Kneel Or Die

by Michael Anderle

How about you stop being impressed and tell me how to help him! He’s straining pretty hard.

  Think about when we were here last time and you could see into both realms. This time, touch his hand and ‘feel’ your way to increasing the flow he is pulling from the Etheric. This has a lot to do with your will.

  Michael was surprised when Bethany Anne reached over to touch his hand. He felt the strain needed to create the light lessen, while its illumination increased. Within a few seconds it was as bright as a regular lightbulb, but he wasn’t feeling any pull on his own energy. “How did you do that?”

  Her face was draped in a blue glow from his hand. She was looking at the light, amazement on her face. “That is just so damned cool.” She looked up to him, “How are you doing that?” She seemed oblivious to his own question.

  “I can make a faint light. You did something to increase the power, but you can’t make the light?” She shook her head. “I guess we’ll work on it sometime.” Michael turned his hand so that the light focused around them. “Seems like he didn’t do much to fix up the place.” The old bell looking device was powered down a few feet behind them.

  She asked him, “Ok, you suggested a date, what are you doing for the first part?”

  “My normal method is to go up and…”

  “Kill them all and let God sort them out, right.” She could hear the humor in his voice.

  Michael replied, “It has worked pretty well for a thousand years.”

  “Not really, part of this mess is because you failed to have any compassion.”

  “Too true.” This time, his humor was missing.

  Maybe pointing that out with the device that almost killed him so close wasn’t the brightest idea, she thought. Oh well, suck it up. “Is everyone up there guilty?”

  “You’re asking me?” His voice this time held a note of incredulity.

  She punched him in the arm, “Hell yes! Do I look like I’m asking Ashur?”

  Michael considered his answer, “They are most likely all guilty of something. Should death be the punishment? Possibly not. However, remember that we stopped David’s last effort. If he has anyone here it is because they are either here to protect him, or they are here to implement whatever his next plan is going to be.”

  Bethany Anne considered his response. “I cannot believe I’m going to say this…” They started walking up the stairs to go up to the hidden door that opened up in a main hallway.

  “You want me to leave them alone?”

  “Hell no! Kill the fuckers so thoroughly God has trouble sorting them out. I’m not letting anyone go who might even remotely be planning something with that wrinkled old tranny-packer!”

  “Have I told you lately how much fun you are on a date?”

  “That’s because I’m telling you it’s ok to kill everyone.”

  “Well, I would have to admit it has a certain simplicity to it. If it isn’t you or Ashur, they die.”

  Bethany Anne considered her response, “Yeah, you’re right about that. Unfortunately, we can’t always take the simple way out.”

  “Except today?”

  She ignored that question, “How do you want to play David? If we don’t sneak up on him, will he bolt?”

  “If he knows I’m around, he will. ‘Better to run away than die today’ will be his motto.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  “Yes, you could play deranged female vampire who is wreaking havoc. He would see that as an opportunity to take you out. I suspect he would consider it a loss of face if he ran from a girl.”

  “Another mother-fucking sexist asshole!” Bethany Anne’s eyes were starting to turn red. “How many bum-banging fucks do I have to kill before a woman gets equal footing around here?”

  “Well, I’ve been around a thousand years…”

  The two red eyes pierced Michael, “Are you offering to die on my sword so I can punch a notch on my belt?”

  “Are there other options besides dying on your sword?”

  “I’m going to make you eat those words.”

  “You’re welcome to try. Are you pissed off enough to go kill some people that really, really deserve it?”

  “Yes! Line the fuckers up, I’m going to bathe in the blood of my enemies.”

  “I think I’m in love.”

  “You, Mr. Asshole, are so going to be next if you don’t shut the fuck up!”

  Michael smiled, “Are you centered now? Can’t have you rushing out on nothing but raw rage.”

  Bethany Anne checked herself. The fucking ass-hat was right. His playing around brought her back down from her all-consuming rage. “Yeah, thanks. You’re buying me chocolate as an apology.”

  They arrived at the landing behind the secret door. Michael whispered, “Why do I owe you an apology?”

  Bethany Anne hit the switch that started the door opening. Michael doused the light in his hand. Ashur was the first through the opening. Michael just caught Bethany Anne’s response before she went out behind Ashur. “Getting a girl’s hope up…”

  Michael wasn’t sure if she was joking, or being serious. His heart skipped a beat… if she was serious…

  He was staring at an empty space when he heard a whisper on the wind, “How did that feel?” He pressed his lips together then turned to myst.

  It didn’t feel good at all, he admitted.

  David’s Castle, Germany

  Yazarus Lindel was sitting in the main hall along with twelve others. As a leader of the Wechselbalg Underground, an underground that was having to hide since Stephen had come back from the dead, he was accorded a nicer location at the table. He looked around. The long rectangular table could probably fit at least twice the number of guests that were here right now. David didn’t often entertain visitors here at his real home. Most who knew him, or knew of him, had heard that the castle rested on the skeletons of those who had been enslaved to build it.

  He could feel the dead, he thought. He wasn’t one prone to jumping at shadows, but when he had arrived earlier this morning there was an oppressive feeling to the grounds. An unhappiness that felt ages old.

  He had brought six of his lieutenants. Six he could and would trust to make whatever David wanted, happen. Since Stephen had met with the European Pack Council their blind eye to his dealings had stopped. One scary vampire visits and fifty years of work had been hamstrung.

  It made a normally progressive Wechselbalg want to do violent things to get the normal order back. Even when it meant working with a devious psychopath like David.

  Along with his six Wechselbalg, there were three humans and two vampires in the room. There wasn’t a window anywhere near this area. No one was going to open some blinds and instantly kill anyone in here.

  Shame about that. One of the vampires was Francisco Lertrand. Francisco was either a conniving genius who hid behind a facade of stupidity, or he was as stupid as he seemed and insanely lucky. Yazarus wasn’t sure which, even after knowing him for over ten years. Francisco was the only one left from a group of three vampires that had tried to work together as partners. The first to die had been Petre’ in Romania. Rumor had become accepted fact that a female vampire who had named herself as the Queen Bitch was the one to off him.

  Yazarus figured they had one thing right, she was a bitch. He didn’t believe he would bend his knee down to any ‘Queen’. He had his people and so long as she stayed out of his business, he wouldn’t mess with hers. However, if she so much as thought about fucking with his shit, he would do her and cut her heart out all at the same time.

  No one messed with Yazarus Lindel and got away with it, no one. Not that cock-sucking Stephen - who should have had the good graces to die already - nor the ball-licking European Council or some self-styled bitch queen.

  Yazarus and most of the table heard a shouted, “Who are you?” and a female voice reply, “Death!” Then the doors into the large room exploded open, one barely hanging on by the hinge at the top. The second door slammed int
o the stone wall so hard it cracked down the center, half of the door falling to the floor.

  In the doorway stood a female vampire, dressed in black with eyes blazing red. She looked around at the stunned party while holding onto a sword with the human door guard grasping at it, trying to pull it out of his chest. She looked over at the guard and lowered the sword, allowing the body to slide off and crumple to the floor.

  “My name is Bethany Anne. I am the Queen Bitch. You can Kneel…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence when two shots rang out from Francisco, who had pulled a pistol. The problem was the bitch wasn’t there. Not like she moved so fast she wasn’t there, like she actually disappeared and wasn’t there. Then Francisco’s head was struck almost simultaneously by three shots -- his head exploding.

  Francisco might have been lucky, or he might have been fast. Now, he was just dead.

  Yazarus got out of his seat along with everyone else. No one in the room lacked a weapon, and they were all looking around preparing for their attacker.

  “I guess…” The voice was from everywhere. No one, even with their superior hearing could locate her, yet. “That the choice is ‘die’?”

  That was when all hell broke loose in the room. The second to go down was the other vampire. Yazarus had to dodge that decapitated head when it suddenly left dick-twat’s shoulders and came his direction. Yazarus aimed in the direction of the dead vampire and took a shot. He hadn’t seen much more than a blur, but better to go down fighting than stay still and… Yazarus felt the pain in his chest and looked down. He had half a foot of steel sticking out of his chest. “Got indigestion yet, changeling? Are you ready to die?” Her voice spoke from behind him.

  Yazarus kicked back and the sword was pulled out of his chest. He stumbled forward to fall on the table, his hands holding his chest where the sword had been. He lay there, his head looking down the length of the table. He could see his team dying. Often, a shot to their head would disorient them and then they would have their head cut off. He couldn’t track everything that was going on. He could feel his healing kicking in, but it wasn’t happening fast enough. He made out three more deaths happening outside of his view.

  “No kneeling for you either, hmm?”

  A body slumped to the floor.

  “What’s a lady have to do to earn a little respect around here?”

  Another body hit the floor.

  “Nah, ah, ah… No leaving is permitted.”

  The final body hit the floor.

  Yazarus opened his eyes when he heard shoes landing on the table top. He could see her at the end of the table walking towards him. She stopped to kick off a plate and then resumed slowly. “And who do we have here?” She squatted down in front of him. “Have a name, sailor?”

  Yazarus croaked out, “I’m not a fucking sailor, bitch!” He spat out the blood that was in his mouth. Hoping it would reach her, but it only went a few inches. He was healing, just not fast enough.

  “Then, seems like you won’t even be remembered as someone who was killed. How does that sound to you? Your whole life is reduced to dying in this psychopath’s castle, and you won’t even be remembered as having been here.”

  Yazarus struggled to put his arms against the table and looked down the length between her legs, to see a dark form coming. One who was slowly raising a weapon. He could make out David. Yazarus turned his eyes to look up, “We will see who is remembered, and who is forgotten!”

  Yazarus was looking right in her eyes when she winked at him. The loud gun report from the elephant killer David had brought down to the meeting hall reverberated across the stone walls.

  The bitch was lifted and sent flying past him. The look of pain she had on her face was so very satisfying to Yazarus who finally pushed off the table and landed back on a chair.

  “God, that fucking hurt!” Yazarus exclaimed in the sudden silence.

  David mocked him from the hallway, “How is it one fucking little cunt almost takes out every one of you? God, do I have to do everything myself?” David walked into the room, loading his rifle. “Damned fine gun. Really packs a wallop when you need one.”

  A female voice, full of pain could be heard from the floor at the other end of the table. “You know what they say about guys… compensating … when they need a large gun, David.” The voice wheezed.

  Yazarus noticed David’s look of shock turn to irritation when he pulled the gun back up to his shoulder. “No, do tell. Do you need something really large right now? If so, stick your head up and I’ll make sure you receive it!” David and Yazarus both heard the click of pistols being readied.

  A wet cough sounded from below the table again, “Give me another five or ten, perhaps I’ll be up to the party. I have to say I hadn’t expected you to use such a large rifle. I would have thought you would have been an old-school, let’s fight it out with swords kind of guy.”

  David smiled, “No, you misjudged me. I like to bring the right weapon to the party. I see your sword is way back over by the wall. Damn, that shot must have really, really hurt like hell.”

  He heard her say, “Yeah, can’t say I found it pleasant.” She coughed, “That’s for fucking sure.” David moved to his left. He could hear her dragging herself along the floor around the other side. He wouldn’t die from a pistol shot, but he didn’t need to give her any advantage right now.

  He asked, “Why keep moving?” David was working to keep the solid parts of the table between them.

  “Just waiting for the final act, David. You know how it goes, keep the bad guy walking and talking and acting like an ass.”

  “What, then your cavalry will show up? I doubt the German Shepherd is going to help you much. I suppose it might heal, but I guarantee it won’t be awake for a while.”

  “You might be surprised.” Her voice had lost any of the pain she had evidenced before. “Ashur!”

  David was surprised to hear a relatively healthy ‘woof’ come from the hallway.

  “I’ll make sure to do a much better job the next time.” David grumbled.

  Yazarus had mostly healed during this discussion. He was trying to figure out how to get out of the main fighting arena when the fear hit.

  Bethany Anne’s voice laughed, “David, there won’t be a next time. The only reason you’re still alive you half-witted fuckwit tea-bagging ass butler is because I told a friend he could have the kill. If he doesn’t take care of you pretty damned quick, I’m going to do the job!”

  Yazarus was surprised to see David start looking everywhere in the room and turning around. “Michael… Michael we can talk. This doesn’t have to end here, Michael!”

  Yazarus pushed back, hard. His chair fell over backwards and Yazarus rolled over to jump back up and put himself against the wall. He spied a .45 and reached down to pick it up.

  “Oh, but it does David.” Yazarus couldn’t see who was talking, “I promised my date blood, David. I promised my date mayhem, David. I promised her your head … unattached from your shoulders… DAVID!”

  Yazarus watched in morbid fascination as David went psychotic. “You promised this fucking bitch my HEAD, Michael?” He screamed and shot randomly into the air. “What, you can’t find someone else so you’re stuck with this slut?” David turned quickly and aimed the weapon where he thought Bethany Anne was hiding behind the table. “Kiss her good…”

  David found he couldn’t finish his words when his chest erupted with a hand breaking all the way through, his heart had been grabbed and shoved out the front of his chest.