“Tal’davin will have your head for this, Toldar!” Gareth said. “I hope your son pays for what you’ve done here today!”
“That reminds me,” Abner said. “Where is he?”
“Not going to tell you anything,” Gareth spat.
“Fine,” Abner said. “I’ll find him myself.” Abner grabbed Gareth by what remained of his hair and dragged him to the edge. He looked into the eyes of the Vampire that had helped turn his wife against him and shrugged. “Let’s see if you survive without your head intact.”
With a roar, Abner sliced open the front of Gareth’s front, spirting more black blood onto his body. The dead eyes continued to stare at him, so Abner rammed his claws through both eye sockets and wrenched Gareth’s head clear of his body. The body staggered, with the pressure and tottered towards the edge. It was sent on its way with a final kick from Abner, as he tossed the head carelessly over the side.
“Come, brother!” Zarazenih called over the sound of the helicopter. “We have to leave!”
Abner looked up from his kill and started to run towards the helicopter. Then out of the corner of his eye something hurtled towards him and an explosion rocked him, sending him falling off the side of the building and tumbling into the night.
16
Air Raid
The alarm still rang through the city sky and now sirens from the streets below grew louder as emergency responders drew closer to the sight of the explosion. Abner opened his eyes slowly, his head still pounding from the impact. He looked around fully expecting himself to have been throw to the ground, but instead found himself only four stories from the roof at an awkward angle wedged halfway up a fire escape.
Abner heard a buzzing around his head and looked up to see the scorched floors above him. The entire side of the building was missing in what was an obvious attempt to kill him. He lay in shattered glass and his hands bled. Abner reached over in annoyance and pulled two glass shards from the open wounds.
Something ran into him. Abner looked up to see the source of the buzzing. A small white object floated above his head with four rotors turning, making it act like a helicopter. Once Abner’s attention had focused on it, a projection shot up above the object. Tal’davin appeared with a smirk on his face.
“Ah, my chosen child, you have awoken at last. I see you have met my remote-controlled attack drone. I trust you enjoyed its efforts just now,” Tal’davin said.
“What do you want from me?” Abner said.
“You attacked me, my son, not once but three times now. I had to send a message,” Tal’davin said. “All I want is what I’ve always wanted. For you to be by my side, Vampires to no longer need to feed on humans and for Taagras to grow into a global empire.”
“So keeping me locked away in a tub to be experimented on helped you towards your goals?” Abner asked. “What makes you think that I’d be willing to join you after you made the woman I love stab me in the back so I’d be easy pickings for you?”
“I didn’t want to fight you, Abner,” Tal’davin said. “I wanted you to be perfect, but for some reason we couldn’t rewrite your biology. The amount of blood we pumped into you, the surgeries, nothing worked. I wanted to make you pure. That’s why you were stabbed in the back all those years ago. You were meant to be what legitimized us. When I began to take control I was met with resistance, you were supposed to bridge that. But now I see that nothing I have done to you has changed you and you’ll be destroyed along with the other Hunters. Goodbye.”
The projection faded out and the drone began to move. Abner still groggy pulled himself to his feet as a red light lit up on his chest. A section of the drone opened to reveal a gun ready to fire. Abner lunged at the drone, knocking it out of the sky with his hand, sending it spinning just as the gun went off. The bullet sailed past Abner’s head and pinged off one of the metal stairs.
Abner climbed onto the railing chasing the drone and waited for it to swing back around. It lit up his chest again with the red light and he leapt forwards. The drone didn’t move out of the way and with both of his hands wrapped around the rotors, the drone began to drop towards the ground. Abner held on as the controller tried to throw him off as the drone drew closer to the ground.
Realizing the inevitable the drone then changed course and rather than going up, turned and plummeted towards the road below in a suicide attempt. Even at this late hour cars still surged past Tal’davin’s building on the highway. Abner watched, waiting for the right moment. He start to swing his legs, building up momentum to clear the drone if it was set to explode.
Ten meters from the ground he completed his final swing and pushed his Vampire blood through his veins, heightening his senses once again. Letting out a roar he sailed through the air and landed to the side of the road rolling into the median strip between the lanes of the road. The grass helped to soften his fall, and the slight slope helped him roll to a complete stop in the middle. A second later an explosion rocked the surroundings and the night sky was filled with the sounds of screeching brakes, screaming and collisions.
The buzzing sound of a dozen drones filled the air over the sound of the chaos, and Abner crawled to the top of the median strip to find more drones flying towards him illuminated by the city lights. These were armed different to the last one, all of them carrying bullets the size of a small cat. Abner pushed himself off the ground and turned to run. Even with the cover of the cars backing up rapidly on the highway, the drones held the advantage.
He dived into the first car that had not been touched by the explosion of the first drone. The driver, a middle-aged man, turned and let out a cry of alarm.
“Shut up,” Abner said. “Keep your head down. They’re looking for me.”
“Get the fuck out of my car!” the man said. He fumbled for his car door and tried to scramble outside. “He’s here! The one you want he’s in here!”
Before he had even undone his seatbelt, Abner had leapt across the front seats and grabbed the man by the throat, pushing his claws into the man’s neck, cutting him off mid scream. Abner ducked down behind the front seats making himself as flat as possible. The drones neared and slowed, lights coming out from just above their weapons, tracing over the ground in front of them searching for movement.
One of the drones stayed far up behind the others projecting an image of Abner’s face, much like the first had done with Tal’davin’s. People slowly then began to climb from their cars with the bangs of the doors behind them. Those that walked past Abner had an anxious look on their faces as the drone lights passed over them.
The Vampires amongst them jumped on top of the cars, their red eyes flashing in the dim lights, sniffing the air assisting the search for the Hunter. One Vampire grabbed a man and shoved him onto the bonnet of the car, pinning his head against the metal. The Vampire’s eyes looked through the car and paused, meeting Abner’s gaze. It reared its head back and the lights snapped towards it.
Abner pushed the door open not even bothering to open it normally. The door swung off its hinges and collected a human as they tried to dart past. A drone locked onto Abner and fired, a loud hiss filling the air. He ran for cover, the explosion hitting the car and sending him sprawling once again into the median strip. He was stunned, face down in the dirt, ears ringing until a moment later, gunshots filled the air.
The drones began to explode filing the sky with sparks and small explosions as they tumbled to the ground. Before another projectile could be fired at him, the last drone had fallen from the sky. The few Vampires scattered throughout the humans began to turn and run. Abner stood and let a roar out after them before he heard the click of a gun being pointed at the back of his head.
“Turn around,” a gruff voice said. “Hands on your head.”
“That isn’t going to help you,” Abner said. “You know what I am. Are you a Hunter?”
“Better safe than sorry, and of course I am. Nobody else is brave or stupid enough to put a gun to the head of Abner Toldar
,” the Hunter said. “Guessing you caused the mess up there?”
“Wasn’t me,” Abner said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I had help from a couple of friends though.”
“Alright turn around.”
Abner was grabbed by the shoulder and spun slowly until he was staring down the barrel of another rifle. Two Hunters stood before him, both clad in black combat vests, their faces covered. From underneath the masks Abner could see their eyes, one green, one a murky brown.
“You’re from the Tyrain Huntrey then?” Abner asked.
“Aye, where else would we be from?” the first Hunter asked. “There’s only one Huntrey in each country. It’s not exactly like we have time to go on holidays, is it? We started heading over when you first put a hole in the side of Tal’davin’s office.”
“Again, wasn’t me,” Abner said.
“Yeah we know, we picked up your friends. They’re doing just fine. You were out for a little while before you started all this bull shit out here. Lucky we got to you in time. It’s rare that Tal’davin sends his own Hunters out. You would have had no chance against them.”
Abner shrugged again. “It’ll take more than that to kill me.”
“A missile would rip you apart,” the Hunter said. “But we need to move. Your chopper got fucked up in the explosion, so you’ll need to come with us.”
“Your Huntrey is nearby?” Abner asked.
“Just up the road, we’ll need to take a ute to get there. It’s in the sticks,” the Hunter said. “I’m Helmsey and my mate here is Aj.”
Abner shook their hands. “Good to meet you both, but you’re right we need to get out of here. Don’t need anymore of those things to come after us.”
By the time Abner had reached the Tyrain Huntrey the rest of the Hunters and Zarazenih had arrived. The Tyrainian den was similar in appearance to that of the first Sauriaan den Abner had hid away in. The Hunters all sat around the table now discussing their next course of action.
“We need to start the fight back now,” Abner said. “Tal’davin has had far too long to run free over Taagras. I still don’t know how your predecessors let him become this powerful. Yes he had the amulets, but he’s become the monopoly player with everything. This is what we were meant to stop!”
“And we’re starting that today,” Gerard said. “Don’t forget why we came here. Aj, you said you’ve got contacts higher up within Tal’davin’s operations?”
“That’s right, I come from West Anacore originally. We still have the largest number of Lotu throughout Taagras that are actively working with us. They keep their heads down and so far their covers are intact,” Aj said.
“Nobody outside this room knows that I’m still alive, do they?” Abner asked. The Tyrianian Hunters shook their heads. “Alright we need to send word to whoever we can immediately. Tal’davin needs to come after us when we’re ready. He knows we’re still alive.”
“Why do you want him to come after us, Abner? We’ll be outnumbered and have our backs against the wall,” Helmsey said.
“At this point in the game we need to make big plays. This war of attrition hasn’t worked in the Hunters favor. It takes us years to make a Hunter, whereas Vampires can be made overnight,” Abner said. “What do you realistically hope to do with less than a dozen of us? I’m calling the shots now and we’re going to find these Lotu of yours Aj. I want to bring them into the fold.”
“All is well and good Toldar, but aren’t you forgetting someone?” Gerard asked.
“The abomination?” Zarazenih asked. “Huh, we’re better off leaving him to Tal’davin. My past encounters with him have not been pleasant.”
“He’s been a more valuable asset to us than you ever have, Zarazenih,” Gerard said. “We need him back. The sooner the better. We don’t need him divulging our secrets to Tal’davin.”
“We’ve got no idea where they’ve taken him,” Abner said. “If we knew, I’d happily start there. But if what you were telling me is true, Tal’davin could have hundreds of dungeons spread throughout Taagras like he kept me in. Aj could you Lotu be of assistance?”
Aj looked around at the other Hunters gathered at the table and nodded. “Pack your bags boys and girls, time for a trip to West Anacore.”
17
A Return Home
The Hunters touched down in West Anacore just as the sun began to set on the far northern horizon. Aj slipped them past the airport security, allowing the Hunters to retain their weapons. They climbed in a car and started the journey through the city towards the site of where the West Anacore Huntrey had fallen over four hundred years ago.
The Red Sky from all those years ago still lingered over the site and as they peaked the hill, Abner remembered the first time he had seen the Huntrey laid to waste before him. He looked beside him and saw Lois again atop her horse, her blonde hair waving in the wind as they looked down upon their now ruined home.
Abner blinked and refocused on the present. It was Paige who sat beside him instead, her face a mirror of his, her lips pursed in concertation. Even all these years later, the Huntrey remained as it had days after it had fallen.
Nobody had touched it, leaving it as a permanent reminder to those that Tal’davin no longer wanted being part of the world. The ruins around the main tower were silent as the Hunters pulled up to it. The five of them and Zarazenih climbed out and looked around.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Zarazenih said.
“What are you talking about beasty boy?” Aj asked. “It’s fine, I trained here for years. We’re underground now, harder to get too.”
Zarazenih grunted. “If you say so. I can smell Vampires.”
“Contact!” Paige said. She ran forward with her rifle spraying bullets into the ruins.
“I warned you,” Zarazenih said. He started to run, shifting into the ghost as he strode forward. “Follow me!”
A shriek caught Abner’s attention and he looked to the top of the tower to find a Vampire basking in the dying sunlight, flexing its grey muscles and arching its back as if waking from a long sleep.
Gerard took position and fired up the tower. His first bullet took the Vampire in the side of the head, but it didn’t fall to the floor as expected. Instead the monster turned its head and let out another shriek, snapping its jaws in the Hunters direction. One by one more Vampires started to emerge onto the platform until twenty of them glared down at the Hunters.
“Zarazenih, Paige! Get back here!”
“Oh shit,” Paige said. She looked up to the tower. “Are they what I think they are?”
As a unit, the Vampires leapt from the tower, some sliding down the ruined towers, others in a freefall. They all hit the ground within seconds of each other and stood to their full height less than fifty meters from the Hunters. Even from here their shoulders looked broader and their legs were rippling with muscle.
“Yep.” Gerard said. “They’re Purestrain Vampires.”
“Pure what?” Abner asked.
“Purestrain,” Helmsey said. “Bigger, faster than normal. They’ve evolved. This is the results of being exposed to the Red Sky for such a long period of time. These are the best tools in Tal’davin’s arsenal, even though he doesn’t actively use them. They’ve shed all what remains of their human bodies and they don’t answer to anyone. Although some over them have challenged Tal’davin over the years none have succeeded.”
“Great well thanks for telling me,” Abner said. “Can we kill them?”
“Yeah, cut their fucking heads off,” Paige said. Her knife was already in her hand.
“Won’t be a problem,” Abner said. “You’ll find I’m adept at that.”
He walked forwards towards the group of Purestrain Vampires, his claws and fangs both on display. Abner let out a shriek and started towards them. As one the Purestrain Vampires responded in kind, rushing forward to meet their new adversary. A second later Abner found himself in the air and then on his back. The first of the pack had pi
cked him up and thrown him down.
The Vampires fist came down beside his head and its jaws snapped close to his face. Abner tried to crawl backwards but the Vampire had him pinned. He heard a ticking from above him and the Vampire turned its head, clawing at the back of its skull. A second later its head exploded leaving a bloodied black hole at the end of its neck.
He pushed the body off him and stood up, seeing the other Vampires around him explode in a similar fashion. Zarazenih held one in his mouth his claws drenched in his foe’s blood. From inside the Huntrey tower, Abner could see a hand waving to them beckoning them forward. He looked closer and as they drew closer Abner could see a long barrel sticking out of a window.
A Hunter emerged from the tower moments later and smiled at the group as they marched up the small hill. He was an elderly man, easily in his sixties with a trimmed beard and piercing dark eyes that matched his dark skin.
“Thanks for the distraction!” he said. “Those motherfuckers have been stalking us for weeks now. I’m honestly surprised we’ve lasted this long. Thought we’d come here and try to cut the head off the snake. I’m Roni, by the way.”
Abner stepped forward. “Abner Toldar, nice to meet you.”
Roni looked like he had been hit by lightning. His hand recoiled as his jaw hit the floor. “You’re joking.” Abner’s response was to open his mouth and expose his fangs. “Ah, of course. I thought you were just a crazy motherfucker trying to take them on in hand to hand combat. Very brave sir, but now it all makes sense, you’re a Toldar. What’d you come here for anyway?”
“Came to see what remained of the West Anacore Huntrey, it’s Lotu, and if it’s Hunters would help us in our new mission,” Abner said.
“Taagras has done a lot under another motherfucker that once shared your name, Abner. Why should we bother? You’ll end up getting us all killed.”
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 69
