by Drew D'Amato
He opened the folder, which had head photos attached to information on all of the dead Crusaders, except for those found in the Sharan. Bandini knew that would be a truth he could not reveal. He had to present his men as virtuous soldiers, not indiscriminate killers. He would say vampires were in the minivan.
“What I have here is files on some of the men you found dead. They work under me for our agency.”
“And what is your agency?” Clerc asked.
“Forgive me if I decline to give you the actual name, but we work for the Vatican and have been working for them for years. If you wonder why you never heard of us, seriously, would this not be something we need to keep underwraps? How many idiots out there would be lining up to become a vampire? We have hunted vampires for centuries out of the spotlight of the world, keeping the world safe from these monsters.
“You men both understand the importance of secrecy as a form of weaponry, and the strategic benefit in a covert agency. You both served for TIGRIS. The tactitcal arm of the Federal Criminal Police when it was formed in 2003, but not even revealed to the other branches of the Swiss law enforcement until 2005. It was still not even revealed to the public until 2009, and that was from a magazine article, not a formal declaration from the government. You hid yourselves from your own nation that you swore to protect, and at the same time these supercops have never had to fire one shot. So you can understand why we found it advantageous for us to keep ourselves hidden in the shadows.”
“How did you know about us and TIGRIS?” Clerc asked.
“Can you not ascertain I have my ways of accumulating information? Now, I also know it is your instinct as rational human beings to object to this idea of vampires. But use some logic, if I was trying to trick you, why the hell would I use something as unbelievable as vampires? If I’m going to tell you something this crazy, wouldn’t I only do it if it was true?”
The two men nodded. Bandini was starting to convince them.
“Also you did find silver bullets and a footage that you cannot explain, but I’m sure you can prove it has not been tampered with.”
“They were actually regular lead bullets just painted silver,” Bodmer said. “Would that really be enough to kill these vampires?”
“Yes, there is not a specific amount of silver necessary, just pure silver in the heart. My men paint pure silver over lead bullets because lead bulllets fire truer than pure silver ones.”
“We also have not found any information on any of the cell phones we have recovered from the shooters,” Clerc said. He appeared to be believing Bandini’s answers, but Bodmer was having some difficulty swallowing it down.
“That is the practice of the Crusaders. We store all our contacts in our head. This is to prevent anyone tracing us if they find any of our phones—like in this scenario.”
“We believed these men were all connected with something,” Bodmer said. “But vampires?”
“Please elaborate, this is a big thing to swallow. But if you are honest, I think you’ll be able to prove it,” Clerc said. Bodmer did not approve of giving this crazy bastard the chance to state his case. He wanted to lock him up right now.
“And even if you are hunting vampires. What makes your men in anyway innocent with what happened tonight?” Bodmer asked. “You were there with a lot of guns, and a lot of people died. Could it have been your men in the minivan that killed all those innocents?”
“My men were there because we had something very valuable that the vampires wanted. Let’s say it is a way to destroy them once and for all. But you two must understand as not being members of this group I cannot tell you anything more. My men were traveling from London to Geneva to carry this valuable object. This man, Robert Peterson.” Bandini pointed at Peterson’s photo. Bodmer noticed the face. He was the one who died from the unnatural fall from the observation deck. Peterson was the name on the ID they found on him. Bandini continued. “Had this valuable item on his possession. My men with the guns were there in case something like this happened. They had no intention of getting on a plane.”
“And how did these vampires learn about your men arriving at Geneva?”
“They have connections everywhere, humans who want to help them, humans who want to be them. That is the men you found in the minivan. People who work for the vampires. When things got hairy I am sure they were ordered to kill everyone in the place.”
“Well those men appeared to be killed by vampires. Both their heads were ripped off and then fell from the sky. Something I don’t think your men would be able to do. And the bullets from the Gatlin gun were also painted silver. It would seem an unnecessary risk for them to use silver bullets when regular bullets would kill your men, and they only kill vampires—according to you.”
“There is a reason for the vampires to always load their weapons with silver. There is another faction of vampires also fighting against this group. Make no mistake they are both evil, but these two sides have been at war for centuries. I assume that the vampires and the humans who work under them only use silver bullets, not taking the chance of coming across the rival faction with bullets that are worthless. That is why even that big gun fired big silver bullets. Those men in the car were killed by the vampires, because the vampires assumed those men would not be able to get away from the scene. They were killed to keep their silence. Human life—even if loyal to them—means nothing to these vampires.”
Bodmer picked up Peterson’s file and processed Bandini’s answer. “This man fell out from the observation deck on the top of the airport. He had a mark on his face as if someone might have been pushing him down during the entire fall.”
“Very possible, these vampires can fly.” The two were still not completely convinced. Bandini pushed on. “Look, at first you may think not believing what I am saying, is how a skeptic would think—and as cops you are trained to be skeptical. But that is not how a skeptic would think, it is how a fool would think. A skeptic makes their decision based on proof and nothing else. You have in front of you a crime scene riddled with silver bullets, video footage that cannot be explained, and I’m sure a boatload of witnesses saying some men once shot disappeared in the thin air. That is what happens to vampires when they die. Take all of this evidence and add what I have told you and please realize it is the truth. This is the only possible conclusion. You were attacked by vampires.”
Clerc looked at Bodmer before he spoke. They were both trying to process this information. Hard to agree with it, but harder to fight it. Finally Clerc said something.
“Okay, well, since nothing else can possibly make sense, and in no way could all those witnesses and the footage be something your agency was behind, let’s say we believe you. What comes next?”
“Well since you two are now privy to this information I will ask if either of you would like to join the Crusaders. You will then know what no one in the world knows. Is that something you might be interested in?”
The two looked at each other, both too afraid to answer.
“I understand this is not a rush decision. I will give each of you my card, and get back to me. But even without joining this group I hope you can help me.”
Bandini handed them each a card with no name, just a phone number on it. Bodmer inspected it, still a little suspicious of Bandini.
“And how can we help you?” Bodmer asked.
“Let me have possession of that video footage.”
“We can’t do that. How do we explain how it was lost? The men in the surveillance room know of it too.”
“Inspector Bodmer, would you really like that video to get into the hands of some type of news program to be broadcast over the internet? Then you will have to explain that footage to prevent worldwide panic, good luck with that.”
There was a pause as the two men mulled over their options.
“Look, I know it will be hard to explain how the footage of the biggest terrorist attack in Switzerland history was misplaced. But I think it would still be
easier than having to explain what is actually on the film.”
Clerc said, “We’ll get you your tape.”
Bodmer was a little shocked, but he understood they didn’t have many other options. They couldn’t begin trying to explain it to any of their supervisors.
“Good, very good.”
The men started to get up.
“We have your card. We will call you when we have our hands on it,” Bodmer said.
“Along with you answer of joining the Crusaders?”
“Yes, but that man Peterson,” Bodmer said. “We didn’t find anything of significance on him. Might we have missed it, should we check again? What exactly are you looking for?”
“You would know if you found it. It was a big book, and a silver urn, not something easily hidden. I’m assuming the vampires took it after they killed him.”
“Is that bad?” Clerc said scared. He believed everything Bandini told him. It is the only thing that makes sense.
“Not that bad, a little ideal actually. We put a tracking device on it in case this happened. It will now lead us back to them. We plan to destroy all those vampires in a matter of days.”
FIVE
1
Within the hour Vlad and Jericho met up with the other four at the top of a hotel. Malachi, Andrew, and Deacon were all smiles when Vlad and Jericho landed on the roof. Michael was a little uneasy.
“Well,” Vlad said. “The first objective is obtained. We got the coffer.”
“Yes, and we lost four men! At this rate, after we kill Radu there will only be two of us left,” Michael said sarcastically.
“I would consider it a success—even if we all died—as long as Radu did too,” Vlad told them calmly, staring at Michael to show his resolve.
“Do you still want to go through with it? I’m sure Radu will know what happened.”
“He probably knows about it now,” Jericho said. “Vlad’s girlfriend even heard about it.”
“Did they mention the silver bullets?” Michael asked.
“Yes, it was reported on the news.” Vlad took a seat on a chimney on the roof.
“Well, we have to do something. We can’t act like we had nothing behind this. What should we do?”
“Tell him we were ambushed by Crusaders. There are dead humans there with guns. He would believe it. In fact, I should call him up and accuse him of being behind it.”
“No, tell him about the coffer,” Michael said. The rest of the men gave him an unsure look, including Vlad.
“Tell him about the coffer?” Vlad asked.
“He knows the coffer is out there. You told him that at the meeting. Why not tell him that now it is also in your possession. It will only make him feel more comfortable about everything, and it explains the conflict you had with the Crusaders.”
Vlad took a second to weigh out this play. Michael tried again to sell it to him.
“It explains why you just battled the Crusaders at an airport, and it ties up the loose end of the coffer.”
“I think it is the right play,” Jericho confirmed.
“Okay,” Vlad said hesitantly. He turned around and called his brother.
“Radu, I am in Europe.”
“I figured that, Geneva can I assume?”
“You heard about it?”
“Of course I did. Remember I have to travel west to beat the sun. Right now I am in Aghanistan—I have connections here—and of course everyone is wondering which terrorist cell was behind this attack. The mention of pure silver bullets has left everyone puzzled, except for me. Did you decide to go on one last killing spree before you called it quits?”
“Those were Crusaders. They had silver bullets. I now have the coffer.”
“You have the coffer, how did you come across this information?”
“Same way I told you I knew they had found it, we had a source inside the Crusaders.”
“So you have both the Blood and the Bible?”
“Yes, the complete coffer. Radu, this is the last time I will plead this with you; we can both become human again.”
“And this is the last time I will tell you I have no desire for that. Do you want to just become a human again? You must prove it to me by swimming in the ocean, but if you do, I will let you live. I would have no need to kill my own brother just for fun.”
“I do want to be human but not under your rule.”
“What will you do with the blood? You said before you would rather have a world of vampires then a world of slaves. Will you use it to fight against me?”
“I am done saving humans. I am done saving anyone, and I am done with this war.”
“So what are you going to do with it?”
“Destroy it. You will be the only master vampire. I do not want this power in anyone else’s hands. Do you want the Bible, though?”
“Destroy that too, I don’t want anyone to have an idea as to my weaknesses. But how can I be sure that you have destroyed it?”
“Why would I care if anyone else defeats you if I am ready to die myself?”
“You could give the blood to the vampires you have left, maybe they still want to fight and you just want to die.”
“Well then I’ll just give you the coffer myself if you want.”
“The Blood and the Bible?”
“Yes, both.”
Radu paused for a moment. “I can’t believe you are really willing to give this all up.”
“It has been too long, Radu. This was a war of attrition and you have won.”
“Well, do not feel insulted that I don’t believe you.”
“I will just have to prove it. When will you be ready?”
“We are going to have to have to continue our travel tomorrow night. I will get back home late tomorrow night, but it would be too late to risk anything with the sun. So the night after that is good. What is your choice of death? I will grant you that pleasure.”
“Do you still have your silver sword? I would like to die by a sword.”
“Yes, I still have it. It will be my pleasure. See you in two nights.”
They hung up, each thinking they had the upper hand. Vlad walked back to what was left of his army.
“He is in the Middle East now. He travels west ahead of the sun. He will be ready to meet in two nights. He will get to Europe by the end of tomorrow night, and expects me to meet him the night after that. The day before is when we will strike.”
“What did you tell him you were going to do about the coffer?” Jericho asked.
“I told him I’ll bring it to him, just to let him feel more at ease. Gives him less to worry about.”
“What do you really plan to do about it?” Michael asked.
“With the Dark Bible?”
“No, I know about your plans with that. I mean with the Blood?”
Vlad took the backpack off Jericho. He opened it up, took out the silver urn, and stared at it. He unscrewed the top and looked at the dark blood inside it.
“I made this mistake before. We must destroy it now. I cannot leave this power alone to be discovered by the wrong person—again.”
“Vlad, isn’t that a rash decision. What if when we attack Radu he doesn’t die—what if you do? With that Blood someone like me or Jericho could become a master vampire even if you die.”
“Michael’s right,” Malachi said. “This mission is a borderline suicidal one. Why don’t you just stay back and let us take care of it? This way if we are not successful, you can make more vampires.”
“Yes, but what if Radu lives because I wasn’t there? I am the most powerful vampire and that might make all the difference. If I wasn’t in Geneva we wouldn’t have the coffer. For years I have been fighting this war not to lose, Radu has been fighting to win, and for that reason he has been successful. Fortune favors the bold.”
“Fine, but still, why don’t we keep the Blood in case you do die?” Michael asked.
“What if we all die and the Blood is now out there? If we fail
it is not automatic that Radu will enslave the world. The humans can fight, they have weapons that kill vampires—fire is not hard to come across. At the least then they have just one master vampire to destroy. But if this blood is out there, who knows how many master vampires there will be? I cannot allow that.”
“How are you going to destroy it?” Jericho, who never doubted his master’s decision, asked.
“Give me your lighters, but only disposables, no Zippos.”
They took out the lighters from their pockets. Michael hesitated. Deacon looked at him hoping for him to make one last plea. He did.
“Master, you want to become a human again, but I don’t think all of us do. I know I don’t.”
Vlad had collected all of the lighters. He looked at his men. Deacon spoke, “Master, I would like to stay a vampire too.” Andrew, unsure of what to say, just nodded in approval.
“Men, Michael, I trust you all with my life, and you have been nothing but faithful. But absolute power corrupts absolutely, I know from experience. If I allow you to become your own master vampire, in a world without Radu or myself, who knows how you might be corrupted? I can’t allow the possibly of one master vampire out there no matter who it is. For me to become human again I need to know there are no more vampires out there, and also no chance for any to become one. I’m sorry, but vampirism is over. My decision is final!”
Jericho looked at Michael and Deacon with a little bit of suspicion. Vlad had raised his voice at the end.
Malachi tried to smooth the tension. “What do you plan to do with the lighters?” he asked.
“Well, I don’t trust just dumping this blood out. It might still keep whatever power it possesses, and may be discovered years later somehow; but fire kills everything,” Vlad said. Over the urn he crushed the plastic disposable lighters. The lighter fluid fell inside it. He then took out his own Zippo lighter, flicked the flame, and put it toward the blood. The blood caught fire and it burned inside the urn like a trashcan fire. The six vampires stood around and watched the blood burn.
Michael stood in disappointment. This was Vlad’s last chance. Had Vlad allowed them to keep the blood, he would have reneged on his deal with Radu. But he didn’t. He left Michael with no choice.
