No, he thought, much better that he channel his sorrow and hurt into getting this job done. If they blacked out the windows, maybe got some blankets from somewhere, they could put the vampires in the back of the minibus and drive through the day. What a hero he would be. Things would change then. They'd have to respect him, they'd have no choice. They'd either respect him or die.
Eventually he tired of looking and widened his criteria. He found a white transit van parked in one corner of the car park and managed to change the plates without anyone noticing.
"Here, you go," he told Cassidy as he arrived back, handing her the plates. She was speckled with white paint.
"I don't need them, bozo. Screw them on." Only Cassidy could insult him with such warmth.
She'd done a good job with the painting. The logo on the side had entirely disappeared, without it appearing too obvious that someone had just painted along the sides.
This might just work, Darwin thought to himself as he affixed the new number plates. Maybe the tide had changed and things were about to start to go his way? That depended, of course, on whether the vampires would still be alive when they met up with them. He could only hope that Mr East’s colleagues wouldn’t get there first.
#
They arrived in Walthamstow not long after dark.
Cassidy hunched trying to look up at the buildings as she drove. "Where exactly is this place we're supposed to be going?"
Darwin shrugged, continuing to scan the buildings they passed. "Somewhere round here."
"Great. Well we better find it fast as we're running low on fuel."
Darwin turned to flash her a smile. "We won't find it. They'll find us."
Cassidy didn't look convinced. Even so, she pulled into a quiet industrial side street and parked up.
"In which case," she said, again fighting with the handbrake. "They can find us here."
They waited there for several hours. Darwin was happy to sit there in silence, scanning the darkness for any movement.
"They're taking their time," Cassidy complained.
"They've got to check us out. Make sure we weren't being followed."
"Well I wish they would bloody well hurry up!"
It was well into the evening when there was eventually a knock on Darwin's window. It made both of them jump. Darwin looked in the wing mirror and caught sight of a shaggy-haired man disappearing round the back of the minibus.
"Monk?" Darwin couldn't be sure from his fleeting glimpse, but it looked like the vampire.
One of the rear doors of the minibus opened. Both Darwin and Cassidy instinctively flinched as a figure climbed in, shutting the door quietly behind him. Darwin held out his arm as if to hold Cassidy back. He had been right, it was Monk.
His shoulder-length hair hung in natural loose curls and was slightly greyer than Darwin remembered. Monk had also grown a beard since he’d last seen him; not one that was neatly maintained, but one that was allowed to grow unmolested and then hacked back like one might an overgrown hedge. His waistcoat and long faun raincoat made his style sit at the intersection of banker, private eye and flasher.
Monk walked up to the front and crouched down behind the seats that Darwin and Cassidy now sat. When he spoke it was in whispers, his broad Irish accent still clearly audible. "Never thought I'd be saying it was good to see you, Darwin. Can't say there aren't others I wish were here instead of you, but I'll take what allies I can right now."
"Good to see you too, Monk. We wondered if anyone was going to turn up."
Monk shrugged. "You really can't be too careful these days. Your friend here caused the biggest problem. Had to be sure she wasn't... you know... one of them."
If Cassidy had felt insulted, she didn't show it, instead electing to introduce herself with her usual bubbliness. "Hi, I'm Cassidy."
"Charmed. You sure keep some odd company, Darwin."
Darwin felt like reminding Monk that he should take what allies he could find, but elected not to. "She's alright. She's on our side."
"Yeah, guess we can't be too fussy these days. Even so, you'll forgive me if I don't entirely trust you, missy."
Cassidy shrugged.
"It's nothing personal, mind."
"Speaking of allies," Darwin asked, "what about the werewolves?"
Monk's eyes cast downwards as Darwin explained to Cassidy, "Monk here was kinda our ambassador to the werewolves."
"I dunno about ambassador, I just used to hang around with them a lot."
"How is Amanda these days?"
"Sent off with her pack. Can't afford to take any risks. Whoever's been knocking off the vampires hasn't started on the werewolves... yet. And I'd like to keep it that way."
"So are the werewolves ready to help?"
Monk shook his head. "They're scared Darwin. I mean, you don't get to wipe out a race almost overnight, especially not the vampires. Fuck, we're the most vicious bunch of buggers this side of the gateways."
Darwin laughed. Monk did not share his humour, instead giving him a serious look. If Darwin was honest the thing that warmed his heart most was the way Monk kept referring to the vampires as 'we'.
"If you were going to fuck with any one race on this planet, who'd be the last one you'd want to piss on?" Monk looked at Cassidy. "Vampires, right?"
Cassidy nodded in agreement.
Monk lowered his head. "Just doesn't make sense," he said, his voice trailing off.
"How many survivors are there?" Cassidy asked.
"That I know about? There's Honest Tom, Stevens, and that couple - don't know if you know them, Darwin - Jules and Brian."
Darwin gasped. "Is that it?"
He'd had images in his mind of doing ferry runs to and from the gateway, an exodus of hundreds not a handful.
Monk nodded. "There's a few out in the sticks, but most of us tended to gather in the places that got wiped out."
Darwin was still in shock. The scale of the genocide dawned on him, his race wasn't just decimated, it was practically extinct.
"We can use the minibus to get to people that can't get here," Darwin said, determined. "We can drive through the day."
"Aye," said Monk with something approaching a smile. "First bit of good luck we've had in a while. Who'd have thought being a half-vampire would end up causing you to be so useful. You could end up being our saviour."
Darwin smiled at this. Saviour of the vampires, he liked that. Finally he felt like he'd been accepted by his people and he could put those years of abuse behind him. It must have shown on his face as he saw Cassidy smiling back at him.
"OK, missy," Monk said, patting Cassidy on the shoulder. "Time to do some driving."
Cassidy nodded. "You just say where, O'captain."
Monk serious exterior broke into a wry smile. "Captain. I'm in danger of liking her."
The sanctuary, as Monk called it, was a disused chemical factory, scheduled for demolition. A huge wooden red wall encompassed the site, most of it now covered with fly posters and graffiti. Monk jumped out, unlocked the padlock on the gates, and let the minibus through. Once the minibus was safely through, he locked the gates behind them.
"I don't think a padlock will hold those things back," Darwin said.
"It's just to keep the majority of people out," Monk shrugged.
"And those that sneak in anyway?"
"Vampire's gotta eat."
The site consisted of several buildings, most connected by large industrial piping that ran overhead. Monk directed Cassidy through the maze of roadways to a smallish building close to the centre of the complex. It had a small shuttered loading entrance.
"Wait here," Monk instructed. "I'll open her up."
He jumped out again, and several minutes later there was the rattle of chains as the shutters were slowly lifted. Cassidy backed the minibus into the building at a speed that had Darwin a little nervous.
"Home, sweet home," said Darwin, helping her with the handbrake.
Cassidy shot him
a glare. "I can do it."
Darwin didn't care. This was his moment. This was when he returned back to his people and was accepted back into the flock. This was the moment he had been dreaming of all his life, to take his place as an equal amongst the vampires.
He got out of the minibus, as Monk lowered the shutters. He smelt the air, wanting to savour every moment, every sensation of this occasion.
The cargo bay they were now parked appeared only just big enough for the minibus, although Darwin suspected much large vehicles had backed into here. Yellow metal barriers lined a ramp up the side to a platform about chest height that ran along the back of the parking bay. The bay itself extended all the way to the roof, and Darwin thought that during the day, with its skylights and holes, this wouldn't be a safe place for a vampire to be. Beyond the platform, two stories faced out onto the cargo bay. It was at the upper of these windows that Darwin saw a number of figures looking down on their arrival. He gave a casual wave; the prodigal son returning home he thought.
They met him at the top of the ramp. Honest Tom embraced him warmly, but the other three held back, slightly unsure.
Brian and Jules he'd met briefly before. Brian didn't look much older than Darwin with neat ginger hair and freckles. Julie looked alike she had ten years on her partner, despite being the younger of the pair. She had frizzy brown shoulder length hair, a long face and large eyes. She wasn't what Darwin deemed attractive, but Brian himself had sired her over thirty years ago and they had been inseparable ever since. Brian might look like a straight-laced kid, but Darwin happened to know that he and Julie were among the most depraved of vampires, liking nothing better than to play with and torture their victims. They'd rarely got involved in council business, deciding instead to keep themselves to themselves. That was probably the reason they were still alive he concluded.
The other man, Stevens, Darwin had never met, and from all accounts he was only sired within the last few years. He was in his mid-fifties with a large curved nose which he always seemed to hold skywards, reminding Darwin of a bird. He was apparently one of Metzger's accountants, although from his pronounced speech and the way he held himself, Darwin thought people could be forgiven for mistaking him for a long-sired traditional.
Honest Tom made the introductions and Darwin noted the frosty reception they gave Cassidy. She'll soon win them over, thought Darwin, she had a way of always winning over people eventually. But as Honest Tom lead them all up the stairs, he overheard Jules telling Brian, "it's not right, bringing her here. What's this got to do with her?" He chose to ignore it, especially as it seemed to be out of earshot of Cass.
Honest Tom led them to what must have once been a meeting room. The huge conference table still dominated the space, but the chairs were a pot pourri of different styles, obvious salvaged from other rooms and buildings. There weren't enough so Honest Tom perched on the edge of the table. Stevens and Monk elected to stand. Cassidy span round in circles on her swivel chair until Darwin gave her a reproachful look.
Honest Tom looked round the room to make sure everyone was paying attention "Right, Darwin has made good on his word..."
"First time for everything," Jules muttered under her breath.
"...And delivered us a vehicle," Honest Tom concluded.
Stevens gave an audible huff. "What use is a vehicle if those... things can find us wherever we are?"
Brian nodded in agreement. "We're better off staying here, rather than going somewhere they can find us."
If they did that, thought Darwin, they'd be dead within a week. "It's only a matter of time before they find us. We've got to keep one step ahead."
Jules glared at Cassidy. "They're probably already onto us. Is it just me or does anyone else find it really fucking offensive that she's here?"
"She's on our side," Darwin protested. "If it hadn't been for her driving, we wouldn't even have a minibus. She stays!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Darwin," Jules retorted sarcastically. "I thought for a moment that Honest Tom was in charge here."
"We can always take the van and leave," Darwin shot back.
Honest Tom slapped his palm against the table a couple of times. "Quiet! Quiet! No-one is going anywhere. Not until we figure out a plan."
"Never did like him anyway," Jules muttered to Brian. "Fucking half-breed."
"Quiet!" Honest Tom repeated.
Monk raised a hand timidly skywards. "I thought the plan was to escape into Venefasia?"
Darwin turned his attention from Monk back to Honest Tom. "Yeah, I thought so too. What's changed?"
"We don't want to leave before we've rounded up as many survivors as possible. We only get one shot at this, we don't want to leave anyone behind we don't have to."
"Fuck that," said Brian. "It's every vampire for themself. Besides, the longer we wait, the greater the chance that something follows Darwin's trail here."
"I checked," Monk sighed. "No-one was following him, Brian."
"That you know of? Far be it for me to agree with Darwin, but he's right, we need to leave now... while we still can?"
"You can't just leave people behind. We're so few as it is."
"Maybe you've been hanging out with your wolf packs too long Monk, but there's a reason we all survived and that's because we chose not to buy into Metzger's Vampire Council bullshit."
Monk waved his arm around the room. "You think this is enough to save our race? Six of us?"
"I don't care," said Brian. "I don't care if only Jules and I survive."
"Fuck you too," interjected Darwin.
"Well at least I'm being honest. Don't pretend that when it comes down to it, you'll act any nobler. You'll look out for yourself and fuck over anyone the moment it becomes advantageous to do so. So cut the bullcrap about finding survivors and give me a solid plan."
"Who we still got out there?" Monk asked Honest Tom.
"There's Butler, but no-one's heard from him in days. He was supposed to be holed up with twenty vampires in Manchester. And then there's D'Toeni?"
"D'Toeni?" asked Darwin. "Where?"
"Swindon, apparently. He phoned Brian with his location a couple of hours ago"
Darwin looked around the room, his eyes wide. "We've got to go and get him."
"Wait a minute," said Cassidy. "A moment ago you wanted to just leave."
"Yeah but D'Toeni. He's like... a legend. I bet he could face those things off single-handedly."
"He's an arsehole, that's what he is," commented Honest Tom.
Darwin huffed. "What, you still pissed that he went up against Metzger?"
"...And lost."
"So what? Look, no offence but we've not got a lot of fighters. Brian and Monk might be handy in a fight, but Stevens, he's a fucking accountant, and you Tom, when was the last time you even had to hunt for your food?"
"That's not the point," protested Stevens.
"Really? Cos if I get to a gateway and find a load of those things waiting for me, it'll absolutely be the point."
"Don't let your personal dislike of Metzger cloud your ability to assess character."
Darwin raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean? Look, Cassidy and I will go, none of you need come with us. Quick drive down there and back, you'll never know we were gone."
"Darwin," Cassidy whispered. "I'm not going to Swindon."
Darwin turned and looked at her. "Come on, Cass, don't be silly. This is important. What's wrong with Swindon? That's where you're from anyway isn't it?"
Cassidy nodded. "And a reason I don't want to go back." She made puppy dog eyes at him. "Please, Darwin."
But the plan was perfect in Darwin's view. D'Toeni was a legendary vampire, a traditionalist who'd fed on more than one battlefield, who had frequently gone up against Metzger and Die Neuen. In Darwin's opinion there was no better person to lead the vampires. Of course, his dislike of Die Neuen meant that he'd not had any time for the likes of Darwin, but if D'Toeni was to be rescued by Darwin. Heck, then he'd see how
valuable he was to his race. Maybe he'd make him a Lieutenant or something.
Cassidy's apprehension was a surprise though. He'd not figured on her being unwilling to go to Swindon. It's where they had first met, a time that seemed more distant than it actually was. She'd been fine to be there then, and he didn't understand why she had a problem now. Tough really, he was going to Swindon whether she liked it or not, and she was driving.
As he saw it, this was his moment to prove himself. If he did well, helped them all escape, rescued D'Toeni, well then they'd see he was really one of them.
"Fine," he said. "It's decided then. Cass and I will go and fetch D'Toeni."
The looks round the table seemed to indicate that it wasn't decided, but Darwin didn't care. No matter what they thought now, they'd thank him for his decisiveness later. He was convinced of it.
CHAPTER THIRTY - An Unlikely Benefactor
Joseph had warned Maureen that New Salisbury police were beyond useless. In a city full of magic wielders, ordinary men with truncheons were little deterrent. Yet, she'd still insisted that they go and make a report about the elves.
"We're doing the right thing," she insisted as they sat in entrance hall of the police station. Long benches lined the walls before a barred counter. Had Maureen not known otherwise, she would have assumed they were in a bank.
Joseph huffed. "The right thing would be to go to Rofen."
Maureen could forgive him for being a little grumpy. She'd tried to persuade him that he needed to get his shotgun pellet wound taken care of, but he'd shrugged it off as if it was a scratch. She knew that trolls were quite hardy but she worried it might become infected. Stubborn old fool, she thought to herself, and then wondered if that referred to Joseph or herself.
"No, we're not going to Rofen," she said. "If he'd found what we'd been up to... We'll report it to the police and then leave it at that."
"But George..."
"He's a wizard, we're not. He helped us escape."
"... to hopefully bring other wizards."
"That'll be for the police to decide."
The Four Realms Page 20
