was leaving, and disappeared.
One nice thing about having spent the majority of her adult life in the Engineering department was that she knew the inner workings of New Haven better than almost anyone. There were networks of passageways that no one but the people who worked on them even knew existed. The badges would never find her down there, and even the people in engineering could spend days searching these tunnels and never stumble across her.
It wasn’t a permanent solution, she knew. Eventually, she’d have to come up with a plan. CB was on the run. Alex, Owl, and Brian? She didn’t know, but she had to assume they were probably in a jail cell by now.
She was alone.
So, she was rather surprised when she heard footsteps rushing down the tunnel toward her. She looked around, searching for somewhere to hide, but the tunnel was narrow. The only option was to fight.
She steeled herself, promising to get a few licks in before they brought her down.
A man rounded the corner, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
It was Brian.
A wide smile appeared on his haggard face when he saw her. “Thank heavens you’re alive.”
She blinked hard. “I don’t understand. How’d you find me?”
He held up a small device in his hand. “It’s an echolocation device I was working on for the GMT before Fleming put me on full-time daylight and railgun duty. It’s just a prototype, but apparently it works. I figured you’d be in the tunnels somewhere.”
She grabbed him and pulled him in for a quick hug. “What about the others?”
The smile faded. “The GMT was sent on a mission this morning and they never came back. We think it was a setup.”
Jessica’s stomach dropped at the news. If night had fallen with her friends on the surface, they were surely dead. And if Fleming had succeeded in taking out the GMT, they had truly lost.
As if reading her thoughts, Brian spoke again. “It’s not over yet. CB’s alive.”
Her eyes widened. “Is he okay?”
“He’s pissed as hell, but he’s alive.”
“You can take me to him?”
Brian nodded. “Beyond the three of us, I’m not sure who we can trust.”
“No one,” Jessica said quickly. “We can’t put anyone else at risk. It’s just us.”
“That’s what CB said, too. But he thinks it will be enough.”
“Enough for what?”
“Come with me. I’ll let CB explain. He has a plan.”
Alex sat across from Jaden at a narrow table in a small room. “So, what happens next?”
Jaden smiled his usual knowing smile, but there was a sadness in his eyes. “What would you like to happen?”
She considered that for a moment. Rather than answering the question, she said, “Thank you for saving us. And I’m sorry about what happened. With the woman on your team.”
“Her name was Joyce.” Jaden bowed his head. “I’ve known her a very long time. Losing her is… difficult. And you’re welcome.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“Your team is doing well,” he told her. “Ed’s leg is cut pretty badly, but we stitched it up. His brother instantly started making fun of him about it, which seemed an odd reaction.”
“Not if you know them.”
“The rest of them are helping my team with some duties around the city. They said they were too wired to sleep.”
“They’re just happy to be alive.”
“I’m glad they are. Alive, I mean.” He paused. “Agartha is a nice place to live. The first hundred years or so were a little rocky, but we have a pretty good system, now. I think you’ll like it. And I’ve considered the possibility of a daytime mission team. You seem like a very qualified candidate to head up that initiative.”
Alex smiled. “Thank you. I’m honored. But I’m not interested.”
“I suspected as much. But you never answered my question from before. What do you want to happen next?”
She let that hang in the air a moment before answering. “You know Fleming, right? Guy who runs New Haven?”
“I know of him, yes.”
“Well, he’s the reason my team got stranded down here. I tried to make a move against him, and this is how he smacked me down.”
“Ouch,” Jaden said.
“Yeah. I’ve been losing a lot to him lately. Every time I think I have him, he outmaneuvers me. But I figured something out. I’ve been going about it all wrong. Politics? He’s going to beat me there, every time. I need to go after him my way.”
Jaden cocked his head. “You want to go after Fleming? That’s what you want to happen next?”
“Not just that. I’m done losing. I’m going to go after Fleming, and I’m going to win. If you are really interested in protecting humanity, you’re going to help me. It’s time to save New Haven.”
The Savage Dawn
The Vampire World Saga Book 3
Prologue
Isaiah Craig glared at the guard through the bars of his cell. He’d been in this prison for nearly a month now, and in that time, he’d had almost no contact with the outside world beyond the dozen guards who cycled in and out throughout the day. And it wasn’t like the guards were chatty.
He still found it shocking how quickly his life had changed. A month ago, he’d been a general tasked with overseeing both the badges and the Ground Mission Team. Law enforcement and the military both reported to him. He’d probably been the most powerful person in New Haven who didn’t sit on the City Council.
And then Fleming had come along, blown up that council, taken control of the city and arrested Craig.
So where did that leave Craig? Could he still refer to himself as a general when he didn’t even have freedom to leave the room?
He looked again at the guard outside and frowned. The man had reported to Craig not that long ago. Craig had been his boss’s boss’s boss. Now the guard didn’t even deem to look at him.
Where was CB? Where was Kurtz? These two men had been his captains for years, his loyal seconds-in-command. Why would they allow him to sit in prison? Wouldn’t they fight to get him out? Craig could only think of one reason they wouldn’t: to protect their people. As different as CB and Kurtz were in many ways, they had one important thing in common: they cared more for the lives of the people who reported to them than they did for their own.
The video monitor in the corner flashed to life and the guard took a step forward. “All right, let’s hear what the man has to say.”
Craig scowled. The only times these monitors were used were during Fleming’s city-wide announcements. He had mixed feelings about being forced to watch these. On the one hand, the sight of Fleming’s smug face called up a righteous fury inside of Craig that he could barely suppress. On the other hand, these announcements were his only source of information about the city beyond these bars. As skewed as Fleming’s perspectives were, it was through an announcement that Craig had learned Alex was alive. Fleming had said she was helping with the Resettlement efforts, but from the uncomfortable look on Alex’s face, Craig got the idea that wasn’t the truth.
Fleming’s face filled the screen. ““Hello my fellow citizens. Today I’m coming to you with some truly exciting news. We’ve had a rough go of it lately. I’ve asked for sacrifices from each and every one of you. My engineering crews have dismantled nonessential systems, and we’ve all felt the impact of that in our lives. The first thing I want to say this morning is thank you. Thank you for believing in my vision for the future. Thank you for helping to make this day possible.”
“Get to the point,” Craig muttered.
The guard shot him a look. “Shut up, Craig.”
Fleming continued, “Before we continue, I do have one piece of disturbing news to report. Despite the overwhelming s
upport for our mission, there are still a few people who haven’t been able to see our vision. They like their lives the way they are. They enjoy the privileged lifestyle aboard this ship that is the result of the hard work of the majority, and they don’t want to give that up. One of those people is Colonel Arnold Brickman. Colonel Brickman took action against our city today, storming the badge headquarters in an attempt to free General Craig, presumably so the general could help him stage a military coup. Colonel Brickman failed, and he was injured by a heroic badge, but he remains at large.”
There was more to Fleming’s speech. Words about important matters like Resettlement and the state of the city. But Isaiah Craig was hardly listening. He’d already heard the one thing he needed to know. The thing that gave him hope. The thing that made him think that, as bleak as everything had been for the last month, maybe the good guys still had a chance.
CB was alive, and he was fighting Fleming.
1
“I’m done losing,” Alex said. “I’m going to go after Fleming, and I’m going to win. And if you are really interested in protecting humanity, you’re going to help me. It’s time to save New Haven.”
Jaden sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Wow, sounds serious. How are you gonna start?”
Alex pushed away the mild annoyance she felt at Jaden’s casual response. They were sitting in a small meeting room in Agartha. It had only been hours since their harrowing battle with Ferals on the road to Agartha. Jaden and his vampires had saved their lives after George drove them out so they could strike the moment the sun went down. They’d made it, but at great cost. One of Jaden’s vampires had been killed in the rescue.
Alex was still buzzing with adrenaline, and she didn’t want to wait for that feeling to go away. She wanted to use it. To put that razor-keen edge she felt herself balancing on in her hand and slit Fleming’s throat with it.
