“Evangeline…” Julian shouted, ignoring Thomas’ pleas for the moment, “…he needs us,” he said indicating the battle worn Christoff. The vampire was slashing away as wolf after wolf leaped onto the rocks to try and take him down. Eva nodded and Julian turned back to Thomas, “Listen Thomas, even if you were a hundred percent I’d still want you out of here. This is no place for humans so get up those steps.
“Alright we’ll go, Julian…”Kate said as she grabbed Thomas around the waist with both arms. “…but you’re forgetting one very important fact.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“You’re human, too.”
“I haven’t forgotten, Kate, but Christoff’s been my friend for a long time. I can’t leave him.”
“And what about Addie and…”
“Save it, Kate, I’m staying— now get Thomas out of here.” Julian said as he re-loaded the barretta.
“She’s right Julian.” Rick said as he turned to face the other man. “This is my fight so I’ll help Christoff. Get back home to Adrianna—and see that Eva goes, too.”
“The hell I will!” Eva said as she stepped between the two men.
“Listen to me, Eva…” Rick pleaded, a tortured look in his eyes, “I won’t have you die in this god forsaken place because of me.”
“You might as well save your breath, lover, I’m not leaving. I came here of my own free will because it was something I wanted to do and—because I love you. If we die here—then we die together. And, I don’t know about you two…” she said as she started firing into the hoard of wolves,”…but I’m not planning on dying any time soon—and I’m certainly not giving up without a fight. So—are you coming or not? We have werewolves to kill and I plan on taking out as many of their filthy were-carcasses as I possibly can!”
“Kate…”Julian said, “…get going and send some help down here. Thomas—take this…” he said as he handed him two more vials of holy water, “…in case those things…” he pointed to the harpies still circling above, “… get to close. Now go!” he shouted as he turned and ran towards the boulders.
The harpies ignored Julian, circling the young couple like vultures above a dying prey. Every few steps one of the creatures dove as Thomas and Kate moved closer to the stairs.
“Thomasss…” A low flying harpy hissed at the injured man, “…running awayyyy like the coward you areee,” it taunted, “Why don’t you stayyyy and play with ussss.”
“I’m not a coward…and I’m no fool either.” Thomas shouted back at the creature, “I’ll stay if you even the odds a little. Why don’t you take a big nasty gulp of this stuff, honey!” he yelled as he waved the bottle of holy water in the air. “I’d enjoy watching you sizzle and burn from the inside out.”
“Only cowardssss hide behind suchhh trinkets. Why don’t you fight me like a mannn,” the creature continued to taunt.
“Why don’t you kiss my Cajun ass!” Anger flaring, Thomas tossed one of the vials, missing the winged form as it swooped down towards him and Kate.
“You’re assss will be mine soonnn enough, human.” The harpy cackled as it climbed back toward the ceiling of the cave.
Thomas raised his arm again but Kate grabbed it before he could toss the other vial. “Thomas! That’s exactly what she wants you to do. Then you won’t have a weapon to use against her.” She kept them moving forward until they were at the bottom of the staircase, “Come on—let’s get to the top. We’ll go with Lucian. We’re no match for these creatures.”
“Neither are they.” Thomas told her as he saw Julian and Christoff drowning in a sea of werewolves.
“There’s nothing we can do. It’s up to Eva and Rick to help them now.”
While the couple climbed up the steps, Thomas watched as his friends ran towards the rocks. But before Eva and Rick could reach the others, a group of werewolves, sensing their approach, turned to attack.
Eva, reaching inside her jacket, withdrew a silver dagger specially fitted with a mahogany handle.
“Rick—catch!” she yelled as she tossed the weapon his way. He reached up, snatching the dagger out of the air just as a wolf broke from the pack and lunged towards him.
Rick ran straight at the oncoming wolf, plunging the deadly silver deep into the side of the beast as it jumped into his arms. The wolf roared in pain but didn’t back down, its sharp teeth ripping and tearing at the vampire as it continued the attack.
Rick pulled out the dagger, stabbing the werewolf over and over again until it lay lifeless in his arms. He heaved the dead body into the oncoming tide of wolves hoping to distract them for a little while as he tried to reach the others—and it worked.
Several of the beasts moved forward, sniffing at what was left of their fallen comrade before tearing the carcass to shreds. Rick moved while he had the chance, searching for Eva as the sound of her forty-five reached his ears. Turning, he watched as she emptied the clip into the body of a huge wolf while the harpies dove at her from above. Hearing the “click—click” of her now empty revolver spurred Rick into action.
He rushed forward, the dagger clasped tightly in his hand. The feeding frenzy near the dead wolf kept a large number of the beasts occupied long enough for Eva to re-load. She smacked the clip back into place and raised the gun just as Rick reached her. “You okay?”
“Just dandy,” she replied and they both turned to focus their sights, and their weapons, on the wolves now closing in on them as they inched their way back towards the rocks.
High above them Julian and Christoff fought on. Their attention distracted, no-one seemed to notice a young werewolf, fur patchy, body emaciated, crouched on a rocky ledge just above Christoff’s head. Waiting for the right moment, the wolf launched itself into the air directly at the Dark Vampire but the beast wasn’t quick enough. Christoff, with Julian at his back, sidestepped quickly when his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of crumbling rocks falling from above.
Seeing the oncoming wolf, the vampire launched himself into the air, meeting the beast head on, plunging the sai deep into the animal’s chest as it bore down on him. He tossed the body aside, the wolf yelping in pain when it hit the hard surface of the cavern floor. Jumping off of the boulder, Christoff landed beside his latest victim as the werewolf gasped for air, its lungs filling with blood. With one quick swipe of the shamshir, the Dark Vampire decapitated the wolf, ending its miserable existence forever.
Bending, Christoff retrieved the head of the animal, tossing it into a group of wolves tripping over themselves to get to Julian. “Here—over here you filthy dogs!” he shouted, “Come to me—I have something for you,” he yelled as he twirled the shamshir above his head in an effort to lure the beasts away from his friend. A large grey wolf, teeth bared, growling fiercely, turned on its heels, running straight at the vampire. Within seconds it was dead, too, as the shamshir found its mark.
“Come on you mongrels—it’s dinner time!” Christoff shouted at the hungry pack. Knowing what would happen, he again hurled the carcass of the dead wolf directly into the middle of the others, drawing at least some of them away from Julian.
Sneaking up behind the wolves as they fed, Christoff swung his blade in a flurry of swipes and thrusts, cutting down the entire group before they even realized what was happening to them. Julian, seizing the moment, scrambled down from the boulders. Rick, catching movement from the corner of his eye, moved to join him. Julian, overcome with fatigue, stumbled slightly as he continued the climb down the rocks but Rick was there to steady him.
“Thanks.” Julian said, exhaustion clearly written on his face. Rick smiled briefly then turned quickly when he heard Eva firing her gun again. Looking up, he saw the body of a dead werewolf, blood seeping from multiple gunshot wounds, lying upon a flat rock right above his head, taken down by Eva before it could attack Julian or the vampire.
&nb
sp; “Not bad—for a wolf.” Christoff shouted as he tried to compliment Eva in his own strange way. After all, she had helped his friend.
“Thanks—I guess,” she responded before running to join Rick. Christoff quickly followed and the four of them formed a circle, backs to each other as they began to inch their way out of the room. The harpies kept up their constant bombardment, diving at the small group while more wolves flowed from the rocks to continue their attack. Eva took down the first of the wolves to reach them and the beast fell to the ground to become the latest meal for the rest of the hungry pack.
Julian raised his weapon to fire at another but the empty gun’s only response was a “click”.
“I’m out of bullets.” he told the others. Eva reached into her pocket and pulled out another clip tossing it and her forty-five over to Julian, “Julian—here”
“What are you doing?” he cried as his hands caught the gun and ammunition. “I can’t take your weapon.”
“You need it more than I do,” she called back as she turned to see two more wolves slinking towards them. Without a moment’s hesitation, she dove into the air. Her body began to morph almost immediately as clothes and flesh fell away to be replaced by the lush golden fur of the Wolf Mother of the Loupe Garou.
The golden wolf hit the ground running as she slammed into the side of an oncoming werewolf, knocking it off its feet. Eva was on it before it could recover, clamping down on its throat and thrashing it from side to side until the beast went limp in her powerful jaws.
Rick followed closely behind her, running at inhuman speed towards a frothing grey beast who seemed to be the leader of this mangy group of werewolves. The wolf, sensing the vampire, turned with a growl, teeth bared as it charged forward.
As they made contact, Rick grabbed the snapping jaws with both hands and twisted hard to the right, breaking the wolf’s neck before tossing it aside. Spinning on his heels, he saw another wolf preparing to attack but before the beast could reach the vampire it was grabbed from behind and yanked backwards.
Christoff, shoving his blade into his belt, wraps his arms around the animal and squeezed with all his strength. He could hear the wolf’s bones cracking as he threw his head back and, fangs extended, sank his teeth into the throat of the beast.
With a vicious yank, Christoff ripped a large chunk of fur and skin from the wolf’s neck as blood gushed forth from the severed jugular. He dropped the now limp body and, running forward, slammed into three other wolves as they were surrounding Julian. The beasts scattered like flies as Christoff rolled onto the ground and out of harm’s way. Then, jumping up, he sliced through the air with the blade of the shamshir.
“Get the hell out of here Julian, while I keep them busy!”
“Save your breath, Christoff, I’m not going without you. We leave this place together…” he said, swerving to shoot at another wolf, “…or not at all.”
“Today is a good day to die, my friend, but it won’t be us that’ll be leaving this world.” Christoff turned, screaming in fury as the werewolves surrounded them. The wolves closed in on all sides, inching their way towards Julian and Christoff while Rick and the Wolf Mother battled on behind them.
Then, quite suddenly, all of the werewolves stopped as their eyes locking onto something appearing out of nowhere—directly behind Christoff. The Minotaur climbed slowly out from the black depths of the giant pit. The monstrous creature positioned itself at the mouth of the yawning cavity, raising its arms high in the air.
Christoff’s sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the Minotaur’s grunt just before he felt a rush of air at his back. With lightening reflexes, he jumped aside seconds before the creature smashed the cattle prod into the ground, splintering the hard surface of the cavern floor. “What the hell!” the vampire yelled as he charged at the bull-like creature, slamming Sonya’s sai into the beefy thigh, the long blade sinking all the way up to the hilt as the Minotaur bellowed in pain, dropping the prod.
The angry creature reached down and grabbed the handle of the offending weapon that was causing it so much pain. Slowly—painfully—it withdrew the blade, inch by inch, from its damaged flesh. Raising the knife, the bull looked questioningly at the blood soaked blade. Roaring with rage it grabbed both ends of the weapon, snapping it in two before tossing it angrily at Christoff.
The Minotaur then charged the vampire, slamming into Christoff head on. The Dark Vampire managed to stay upright but didn’t have time to run before the creature charged again. This time the Minotaur twisted its massive head, aiming its deadly horns. As it slammed into the vampire again, one of the sharp points gored Christoff in the side—directly into the old wound left by Klume’s silver crucifix.
Christoff screamed in agony as the horn penetrated deep into the damaged tissue, tearing flesh and muscle. He latched onto the bull’s head with both hands, trying desperately to pull the horns free as the Minotaur kept bucking and pressing into his injured side.
“Christoff!” Julian yelled as he shoved the gun into his belt and ran towards his friend. Picking up the discarded cattle prod, Julian swung, striking the huge creature directly behind the knees. The Minotaur’s legs buckled, crumbling beneath its own weight as it fell backwards ripping open Christoff’s side in the process.
“Ahhh!”Christoff screamed, stumbling forward as the bull let out another angry bellow. The Minotaur pulled itself up off the ground and, turning, backhanded Julian, sending him sliding across the floor of the cave. Christoff, his handsome face racked with pain, clutched his ravaged side. With an effort, he struggled to grab the hem of his shirt, tearing the blood-soaked material. Ripping off a long strip of cloth, he tied it tightly around his waist in a desperate attempt to stem the flow of blood pouring out of the wound.
Weakly, Christoff searched the floor until he found what he was looking for. Retrieving the shamshir, he held it out defiantly. “Come on you freak of nature—finish what you started—if you can!”
Lumbering forward, the Minotaur picked up the discarded cattle prod and lunged towards Christoff once again. The vampire was barely able to dodge the bull’s attack, scraping the Minotaur’s extended arm with the blade of the shamshir. The bull pivoted, jamming the prod into the small of Christoff’s back. The vampire arched backwards, gritting his teeth as powerful volts of electricity surged through his pain-wracked body. He was stunned, momentarily frozen as he dropped his weapon and slowly pitched forward, falling to his knees.
“N—ooo!” screamed Julian. He jumped to his feet and whipped the forty-five from his belt, unloading the entire clip into the chest of the Minotaur. But the bullets barely slowed the creature down. They just seemed to piss the bull off even more as it let out another angry bellow.
Rick, wrestling with a large wolf, crushed its back as it struggled in his arms, dropping the lifeless body onto the ground. Hearing the commotion behind him, he spun around to see what was happening. With a shock, he noticed that Christoff was down. “No.” the word came out in a whisper and then he was screaming at Julian, “Julian—the holy water—throw it!”
Julian reached inside his jacket and pulled out the last remaining vial of the precious liquid and heaved it at the creature. It spiraled into the air heading directly for the face of the Minotaur. But before it could even get close to its target, a screeching harpy swooped down and snatched the tiny bottle right out of the air. “Not todayyy hhhuman,” it hissed at Julian.
Julian swore under his breath as he ran towards his injured friend, dodging blow after blow from the cattle prod as the Minotaur slammed it onto the floor of the cave over and over again. Julian slid on his knees coming to a stop beside Christoff’s still form. “Christoff—get up,” he begged, shaking the vampire roughly.
Christoff, stunned but alive, lifted his head slightly, shaking it to clear his befuddled mind. Julian jumped to his feet pulling on the vampire’s arm in
an attempt to help him stand. “Come on, Christoff—I know you have it in you. Come on, man—you’ve got to try—we have to get away from that thing.” But, as the Dark Vampire struggled to rise to his knees, the Minotaur struck again, sending another jolt from the cattle prod coursing through Christoff’s body, the force of which knocked Julian off his feet.
Christoff pitched forward, slamming his face into the cavern floor. The creature raised its weapon hoping to finish off its nemesis. The Minotaur was so focused on the task at hand that it failed to notice something off to its left climbing slowly, and with great difficulty, onto the boulders.
Thomas, his battered body screaming in protest, turned to face the monstrous bull. His eyes went from the back of the creature to the surface of the rocks and back again. Judging the distance, the injured man decided he could make the jump and pushed himself off the ledge where he was standing. His body sailed through to the air, landing with a grunt onto the back of the Minotaur. The resulting jolt nearly knocked the breath from Thomas’ lungs as he struggled to maintain his hold on the massive creature while it shimmied and shook in an attempt to rid itself of its unwanted passenger.
Grimacing in pain, Thomas gathered enough strength to pull himself up onto the Minotaur’s shoulders, wrapping his legs around the bull’s neck as he held on tightly to the horns. Yanking and twisting he tried to gain control of the Minotaur’s head, steering it away from Christoff’s still form.
The creature dropped the cattle prod and bellowed in pain as it swatted at Thomas like an insect. Rick, kneeling beside Julian, stared in amazement at man and bull. “What the hell does Thomas think he’s doing?”
Julian turned his attention away from Christoff long enough to see what Rick was talking about. “Being Thomas,” he said with a sigh as he slowly pulled himself up off the ground. “We have to help him before he gets himself killed but…”he cast a worried glance at Christoff.
Rick leaned close to the fallen vampire. Eyes closed, he concentrated, sniffing the air around Christoff’s body. “He’s still with us, Julian…” he said as his eyes flew open,”…but just barely. Let’s help Thomas then we’ll tend to Christoff.” But before the two men could move, Kate streaked by them, the large chain that once bound Rick dangling from her hands.
A Soul in Torment Page 48
