Reining In (The Network)

by Dawn Judd

  Circling back around, I approached cautiously. I was well aware that this could all be a trap. Vyktor knew I would come for Jake. Perhaps this was exactly what he wanted me to do. I considered my options, but decided to head in. Whatever he had planned, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. Vyktor was the only one who had a chance against me. He was the only vampire. His inability to turn humans was probably the one thing that kept me alive all this time. Had he been able to create his own vampire army, he would have, and our little war would have ended long ago.

  Jake was my biggest concern, though. He was vulnerable. If I wasn’t careful, my actions could get him killed. I couldn’t allow it. Vyktor could have me. He could do what he wanted with me. But I wouldn’t let him have Jake. Stepping through overgrowth, I noticed a high window in the back of the compound. There were others, larger and closer to the ground, but they would expect me there. I chose the smaller window.

  Quickly and quietly, I pulled the grappling hook out of the bag of tools I had brought with me. I swung it around and threw it up, catching it on the lip of the building. Pausing first, to make sure no one had heard me, I started climbing.

  When I was level with the small window, I swung back and forth until I caught the edge of the window with my fingers. Chips of dried cracked paint crumbled into my fingers as I wrapped them around the window pane. I quickly pried the window open, peeking inside. Sitting, perched in the small window sill, I looked around.

  It seemed that the room I had chosen to enter was some kind of auditorium or gym. It was about 40 feet to the floor beneath me. I bundled the rope up into a ball and leaned back on the window, giving it a toss. I didn’t want to leave it out where someone could see it, alerting them to my presence, and I wasn’t going to need it later. I was walking out the front door, or I wasn’t leaving at all.

  I turned back and leaned into the window, jumping. I landed softly, barely making a noise. Slowly, I stood up paused, listening for any sign of life. Muffled voices trickled in from several rooms away. I headed towards the nearest door, cracking it open slowly, ready for anything. The hallway was empty and dark, except for the red light coming from the exit sign down at the end of the hall.

  I crept forward, towards the voices. When I reached the end of the hall, I met with a T, and turned left towards the sounds. Light streamed through an open doorway a few doors down. The voices were louder now, and I could now make out what the men were saying.

  My Russian was a little rusty, but I understood enough to realize that Vyktor was still gone. Egypt. No explanation as to why, but at this point I no longer cared. Whatever he had planned, I would deal with it when he returned. I heard something else, under the voices. It was a labored, broken breathing. Jake. He was in that room. And he was injured.

  I crept towards the doorway, pressing myself to the wall as I went. The sound of heavy boots moving towards the doorway reached me, and I crouched down, waiting for their owner. The man exited the room, turning not towards me, but away from me, and headed down the hallway. I was about to move forward again, when he suddenly turned around and started heading back my way.

  He couldn’t see me where I was, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before he could. I pushed myself against the wall as much as I could. He stopped at the door and poked his head in, yelling something to the men inside.

  Having been given a reprieve, I took the opportunity to slide back to the hallway I had just came from. I could hear him as he started back down the hallway towards me. I waited in anticipation. As he rounded the corner, I caught him off guard, punching him in the throat, collapsing his windpipe. He struggled for a moment, but couldn’t manage to yell for help. I reached down, grabbing his head between my hands and twisted until I heard his neck snap. He immediately stopped struggling and I let go. I turned and crept back to the doorway he had come out of.

  I poked my head in and took in the scene before me. It was a large room, every bit as large as the one I had just left. There were only three men, all armed with AR 15s. Jake was at the end of the room. He was between two beams, his arms strung up between them.

  His head hung down and I could hear him moaning. I could see he had been beaten badly. Blood and bruises covered his body, which hung limply beneath him. Anger pulsed through me as I continued to stare at Jake. I hesitated, though. I didn’t want to make a costly mistake by charging in.

  To the left of me, there were stacks of boxes and tables that spanned the length of the room. I crept through the doorway and made my way behind the boxes. If I could get around the men and to Jake, I would have a better chance of getting him out of here. Getting through the men was not the problem. Getting through them without getting Jake killed, that was another thing. I needed to get to him, to get him safe before I dealt with the men between him and his freedom.

  As I neared the wall, a noise behind me made me freeze. My heart raced as I turned my head back. Explosive pain shot through my head as I fell backwards, hitting my head on the wall. Blood gushed out of the gash in my forehead. My shirt was quickly saturated as the blood dripped down my face. I opened my eyes right before another bolt of pain shot through my head. Then the world went black.

  I don’t know how long I laid there. My head was spinning. I didn’t move for what seemed like hours. Shards of pain shot through my head every time I moved, so I just stayed still as possible until the pain subsided. After what seemed like hours, I finally reached up to touch the gash on my head.

  The blood had long since dried, and the wound had already started to heal. I opened my eyes. I was lying directly in front of Jake, in the middle of the room. Without moving, I looked around the best I could. There were a lot more than three men in the room now. In fact, there were dozens, all armed.

  A shuffling of feet and muffled murmurs behind me caused me to turn my head so I could see what was going on. When I saw him, it was as though time had stood still. Vyktor hadn’t changed at all. His dark hair was tousled, but a neatly trimmed line followed his jaw line where it met with an equally trimmed goatee.

  Despite the warm climate, he wore a long dark trench coat over his tank top and dark jeans. As I continued to look him over his dark eyes met mine and he smiled. It was the kind of smile that would make most people shrink back in terror. I can’t say that I was exactly brave at that moment. I was wounded and surrounded by people Vyktor had trained personally.

  But it wasn’t his men that kept me glued to the floor like I was. It was the look in Vyktor’s eyes. It was a look of satisfaction; a look of victory. His dark eyes held a secret that he was dying to tell.

  Vyktor smiled again and cocked his head to the side. “That looks so painful, my dear. Perhaps I should take a look at it.” I scooted back on the floor as he took a step forward. Vyktor stopped and smiled that awful smile again.

  “Are you afraid of me? Now why would you be afraid of me? I don’t want to hurt you. I want you to be perfectly healthy and alive. I have bigger plans for you, my dear sweet Sadie. Or should I say Khalida?” He paused and took another step forward.

  “Really, that’s not very original. Did you think I wouldn’t figure out it was you?” I kept silent, continuing to move back away from him. As he moved closer, I noticed the crossbow in his hands. Not for me, I was sure of that.

  I looked back at Jake, who was still hanging between the two support beams. His breathing had grown shallow. Hanging, like he was, was no better than being crucified. He was suffocating, and I had to help him. Vyktor’s cold laugh brought my attention back to him. He was still advancing towards me, slowly, but steadily.

  “Please, Vyktor, just let him go. You have me. You can do whatever you want to me. Just let him go.” Begging. I knew it’s what he wanted, and at this point, it wasn’t beneath me. I would do anything to save Jake’s life.

  “Like you have a choice in the matter, sweetheart. I will do whatever I like with you. And with your little boyfriend, too, for that matter.” He paused for a moment, thinking to himself. He cock
ed his head and grinned again.

  “Tell you what Sadie; Khalida; whatever the hell you call yourself now. I’ll let him go.” He nodded to the two men standing closest to Jake and they started walking towards him.

  One pulled a pocket knife from his jacket and opened it. The other grabbed Jake by the hair, lifting his head up, and patted him on the cheek. “Boss says you’re a free man, buddy.” The guy chuckled and let go. The two of them cut the ropes from Jake’s arms. He nearly collapsed, but one of the men caught him, holding him up.

  “See? He’ll be fine.” Vyktor laughed and looked back at me. “Go ahead, help him out.”

  I knew Vyktor would never let the two of us just walk out, but I wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to get between Jake and Vyktor. I slowly pulled myself up, wincing as I did. The pain was slowly diminishing, but I was far from 100 percent. I slowly limped towards Jake.

  He was standing on his own now. The men that had been holding him up had backed far away. I heard the maniacal laugh behind me. I didn’t turn around to see what Vyktor was doing. I already knew what was going to happen before I even heard the click of the crossbow.

  A horrible whistle followed and I ran, faster and harder than I had ever run before. I crashed into Jake, slamming him into the floor just as the tiny arrow crushed my vertebrae. I laid there, on top of Jake, for what seemed like hours. Fire ripped through my chest. The arrow had pierced my heart; something that would kill most people. Of course, I’m not most people. It burned, though. Christ, it hurt like hell. But my heart continued to beat.

  I picked my head up and looked down at Jake. The terrified look on his face sent me into panic mode for a moment. “Jake!” I whispered, grasping his face in my hands. “I’m ok,” he whispered back, weakly. I let out a sigh of relief and kissed his forehead and cheeks. Tears streamed down my face. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m so, so sorry.”

  I kissed him again. I had almost forgotten where I was. Heavy footsteps reminded me. As they approached, it was the smell that hit me first. A horrible smell, pungent, like rotting flesh; but underneath, something familiar; something old. The footsteps stopped right beside me, and I knew it wasn’t Vyktor.

  “Hurts, doesn’t it?” The words were in my native tongue, a language I hadn't spoken in centuries. I stopped breathing. Panic swept through my body. How? The pain was intense and I screamed as he ripped the arrow from my back. I didn’t have time to react beyond that. A new pain shot through my chest as I found myself flying through the air. The force of his boot sent me crashing into the wall, as Vyktor’s men scattered.

  Crumpled and bleeding, I lay there on the floor. I was in shock. I hadn’t prepared for this. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to pick myself up, but before I could, he was there in front of me. I looked up, trembling. He picked me up by the throat, slamming me into the wall.

  “Where is he Zahra?” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t breath. Again he slammed me into the wall. Blood gushed from the back of my head, drenching my hair. “Where?” he shouted again. I felt my consciousness slipping. Vyktor’s laugh rang through the air.

  I looked up at Set. Flesh hung from his bones, rotting. As strong as he was, I realized he must not have fed at all, yet. He looked more like a decaying mummy than a vampire. There was nothing left of the man I had thought I loved. Just the monster; one that was going to kill me and Jake if I didn’t do something immediately. I mustered every last ounce of energy I could, reaching up to grab his collar and pull his face towards mine.

  “He’s here,” I whispered. I tried to catch my balance as I fell towards the ground. Set had started back towards Jake. No. I screamed, but nothing came out. Vyktor stood there smiling at me. My son. My beautiful son. I could see the child I held so close; the one I fought so hard to protect.

  I closed my eyes, failing to hold back the tears that came. I loved him. He would never understand that. He would never know the lengths I had gone to protect him. He would continue to hurt me; hurt the people I loved. I had spent thousands of years protecting him from Set, and he had brought Set here to destroy me. I looked back at Set. He was only a few feet from Jake, now. Too close. God, he thought it was Jake.

  “No, not him,” I whispered. Set stopped. He slowly turned and looked at me. He bared his teeth and growled.

  “No more games, my love. Tell me where our son is.” Vyktor stopped laughing, and looked at me, his face filled with shock.

  “I love you,” I whispered to him. I couldn’t stop the tears that broke free. I did love him. It killed me to give him up to Set, but I wasn’t going to let the two of them kill an innocent man. Vyktor’s jaw dropped, as the blood drained from his face. He started shaking his head.

  “No, you’re not…..” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He started backing away from me.

  “You thought he would help you? It’s not me that he is here to destroy. It was never me. I didn’t bury him because I was afraid for myself. It was you. It was always you. I’m sorry Vyktor.”

  Vyktor looked over at Set, then back to me, continuing to back away from the both of us. He didn’t know the whole story. He didn’t know what had happened between me and Set, but he knew that he was suddenly in trouble. I had expected Set to turn on Vyktor then.

  Fortunately, I was used to disappointment. I had bought myself some time, though, and slowly inched my way back towards Jake.

  Set stood there, looking at Vyktor, and Vyktor back at him; neither making a move. Vyktor knew the power Set had. He knew there was no way he could take him on. He didn’t challenge him.

  I neared Jake. I no longer cared what happened between the two of them, as long as Jake was safe. I had spent my entire life protecting Vyktor from his father. I had spent my entire life running, hiding. I had sacrificed everything for him, and for what. It was time for me to make a choice about the son I never really knew; who never knew me, never loved me, and would never forgive me. It was time to choose between him and the people I loved; the people who loved me back.

  He had taken Raymond. He had taken Marlene. I would not let him take Jake. Keeping my eyes on the two of them, I reached down and grabbed Jake’s collar, pulling him to his feet. I had forgotten about Vyktor’s men. They had been mesmerized by the showdown between their boss and his long lost father, but a few of them suddenly noticed me and Jake standing there.

  Soon all eyes were on me, and as I looked back, I realized Vyktor and Set were also looking at me. It seemed Set had decided just for the moment to forget about his need to destroy his son, and had focused his anger on me.

  I positioned myself between Jake and the advancing crowd of men and vampires. For the first time, I wasn’t so sure I would get Jake out of this alive. I backed up, keeping him moving behind me. Set crouched, preparing to attack. I braced myself for impact, as I saw him leap forward. It was then that all hell broke loose.

  From out of nowhere, a mass crashed into Set midleap. Screams rang out from all around me. I just stood there, trying to figure out what was going on. There were bodies everywhere, fighting, bleeding, screaming, advancing on each other. Vyktor and I stood facing each other, taking in the scene that surrounded us.

  A crash on my right caught me off guard. I saw the boxes and tables that had lined the walls scattered all over. Debris flew as Set stood up. He started walking towards me, when suddenly his legs were swept out from under him. Someone, or something, grabbed Set by the throat and slammed his head into the ground. I could hear a deep growl coming from the dark corner.

  In shock, I looked back at the room. Vyktor’s men were shooting wildly at what they couldn’t see; a blur of fangs and claws. Vampires. This wasn’t what I had planned when I brought the network together hours earlier. I had planned on keeping them safe, the only way I knew how. They were supposed to leave afterwards; to disappear. They weren’t supposed to come here.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw the dark mass fly towards me, and braced myself as Vyktor’s body slammed int
o mine. Fangs bared, he kept coming at me. Anger consumed him, now, and he would not stop until he had destroyed me. I fought off his advances the best I could. It was not enough for him to try to hurt me, though. He taunted me as well.

  “Do you really want to know how I found him?” he sneered, lunging at me yet again. “A little birdie told me. He told me exactly where to go; said that if I found Set, he would come here to destroy you.”

  Markus. Of course he told him. He was the only other person that knew where Set was buried. How could I have trusted him? I left Jake with him. Christ, I was so stupid! “Of course he didn’t tell me everything. So little Sadie had a baby. How sweet. Too bad you were such a rotten mother.”

  He lunged again, this time catching me by the throat. He slammed me into the floor, reopening the wound on the back of my head. Stars filled my vision, but I held him back the best I could. He continued to taunt me, as he repeatedly slammed my head into the floor. Blood pooled beneath me.

  “I have to say, I’m shocked to hear you’re my mother. Certainly, I would think you would’ve told me long ago, in an attempt to convince me to forgive you.”

  “It wouldn’t have worked,” I gasped. “Besides, keeping you in the dark was what kept you alive.”

  “Oh, well thank you,” he spat out, sarcastically. “I was wrong. You’re a wonderful mother.” He slammed my head into the floor once more.

  “Let her go.” It was not a voice I expected to hear. Vyktor seemed genuinely shocked as well. We both looked up as Markus advanced on us. Vyktor laughed. “What are you going to do, birdie?” he growled. Markus raised his hand ever so slightly, revealing the sword he had been carrying. Vyktor took it as a challenge and stood up. Markus looked down at me. I slowly stood up.