by J. C. Diem
Ignoring my friends, the imps surged forward and piled on top of me. Are they trying to kill me or have I stumbled into a football game? As more of the creatures joined the pile, it backed up my theory that they weren’t particularly bright. Even a normal vampire would recover after being crushed. Well, as far as I knew they would.
A mouth closed around my left hand and bit it off. The imp grimaced at the taste and spat my hand back out again. When he started convulsing, I came to the conclusion that my blood wasn’t particularly healthy for them. Poor Lefty scrambled back into position and reattached itself to my arm with a brief flash of pain. The teeth marks healed instantly without a trace. The imp convulsed a few more times, black blood poured from his mouth, which seemed to be growing bigger by the second. Only when he gasped out a last breath and went still did I realize half of his face had melted away. I wondered if all vampire blood had that effect on imps or if it was just mine.
Pinned to the ground and unable to squirm my way free, I grabbed two heads as multiple imps tried to tear me limb from limb. For the most part, their grasping hands slipped off my leather suit instead of closing tight. Concentrating hard, I gathered my will and let it build before flinging it into the two monsters. Instead of their heads exploding, at first nothing happened. Then the ground started to shiver, a shockwave went out and imps were suddenly flying through the air.
Sitting up, dazedly wondering what had just happened, I surveyed the carnage in shock. I’d only had two imp heads in my hands but somehow every single monster that had been in the pile was now a headless ruin. Even the imp that had died after biting off Lefty was now headless. Holy crap! That was awesome! At times like this, I was actually glad to be Mortis. Even I was amazed at what I could do sometimes.
“Chérie,” Geordie whispered in disbelief, “how did you do that?”
“I have no idea,” was my still dazed response.
Overhead, the helicopter circled with its spotlight now shining directly on me. Uh oh. That can’t be good. The bulk of the soldiers had been distracted by the imps shooting at them so I hadn’t been worried about being spotted in action by them. I’d completely forgotten about the chopper flying above us. Whoever was up there had just witnessed the entire mini battle. The chances of vampires remaining as merely an unconfirmed suspicion had just dropped dramatically.
Chapter Eleven
“I believe it would be prudent for us to leave now,” Gregor announced with more than a hint of nervousness. Luc and Igor lifted me to my feet then we were all running back towards our cars.
As we sprinted, the light from the chopper shone down on us brightly, throwing my friend’s shadows into sharp relief on the ground. I ran with four shadows overlapping each other. They almost seemed to be jockeying for position. I told myself it was just my imagination due to increased adrenalin from the fight and kept on running. Even my subconscious was quiet on this topic, blessedly keeping its insights to itself for once.
“We should split up and meet again once we lose the helicopter,” Igor suggested as we neared the edge of the hill. On the road below us, the soldiers rallied and swarmed out from behind their cover to engage the remaining twenty imps. The humans mainly ignored us as we slid down the slope. A few of the imps roared in frustration when they realized we were about to escape. Sustained gunfire from the panicked soldiers prevented them from following us.
Even before I’d pulled my door shut, Luc stepped on the accelerator. Hooking around in a tight circle, we sped off into the darkness. Momentarily hesitating over the battle site uncertainly, the chopper quickly wheeled after us in pursuit.
Igor was right on our tail, practically nudging our back bumper. Then his headlights swung away as he turned off onto a side road. Luc and I continued onwards before making a turn of our own.
“The soldiers have most likely radioed for backup and we might find ourselves surrounded again,” Luc said as he sped along the rutted, badly maintained road. He nearly always managed to keep his cool. Being seven hundred years old had its advantages. Sure, he’d gone briefly insane when I’d been cut to pieces then boxed up to starve to death but that was only because he loved me.
“What’s your plan?” I hoped he had one because, as usual, I had nothing. Spur of the moment thinking would never be my strong suit.
While he might not be a master planner like Gregor, Luc was much better at thinking on his feet than I was. “We’ll head for the nearest town and ditch the car. We can steal another one and be on our way easily enough.”
He might think it was easy to fool the humans but I wasn’t so sure. The chopper stuck to us like a squashed bug on a windscreen. The bright spotlight rarely left our rooftop. We were too far from civilization at the moment to think of taking off on foot. There were very few places to hide out in the countryside.
Following road signs, Luc chose roads that became more and more populated with traffic. People quickly swerved out of the way to give us room when they saw we were being escorted by the damming ring of bright light.
“What if they’ve set up a road block?” I asked as our car sped around a much slower farm truck. Pigs stared at me stupidly between the slats of wood penning them in.
Luc must have already thought of the possibility because he had an answer ready. “Then we will split up and travel on foot. I will find somewhere safe to hide and you will be able to sense where I am and find me.” It sounded very logical so I decided not to worry unless it became necessary.
Minutes later, we topped a small rise and worry kicked in again. In the distance, numerous lights announced that we were near a town. Much closer, the darkness was pierced by the red and blue flashing lights of a string of police cars that blocked the road. Army trucks were parked beyond the cop cars, making the barrier impenetrable by car.
A long line of vehicles were stopped ahead of us. Soldiers were working their way down the line, checking each car with guns held ready and shining flashlights into faces. With the helicopter light shining directly on us, we made a fairly obvious target. Alerted either by their radios or by the searchlight, soldier’s heads whipped in our direction. Drawing their weapons, they began closing in.
Luc turned and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon, Natalie.” Then he was gone, racing away from the car before the chopper had a chance to follow him with their spotlight.
Grabbing my backpack from the back seat, I shouldered it and exited the car. Soldiers began shouting at me in Russian to lie on the ground and to put my hands on my head. Screw that, I’m out of here. With a small wave at the men, I followed Luc’s lead and darted off into the night. Gunfire chased me but I’d already faded into the dark and none came close to hitting me.
The chopper might be fast but so was I. It made a valiant effort but it really had no chance of getting a lock on me with all the dodging and weaving I was doing. It was much easier to evade the persistent flying machine on foot. I led the chopper away from the town, heading for a forest in the distance.
Wind whipped my hair back as I raced over grass and leaped over fences and bushes that made a pitiful attempt to impede me. Entering the forest, I was instantly enclosed by tall trees and thick underbrush. The chopper circled, vainly trying to catch sight of me. Afraid I’d get lost if I traversed too deep into the trees, I remained on the edges and moved a couple of kilometres away from where I’d entered.
With the helicopter futilely searching the forest far in the distance, I put on a burst of speed and broke out from under cover, heading for the lights of the town. By now, the army would be aware that they weren’t dealing with normal humans. The show I’d put on when we’d been fighting the imps would have ensured that. The soldiers would be pretty eager to get their hands on us so they could try to figure out what we were. It was still a mystery to me how I’d managed to pop a bunch of the monster’s heads all at once. However I’d done it, it had come in very handy.
Only when I reached the outskirts of the town did I slow down to a fast jog.
Before attempting to sense Luc, I stopped for a meal. It was late enough that most people were in bed. The pickings were going to be very slim.
Hearing heavy, clomping, footsteps down a side street, I hurried to investigate. Peering around the corner, I spied a lone soldier. He was probing dark areas with his flashlight and whistling quietly. Despite the fracas at the roadblock, he wasn’t exactly on full alert.
Creeping up on him silently, I reached out and spun him around. With a strangled yelp, he poked his machine gun into my chest. Before he could pull the trigger and shred my torso to pieces, I caught his eyes. Instantly mesmerized, he smiled happily and the gun drooped in his hands. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said in Russian.
I didn’t have time to argue with him so ignored the comment. “Sleep,” I told him and he became dead weight. Holding his bulk easily, I gently turned his head and sank my fangs into his neck. It didn’t take long to fill the half empty hole in my stomach. When I was done, I sat the man down against a wall and put the gun on his lap. The twin puncture wounds on his neck were already healing and would soon become small scabs that might be mistaken for mosquito bites. If I’d had more time, I would have questioned him about the army’s knowledge of the imps. Since I didn’t have time and he might not even understand English, I decided not to.
Now to find Luc. Closing my eyes, I sent out my senses and found a vampire on the far side of town. Unable to distinguish anything more than that, I stealthily jogged through the streets. The lone soldier I’d stumbled across wasn’t the only one patrolling the town. I dodged two more as I made my way towards my target. The pickings hadn’t been quite as slim as I’d predicted.
Sensing the vampire dead ahead, I searched the street and couldn’t see anyone, alive or undead. “Luc!” I called and a dark head popped up from behind a five foot high wooden fence.
“We need to hurry,” Luc said in greeting as I reached him and entered through the gate. If anyone just happened to glance out their windows, I didn’t want them to see me vaulting over the fence. “More soldiers are entering the town to search for us. I don’t want to become pinned down.” While we were fast on our feet, cars were faster still. We needed to find a suitable vehicle, quickly.
“They’ll have roadblocks set up at all the exits by now,” I deduced.
“We will have to take a different route then,” Luc said enigmatically and headed for the back of the property.
Rounding the house, my attention was drawn to a beat up old jeep. Mossy green, it was caked in mud and dead insects. “Nice,” I complimented my companion sarcastically on his choice of transportation. He gave me a quick grin then jogged to the fence. Only when he swung open a hidden gate did I notice the muddy tyre tracks leading out to a grassy field. Whoever lived here had created their own private road in and out of town. Maybe they had some kind of illegal smuggling operation going on. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” I said in mock admiration.
“Yes,” Luc replied with a smug smile then set about hotwiring the jeep.
Seconds later, he drove out through the gate. I swung it shut, making sure it latched before climbing inside. Luc propelled us down a muddy track away from the town. He handed me his phone and I called the others to see how they’d fared. With Igor behind the wheel, I’d be very surprised if they had been caught.
“Natalie!” a relieved Gregor said when he answered after just one ring. “Are you and Lucentio alright?”
“We’re fine. We ran into a police barricade but managed to get away on foot and meet up again.”
“Where are you now?” he asked. I told him the name of the small town we’d just fled from and heard the rustle of paper as he consulted a map. Igor knew Russia well but it was a big place and he couldn’t possibly know every town. “We’re a couple of hours west of you.” After a few moments of thought, Gregor formulated a plan. “A city several hours from here should be suitable for us to use as a base. It will also hopefully be too large for the imps to attack. Head west and try to remain incognito.”
Luc overheard Gregor’s instructions and indicated his willingness to go along with the plan with a short nod. “Ok,” I said. “We’ll find you guys when we reach the town.”
“Tell ma chérie that I miss her,” Geordie said in the background. Gregor hung up without repeating the message, knowing I would have heard the kid. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide a smirk. The teen was frequently annoying but at least he made me laugh. Luc showed no sign of jealousy and he had no need for it. We both knew I’d rather jump his bones than Geordie’s any day.
Following Gregor’s advice, Luc stuck to the back streets to avoid running into any more troops. Despite its beat up appearance, the jeep turned out to be an excellent choice of transportation. It bounced over potholes and badly eroded dirt roads with ease.
We drove until dawn was knocking on the door of our subconscious, alerting us that the sun would soon be here to burn us to death. Well, burn Luc to death anyway. In the back of my mind, I wondered how long it would be before we ran into another imp trap or army barricade. The odds were definitely against us now that the soldiers were aware of our existence. Now we had two enemies to worry about instead of one.
Despite my presentiment of doom, we reached our destination without encountering any obstacles. I sensed three vampires to the east of town and we were soon pulling into an underground parking lot of a shabby hotel.
I dialled Gregor’s phone as Luc pulled to a stop. “We’re here,” I said before he could give me a greeting. We didn’t have time for pleasantries, the sun would be up very soon now.
“Just in time,” was Gregor’s crisp response. “We’ve booked you a room on the fourth floor. Igor is waiting for you inside.”
We hung up and I handed Luc back his phone as we stepped into a creaky elevator. Luc pushed the button for the fourth floor and I hid behind him. I hoped we wouldn’t encounter anyone during the short trip. The soldiers knew roughly what I looked like and the outfit I had on could be best described as ‘memorable’. The last thing we needed was for anyone to become suspicious and turn me in to the authorities. Then again, we’d probably be able to mesmerize anyone who saw me into thinking they’d never seen me at all.
“Wow, we get to stay in the nicest places,” I said in distaste as we stepped out of the elevator. The hallway that spread out before us had threadbare, mustard coloured carpet and stained brown wallpaper. One of the fluorescent lights flickered on and off, on the point of blowing out altogether. It would have been spooky if I hadn’t been an undead creature of the night.
A door opened towards the far end of the hall and Igor’s shaggy head popped out. Dawn was very close when he handed the key card to Luc. “We’ll meet in your room tomorrow night,” he advised us. “It’s my turn to keep watch so you should both get some rest.”
Rest? I wish. Luc would turn into a corpse as soon as the sun came up, reverting back to death rather than simply falling asleep. Meanwhile, I would probably toss and turn, unable to sleep due to worry and stress.
“Thank you, Igor,” Luc said with unfailing politeness. I nodded my thanks then Igor headed for the elevator.
Luc and I shared a quick shower, too keyed up to do more than wash each other’s backs. Luc was fighting against falling into unconsciousness and I was hiding yawns behind my hands. The instant his head touched the pillow, my companion was out. I lay beside him for a while, worrying about the future as I’d known I would. I was starting to wonder if we even had a future. Most likely, we would all die horribly as soon as we entered the First’s cavern of doom. A pang hit me at the thought of losing not just Luc, but all of my friends.
I can’t let them go in there, I thought as sleep finally overtook me. There was no need for all of us to die. If someone had to be sacrificed to end the First and his horde of offspring, it should be me. After all, wasn’t that ultimately the reason why I existed?
Chapter Twelve
Oppressive dark
ness surrounded me like a heavy blanket that I couldn’t shrug off. Turning in a slow circle, the blackness was broken by flares of orange firelight in the distance. The sight of the bonfires coupled with the unpleasant ambience was all too familiar. I had dreamed myself back into the First’s lair again.
Bracing myself for an attack, I expected the leader of the imp army to swoop down and pull my inner imp out of me. Sensing movement at my back, I spun around. At first I couldn’t quite tell what I was looking at, it was just a jumble of movement in the darkness. Then I realized my four shadows were engaged in a fight. Slapping soundlessly at each other, they looked like little kids in a schoolyard fighting over who had the next turn on the swings.
Realizing I was watching them, they quit fighting and immediately imitated my stance. It was far too late for that but they were trying to pretend that they hadn’t been acting abnormally. With the flames behind me, they were facing away. After a few seconds, one gave itself away by peeking at me over its shoulder.
I’d been waiting for something like this to happen since the First had commanded my shadows to rise. Now that the moment was here, I felt cold all the way to my bones. I might only be dreaming this but my dreams had a disturbing tendency of coming true. If my shadows were becoming sentient, then I was now one gigantic step closer to becoming possessed. Dread and despair flooded through me. How could I possibly stop myself from being turned into a puppet?
Screams of torment echoed from the far side of the cavern. It was feeding time again and a fresh batch of humans was being spitted for the roast. Knowing it was inevitable, I started drifting towards the bonfires. This time, I was floating again rather than walking but at least I had control over my direction. I caught sight of my shadows drifting along behind me. Three of them were in an elbowing match, vying for room. It cheered me up slightly that they didn’t seem to be getting along. I would have been a heck of a lot more worried if they’d been cooperating with each other.
