by Tahnee Fritz
“I suppose you came to save your little boyfriend, didn’t you?” Nick asks, taking a few short steps closer to me.
I shrug, “I came to fight back.”
He and a few of the others share a small laugh together. I don’t see what’s so funny, but I guess if I were in their shoes I’d probably be laughing as well.
“You really think a pathetic little girl like you can fight us?” he says.
My eyes dart from each of them. They are all a lot bigger than I am and probably know some crazy fight moves that I’d never be able to get away from. I’m sure all of them have seen their fair share of battle and have killed plenty of people in their days. I mean, I have too, the people I kill just aren’t living anymore. How many people can say they’ve killed nine zombies on their own? How many people can say they’ve personally dragged a few vamps into the sunlight without getting a single scratch or bite? I’m sure a few others, but how many of them are nineteen year old girls? My guess, probably not a lot.
“I think I can handle it.” I say, sounding more cocky than I feel.
Nick smiles, “You are a funny little girl. Don’t understand why you’re wasting your time with this pathetic traveler when you could be spending your nights with a man like me.” He walks past Ryder and shoves him in the chest a bit. “The two of us would make a great pair, don’t you think?”
I can feel the grimace crossing my face as that horrible image comes to my mind, “Yeah, I think I’d rather die than let that happen.”
The smile on his face goes away and he says, “You’ll be making a big mistake if you don’t choose wisely. Either you be with me or you can join these ingrates and be a nice dinner for the oncoming vamps.”
“Hmmm,” I put a finger to my chin, acting like I’m thinking about it, “that’s a tough one. I think I’ll have to go with neither.”
“That’s not an option.”
“Well, neither of your choices seem appealing to me so I’m making my own choice.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’m gonna stop you.” I say, aiming my gun right at his face.
Nick rolls his eyes and pulls his own pistol out. He doesn’t hesitate when he grabs Ryder and rips the bag off his head. He presses the barrel of the gun to the left side of Ryder’s head with one hand and wraps his other arm around Ryder’s chest so he can’t get away.
My heart practically skips a beat as our eyes meet. There’s a small trace of blood under his nose and a cut on the right side of his face. Seeing him hurt makes me angry. Seeing a gun pressed against his head, takes me over the top.
“I’m getting real tired of you. I know you don’t want to see me kill him and you know I will.” Nick seethes. “Lower your gun and maybe I’ll let him live long enough for the vamps to do my dirty work.”
Instead of listening to Nick and my gut right now, I take a few seconds to think things through. I didn’t come here to see Ryder get killed. I came here to get him back. Nick has his own plans of turning Ryder and the other three over to the vampires. I’m sure they have an agreement of how many people will grant them safety for one more night and I’m sure vamps aren’t the kind of creature to let things slide so easily. They’re the things that get pissed off and kill when they know they can win.
A smile comes to my face and I say, “Go ahead and kill him.” Ryder struggles a bit in Nick’s grip and passes me a frightened look. “I know you won’t pull that trigger though.”
He raises an eyebrow and says, “How do you know I won’t?”
“Because you need him to give to the vampires to keep your precious city safe for another evening. If you don’t have four people, they could take one of you, if not all of you.” I reply.
He thinks for a moment, then says, “Then I’ll just give them you.”
I shake my head, “No, you won’t. You’re the kind of guy who wants to take his revenge out first hand and not give me up so easy. I’m the one who’s standing up to you right now. You want the pleasure of killing me all for yourself and not some pathetic vampire.”
A few twigs break off to our right, grabbing Nick’s attention, along with everyone else’s. He whips his head in that direction and one of his men shines a flashlight at the trees. We don’t see them at first, but we hear them.
“What...is going...on?” I hear a struggled voice that comes from no one in my group.
Nick keeps his grip on Ryder, but lowers the gun in his hand. My eyes turn to the creature walking toward us and the others who are right behind him. Their pale skin and white hair glow in the small amount of light coming from the flashlights. Their grey eyes stick out on their faces along with the purple veins on their necks. Most of them have blood stains all over their clothing, but the one up front, looks clean and smug about his appearance.
“Zeke, I’m glad you could make it tonight.” Nick says, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
The one he called Zeke steps closer and says, “What...are you...doing?”
“Nothing.” Nick shakes his head and shoves Ryder back with the others. “We are just waiting for you. We have what you asked for and even one more.” He motions to me.
I hold my gun tighter and turn my aim to the vamp. It might not be enough, but at least it’s something to slow them down if they choose to come at me.
None of the vamps even glance my way. Zeke keeps his eyes fixated on Nick and the others he brought are focused on Nick’s men. They don’t even pay attention to the prisoners.
“What are you waiting for?” Nick argues. “Just take them and keep to our deal.”
Zeke cocks his head to the side, “What...deal?”
Fear instantly floods Nick’s tan face and the gun falls from his hand. There’s a sly smile on the face of Zeke, showing off the crooked teeth hiding behind his pale lips. There’s a plan hiding behind those grey eyes of his, giving me a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hope whatever my little group came up with, is going to be put to play here soon.
I sort of need them right now.
“We had a deal, Zeke. You promised us safety if we delivered so many humans to you each week. You promised.” Nick pleads.
Zeke shakes his head, “I remember...no promise.”
Nick’s men turn their guns to the vamps. I can hear the metal shaking in their hands as they take aim. The frightened look in their eyes makes me wonder why they would bother going through with this risk in the first place. I get that safety is a very important thing in the world right now, but seriously. Meeting up with vampires in the middle of the night when all you have to protect yourself is a gun and the hope that you can aim for their heart and not miss. What the hell kind of plan is that?
A terrible plan is what that is.
“Did you really expect vampires to keep up with their end of the deal?” I say, probably more than I should have. “Did you really think this was a good idea in the first place? You can’t trust a vamp with anything let alone the safety of an entire city. You have got to be the biggest idiot in the world.”
One of the vamps turns their hideous head my way. Drool slips out of her mouth as she passes me a tooth filled snarl. Her blonde hair drapes over her narrow shoulders and her white eyes bore into my soul. I guess she didn’t like what I had to say. She pushes her way past Zeke and a few other vamps and stands a few feet away from me. She tilts her head to the side, a cracking sound comes from her neck, and smiles as she licks her lips. I can feel my hand shaking and can practically hear my heart beating in my chest. The vamp takes a small step closer to me and I jump a bit. The other vamps around her let out a raspy laugh as they watch the human fear for her life.
That laugh catches my attention. It doesn’t even sound like a laugh. It’s more like what an old man sounds like when he’s trying to catch his breath after a short walk to the kitchen for another beer. Their laugh makes me smile and calms my heart a bit. I actually feel like I could take on the world. I stare at the female, she takes another step closer to me.
I steady my hand and squeeze the trigger of my gun. The vamp falls backward with a bloody hole in the middle of her chest.
Thank god I didn’t miss.
I turn to the other vampires, the ones who stare at me with evil in their eyes, “Who’s laughing now assholes?” my turn to pass them a vengeful snarl.
I guess that doesn’t sit right with them because in the next few seconds, a few of them rush past Zeke and head for Nick and his men along with myself. Gunshots blare through the woods, horrid screams are followed by the vamps as various parts of them get hit by the bullets. Another one comes after me and I’m quicker this time when I pull the trigger. He falls to the ground with his veiny hand covering his heart.
I turn my eyes to where Nick was standing just a few seconds ago. Ryder is lying on the ground, backing away from a pale vamp wearing a faded red dress. His hands are still tied at his waist and he has no way to defend himself against that thing. I move closer, jumping out of the way of another vamp. Damn thing came out of nowhere. Their numbers seem to be multiplying while ours are staying the same.
Not sure how long we’ll make it out here.
Before I can make it to Ryder, there’s a sharp tug on my hair and I’m being flung onto the ground even farther away from him. The world rushes by me so fast, I don’t have the time to react before I crash to the ground I was just standing on. The gun is thankfully still in my hand and I stare up at the vamp who’s trying to attack me. He looks like a teenager who’s missing his left ear completely. Not enough to take his thirst away.
I scramble to take aim with my gun. He’s moving fast and for some reason I seem to be moving in slow motion. My hands just can’t comprehend the message my brain is trying to send them. All they need to do is point the stupid gun at the damn thing’s heart and blow him to smithereens. What they are doing is fumbling around while my eyes keep watch on the young vamp. He drops to his knees at my feet and reaches out for one of my ankles. I finally have a shot and I pull the trigger. The bullet is lodged into his shoulder and he laughs at my failed attempt. I take aim again, but it’s not my gun that makes the sound.
The vamp falls dead at my feet and I feel a large hand grab my upper arm. I’m suddenly being jerked to my feet and spun around so I can face whoever shot the vamp and saved my life.
Dwayne, may he never cease to surprise me.
“Thank you.” I say.
“Don’t mention it.” He replies then walks away from me, joining the fight against rage-filled vampires.
Following him through the trees are the rest of my small army. They run into this battle, shooting whatever vampire gets in their way. Finally I get some reinforcement and I can breathe easy again.
I turn back to Ryder. The female vamp isn’t attacking him any longer. She’s lying on the ground next to him, her dress is so red the blood just blends right in with it. Someone saved his life for me. Ryder is sitting up on the ground, trying to free his hands from the ropes while death and carnage is happening all around him. I take my chance and run to his side. I slide to the ground on my knees, feeling my jeans tear on one of the legs. I take Ryder’s hands and go about untying the rope around them. Every few seconds, I glance up only to make sure there isn’t a vamp hovering over us waiting to try a taste. So far, my little army and what’s left of Nick’s men seem to be handling them quite well. The other prisoners have been freed by Jim and are currently trying to get out of this madness.
The ropes start to loosen in my hand and Ryder is able to pull his hands free. He doesn’t hesitate before throwing them around me and pulling my body closer to his. During those few seconds of our short embrace, the world around us seems to disappear. The screams grow faint and all I can hear is his breath. All I can feel is his skin against mine and the safely while I’m encased in his arms. This is where I’m meant to be. This is where I want to be. He is my reason to stay alive and survive this.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” He whispers in my ear.
I pull away from him and smile, “I’m not letting you get away from me that easy.”
Both of us get to our feet and look around at the battle going on. The screaming seems to be growing and the vampires are just pouring in from all directions. How we didn’t see any of them on our way out here, has me completely befuddled.
“We need to get out of here.” Ryder says, noticing the same thing I am.
We’re not winning this thing like I hoped we would. It would take a lot more people to help us out and I know that’s not going to happen any time soon. The vamps have an edge on us. They’re stronger, more agile, they can take us down without even breaking a sweat. We could try to outrun them, try to retreat back to the city, but they’d catch up before we could make it far at all. Even if we could, they would hop over the fence at Hatfeld like it’s nothing and take rampage on the people there. I’m not one to have that sort of thing on my conscience.
“You shouldn’t have come looking for me, Bridge. You should have just forgot about me and gone on with your life.” Ryder says.
An old vamp with a limp comes charging at us and I quickly take aim and pull the trigger, “You really think I could have done that without you?” He pulls me out of the way of another one jumping out from behind a tree, one of the others gets a clear shot at it, “I don’t care if we die here tonight, Ryder, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life without you.”
“You’re crazy,” he says, “you know that, right?”
I shrug, “That’s not the first time you’ve told me that.”
“It probably won’t be the last either.” He says.
“I’m counting on that.” I say, as I manage to hit another vamp in the stomach, then another in the leg.
More shots are fired and I can see two vamps fall limp to the ground. That’s followed by one more vamp flying through the air and landing on the man with the gun who killed the first two. I raise my gun and aim for the vamps head just before he sinks his teeth into the man’s neck. The bullet doesn’t kill him, but it knocks him off the man long enough so he can get a shot at the vamps heart. That isn’t enough to stop another one from coming at him and sinking his teeth into his shoulder.
“There’s too many of them.” I say.
“We need more ammo!” I hear a shout coming from one of the fighters.
“Screw that! We need more people!” another shout.
I know I’m running low on ammo and I didn’t think to bring any with me. Taking the time to reload would be a death sentence anyway. A short vampire comes out from behind a tree and reaches for Ryder’s leg. He quickly jumps to the side and I take a shot, hitting the creature in the mouth, then another shot to its heart.
“I’m glad you don’t hesitate with these things anymore.” Ryder says to me.
“Me too.” I reply and fire another round into the heart of a dark skinned vamp trying to make a snack out of my new friend Seth.
Two more gunshots are fired, then the air around us suddenly grows silent. The vamps have stopped screaming and attacking the few humans who remain. They keep their eyes glued to us while they plan their next move. I look around at the humans who are left. Three men from Nick’s group, not including Nick, and about seven of my own, that’s including the prisoners we saved. We are more than outnumbered.
There’s a woman standing a few feet from us and she looks my way, “What do we do?”
I look around, noticing even more vamps closing in around us as we group together, “I don’t know. We can’t run and our ammo is almost empty. At least we’ll go down fighting.”
“Shitty.” The woman says.
Ryder takes my free hand and squeezes it hard. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing I am. Wishing we were somewhere else, a place where these monsters were never even heard of, not in storybooks or in movies. A utopia designed specifically for the last of the human race. A place that doesn’t and will never exist.
“No matter what happens, Bridge,” Ryder says, quietly, “I’m
really glad I got to spend these last few days falling in love with you.”
A lump comes to my throat as I squeeze his hand right back, “Same here.”
These have been some of the best few days I’ve had in a while. Getting to know a stranger, saving his life on more than one occasion. I’ll miss the last two nights we spent together in our hotel room in Hatfeld. I’ll miss his smile and how he came to trust me after just a few minutes. I’ll miss everything about him.
The vamps close in on us, forcing us into a tight circle in the midst of them all. Easier for them to snack on us and harder for us to fight back.
“Fear...smells delicious.” I hear one of the vamps speak loud enough for all of us to hear.
His words send shivers up my spine. Any second now and this will all be over. The fear deep in my gut will be gone and every painful memory of my past erased from my mind forever. I’ll never be able to see or hold Ryder or feel his lips against my own. I’ll never have that feeling of being loved or cared about by a human being who isn’t a member of my family. I just got to know that feeling too.
Tears slowly drift from my eyes and flow down my cheeks. The slight breeze cools them as they slide down my face. I close my eyes and sniffle. Something doesn’t seem right. A very particular aroma drifts up my nose and I open my eyes again. I could never mistake that smell.
“Zombies.” I whisper.
“What?” Ryder asks.
“Zombies are coming. I can smell them.” I say.
As if on cue, we hear their grunting. That horrible sound could pierce through anything. Through a small gap in the group of vamps, I see them coming. They bump into each other, banging their shoulders against the trees around them, but they don’t care. They keep lumbering toward us, groaning louder than I’ve ever heard them groan before. The vamps don’t even acknowledge their growing presence. Dead blood doesn’t appeal to them, they can’t even smell it.
I keep my eyes on the zombies. Another threat on our lives. The rest of the humans have noticed them as well and I can hear a few silent prayers escape their lips. I don’t pray for anything. I keep watching as something unexpected takes shape in front of me. A zombie, caked with dried blood and dirt is attacking a vamp. He has it pinned against a tree while he sinks his teeth into its flesh and pulls a big chunk of the pale skin off its bones. The vamp lets out a wail so loud, the others around it turn their attention to the scene.
