The Dark Messiah

by Michael Anderle

  Then, two of them broke off, a male police officer and a female in boots, and strode into the building.

  Not long after, he noticed two more bodies break off from the buildings in the darkness. The female threw a rock and then both jumped off of a car to go crashing through a second-story window. A grenade, it sounded like, went off shortly after that. All sorts of gunfire and the sound of people fighting and dying broke out.

  It seemed possible that New York might have a force fighting for it already.

  Michael Mysted around to another side and materialized at street level, inside the entranceway of a closed store. He turned his head, hearing some footsteps rushing towards the main building, but sounded like they would pass his location. “Come quick!” a voice called out over a radio, “Enforcer HQ is under attack! Repeat, we have Weres and vampires attacking!”

  Michael’s eyes flashed red. He reached under his jacket and pulled out his pistols and dialed them up to ten.

  He stepped out into the street and turned the corner towards those he could hear running in his direction.

  —

  “God dammit,” Peterson yelled at his men, “Hurry the fuck up. We got people dying back at the base right now!”

  The seven men had been enjoying a late dinner when the call came in that their headquarters was under attack, with the code word UnknownWorld tossed into the sentence.

  “Fucking vamps and Weres,” another groused behind him, “Knew we shouldn’t have trusted those hairy fucks.”

  “Shut your pie hole and save it for when we get there,” Peterson called back, “We have…,” he put a hand up, “Hold!” the men behind him all slowed to a stop and spread out to stand on both sides of him.

  In front of them stood one man, his eyes red, his teeth marking him a vampire. In each hand he held pistols, faint blue lights glowing on their sides.

  “Fire on that fucker!” Peterson screamed, and Michael moved. Dodging left, his right gun came up, and he released the first kinetic round, the pellet slamming into the building behind Peterson before his head even partially exploded. Michael had already aimed at the man to his right and fired before the first person cleared his gun from his holster.

  Michael killed the next two on the right as he brought his left pistol up and he started on his left and took them out one, two, three. The last person dying before his rifle had been brought up twelve inches. His finger spasmed, sending bullets into the concrete, the line passing Michael on his right.

  Michael changed to Myst and went up. The Evil was getting closer. He could feel a massive amount of Etheric energy coming at them.

  Coming here to New York.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The rain started falling, the darkness was coming, and the weather was announcing the imminent arrival of those that were Evil Incarnate.

  Michael checked the rounds in his pistols and smiled. One had to love a gun with such a capacity for destruction, and he had two.

  He was on top of the building when he first noticed the black airships, lightning outlining them, in the distance. He set his foot on a step, stared at them, and waited. He was still waiting when he noticed multiple air cars coming from the Enforcers HQ. The first airships docked into the tall towers in the same manner as the one he and Jacqueline had arrived on.

  He aimed a pistol at one of the airships and fired.

  Nothing happened. He wasn’t sure if it was a miss, or he hit it but the kinetic energy had run out due to the distance. Hell, he might have hit the airship, and the small holes weren’t able to do enough damage to harm it. Some of the other dirigibles tossed ropes over the side, uncoiling as much as two hundred feet to the ground below.

  Now, Michael could see other vampires going down the sides, and Nosferatu following in their wake, like organic automatons waiting for permission to start feasting on the people of New York.

  Another few air pods came flashing by his position. He leaped over the side and Mysted towards where a clump of vampires was congregating below the elevators.

  —

  Amedaeusz Wassil could feel the ravenous minds of his Nosferatu all begging to be let loose. They could smell the delicious flesh of the humans so close.

  So damned close.

  It was a strain for him to keep all of his Nosferatu in check. Thank God these weren’t the ones Donovan had changed, or he would be up shit creek. The more powerful the vampire, the more powerful the Nosferatu created.

  Still, to feel like he was the one to release his own version of hell on the world was a feeling he couldn’t ignore and he felt ready to crush the planet. He smirked and slammed his hand with Johnathan’s. “Going to change the earth tonight.” He laughed, “And it’s time the world learns who the real masters are!”

  “You hear Donovan’s last message?” Johnathan asked, and Amedaeusz shook his head, “He told us maximum carnage!”

  “The best kind of carnage, I would think,” Amedaeusz agreed, “can’t wait for my little puppies to grab a couple of four-year-olds, they are old enough to really shriek, calling for their mommas who come running out, cursing whoever holds their babies. They run right into the mouth of the beast and get consumed.” He put his fingers to his lips and kissed them, “Best trap ever.”

  Both men laughed and ducked when a lightning strike hit the tower they were standing at. Instead of shunting to the ground, like both expected, it stayed up at the top of the tower, frying the Airship connected to it. The gravitic controls shorting out, it started floating away, the cables that kept it docked to the tower snapping. It was losing altitude, and they both could see that it would crash out in the water.

  The lightning arced down the tower, and both men started backing up until it jumped off the tower to a point behind them.

  Both turned around to see a man standing in the middle of the field, nothing around him for twenty feet, the electricity entering his open hand like he was accepting it into his body.

  His eyes glowed red.

  “Who the fuck is that?” Amedaeusz asked, but his partner just shook his head.

  The new man looked at all of the Nosferatu around him. He clapped his hands together in front of him, and electricity started flowing between his hands, lighting up his face, reflecting off his head, his white fangs clearly outlined against his skin.

  His voice, when he spoke, hit both their ears and their brains.

  “JUDGED!” His voice rang out, the mental voice causing them to wince, “FORSAKEN!”

  “Oh god no!” Johnathan hissed, “No no no no no!”

  “Who No?” Amedaeusz punched his friend trying to get his attention, “Who is that?” He pointed, yelling over the loud hissing, crackling bolts of energy.

  But all Johnathan would do was shake his head in fear.

  The stranger threw his right hand out, and electricity arced from his hand to nearby Nosferatu, spread among them, jumping from body to body as they spasmed, mouths open in silent cries before collapsing to the ground. He tossed his left arm out, and the Nosferatu on that side started jerking, then collapsing as the electricity burned through them.

  Amedaeusz grabbed his head when his Nosferatu got slammed by the current and dropped down to his knees, screaming in pain. The pain coming through the connection with his Nosferatu threatened to knock him out. He released his hold to them, severing it in a last ditch effort to save his own sanity. He could see Johnathan laying on the ground, his unseeing white pupils staring off into the distance.

  Dead.

  He glanced up in time to see the figure mere feet in front of him, his sword slicing down at him and then he joined Johnathan.

  Dead.

  Michael looked around and sheathed his sword, yanking his pistols back out and jacked up his speed.

  —

  The Police were holding the line, shooting over the guys in front of them that were holding up the riot protection gear. They were fighting to stop monsters. Creatures that would grab one of their men and then bite them, t
earing them apart, eating the flesh until you killed them.

  Best by shooting them in the head, multiple times.

  “FUCKING ZOMBIES!” Ted yelled, slamming another magazine in his pistol. “Who the hell are these fuckers?” he asked as he took out a zombie that was reaching for Janine up on the front line.

  “Who the hell knows?” Ethan called back, “Make your damned shots count!”

  Just then, Enforcer Air Pods flew overhead, and the doors opened. Figures jumped out of the back to attack the back of the same group they were fighting.

  “What are those fuckers up to?” Ted asked, shooting two more, “They never gave a shit about us before.”

  “Don’t think they are Enforcers, buddy!” Ethan commented as he pulled a magazine off of Janine’s belt.

  Janine looked back really quick and winked, “Next time tell me you’re copping a feel Ethan, so I can enjoy it more!”

  “God damn, Ethan,” Ted laughed, “Now’s the time you pinch her ass?”

  “Don’t want to die without feeling that, at least once,” Ethan admitted, perhaps putting too much of the truth into his comment when he caught her looking back at him, realization in her eyes.

  “Shiiiiiiiit,” He mumbled and shot the two in front of her, “Fuck my life.”

  “You kill these fuckers,” She called over her shoulder, “and I’ll fuck your brains out!”

  “Well, shit then,” he winked and reached forward, unsnapped her holster and grabbed her pistol. “Now I got something to live for!” Ethan started pulling triggers as soon as he had a decent shot, keeping the three cops in front of him as safe as he could.

  Especially the blond in front of him.

  “Why don’t you think they’re Enforcers?” Ted asked, bringing him back around to the previous conversation.

  “Cause I don’t think humans turn into wolves in mid-air,” he admitted. “At least, that’s what I think I saw.”

  Every human in the line flinched when a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into one of the Enforcer cars. There had been a sniper up there, blowing the shit out of the zombies in front of them.

  “Mother fuckers!” Janine called out, “That was one of the good ones!”

  The police laid down a torrent of gunfire. It allowed them enough time to look around, so that most of them saw someone leap off a car, up into the twirling air-pod. Then jump back out with another body before the air-pod hit the ground, plowing through more of the bastards.

  “Who the fuck is that?” Ted yelled, taking out two zombies that tried to attack the end of their line.

  “Hell if I know,” Ethan agreed. “I need mags!” Janine bumped his hand with her ass.

  “Reach around!” she called out, “I’ve got some up front.”

  “FUCK!” Ted screamed, laughing, “Shit Janine, If I had known blood, guts and almost dying made you so randy, I’d have shot myself!” Ted added, “Or better yet, shot Ethan. I hate competition.”

  The line around them burst into laughter as Ethan groped around and grabbed the magazines Janine was talking about.

  “Hey!” she called out, “That better be a promise. You better not leave me hot and bothered up here.”

  Ethan pinched her ass, “It’s a promise!” he replied and started firing once again.

  —

  Michael saw the explosion out of the corner of his eye and looked around, seeking more of the vampires. Once more, he had been able to capture a lightning bolt and use it to fry Nosferatu around him. Out of all the limitless power the Etheric offered, he hadn’t figured out how to capture it and release it like he had been able to hold and re-release the lightning.

  What seemed like just moments later, he caught sight of a female making her way up to the airships, and his eyes opened in surprise.

  She carried a righteous anger. She was driven, but not out of vengeance, out of caring.

  That Vampire, he could feel, had honor.

  —

  “I’m running out of fun, guys!” Janine called out when she felt Ethan grab her last two mags.

  “Grab mine,” Milton called out to her right, “But I’m not going to be as fun as Janine, I’m afraid. Merideth would rip my pecker off in the middle of the night and feed it to me.”

  “What happens on the front line,” Ethan said as he grabbed a couple of extra magazines, “stays on the front line, Milton.” They all laughed when Ethan slapped his ass and Milton let out a loud ‘whoop!’

  “Hey, I got him first Milton,” Janine called, using an Arc Rod someone had passed her to zap a zombie, “Don’t make me tell Merideth on you!”

  “Dammit Ethan!” Ted called out, firing two more rounds to his left. The constant press of the zombies had lessened a few times. Those in front had been able to be relieved when the opportunity presented itself. “Now you’re taking married guys from me, too!”

  —

  Michael heard the short scream and looked up. He saw the young female vampire falling. He changed to Myst, but she caught a rope before he needed to grab her. She was taking care of herself. He looked around and found one of the stronger vampires running away.

  Now that wasn’t going to work at all.

  Michael dropped back to the ground and ran, catching up to the fleeing man in a block.

  —

  This was fucked up!

  Kelvin couldn’t believe the utter destruction occurring. First, the humans were supposed to fall to their Nosferatu, not be able to call upon a massive amount of firepower. In Europe, they didn’t have the guns that they did here in the old United States. Apparently, that was a significant oversight of The Duke and Donovan.

  Then, who the fuck were the Weres and vampires that joined together to fight against them?

  And finally, who the hell is the scary-as-fuck bastard that is throwing around lightning?

  Gott Verdammt! Donovan could kiss his ass. Kelvin wasn’t sticking around to find out what happened with this clusterfuck. He was getting out while the getting was even remotely possible.

  He would find a hole in this city to crawl into and wait. Well, he would grab a human or two to feed on while he let everything else blow over. Eventually, he would be able to come out and figure out a plan. One that included a …

  Kelvin turned in time to see the vampire from hell right behind him. He turned back around, looking for a place to dodge and didn’t see the sword coming.

  The body crumbled to the ground. The head, a look of surprise still showing, bounced down the street for over a block. By the time it came to a stop, Michael was already heading back to the fight.

  —

  Michael changed to Myst and went straight up. He had touched the minds up above and could feel the one who had Honor was fighting for her life.

  Against her brother.

  He flew over the side of the ship as he heard her mental scream ‘HELL NO’ and charged those who had arrayed against her.

  She was charging into her death.

  Michael swept her up into his Myst, the bullets flying past, the sword aimed at her chest now missing her.

  Michael dropped her out of the Myst and materialized, he drew his sword and decapitated two of her attackers. The one armed with the sword was looking around. He didn’t look like he had a damned clue how to use it properly. Michael made a guess. He cut off the hand holding it and tossed the sword towards the woman. He then punched the vampire in the chest, caving it in and throwing the body onto the deck, a bloody mess.

  Michael wanted to rip through these dishonorable Forsaken. He wanted to cut into them, tear them apart, hear their screams…

  “Enough!” shouted her brother.

  He lifted his head, barely in control of his emotions but he would be his own man. He wouldn’t do as his anger desired. He would judge, and judge fairly.

  The woman to his right whispered, “The Dark Messiah.”

  Michael touched her mind, her emotions, her thoughts. He turned to her, “That’s not distasteful. You may call me that.�
�� He looked up at the other vampire, his eyes glowing in his frustration, his voice cold in his wrath, “…though most call me Michael.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The male vampire, Donovan, took a step back. One of the vampires that had been attacking Valerie jumped over the side.

  Donovan looked around, “There…there is no Michael! If you’re the Michael, that Michael, you’ve been gone for…?”

  Michael thought about it, “Much too long…yes?” While he tried to smile, he doubted it came across as very sincere. Michael smirked and threw his arms wide, “And at long last, your Savior has returned!”