Rasputin's Prodigy

by Michael Weinberger

  Chris indulged his idle thoughts of killing the leader of the Russian vampire collective for another moment before he saw Dimitri's head jolt to one side and look toward the street. Chris could see several other faces do the same as the crowd's attention turned away from Dimitri and toward something that must have been happening on the other side of the cars and crowd. Chris gently turned the rifle to see people jolting quickly away from where they were standing and moving quickly toward the curb in front of the club.

  Then Chris saw bodies lying in disarray and unmoving in the middle of the street, but whether they were unconscious or dead he couldn't tell. There was no blood or signs of violence, but the sheer number of them gave the scene such a frightening sense that Chris could feel it to his core. Chris continued to pan the rifle as more and more bodies accumulated on the pavement, but now Chris could tell that these bodies were clad all in black suits, shirts and pants identifying them as Dimitri's security people. Chris scanned each of the bodies until his crosshairs finally fell on a pair of boots belonging to the one person still standing in the center of the fallen bodies.

  The figure was a man, maybe just over six feet tall, wearing black boots, jeans and a long “hoodie” style of over-shirt that resembled something more akin to what a monk would wear as opposed to a sweatshirt that an athlete or modern youth might wear. The hood was up over his head and had enough fabric to drape loosely over the man's face and encase his features in shadow. Chris studied the man, who without any weapons in his hands, seemed rather non-threatening and unimpressive. However, a distinguishing feature that stood out from the rest of the man's appearance was the messenger bag the man had slung over one shoulder, and it had the appearance of having been made from some exotic leather or hide.

  All eyes shifted between Dimitri and the figure, who remained motionless under Dimitri's gaze.

  Chris quickly shifted the rifle back over to Steve, who looked almost as though he were literally having sex with the girl he had pinned to the wall and was apparently completely oblivious to what was happening a few yards away.

  “Jesus man!” Chris screamed into the microphone, “something's happening out there! Snap out of it already.”

  Chris was moving the rifle back to Dimitri when one of his security people stepped forward and pointed his finger at the figure in what Chris could only guess was a kind of “Who are you?!” gesture.

  Chris moved the rifle onto the hooded figure, who responded by very slowly and deliberately raising an arm to pull back the hood from his head. Although he didn't know him, Chris recognized the man's face before the hood had cleared his head. It was the homeless man that had taken on Dimitri's goons from the other night, but he was now clean, shaved and looked far, far younger than he had while he was in his homeless attire.

  Chris looked back to Steve, and was surprised to see him still locked with the young woman, but now there seemed to be something wrong with his legs. They were buckling, like he was losing the strength to stand while his body was swaying and in danger of falling over, as if lost in vertigo. Chris frowned at the scene, and despite appearances to the contrary, it suddenly seemed as though his best friend was in danger.

  It took a limp-limbed drop of one of Steve's arms to his side while to girl held on tightly for realization to dawn on Chris, and he flipped the rifle’s safety off. Quickly he tried to calculate the slight breeze as it passed over his cheek and set the crosshairs on a spot of the brick wall four feet to the left of Steve's head. Chris prayed the sights were true, at least to the point that they would not send the shot wide right and he gently squeezed the trigger. The silencer swallowed most of the report from the shot and Chris watched as brick exploded less than three feet from Steve's head. Tiny pieces of the brick burst out in all directions, some of which hit the pair in the face and as a single unit they ducked, jerking away from the multiple impacts from the brick shards.

  “Wake up dude!” Chris shouted into the microphone, “kick that bitch in the nuts and get moving! She's putting Lei's vampire boner-whammy on you!”

  Chris watched as Steve shook his head and gently pushed the girl back.

  “C’mon!’ Chris was yelling into the night air, “Wake up you asshole!”

  Initially the girl looked surprised, but then she had her attention caught by the commotion on the street. Chris, having seen the bullet’s strike inches away from his aiming point dialed in the correction on the rifle’s telescopic sight by turning the micro adjustable wheels of the scope so his next shot would fly true.

  Chris called out to the night and into the Bluetooth microphone, “Everything's blown! Go for your gun now! I'll cover you!” and he trained the crosshairs back on Dimitri who was gaping wide-eyed at the figure in the street. Chris watched as Dimitri's face contorted with rage and, although Chris didn't hear the next words that came out of Dimitri's mouth, he could both understand and feel the power in them.

  “KILL HIM!!!”

  Men dressed in the black clothes of Dimitri's security team immediately jumped into motion. Chris saw the homeless man dip one hand into that old and odd-looking messenger bag at his side, before flicking his hand out again. At the crest of the maneuver the man opened his hand and a plume of powder or ash was sent billowing into a cloud in front of him. Initially Chris thought it was to blind the attackers, but watched in shocked surprise, as the first vampire to come in contact with the cloud began screaming and clutching madly at his face, with his exposed flesh instantly erupting into blisters.

  The homeless man shifted his position, and Chris could see a glint of reflected light near the man's side as he pulled out an enormous knife, rushed forward and began carving his way through Dimitri's men.

  At the first sign of blood the crowd panicked and people began to run in every direction, but despite the ferocity and speed the “homeless guy” was using to cut down his opponents, Chris could clearly tell that he was avoiding the general crowd and was deliberately focused on Dimitri’s people.

  Chris shifted the scope and saw the girl that Steve had been getting busy with was lying unconscious on the ground a few feet away from him. Unfortunately, Steve still looked to be in a daze. Shifting the scope slightly back to the crowd, Chris could see some of Dimitri's men who had held back from the initial charge looking at the girl, and then turning to Steve.

  “Uh oh,” Chris whispered to himself before calling into the microphone, “Steve, time to move!”

  Steve didn't move. He just kept looking around as if trying to figure out where he was and why. Chris saw three security men start moving in on Steve, violently pushing the panicked party goers from the crowd out of the way, as they came for him.

  Chris yelled into the microphone, “Go man, go!”

  That command seemed to click as Steve hesitated only a microsecond to tap his earphone before breaking into a sprint toward the alley where he had stashed his sidearm. The three security men followed hot on his heels and Chris could see Steve pull the polypropylene “knife” from where he had sheathed it at his lower back as Steve's words came over the earpiece in a weak-sounding tone.

  “How many are following me?”

  Chris aimed the scope to see the security men sprint after Steve.

  “Three,” Chris paused, “one sec...”

  Waiting for the trio to move into an opening in the crowd, Chris held his breath and led the sight ahead of the security man in the rear of the sprinting trio. If he could take that guy out with a silenced shot then the other two might not realize they just lost a man, which would give Steve an advantage on the street. Chris squeezed down on the trigger and the rifle fired the suppressed shot with only a mild clapping sound. Once Chris had recovered from the recoil, he could see that only two of the security men continued to run after Steve.

  “Make that two,” Chris said with a smile in his words.

  Steve called back with no sign that he was winded from his run so far, “Nice shooting Annie Oakley.”

  “I always picture
d myself more a Buffalo Bill. And you're welcome.”

  “Okay Buffalo Bill, can you take the other two?”

  “Hold on,” Chris didn't like the angle he had to work with, as Steve made his way into the alley. Still he held his breath, led his target and squeezed the trigger. The high caliber round flew straight and true, but impacted the ground behind the remaining pair and one of the men heard the noise, turning to see what had happened. He didn't necessarily see the crater the bullet had created, but did see the unmoving body of his friend lying twisted on the concrete with a portion of his head missing. The man nearly skidded to a halt before ducking into a doorway to take cover. Chris knew he had no shot at the man as long as he remained behind the cover of the solid brick doorway, but he put two more shots into the brick as the man tried to call out to the remaining pursuer.

  “Got one pinned down,” Chris reported, “but I can't keep him there and take out the last guy, too.

  Steve understood, “Okay, I got it. Do you know if these guys are armed?”

  “They aren't running with guns in their hands, but that doesn't mean they’re unarmed,” Chris answered.

  “Okay,” Steve seemed back in full control of his faculties, “let me know if you lose the one you have pinned down.”

  “Check,” was all Chris said and he turned his attention back to the brick doorway.

  Chapter 19

  Chris was better with his new rifle than I had thought he'd be, but I could hear the footsteps of the remaining member of the security force still chasing me and closing the distance between us rapidly.

  The alley was only about thirty yards away at this point, but I knew I couldn't risk going for the gun once I made the turn. I felt the handle of the Karambit in my hand and slowed my run. At the last moment I spun, whipping the point of the blade at my adversary’s throat. He was good, using his forearm to block the stab and his forward momentum to slam his shoulder into me hard enough to send us both sprawling.

  I felt a pain in my hip as I hit the pavement, but managed to roll away and get some distance between us before springing to my feet. As I stood I saw the man reach for something at his back, and fearing that it would be a handgun he was reaching for, I immediately charged forward. The polypropylene blade wouldn't cut deeply through his jacket, but the point was sharp and extremely strong for stabbing, so I raised the weapon like a fencing sword thrust it at the man's face. His arms instantly both came away from whatever he had been reaching for and grabbed my arm. I felt a jerk, and then had the sensation of my body being aloft, before I realized the man had flipped me up and away from him. I rolled with the impact as I hit the pavement and jumped to my feet, but held off on another charging attack as I saw the man drew a real, steel-bladed knife from the sheath at his back.

  I should have been more disconcerted at the sight of the knife, but all I felt was relief that it wasn't a gun. The man made one quick look past me to check where his comrades might be and seemed to shrug off the fact that they were nowhere to be seen before he began calmly stalking toward me. I waited, watching as he flipped his knife into an underhanded grip so the back of the blade was against his forearm. He said something in Russian that sounded like a taunt to a seriously inferior opponent, but I had no idea nor care of what it might have been.

  I opened my mouth as if to reply, then thrust the point of my weapon at his face. He leaned back and out of the way while slapping my arm aside with his free hand. I barely had time to retreat, before I watched the man's body spin closer to me followed by his blade as it slashed across my abdomen from right to left cutting deeply. I reacted just in time to avoid the edged weapon as it came back around, this time threatening to cut even deeper from left to right in a upward diagonal slice meant to totally disembowel me.

  I managed to dodge out of the way as my opponent used the momentum from the second cut to reach for and grab the fabric of my shirt with his free hand before thrusting the point of the blade toward my heart in a killing stroke. Realizing what he was intending I raised my arm and blocked the stab with my free hand, holding it immobile with what, to him, must have seemed an unnervingly effortlessness move.

  I might not be a vampire like the legendary creatures of horror fantasy, but I am strong. The man's eyes went wide with surprise, thinking that his first cuts had eviscerated me. His eyes darted down seeing only the shredded fabric of my shirt and revealing the razor thin slices through the outer lining of the Kevlar body armor that I had was wearing.

  I could feel him try to pull his knife hand free but, with my strength restraining him, it was little more effort for me than what it might have been like to hold onto a small child. I responded by squeezing down more tightly on his wrist, and I knew the squeeze had to hurt. Squeezing bones together like that hurts, a lot. The man was tough and only gritted his teeth before letting go of my shoulder with his left hand and darting at me with his thumb as a move to gouge up at my eyes.

  I'll admit it was a good plan, and I had thought he'd either try for my eyes or my throat as he attempted to break my hold on him, so I was already bringing my knife into play as his hand reached for me. The point of the polypropylene blade pierced straight through his attacking wrist with little resistance and left his whole extremity in pain as it became momentarily impaled on my weapon. I quickly wrenched downward and pulled the blade free before thrusting it back up and into the man's throat, shattering his Adam's Apple and piercing his windpipe. The man dropped his knife as instinct forced him, too late, to be defensive and try to protect his throat, but I was holding his other wrist tightly and used my leverage to spin the man’s body toward the alley opening. I pulled the knife free and felt the hot explosion of the man's blood splatter my face, before kicking his chest hard enough to send him flying into the darkened, shadowy spaces of the alley's interior.

  Darkness enveloped him and I couldn't see where he landed, but I did hear the crash as his body fell among the various detritus strewn about the interior of the alley. I listened for any sounds of the man trying to rise, but I was met with only silence coming from the alley, as the sounds coming from the commotion still happening in front of the nightclub drowned out the end of the fight.

  Chapter 20

  “What's happening, Chris?” I called out.

  Chris winded voice came back, “Ah, you're okay. I thought he gutted you.”

  “Body by Kevlar,” I said confidently. “Are you on the move?”

  “Yeah,” Chris' replied, “on my way to you.”

  “What about the guy you had pinned down?”

  “He stuck his head out when you started fighting his buddy.”

  “You took him out?”

  “No, but the shrapnel from the bricks I exploded near his face made him think twice about staying there. I think he went for reinforcements, so I thought I had better change positions.”

  I nodded to myself because it was the right thing to do, just in case they figured out where his shooting position had been located. Chris continued, “I grabbed as much of our gear as I could and ditched the rifle as soon as I got outside. Hopefully we'll be able to collect it later.”

  That worried me, “Is it somewhere secure?”

  “Secure enough as long as the sun's down, but in the light of day it will be far less so. Are you clear?”

  “Clear for the moment, but I have to move as well.” I walked into the alley and squinted, looking into the shadows until I found the man I had killed lying in a heap near an overturned garbage can. His blood, too pinkish to be human, was pooling into a puddle as it dripped from his cooling body.

  “Did you get your gun?” Chris asked.

  I turned away from the body and moved to the spot where I had covered the pistol, which was still firmly lodged in its Kydex holster and lying under a box I had topped with several random pieces of garbage. I pulled the Glock from its holster and quickly checked it over before re-holstering it and fastening the holster back onto my belt. “I'm moving to the far end of the alley a
nd will try to get a look at what's happening.”

  “Gotcha,” Chris said, and he was no longer breathing as hard as before. “I'm at my new location and armed with a red-dot scope on an MP7. I’m within range to cover you, but without a silencer it’s going to be loud. Let me know when you're going to stick your head out and I'll make sure the coast is clear.”

  I quickly and quietly shuffled toward the far end of the alley as I whispered, “What happened out there?”

  I heard Chris chuckle before asking, “Do you want to know what happened before or after that girl put Lei's ‘boner whammy’ on you?”

  I knew what Chris meant. The girl had been one of Dimitri's people and she, like my wife Lei, was a seductress, accomplished at exploiting lust by inducing a kind of hypnosis. Lei was a master at the process but, after the first time, she could never make it work on me again. Alpha liked to say it was because we “fell in love, at first sight, with one another…” so either Lei's heart wasn't in it to enthrall me, or that I had just as much effect on her as she did on me. I had always arrogantly thought that I was simply immune to the process. I used to watch how quickly Lei could capture either a man or woman with her skills, so the idea she couldn't do it to me had given me the false sense of confidence that had almost been my undoing.

  “I guess I should thank you for shooting at my head earlier?”

  Chris chuckled again, “First, yes you should. And second, I put the bullet three feet away from you, so don't start whining about that.”

  As I reached the far side of the alley and slowly peered around the corner I could see the remnants of Dimitri's people picking up the bodies of their dead. Some had severed or mangled limbs, while others were simply sporting hideous gashes which had eventually killed them, but with less efficiency. There were no club-goers still on the street, but several were lying, either unconscious or dead, near the entrance to the club.