“This is pure insanity!”
Lucy gritted her teeth and pushed the dead vampire behind a dumpster. It was just after midnight and she had already killed five mods within a three-block radius in the last half hour.
“It only gets worse from here,” Hugh grunted and hefted a second body on top of the first. “How many weapons you got?”
“Not enough,” Lucy said and checked her wrist holster. “Seven, I need to get back to the van.”
“Got a male vamp luring in a couple of coeds down here by the Bourbon Orleans.”
“Conti and Burgundy. Vampire with a girl, very drunk.”
It had been that way all night. Calls from watchers came in on top of one another.
“I’ll take Conti then hit the van, it’s closer.”
Hugh nodded and took off in the other direction.
The vampire was easy to spot, walking with a slight list as he tried to keep his victim upright.
“Hey buddy, I think your gal’s all partied out.” Lucy spoke loudly, over annunciating her words as if she too had a bit too much to drink. In a move Lucy wasn’t expecting, the vampire suddenly flung the girl away from him and ducked into an alley. “Oh shit,” she muttered to herself. “That was not supposed to happen!”
Lucy was torn between chasing the vampire and checking on the girl, who was getting to her feet, but wobbling. Lucy tore off an emergency text to Mike, prayed an officer would find the girl before anyone else did, and took off into the alley. She saw the vampire turn and run between two buildings.
“Dammit!”
Lucy followed, but cautiously. The alleys within alleys were the most dangerous places to get caught in, too far from the street and too easy to get pinned down in. Luckily for her, that’s exactly what happened to her vampire. She found him at a dead end, looking for a way up and over the wall that separated him from freedom. With one fluid movement, he was down. Lucy crouched to retrieve the CPA and froze.
“My, my, aren’t we a bit far from Bourbon?”
The voice was feminine with an over the top English accent. Lucy swept her gaze from the dead vampire at her feet to the six-inch stiletto boots that seemed to materialize just inches away. A quick sweep with her peripheral vision showed Lucy that she was surrounded. She stood up slowly. The woman was tall, probably over six feet without the heels, rail thin, and dressed from head to toe in black leather. Fanned out around her were men dressed in similar garb. What was more disturbing yet was the woman’s skin, which was an unnatural shade of white. She had to be an ES vampire. Lucy briefly wondered what made them that way and how these unearthly creatures managed to move about the city without notice.
Keeping in character, Lucy reached into her handbag, spilling the contents everywhere. She pressed the emergency beacon on her phone under the guise of looking for something while she stumbled to her feet.
“Got any aspirin?” she slurred thickly, still fumbling in the bag, while mentally taking an inventory of her weapons. Six CPAs remained tucked away in the holster up her sleeve. “My ride,” she made an ungraceful sweeping gesture toward the dead vampire. “Pashed out and I had too much abshh...abshin...green stuff at the pirate bar.”
Lucy counted eight vampires. Eight, she reminded herself, that she could see, anyway. She wasn’t confident that there were any other teams in the area. Lance and Evan were working the opposite side of Jackson square. She hoped that Hugh had an easier time than she did and would get her beacon in a hurry. In the meantime, Lucy unsheathed two CPAs, unlocked the safeties, and tried to formulate a plan that wouldn’t involve shedding too much of her blood. Her options were limited by the second as the circle moved closer.
“Hey!” Lucy spun around. “Gimme some personal space!” She lunged herself haphazardly at the man closest to her, pushing weakly against his chest. As if on cue, the man grinned, revealing his sharp canines. This was enough proof for Lucy that she was indeed dealing with a mob of angry vampires.
“Dude!” Lucy staggered backwards, deliberately toward another man. “Your teeth are jacked!” Keeping up the façade of an oblivious drunk was buying her time, but time was nearly up. Palming the CPA in her left hand, Lucy stumbled backwards and into the vampire behind her. She jabbed the weapon into his side just as he made a grab for her and they fell to the ground together. Lucy rolled to the side just as a second vampire lunged at her and jabbed the CPA in her right hand into his neck.
Then all hell broke loose.
Lucy barely had time to unlock the safeties on her next round of weaponry before the remaining men were on her. She got one in the thigh before another grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms at her side. Using her captor as leverage, Lucy kicked the vampire in front of her between the legs, wishing she had the vampire woman’s stilettos rather than rubber soles. Even so, the kick landed, buying her precious seconds. Using the technique Miles taught her, Lucy reared back and head-butted the vampire holding her, raising her arms as his grip slackened and managed to land the needle in his side. Her last two CPAs were now unsheathed and held in front of her, like switchblades in a gangster movie.
“Well? Who’s next?” she panted, taking a bold step towards the three remaining men. The female, she noticed, had stepped back into the shadows. Lucy felt that this was anything but a sign of weakness and hoped that help would arrive before she had to tangle, unarmed, with a female vampire.
No one moved.
“What are you waiting for?” The female drawled from the shadows. “Kill her!” All three cast an apprehensive glance toward the woman, which spurred her into a foul mood. “Kill her now!” she spat. “Or face worse from me!”
What worse was, Lucy had no idea, but the words appeared to put the fear of God into the men, who fanned out and tried, rather successfully, to back Lucy into a corner. Dropping to a crouch, Lucy dove for the closest, slamming him backwards with all her force. His head hit the brick sidewalk with a sickening crack. Knowing he wouldn’t get up for a while, she spun on the other two and spent the last of her weapons. Tired, sore, and extremely afraid, Lucy rounded on the female, who had moved with preternatural speed and was now toe-to-toe with her.
“No more goons to hide behind,” Lucy said with cockiness she wasn’t feeling.
The female grinned, exposing the longest fangs Lucy had seen yet. “Foolish little hunter,” she spat. “You’ll not get so lucky with me.”
“Okay seriously lady, drop the accent, it’s as fake as your boobs.” Lucy resorted to sarcasm as a stalling technique while she scanned the alley for anything she could use as a weapon. Aside from a dumpster and a few wooden produce crates, the alley was bare. Not a single empty beer bottle was to be found.
“Hurling insults? What happened to your pretty little weapons?” The vampire lunged at Lucy, who dodged to the side, but not quick enough to avoid the vampire’s nails, which were as sharp as razors and filed to points, a modification that painfully solidified the presumption that the vampire was indeed an ES mod. Putting the pain in her now bleeding shoulder out of her mind, Lucy dove for the woman and found herself on the receiving end of a powerful kick that sent her sprawling into the produce crates.
Yeah, she thought weakly, Should have had stilettos. Lucy staggered to her feet just as the woman lunged at her again, this time catching Lucy with a punch that nearly shattered her jaw. I thought seeing stars was just an expression, Lucy thought, as she landed on the splintered crates. She could feel her mouth pooling with blood. A quick inspection with her tongue revealed that one of her teeth had come loose. Crawling to her knees, Lucy spit a mouthful of blood and one shattered tooth onto a pile of splintered wood.
“This ends now.”
A flash of something shiny brought Lucy back to her senses just as the vampire lunged forward, wielding a long blade. Lucy lurched to the side, which caused the vampire to lose balance and fall into the crates she had just vacated. With strength that came from survival instincts alone, Lucy threw herself at the vampire, knocking the s
witchblade down the alley out of both of their reaches.
Lucy cursed mentally. Her plan had been to get control of the weapon. Eyeing the crate debris around her, she grabbed a jagged, makeshift stake and lifted it high above her head. The vampire trapped below her laughed. “Wooden stakes don’t really do shit, darling.”
“Maybe not,” Lucy shrugged casually. “But let’s see what happens, shall we?” With all of her body weight, Lucy drove the stake into the expose skin just above the vampire’s left breast. She heard a sickening sound as the sharp wood was forced between the ribs. The vampire winced.
“You didn’t even puncture the lung,” the vampire hissed.
“Didn’t need to,” Lucy smiled, revealing a gap where, ironically, her right canine had been. “There’s enough of my blood on that wood to kill you ten times over.” Seconds dragged like hours and Lucy prayed her improvised weapon didn’t fail. Finally, the vampire gave a shuddering shrug and made a sickening gurgling sound before falling still. Lucy stood up slowly and surveyed the damage. Eight bodies littered the alley. She couldn’t believe she was still alive.
The sound of heavy footsteps running toward her put Lucy on the defensive. Spinning in their direction, she nearly collided with Hugh, who threw his arms around her in a bone-shattering hug.
“Ouch, Hugh!” Lucy winced.
“Sorry!” Hugh let go of her. “I’m just glad to see you alive. I ran into a bit of trouble-” he broke off when he noticed the number of dead vampires. “Jesus Lucy! You did all of this?”
Lucy nodded weakly. “I guess we should pile these near the entrance.” She gestured at the carnage.
“Yeah, wait a sec. I have a call to make. I left five bodies nearly in plain sight.”
“Five?” Lucy was stunned. Hugh sent off his message and nodded.
“Yep, Evan was sure as hell right about-”
“Hugh behind you!” Lucy shouted, cursing herself mentally. She had forgotten all about the vampire that she had left unconscious. Hugh spun and plunged a CPA into the neck of his would be attacker. “I ran out of weapons,” she said apologetically.
A white van swung around the corner and screeched to a halt, blocking the entrance to the alley. Saba was out the passenger door before Johnny brought the wheels to a full stop. Lucy reached for her phone and sent a quick message that the crisis was over. With the van, they could collect all of the bodies and head back to base.
“This is very bad,” Saba said with an air of foreboding.
“Worse than bad,” Johnny added. “The van’s about full right now. We were ambushed. From the looks of it, the MO was the same as it was here.”
“How’d you get here so fast?” Lucy asked.
“Actually we were only two blocks away,” Johnny explained. “They lured us out of CBD and got us holed up in an abandoned building on Rampart. Lucky for us, it’s where we stashed the van.”
“It’s worse than it looks.” Hugh stooped to lift one of the bodies onto the pile in the back of the van. “I only got here a few minutes before you two because I was cornered by five more about three blocks away. They know who we are.”
“CODE SEVEN! I REPEAT, CODE SEVEN. ALL UNITS ARE REQUIRED TO RETURN TO BASE IMMEDIATELY!”
Evan’s voice crackled in her ear and they all jumped into the van. There was no time to collect the other bodies. Code Seven meant sabotage.
On the drive back to base, all four hunters had their earpieces on, listening as reports came in about similar attacks all over town. By the time they pulled into the garage, all teams had reported in except for Miles and Andre. It didn’t take seeing Lona’s ghost white face when the elevator door opened for Lucy to realize that something was very wrong. Evan and Lance were not back yet, but Dara had taken charge in the main entry, checking injuries and sending people to Abe for medical attention if needed.
“Code One! Abe, if you can hear me this is very bad!” Miles’s voice simultaneously crackled in Lucy’s ear and boomed from the intercom over her head. “ETA three minutes!”
Just then, the elevator opened and Evan barreled into the room. “Everyone without a critical injury clear the area now! Hunters and watchers, in my office in thirty minutes!” Under the influence of Evan’s authoritative tone, hunters, watchers, and those who were waiting for their loved ones to come back cleared out. Lucy turned to follow Hugh, but felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Lucy, do you mind waiting here for a moment?” Abe’s face was drawn and ashen. Lucy nodded.
“I’ll be over by the doors, out of the way.”
“Thank you.” Abe gave her a nod and ran off to assist his team of doctors, who were setting up a stretcher and IV bags. Some, Lucy noted grimly, were full of blood.
The elevator doors opened again and Miles stumbled out, carrying a limp mass of blood and torn flesh. Lucy froze and let out a gasp as the medics carefully lay what was left of Andre on the stretcher and began hooking up the IV unit. As they rushed past, Lucy’s stomach lurched and she tried to look away, but could not. Andre’s skin, the parts that weren’t covered in blood at least, was tinged with a grayish blue hue. His chest looked as if it had been turned into hamburger. She would have continued to stand, rooted to the floor, had it not been for a gentle yet insistent hand that tugged her arm.
“Lucy.” Dara’s mouth was drawn into a tight line. “We’re going to need more blood than we have now. Yours is a match, would you please help?”
“Of course!” Lucy said breathlessly, following Dara into a small office. “Wait, can I? Is it safe?”
Dara nodded. “It was one of the first tests Abe ran. You can donate to Evan and Andre safely. We’re not exactly sure, but it is possible that you could pass some of your abilities with the transfusion.”
Lucy felt her spirits lift slightly. “Then let’s do this, the quicker the better. I don’t think there’s much time.”
Dara prepped her arm. “Okay, Lucy, hold still, and make a fist.” The needle slid in with a slight pinch.
“Ow!” Lucy hissed, clenching her teeth.
“Sorry, I tried to be gentle,” Dara apologized.
“No, it’s not that-Yow!” Lucy winced again. “I lost a tooth during the fight and I’m feeling it now.” All of the sudden, Lucy felt a sharp stab and a strange tingling sensation in her gums. She felt around the area with her tongue and winced when it connected with something sharp. Something long, pointed and sharp. “Um, Dara? Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
Dara looked up from monitoring the flow of blood with her eyebrows raised and a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Oh my!”
Lucy gave her an exasperated look. Dara looked like she was about to say something when the door opened and Abe rushed into the room with a panicked look.
“How much longer? Never mind, I’ll take what you have.”
Dara nodded and slid the needle out of Lucy’s arm and handed the bag, tube and needle and all to Abe, who about sprinted out the door.
“That didn’t look promising,” Lucy said softly.
“No,” Dara replied quietly, “but we have to have faith.”
“I thuppose I need to get up to Evanth office,” Lucy grimaced, “and hope I don’t get stuck with this lisp.”
Dara chuckled softly. “I’ll walk with you since I need to be there as well. Don’t worry, Lucy. I suspect it’s stuck because the other is still blocked by the other tooth. We may have to pull it, but you’ll have normal fangs that retract and look just like normal teeth, just like mine.”
“Until then I’m a snaggletooth vampire,” Lucy sighed. “Could be worse.” They walked quietly to the elevators, each deep within their own minds about the evening’s tragic turn of events.
Evan’s office was nearly filled to capacity with hunters and watchers, some with nasty injuries that had yet to be treated. Everyone seemed to be speaking at once, but Lucy didn’t hear any of it. Sure, she and Andre had some issues with each other, but seeing him so close to death, hell, he co
uld already be dead…Lucy pushed the thought from her mind and focused on finding a place to sit down before her legs gave out. She found a chair tucked back along the far wall and sank into it, watching Evan as he tried to call the meeting to order. He appeared to have aged ten years in the few hours since she had last seen him.
If Andre lives, I promise to be nicer to him. I swear…
Lucy let her silent promise hang unfinished as the room silenced and Evan stood in front of his desk.
“As you are all well aware, every one of our teams was attacked tonight in a manner that proves we no longer have the anonymity we once thought we had. We were all out numbered, several teams were intentionally split up, and the attacks happened within minutes of each other, meaning no one had the ability to come to the aide of anyone else.
“What you may not know, is that a similar attack was carried out on the Paris operation at about the same time locally as ours, just after one. I only just received word from their headquarters minutes before we were attacked. I consider it a near miracle that no one was killed. But as you may have heard, Andre is currently in critical condition. As soon as I hear anything I’ll let everyone know.”
Evan paused as startled murmurs ran through the crowd.
“I only ask that you keep him in your thoughts and prayers tonight,” Evan continued. “Unfortunately, this is proof that what we have speculated for a while now is true. We have been infiltrated. In the next few days, we will be re-evaluating our plan of action, I will be sending a team to the Paris office on a long-term assignment intended not only to close our leaks, but also to formulate a plan to find and disable The Eyes of the Sun from the top. While my men and women over there are just as top notch as all of you, they have the added obstacle of the ES being embedded in the government and police force. We are lucky to have cooperation with the local government even if it is strained. I want to end this, and I want to end it with no more of our blood shed.”
The Eyes of the Sun: The Complete Trilogy Page 17
