The Vampire War

by Eric S. Brown

  “So we’re going in to wipe them out?” Scott asked.

  “Yes,” Donald confirmed. “The danger to those around the swamps increases with each passing day. Already, dozens have been found dead or gone missing, according to the police files Hank hacked into.”

  “I get it.” Ringer grinned. “We can save lives while dealing Mavet a heavy blow, too.”

  “Taking out those mages might really mess up whatever Mavet is planning,” Hank agreed. “He must need them for something, or he wouldn’t have bothered to woo them over to his side. Most supernatural parties are keeping well clear of him and his vampires. The Mothman is a good example of that. He wants to act against Mavet but can’t risk such a confrontation.”

  “If Jimi were to go up against Mavet and lose…” Ringer frowned. “Well, that’s something I don’t want to think about. Jimi’s presence in our world alone is enough to hold back so much we could be forced to deal with.”

  “Back to the point,” Hank cut in. “Their loss could indeed hurt Mavet’s plan in a bad way if he’s up to what we suspect he is. Isn’t that right, Katherine?”

  “I don’t know what he’s up to any more than you do, Hank,” Katherine said, controlling her anger that he’d called her out. It wasn’t like him to do that sort of thing, but he’d been acting differently toward her since her breakdown during her psi-screening in the debriefing room.

  “She really doesn’t, Hank, and you know that.” Tonya glared darkly at the tele-mechanic.

  Breaking the tension between the two of them, Donald dived back into the conversation. “We’ve all assumed since the beginning that Mavet’s attempting to summon an entity far older and more powerful than himself, a being that could end this world within hours, if not minutes, of its arrival. Such a thing on his part would certainly require the sort of raw magical power the dark mages could provide him with.”

  “So how do we handle this situation in Florida, then?” Scott asked. “It sounds like we don’t have an exact location for the dark mages’ base there.”

  “We don’t,” Hank admitted. “The scans of the area show numerous spots of high magical activity. Simply heading in assuming the most concentrated is their base would be a pretty big gamble. One I don’t think we can afford to take.”

  “Tonya, could you narrow it down any for us?” Donald shot a glance at the telepath.

  “Maybe, but doing that comes with its own risks,” she warned. “The dark mages have almost certainly put up shields to block, maybe even detect, unwanted psychic scans of the area.”

  “We don’t want to tip them off that we’re coming,” Ringer said. “If there’s an entire cult of guys like the one who was guarding Katherine down there, we’re going to need every edge we can get to take them out.”

  “Our best bet is likely to send a small team first to get the lay of the land and see what’s happening in the swamp and the towns around it,” Tonya suggested.

  Donald appeared to think things over, and then looked at Katherine. “Mother, what would you advise in this situation?”

  “I’d do what Tonya’s suggesting,” Katherine answered. “The small group might still end up alerting the dark mages to our knowledge that they’re there, but at least then we won’t be risking the slaughter of an entire strike team. And we’d still have the option of sending in a team to back them up or hit the dark mages’ compound based on how things play out.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do,” Donald said, making his choice.

  “All that’s left now is deciding who to send.” Hank glanced around the table.

  “You won’t be going, Hank,” Donald told the tele-mechanic. “I’ve allowed you more freedom to venture into the field than I should have already. You’re needed here.”

  “But…” Hank started.

  “You heard me, Hank,” Donald cautioned him. The young precog had truly grown into his mother’s son. Once his mind was made up, you didn’t want to cross him.

  “I need to be a part of the team going in,” Tonya said.

  “Agreed. In fact, I was hoping you would lead it,” Donald nodded.

  “Whoa,” Ringer butted in. “What about me? I don’t have any issue with Tonya being in command, but it sounds like you’re cutting me out of this one.”

  “I am,” Donald answered. “Every vampire, and likely every dark mage recruited by Mavet, too, at this point, knows who you are now, Ringer. They’ll be looking for you. Your power level isn’t easy to hide, or disguise either.”

  Ringer frowned but knew Donald was right.

  “You’ll be part of the strike team when, and if, it’s needed,” Donald added to assuage him. “Scott will be in charge, but you’ll be there as extra muscle.”

  “Just like the old days,” Scott said, and Ringer caught an edge of bitterness in the lead pilot’s voice.

  “Eddie, you’ll be the transport in and out,” Donald told the psycho-porter. “But I don’t want you staying on site once the first team is in place.”

  “I figured as much,” Eddie grunted.

  “That doesn’t leave many people available to be part of my team,” Tonya complained, “especially with Richard wounded.”

  Richard was recovering from the wound he’d suffered from the elder vampire’s enchanted sword in the warehouse. He gave Tonya a shrug. “Trust me, I’d love to go with you, but you’re right. I’m in no shape to. I’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”

  “My mother and Selah will be your team, Tonya,” Donald said.

  Katherine’s eyes bugged at what Donald had said. She wasn’t sure she was ready to head into the field yet. The manner in which the newbie, Selah, had started eyeing her didn’t help Katherine’s feelings about it, either.

  “I want the three of you ready to go and in the mech hangar within the hour,” Donald ordered, not giving Katherine a chance to argue.

  The meeting broke up, and Tonya and Katherine rose from their seats as Selah approached them.

  The red-headed psycho-metabolist extended a hand to Katherine. “My name is Selah Docker. We haven’t had the chance for proper introductions yet. It’s good to meet you, Ms. Grimm.”

  Katherine shook the girl’s hand. The firmness of Selah’s grip was unexpected. Katherine suspected that, were she fully human, several of the bones in her hand would have been broken by it.

  “It’s nice to meet you as well,” Katherine played polite. “People with your sort of gift are very rare. I’ve only ever known one other.”

  “The doctor…Mercy,” Selah said. “I’ve heard a lot about her.”

  “She was a fiery redhead too.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Selah frowned. “Sometimes I think I was recruited as much for my hair color as my power.”

  Tonya laughed. “I wouldn’t let Donald and Ringer hear you say that.”

  Both of them had already left the meeting room. Ringer’s pain at the loss of Mercy still stung him on an almost daily basis. And Donald, being who and what he was, would have been deeply insulted by such an implication.

  Katherine stared at Selah. “Look, I’m grateful that you’re trying to be kind to me, but I’d have to be an idiot not to notice that you have some kind of issue with me. I think it would be a good idea if we just went ahead and got it out in the open so we all know where we stand.”

  Selah flinched at Katherine’s directness.

  “You really want to know?” Selah asked.

  “I do,” Katherine nodded.

  “You’re a liability, Ms. Grimm,” Selah replied opting to just say how it was from her point of view. “You may have founded this company, but you’re not really one of us. You’re neither a human nor a psychic. You’re a fragging vampire, just like the ones we’re at war with. On top of that, you’ve been in their hands a very long time. God only knows what they’ve done to you.”

  “I’m getting really tired of saying this,” Tonya growled, stepping between the two of them. “She’s clean. They didn’t do anything to her that
we have to worry about.”

  “I understand that you believe that, Ms. Bellmore, but as good as you are, Mavet is supposedly a god. How can you be so sure?” Selah challenged her.

  “I am,” Tonya said firmly. “You’re new here. I get it. But Katherine Grimm is the backbone of Psi-Mechs, Inc. She always has been, and she still is now. You have my word on that. If that’s not enough for you, you know where the door is.”

  Selah huffed but backed down. “I’ll do my job in Florida, Ms. Bellmore. That you can count on.”

  Katherine watched as Selah whirled about and left them, heading for the exit.

  “That went well,” Katherine said, sighing.

  “Selah’s new here, and she doesn’t know you like the rest of us. Give her time,” Tonya said.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 9

  Weeds grew thickly along the side of the rural roadway. The road itself was paved, but rough from wear and lack of care. Insects chirped in the night, forlorn mating calls that combined into an almost musical sound. A snake coiled about a tree limb shifted, its tongue flicking out to taste the change in the air it felt as a rainbow of colors shimmered into existence on the road. The psychically created doorway opened. Eddie stepped through it holding his trademark automatic shotgun at the ready. There was no sign of danger. He lowered the weapon as Tonya, Selah, and Katherine emerged from the doorway behind him.

  “Here ya go, ladies.” Eddie grinned. “Sucks to be you. It’s going to be a long walk to town in the dark.”

  “I think we’ll manage.” Katherine chuckled. Being half vampire, the night was her friend. She could see in it far better than she could in the harsh rays of the sun.

  Selah’s eyes took on a catlike, yellow glow as the psycho-metabolist altered them to fit the environment she’d stepped out into.

  “You two have it easy.” Tonya shook her head. “Us poor telepaths have to rough it with just the star and moonlight to get by with.”

  “The town’s that way.” Eddie pointed southward. “If you run into trouble. . .”

  “We’ll be in touch,” Tonya assured him.

  “Right then.” Eddie nodded, looking like he didn’t really want to leave them on the road. “Guess I’ll catch you later.”

  Eddie stepped back into the shimmering portal. It closed behind him, vanishing as quickly as it had sprung into existence.

  Both Selah and Katherine had cooled down before they left the base. Tonya could sense they were still far from comfortable with each other, but they each seemed intent on getting the job ahead of them done. She knew Katherine wouldn’t start any trouble unless Selah did. Since joining the ranks of Psi-Mechs, Inc. Selah had never given Tonya any reason to worry about her—until now. She could understand, even relate to, Selah’s hatred of all vampires. Hopefully the newbie would come around to accept that Katherine wasn’t one of them, despite the difference in her hybrid DNA and that of a normal human’s. Katherine had a good portion of vampire powers and strength without the evil and blood lust that came with it.

  The three women walked along the road in the direction of Fayville. The town was a small one, even by the standards of the rural South. If the information they had about it was correct, its entire population numbered less than five hundred. That would make it difficult to blend in, but also easier to assess if there was something going on there. It would be the sort of place where everybody knew everybody else, and where rumor and gossip were likely the highpoints of residential life.

  Their cover story was that they were tourists en route to one of the larger towns nearby to visit family. They’d taken a wrong turn, and their car had paid the price for it. It was an easy enough yarn to spin, especially with an added telepathic push on Tonya’s part if anyone failed to buy it at face value. That was fine with her. She would already be masking parts of their appearance, as two women carrying sheathed swords on their backs would cause a stir otherwise. The psychic concealment would be easy to maintain unless they ran into another psychic or some kind of magic user. And if that happened, they’d likely be in a fight anyway.

  Tonya wore her pistol on her hip openly. Its presence was masked by the same psychic effort that kept the swords of the other two concealed. Tonya doubted she really needed to hide her pistol given that they were in the South, but it was better to err on the side of caution.

  The three women reached town around 11 P.M. The place was dead. All the shops of its main street were closed up with their lights off. Even the gas station they’d passed at the edge of town had been closed up for the evening. Apparently the locals believed when night fell, it was best to be indoors. Tonya hoped there wasn’t a reason for that beyond just the size of the town.

  The only lights along the main street were the hooded, old fashioned lights that lined it and a blinking traffic light in the center of town. Tonya came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk.

  “What is it?” Selah asked.

  Tonya frowned. “I…I don’t know. Something isn’t right here.”

  “That’s pretty vague.” Katherine gouged her in the side. “Do better.”

  Had it been anyone other than Katherine, Tonya would have flown into a rage at the comment. Katherine had been her boss for a long time, though, and she was used to such prodding coming from her.

  “The ‘psychic ether’—for lack of a better term—around this town, well, it just feels unclean somehow…” Tonya stumbled for the words to express what she was feeling.

  Selah had become even more alert than she had been. She sniffed at the air as her cat-like eyes scanned up and down the length of the street.

  “Trouble?” the psycho-metabolist asked.

  “Almost certainly,” Katherine answered before Tonya could.

  “Then maybe we should get off the street,” Selah suggested. “I don’t like being out here in the open like this.”

  “That’s a great idea, but where?” Tonya asked. “Everything’s locked up for the night.”

  Katherine snorted. “When has that ever stopped us before? Pick a place that looks good and we’ll let ourselves in.”

  Tonya knew Katherine had told her to pick because of her psychic sensitivity to their surroundings. She had the best chance of picking somewhere that would be safe.

  “I got movement in the trees over there,” Selah whispered, looking in the direction she meant.

  Katherine’s vampiric vision was superior to even the cat-like vision Selah had given herself. Deep in the trees, Katherine could see a man standing there watching them. There was nothing abnormal about him that she could see from this distance, except for how he was swaying on his feet. The motion reminded Katherine of her adopted son Donald on his worst days when he fell into the ticks that could sometimes come with autism.

  The slight breeze that blew shifted direction, carrying the man’s scent to Selah. She made a disgusted face.

  “That man is either dead or he just got off work from a slaughter house,” Selah said.

  Katherine sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Not zombies. I hate freaking zombies.”

  “He’s a zombie,” Tonya confirmed. “I can tell you straight up there’s nothing inside his head. Heck, he doesn’t even have the natural psychic shield that most living people do around their thoughts. And where there’s one zombie…”

  “There are more zombies,” Katherine snarled.

  “The question is, where are they?” Tonya asked.

  Selah drew her katana. It made a scraping sound as it left the sheath on her back. Her body tensed as she dropped into a defensive stance. Katherine followed her example. They glanced at each other as if realizing for the first time how alike they were when it came to combat.

  Tonya’s pistol left its holster. She readied the handgun, switching out its magazine for a normal one. There was no point in wasting silver rounds on zombies. Tonya had brought three extras magazines with her. She’d thought that was overkill, but now she was wishing she’d brought more. God only knew how man
y zombies they’d be facing.

  “That zombie still isn’t moving toward us,” Tonya pointed out. “Kind of makes me nervous. It’s almost like he’s waiting on something.”

  “Do we still want to find somewhere to head into?” Selah asked, considering the pros and cons of doing so in her head. If they took cover in a building, they could easily be trapped there. Staying on the street played better to her and Katherine’s fighting styles as they’d have the room to move about more freely. Of course, depending on the number of zombies that came their way when the crap hit the fan, they could be overrun out in the open.

  “No,” Katherine answered. “We stay where we are. Let them make the first move.”

  “Uh, that could take a while,” Tonya argued. “If we’re staying out here on the street, we should at least keep moving.”

  “Agreed,” Katherine grunted, noticing that she’d naturally fallen into the leadership role for the group despite Tonya being officially in command. Tonya didn’t seem to have a problem with it, so Katherine said, “Let’s head toward the other end of town.”

  Selah took point, with Katherine bringing up the rear, and Tonya protected between them, as they moved up the street. They walked at a brisk but careful pace, keeping an eye out for more of the zombies. As they neared the other end of the town’s main street, all hell broke loose. A loud moan came from somewhere beyond the glow of the streetlights. Another echoed it, and then another. A chorus of moans arose from everywhere around them.

  “Oh, crap,” Tonya muttered as the zombies made their move.

  The number of zombies was impossible to count at a glance. They came stumbling out of the closed-up stores and shops along the street. The door to the town’s sheriff’s office flew open and zombies poured out of it. Other zombies emerged from the woods. Still more came lumbering out of the shadows at both ends of the street. All the zombies were moving toward them as fast as they could. The creatures appeared to be of the shambler variety, without a single fast-mover among their ranks.