Zarazenih smiled again. “That’s the fire that we’ve needed for so long. Good to see you’re back and in fine form. Are you in the mood for a hunt?”
“I could be, what’s the target?” Abner asked.
“Our father of course. Both of us together should be able to defeat him,” Zarazenih said. “I can take you to his base of operations and we can slaughter him together, brother. Start setting Taagras on the right course so to speak as I’ve wanted too for so long.”
“You didn’t think to enlist the Hunters help in the past?” Abner asked. “Why did it have to be me?”
“They’re all mortal,” Zarazenih said. “We’re playing the long game. I had no affiliation with them in order to keep them safe. But with you Abner, we can cut the head off the snake. I haven’t been strong enough in the past to defeat Tal’davin by myself. We need the amulets.”
“He wears them doesn’t he?” Abner asked.
“Of course,” Zarazenih said. “All part of the same original amulet. But something tells me that after all his years he doesn’t have them all.”
“What do you mean?” Abner asked.
“What I’m insinuating is that there’s more than what amulets he already has. I think there’s one more. After all of this time if Tal’davin was as powerful as he says he is, the Red Sky would be across all of Taagras. Vampires would no longer necessarily need humans to sustain them as they currently do,” Zarazenih said.
“So you’re saying there’s a chance that we can still take him out?” Gerard said. “I’d long suspected it but I didn’t think it was possible.”
“You’re slow and weak, human,” Zarazenih said. “You haven’t seen what Tal’davin was capable of even without the amulets. The first time I battled him he carried none. That was when I was training to become what I am today. We would spar and even with my enhancements he was impossible to touch. You don’t know what you’re up against.”
“Fine so we fly the helicopter to wherever he is, sit in it with rifles at the ready and shoot everything in sight,” Gerard said.
“You can read minds, now, Hunter. Very deceptive of you,” Zarazenih smiled. “No we should leave immediately for the Conser mega city. I intend to disrupt Tal’davin’s operations there and give him something to be concerned with. He needs to feel threatened and any movement taken against him will be dealt with personally. There’s a big shipment of a new experimental drug to help Vampires cope without human blood getting ready to move in the next couple of days.”
“Can you take us there?” Gerard asked.
“Of course,” Zarazenih said. “I only escaped from the facility a matter of days ago.”
“We better move then,” Gerard said. He beckoned to the helicopter to come down. Valdmire complied bringing the rotors to a stop as the helicopter touched down. “Do you need anything, wolf?”
Zarazenih’s eyes flashed red and he spotted a small herd of deer gathered on the fringes of the wilderness under a pocket of vine trees. He began to shift into his wolf form and took off after them. Gerard rolled his rifle off his shoulder and shot a bullet past Zarazenih. A second later the deer collapsed, it’s head exploding from one side as the bullet found its mark just as it had begun to run from the sight of the giant wolf bounding towards it. Zarazenih landed upon his prey a second later. He snapped up the kill in his jaws and returned to the Hunters moments later.
“You didn’t need to do that, Hunter,” the wolf said. He had transformed back to his human form and threw the deer down onto the ground.
Gerard shrugged and gave Zarazenih a grin. “Didn’t want you to have to work for it.”
Zarazenih knelt down and used his untransformed claw to tear hunks of meat off the deer, chewing it down whole. When he’d had his full he stood and wiped his hands on his jacket.
The Hunters and their new ally climbed into the side of the helicopter and began to fill the seats. Paige had moved through to the cockpit and sat beside Valdmire. The half-Vampire reached through and shook Zarazenih’s bloodied hand.
“Wolf,” Valdmire said.
Zarazenih responded with a snarl. “Half-breed. Fly us to Conser immediately.”
“I don’t take orders from you,” Valdmire said.
“We need to get there as a matter of urgency, if you can’t take the time out of your schedule, I can fly, Valdmire,” Gerard said.
“No, it’s fine. Just make sure that abomination keeps its mouth shut and doesn’t dirty our ride,” Valdmire said.
15
Sending A Message
Valdmire kept the helicopter low as they darted through the sky of the southern reaches of Taagras on their way to Tyrain. The landscape underneath Abner changed rapidly as they flew, first changing from the grasslands to the urban sprawl of Rhorn before seeing the city itself in the distance. The city quickly changed to the mountains of the Rhorn Pass, with Valdmire gathering attention from those inhabitants on the ground in the snow below.
They were quickly greeted by the generous greenery of Tyrain as they slipped over the mountains, once what had been open rolling plains had now been converted to farmland, full of sheep and cattle. An occasional brown speck appeared on the horizon, a house belonging to the landowners. By sunset the Conser mega city lights had been switched on and the city began to glow on the horizon.
Gabriel had chatted in their ears for the entire journey, running through layouts and schematics for the facility. Valdmire confirmed information that he had known and Zarazenih glared a hole into the back of the half-Vampire’s head.
“Right, we’ll be there in a minute,” Valdmire said over the headset. “You lot all ready?”
“Yep,” Gerard said. He lowered himself onto the rung of the helicopter, one hand holding onto the railing, the other clasped around his rifle. “I can see guards on the building!”
“Take them out,” Abner said. “Be quiet about it if you can.”
Gerard raised his rifle and squeezed the trigger twice, landing clean hits on both targets that patrolled around opposite edges of the rooftop. He trained the rifle on the door, waiting for an alarm to go off that didn’t come. Valdmire landed on the helipad, the rails barely touching the ground before he turned the engine off. The rotors wound down, leaving the group in almost silence with only the sounds of the city below.
Zarazenih flashed a grin at Abner. “Been waiting for this for a long time, brother.”
Gerard was the first across the roof to the steel door, with Paige hot on his heels. Zarazenih stacked up beside them next with Abner waiting to charge through first. Gerard turned the handle and gently pushed the door open to reveal a stairwell before Abner. He leapt down, the first flight of stairs landing before another door.
The other Hunters joined him and Abner walked through into an office area with views that stretched out far over the rest of Conser. Every direction he turned in he was met with a glazed glass wall, and white tiles underneath his feet.
“I smell a lot of Vampires, Ab,” Zarazenih said.
His brother took a sniff of the air. “Nothing to be concerned about,” Abner said. “It’s a skeleton crew.”
“Hmm, Tal’davin said he’d dulled your senses, best be weary,” Zarazenih said. “I’ll lead the way to that other landing platform. That’s where the shipment ought to be, I’ve been here before.”
He tore down the hallway and turned to the left, shifting into his wolf form as he ran, his footsteps turning into the sounds of claws scratching against the tiles. Abner and the other Hunters followed, racing to the other side of the building following Zarazenih. A bell rung out from beside them and a door slid open. Gerard turned and fired, bullets whizzing around the door from the elevator.
The Vampire ducked for cover behind the glass panels, flattening himself to the floor. Zarazenih turned back and leapt through the glass, sending shards shattering everywhere over his face. There was a howl from the Vampire as Zarazenih picked it up in his jaws and bit it in half. Zarazenih looked around and
gave as much of a shrug as he could at the Hunters, before transforming again to walk into the lift.
“I’ll provide a distraction,” he said. “Continue down that corridor and you should reach it in the next minute.”
“Will you be alright?” Abner asked.
“Worst comes to worse, Tal’davin has a capture order against me. In no point that I’ve engaged the Vampires in the last four hundred years have they tried to kill me,” Zarazenih said.
“There was that one time,” Paige said.
Zarazenih shook his head. “All part of the plan,” he said with a smile.
“Right, we’ve got to go,” Gerard said. “Time sensitive remember!”
The doors closed on the elevator closed shut, obscuring Zarazenih from sight. Abner turned down the corridor and saw two Vampires both in a greyed out uniform walking towards them. Each Vampire had an identical red claw emblazoned on their chest and wore a gun on their hip. They saw Abner and one drew its gun, the other pressing a button attached to its wrist.
Two shots rang out from behind Abner before he could attack and Paige let out a sigh. “Typical,” she said. An alarm started to sound throughout the building, a long drawn out beep in rapid succession. “So much for a quiet in and out job.”
Gerard puffed out his lips. “Now we’ve done it, hopefully they’ll be onto Zarazenih.”
Abner heard footsteps running down the corridor towards them, coming from the loading dock. He pushed his fangs through his gums and let his claws take their natural position at the end of his fingers. Paige and Gerard both took up firing positions on either sides of the corridor, ducking behind a beam respectively.
The first gunshots came from the Vampires even before they had rounded the corner. Abner ducked to one side, crouching beside a crate to avoid the sparks flying from where the bullets glanced off the tiles. He spotted his first target and leapt forward. Bullets from the Hunters flew overhead as he tore the throat of out the first Vampire’s throat.
He rolled over the Vampire and swung with his claws at the first still standing in front of him. Its leg buckled, and Abner clawed at its facing, tearing through the hardened skin, leaving it withering in pain. Another swung down at him and Abner rolled again, grabbing its arm, pulling it down to him before pushing his claws through its chest. Another bullet from Paige finished it off, leaving the huddle of a dozen Vampires in a pool of blood, ash and flame.
“That wasn’t too bad,” Abner said getting up off the floor. “There’s more around the corner. Get ready, we’re there.”
Gerard dropped the magazine out of his rifle and pressed a fresh one into the chamber. He checked down the sights once again and strode past Abner. “I’ve got this sorted.”
He fiddled with a switch on the side of the rifle and Abner saw the barrel widen. Gerard walked out into sight of the Vampires unloading cargo from four much larger helicopters than the Hunters had rode in on. None of them paid him any attention until the first shell was flying through the air.
It struck the closest helicopter underneath the propellers turning into a fireball of metal and flame. The Vampires that weren’t flung back by the explosion were still roasted by it. Abner ran forwards, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, swiping at the first Vampire he ran past. It fell howling, landing in a flame, not needing another Hunter to finish it off.
Gerard shot another shell at the next helicopter, which subsequently exploded. The Vampires now noticed the Hunters and turned their attention to the Hunters rather than pulling their friends from the wreckage. Paige stood side by side with Gerard as he shot the final two helicopters into pieces. He then turned his attention to the mountains of crates that stood stacked on each other to the side of the landing pad.
The Vampires that had regained their feet staggered towards Abner who stood in front of the other two Hunters, keeping them from harm. Gerard dropped another magazine from the rifle and proceeded to load another into its slot. He then fired on the crates furthest away from him as Abner grabbed a Vampire and tore its head clear from its shoulders.
He paused from the carnage to look at the flames erupting from the volatile substance in the containers, erupting into a massive fireball.
“Think it’s time we left,” Abner said.
“You’d be right about that,” Gerard said. “Where’s your brother?”
“Just follow the trail of fur and dead bodies,” Abner said. He turned to move back towards the elevator and where they had left Zarazenih. “Otherwise I’m sure he’ll be fine to find his own way out.”
The alarm still rang out as the Hunters made their way back up the stairs to were Valdmire was waiting in the helicopter. They passed the elevator to find claw marks that could have only have been left by Zarazenih as he pried the doors open scrapped along the tiles. A trickle of blood lead down the corridor and towards the helicopter. Abner stopped and gathered some on the tip of his finger.
“It’s Zarazenih’s,” he said.
Gerard flushed white like he had just seen a ghost. “We need to get the fuck out of here, now!”
He took the lead, his rifle raised in front of him, retracing the Hunters steps to the helipad that Valdmire had landed on. Gerard ran up the steps and wrenched open the steel door at the top of the stair case. Abner reached the top step a moment later but was greeted by a boot to his stomach.
He flew backwards, his arms becoming uncontrollable windmills before he hit the wall. Abner looked up and saw Gareth standing on top of the stairs, battered, but very much still alive. His hair was mattered, and his face still bore the scars from his first encounter with Abner that ran across his body, evidence of his fall from the building.
Gerard threw a fist at Gareth and was pulled through the door and thrown to the ground. He let out a cry of pain as his back slammed into the ground. Gerard rose quickly and drew a knife from his belt. Other Vampires emerged from behind the air conditioning units and other assorted devices on the rooftop.
Abner regained his feet as Paige had charged Gareth, a knife of her own in hand. She swung wildly, letting out a scream of her own. Gareth easily avoided the blade, simply patting away her blows like she was nothing more than a fly from her lowered position. Faster than a snake he struck out, cusping his hand jabbing at the Hunter’s throat. Paige collapsed gasping for air, the knife falling to the side.
“Surprised to see me, Toldar?” Gareth asked.
“Surprised to see you survived, yes,” Abner said. “I threw you out the side of a building. I would have thought you would have succumbed to the impact alone.”
“We’re higher up tonight,” Abner,” Gareth said. “Do it again if you think you’re strong enough.”
Abner walked up the stairs, measuring each step waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. He launched himself forwards once he reached the third highest step, striking at Gareth’s stomach, forcing the Vampire to take a step back. Abner stepped over Paige who was now scrambling for her knife and continued his assault.
Gareth continued to parry his blows with a seeming ease, much faster than their encounter in Rhorn. It seemed as if he was fighting in a completely different body. But the wounds on his face told a different story. The two traded blows, neither doing enough to phase the other and they moved towards the helicopter.
Paige had regained her rifle and was taking pot shots at Vampires as they ran at Gerard from inside the door. The Hunter fought with his knife, taking on each Vampire as they came one at a time. A crash came from behind one of the units and heard a howl as Zarazenih leapt onto another man of a similar size, his fists working away raining down punches on his head and chest.
“You two!” Abner yelled. “Get out of here! We’ve got this.”
“No, we’re not leaving without you!” Gerard said.
Abner blocked another blow from Gareth and stepped around him, grabbing his arm as went. “Stop fighting, take me to Tal’davin.”
Gareth paused, momentarily confused. “Stop!” He
called out to the other Vampires. They stopped surging across the rooftop towards the Hunters. Zarazenih and the other wolf stopped struggling. “You actually want to see him?”
Abner nodded. “Why else do you think we came here?”
“You want your friends to escape!” Gareth said. He broke free of Abner’s grip, smashing a fist down into Abner’s elbow.
“Where the fuck is Valdmire?” Gerard asked. He climbed into the cockpit of the helicopter as Paige continued to shoot the oncoming Vampires.
“No idea, they probably took him. Start it up!” Paige said between shots.
Another yelp came from the wolves and Zarazenih’s opponent lay limp. Zarazenih had transformed his head back into the wolf and now was covered in blood.
Gareth took advantage of the chaos and continued to attack Abner, only getting faster with each blow that missed. Abner took a step back and sent his knee flying into Gareth’s stomach. This time the blow connected, and the Vampire reached over. Abner’s claws found the back of Gareth’s neck and he pulled.
He was greeted with a fistful of flesh and blood in his hand and he threw it away in disgust. Gareth reared back in pain grasping at his now destroyed neck, clutching the bare bone of his spine.
“You’ve ruined everything!” The Vampire howled at Abner and swiped at him again with its free claw.
“No, you did that yourself!” Abner said.
He grabbed Gareth by the wrist again as the Vampire continued to screech in pain. With a flick of his own wrist, Abner heard the crunch of Gareth’s bones snapping under the pressure. He let out another scream and momentarily forgot about his neck. He tried to strike Abner again with a similar result to his other arm.
Zarazenih had now fully transformed and now continued to batter Vampires away with his massive paws and quickness. Some landed scratches but those that had didn’t rise after they had landed a blow. Paige continued to shoot at the horde as Gerard steadied the helicopter just off the roof.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 68
