The Last Line Series One

by David Elias Jenkins

  Then the windows crashed in and all hell came in with them.

  Usher shouted a battle cry and spun as the first Nosferatu leapt in through the shattered frame. Its leathery wings caught and as it tried to squeeze itself through, the long neck craning as its jaws snapped like an alligator’s. Usher fired the shotgun directly into its mouth. The head exploded like a watermelon, but the creature still thrashed and struggled. Then it slid limply onto the floor.

  Headshots it is then.

  Usher spun and saw that two of the vampires had gathered in the hallway and were tearing the plaster wall apart to make a bigger gap.

  Gina screamed and shot one of them in the chest. It would have taken a living creature down but the Vampire just screeched at her and kept coming with renewed venom. It had burst through and was raising its claws when Usher sped over beside her and fired two shotgun shells into the creature’s face, the first removing its lower jaw and the second the top left portion of its skull. The vampire thrashed its claws wildly, maimed but somehow still alive and dangerous. Usher drew his Soulblade with his free hand and sliced through the creature’s neck in one stroke. It hit the desk and rolled off onto the floor with a wet thump.

  “Gina, go for the head!”

  The other creature had burst through into the room and was making powerful strides towards Usher. He brought the shotgun up but the vampire was already on him.

  Shit.

  Suddenly the front of the creature’s skull exploded in a black oily mist and it collapsed in a twitching heap at Usher’s feet.

  Usher breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Gina, standing there with the rifle in her hand.

  “Thanks. You are totally wasted in the service industry.”

  She gave Usher a sort of grateful, nervous grin and then resumed her post behind the desk as more creatures poured in to the hallway.

  Usher turned and found himself next to Brock. The giant Scandinavian had his arms locked around the long neck of one of the vampires as it thrashed and spat. His axe had been knocked from his hands and now he was trying to kill it with his bare hands. The thing was incredibly strong and Brock swore at it in his native tongue as it tried to reach him with its claws.

  Usher smashed the monster with the butt of his shotgun, and for a moment it was stunned enough for Brock to get its head on the table. Usher wasted no time in bringing his blade out and hacked at the neck until the head tore loose in long slimy sinews. Brock grabbed the jaw and wrenched the head fully clean, before turning and smashing another vampire in the face with it. The creature staggered back for long enough for Brock to pick up his axe Freya and set about the monster.

  Usher saw that Stromberg, Charlie and Isaac were covering the west wing. They had solid firing positions behind decent cover and their rate of fire was controlled and steady. With each burst of rounds Usher could hear furious screams of rage and agony from the advancing Nosferatu. No matter how dire the situation or what state they were in, the muscle memory of thousands of hours of practise kicked in.

  My boys don’t miss, nightcrawlers. No matter what the odds.

  On the east wing were Jeter and Charlie, two world class snipers who could not have been more different. Jeter was like a machine, changing his angle with mathematical efficiency as if operated by a series of cogs and levels. His face was blank, almost serene, as if killing an advancing horde of monsters was what he did to relax after a hard day’s work. Charlie was more like a child with a new toy. He had a lethal looking grin on his face and a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. With each successful shot he gave a little giggle and whispered wanker under his breath.

  Santiago sprinted quickly from team to team, dispatching head after snapping head with his Soulblade as they thrust into the windows. It was obvious from the outset that the conventional firearms they had were insufficient against these creatures, but they did operate as a stunning tool until the knife-smith could get close enough to decapitate them.

  Gina had joined Sherriff Daggett at the internal door between the Sherriff’s office and the deputies, as it was fast becoming overrun with the creatures, who had obviously managed to get in the back door. Daggett fired his large calibre revolver at the creatures, but it was clear from his constant cursing that him aim was off. Usher knew that only headshots would do and he didn’t reckon Daggett as much of a marksman.

  Ariel was assisting Billy Larose and Bobby, who to their credit were holding their positions as best as they could. They had no experience of tactical reloading under pressure and Usher had a flicker of pride to see Ariel getting them ready to fire again when they ran out of ammo. He rushed over and crouched beside the occult investigator, laying down a couple of shots of suppressing fire with his shotgun while the boys reloaded their hunting rifles.

  “Ariel. How we doing?”

  “These just aren’t the right tools for the job, Thom. All we’re doing is slowing them down.”

  “Damn it.”

  Jeter shouted across over the gunfire and screams.

  “Major. We have thirty minutes until they drop the bomb.”

  Usher looked out of the window. More and more of the vampires were appearing out of the mist, at least fifty, bounding on powerful legs and propelling themselves with leathery wings towards them. They were screeching and screaming and baring their needle teeth.

  We won’t be here in thirty minutes.

  Usher waited until Billy and Bobby began firing their rifles and then he started reloading his shotgun. "Ariel, that thing you did, with the ice, you reckon you can do that again? Bigger this time?”

  Ariel fired off a few shots with his revolver, heard a vampire screech in rage.

  “I can maybe conjure up one blast of freeze Thom. It won’t do more than slow them down for a few seconds.”

  “Do it Ariel. On my signal. If we can slow them down on one side then we all make a run for it. Tight formation, three sixty arc of fire. Because if we stay here we are dead.”

  Ariel was breathing heavy and struggling to stay calm, but he nodded.

  “I’ll wait for your signal.”

  Usher called out, struggling to be heard over the gunfire. “Everyone. This building is not gonna hold. On my signal, I want everyone on me! We are going to use a diversionary tactic then head out in a tight group. My team, keep an all-round defensive formation. We need to get out of the blast zone.”

  Stromberg turned his head from the window, laughing. His face was spattered with black vampire blood.

  “I cannot figure out if this is the Alamo or fuckin’ Zulu mate, but I don’t think it ends well if we stay here. Waiting for your signal boss.”

  The rest of the team called in. They were all fully aware that going outside was virtual suicide, but knew that they could not hold this building any longer. They would all rather go out on a fighting chance than just wait until they ran out of ammo.

  Usher called the huddled unarmed townsfolk over, got them ready to mobilize.

  He tapped Ariel on the shoulder.

  “Ok Ariel. Whenever you’re ready.”

  Ariel took a deep breath and closed his eyes, gathered the remnant energy from the Bloodmist that surrounded the building. He tried to calm his racing heart, allow his mind to sculpt and reform the world around him. “It’s hard to do this with all this noise, and with the impending doom thing and all, Thom.”

  Usher looked out of the window and saw nothing but a sea of spindly limbs, twisted horns and leathery wings. There were at least a hundred Nosferatu about to charge the building.

  “It’s now or never Ariel.”

  Ariel furrowed his brow. “Get everyone ready Thom. On three ok? One…two…”

  Suddenly the entire North wall of the room was sucked outwards, wood and glass splintering and exploding out on to the street. Everyone in the room ducked and covered their eyes as blinding daylight suddenly flooded into the room.

  Usher squinted over his arm, his rears ringing, and saw that out in the street a p
assage had been created in the bloodmist as if there were invisible walls on each side holding it back. Above, for what felt like the first time in years, Usher could see bright clear blue sky. He had never appreciated seeing the colour blue so much.

  Ariel stood in the vast hole where the wall used to be, looking at his own hands in amazement. The entire scene made Usher think of Moses parting the red sea.

  Outside, the Nosferatu were screeching and whining as the daylight sizzled down onto their pale forms. They scuttled off on either side into the shelter of the mist, and crouched there in the gloom with their skin crackling and fizzing.

  Usher stood up slowly, brushed himself down and looked around at the survivors.

  “Is everyone OK?”

  General nods and murmurs of shocked affirmation.

  Usher ran over to Ariel and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Ariel, you alright? That was amazing. What the hell did you just do?”

  Ariel looked at Usher and shook his head, seeming to be in complete shock.

  “Thom I…I don’t think I did this. It wasn’t me.”

  “Well if it wasn’t you then who the hell…”

  Usher looked up and saw a figure walking urgently down the magically created passageway in the mist. A tall slender young man with unruly hair wearing a tweed suit and carrying a cane. Just behind him was another figure with a strange bobbing walk that reminded Usher of his Valkyrie ally Ursula. It seemed to have a bird mask on.

  The man stopped in front of them and scanned Ariel and Usher with manic blue eyes. Usher was just staring at the creature next to him. Seven foot tall with the head of a bird of prey and wearing an immaculate suit. The man smiled at Usher.

  “You look like the boss around here. I’m Edward Debruler. I imagine you were sent here to find me. Rather a brave move deploying into a necromantic bloodmist. Or foolhardy.”

  Usher stared in amazement at the aristocratic young man.

  “Yes, we were just starting to regret it ourselves. Well it seems you found us first Mr Debruler. My name’s Usher, my team and I were sent in to assist in protecting your family heirloom, seems we got a little compromised.”

  Debruler looked over his shoulder. The invisible walls of the passage were shaking and distorting.

  “That spell is not going to hold. I’m afraid time is of the essence. I appreciate any assistance you can offer as we are most certainly compromised against this army. The safest place right now for everyone is in my home. There’s a shield. A thaumaturgic shield I can activate. It will keep them out for a while at least, until we can think of something more permanent.”

  Usher wasted no time in seizing the lifeline. He turned to the room behind and barked orders.

  “Ok, everyone muster up right now. We are leaving here immediately. Take any weapons and ammunition you can carry and gather behind me.”

  Ariel stepped down out of the ragged hole in the wall to join Debruler in the daylight passage.

  “Time may be even more of the essence that you think Lord Debruler. My team are planning to drop a thaumaturgic bomb on this site in zero minus twenty five minutes. It will take everything out, these Vamps, the Carrion, and the World Tree that’s spitting them out. And us if we don’t get clear.”

  Debruler raised his eyebrows in admiration.

  “Ah, I was wondering when you boys would develop a thaumaturgy bomb. Your lot really like tinkering with magic don’t you, trying to make it into some kind of i-phone? The Black Star tends to frown upon that sort of thing, but I find it rather interesting. Well that certainly puts an urgent slant on things.”

  Ariel stared out over Debruler’s shoulder at the creatures lurking just out of clear sight in the mist on either side of them. It was terrifying to see them so close, like watching a shark swim by the glass in an aquarium.

  “Debruler this shield of yours, it’s designed to absorb magical and physical energy? How much could it absorb?”

  Debruler blew out. “You mean could absorb the energy of the bomb blast? I have absolutely no idea.”

  “Well we just have to hope, as it’s about our only chance of survival.”

  Usher appeared at the shattered wall with the rest of the townsfolk and Empire One in tow. He performed a quick headcount. When his eyes fell on the haggard exhausted face of Cavell, he frowned.

  “Jackson? Collins?”

  Cavell sagged and shook his head, fighting back the emotion in his bloodshot eyes.

  Usher gritted his teeth.

  Good men die while cowards prosper. Happened in every war in history. Did you even try to save them Cavell?

  Usher swallowed his grief and focussed on the task in hand.

  “Ok. We’re ready to move out. How long will this clear passage last?”

  Debruler sucked his teeth and looked at the wall of red.

  “If we’re very lucky, just long enough for us to reach the house.”

  Usher looked at the walls of death on either side of them, tried not to show fear in front of the others.

  “Let’s move. This our one chance.”

  19.

  The survivors walked as a group through the unnatural passage of safety cut into the thick red mist. With each step they took, long sinewy arms shot out on either side. The talons swiped and slashed, desperate to reach the soft human flesh that sweated and shivered as far from the edges as it could get.

  The clawed hands could almost reach them on either side, no more than six inches away.

  One poor terrified civilian suddenly got caught on the backpack he was wearing, his look of shock only registering for a second before he was yanked off into the mist. His screams only lasted a few seconds as he was eaten, shadowy shapes suddenly dashing through the mist to descend on him.

  Usher cursed as the rest of the townsfolk screamed and huddled.

  “Jesus, stay in the middle and watch your kit! Keep going we can’t stop for a minute.”

  The birdlike man servant Muscadet had drawn a long curved Egyptian Khopesh, a sickle sword, and whenever a cadaverous limb shot out the mist he would cleanly sever it in one graceful stroke, causing an anguished scream to issue from the mist and a spray of black blood to spurt onto the road.

  Usher and his team did the same, keeping to the outside and defending the townsfolk as best they could with their Soulblades.

  They moved as quickly as they could, but their exhaustion and injuries slowed them down.

  At the front of the group, Debruler walked next to Ariel.

  “You were about to cast a spell back there before I arrived weren’t you?”

  Ariel felt almost embarrassed despite his terror.

  “Yes, how did you know?”

  “I could sense you drawing the magic out of the mist towards you. It almost ruined my chance of creating this passageway. You’re no more than an apprentice are you?”

  Ariel shook his head.

  “Not even that really, I have no teacher. I’ve just sort of picked some things up as I was researching. I’ve never been able to use it like I can here. This mist is so charged.”

  “Oh it certainly is. Self-taught you say? Then you must have no small amount of natural talent. Took me years under my father’s tutelage to get any good at all.”

  Ariel glanced askance at Debruler.

  “Well, I was briefly possessed by a god from the other side last year. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I think it left a mark.” Ariel almost blushed. “That’s a hard thing to throw into conversation so I just sort of went for it there.”

  Debruler raised an eyebrow and stared intently at Ariel.

  “Well aren’t you more than meets the eye, my friend. Yes that would do it. Sounds like you’re wasted stuck in a laboratory for the Special Threats Group. If we can somehow survive this, you’d find all the magical instruction you need under the care of the Black Star.”

  Ariel looked at the passageway they walked through.

  “This is incredible what you’ve done. I wouldn’t know
where to begin.”

  “I can show you. I can teach you a lot of things. If we survive. I even make my own thaumaturgic ammunition you know?”

  Ariel smiled.

  “Oh that trick I’ve been doing for years.”

  Debruler looked almost incredulous. “Why that’s just...I always thought I’d invented that. Hmm, looks like we have some shared interests.”

  Just behind them, Usher called out.

  “Debruler, we appreciate you bailing us out there. We’re on the same side but we also know that we’re strangers to you. We might not look like much at the moment, but for what it’s worth, myself and Empire One are in your debt. No expiry date.”

  Debruler gave a nervous grin and an awkward thumb up.

  “Well don’t be too grateful yet Major Usher. All I’ve done so far is lead you into a tunnel full of monsters that leads to a house there’s no escape from. Actually it doesn’t sound as heroic when I put it like that.”

  Usher slapped him on the shoulder. “You risked a lot coming out in this. But yeah, I guess it’s a poor day out when ‘tunnel full of monsters’ sounds like the good option.”

  Jeter appeared at Usher’s side.

  “Sir, fifteen minutes until ground zero.”

  Usher nodded. “Debruler, how long until we reach the mansion?”

  Debruler looked at the treeline ahead.

  “Just past those big Douglas firs. I’d say about ten or fifteen minutes’ walk at this pace.”

  “That’s tight. And how long will this passage hold?”

  “Oh about…ten…fifteen minutes…?

  Usher sighed. Marvellous.

  They hobbled and staggered on, the fatigue and injuries finally starting to outweigh the adrenaline that they had been surfing on for hours. The pain was the only thing keeping some of them conscious. The fear was constant and each one of them was terrified that at any moment the unreliable magical force that held the mist back would falter and a horde of undead would pour down over them.

  The arms still slashed out, like angry prisoners lashing out through cell bars, but they had learned the narrow line to walk on to keep just out of range. Nonetheless it was a horrifying gauntlet for all of them.