by Thomas Emson
Lawton took out the gun, shot a vampire through the head as it came for him. It staggered away but then regained its balance. It came again. Something hissed, struck the vampire. And it flew off the deck with one of Milo’s rocket-propelled stakes pinned to its chest.
Lawton struggled with Crane, trying to rip the ring off the professor’s finger. Lawton got out his knife. Crane said, “No, no, for Christ’s sake.”
He decked Crane with an elbow to the temple. Crane sagged. Lawton went down with him.
And he sliced off Crane’s finger.
Crane screamed.
Lawton stepped away. A vampire came for him. He held out the bloody stump with the ring on it. The vampire flinched and shot away.
Crane leaped to his feet and jumped about, screeching. Blood pulsed from his hand. Lawton shoved him backwards. He stumbled and bumped into Kea.
Crane froze.
Kea looked down.
Crane glanced back over his shoulder. Terror stretched his face as he looked up into the monster’s eyes.
Kea rammed its talons into Crane’s chest. The nails dug into flesh.
Crane shrieked. Kea opened him up as if he were helping Crane off with his coat.
Blood gushed out of Crane’s mouth. A terrible sound came from his throat, high-pitched and inhuman. His torso had been ripped open.
His insides spooled out. His ribs showed and his heart throbbed behind the barrier of bones. Sassie fainted. Lawton took a step back, his eyes fixed on the man who’d been pulled open. Crane’s eyes blinked and his mouth was open, a gurgling noise coming from his throat.
Vampires rushed forward and buried their faces in his open chest.
They tore at his ribs to get to the heart and lungs, and the crack of bone jarred Lawton. A press of vampires covered Crane’s remains, and Lawton heard them dismember him.
A dark-skinned woman climbed from the pit with a boy – David, he guessed – in tow. Richard helped them out.
Lawton went over to them, helped Sassie to her feet. He asked her if she was all right, and she said, in a light voice, that she was.
Vampires still clambered up the platform.
“There’s hundreds of them,” said Murray.
Lawton slid the ring off the severed finger and tossed the digit away.
He gave Sassie the ring.
“What about you?” she said.
“I’ll be fine.”
Rocket-propelled stakes still whizzed around, knocking vampires off the podium. The fire crackled and the smoke thickened.
A bellow shook the building, and Lawton and the others flinched.
He turned. Kea glared at them with fire in his eyes. The monster roared again, pointing a deadly looking talon in Lawton’s direction.
Lawton, throat dry, his body wracked with wounds, stepped forward. He squared up to the giant vampire, brandishing the ancient swords made of fuck-knows-whose bones. He didn’t give a shit. The only question in his mind was: would they kill this made-in-hell monstrosity?
Lawton, sneering at Kea, said, “Want to fight?”
Kea roared in his face, and Lawton smelled thousands of years of decay in that breath.
“Jake,” said Sassie. “Jake, please,” her voice a squeal of terror.
He glanced over his shoulder. Vampires crowded the platform. There were too many for Milo to pick off, although he kept firing. Lawton looked up to the balcony. Vampires closed in on Milo and Lawton said, “Look out for yourself, Cal,” but Milo was surrounded.
Sassie and Murray screamed as the vampires closed in. The ring and the choker protected them, and they formed a circle around David and Michael. Sassie gave Aaliyah the choker, gave Murray the ring. Lawton said, No, but there were only two protective trinkets.
Richard Murray armed himself with a couple of RPG stakes that lay on the platform. With fury in his eyes and rage bellowing from his throat, he attacked a group of vampires, thrusting his stakes into chests, faces, any flesh he could find.
Kea bounded towards Lawton. The creature towered above him.
The vampires circled, predators waiting to pounce on their prey.
Milo shouted from the balcony, saying, “I’m done, Lawton, I’m done, I’m – ” and the smoke enveloping him.
And Lawton thought, Rabbit, run with me –
Sassie screamed. Lawton turned. Vampires had dragged her from the protective group, Murray trying her best to hold on to Sassie’s arm, but the vampires were too strong and too many.
Lawton called Sassie’s name, watched her being hauled away, Murray screaming, No, no, no.
Lawton went to go for her, but nails dug into his scalp. He glanced up. Kea’s hand was clamped on his head, those talons tearing into his skin. His head felt like it was on fire. Lawton lashed out. He thought the creature would scalp him, tear the skin and hair from his skull.
Sassie screamed again.
Lawton said, “Sassie, no, no,” and looked her in the eye as vampires bit into her body.
Chapter 105
CAUGHT IN THE
HEADLIGHTS.
LITHGOW said to his dad, “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to watch the show.”
“What show?” said Lithgow.
Keatch gave him a shove.
His dad said, “All right, Mr. Keatch.”
Keatch said, “We need to get a move on. I don’t like what I’m hearing down there in the club. Sounds like things aren’t going quite to plan.”
Lithgow glanced over his shoulder, saw his dad bite his lip, his eyes half-closed like he was concentrating. Lithgow thought, If things aren’t going to plan, maybe Lawton’s stuck his oar in; maybe he’s here.
The thought of Lawton gave Lithgow a jolt of hope.
Everything might be all right.
Lithgow in front, Keatch behind him, and his dad taking the rear, they were striding down a third floor corridor. Earlier, in that box room with his dad and Keatch, Lithgow had heard a grinding noise and the building seemed to shudder. That was when his dad said, “It’s starting,” and Keatch shoved Lithgow through the door saying, “Get moving.” As they walked, the commotion in the club had grown.
Lithgow sensed panic in the muffled shouts of whoever had gathered here. And his dad’s face showed anxiety.
Now Keatch said, “What’s going on down there?”
Lithgow’s dad said, “Let’s hurry up, Mr. Keatch.”
“I was hurrying up; gave him a shove and you told me to lay off.”
“I didn’t tell you to ‘lay off,’ Mr. Keatch, I was merely suggesting –”
His dad faltered and gave a sigh. Then he said, “Please, we must hurry. Things don’t sound right to me.”
They don’t sound right, thought Lithgow; that had to mean Lawton was here. He said, “My mate’s here, and he’s brought his Army pals – you’re fucked, Dad; you and your sick friends.”
Keatch shoved him, and Lithgow stumbled forward. He lost his footing, starting to go headfirst, his arms flailing. Lithgow staggered around the corner, hit the floor, skin scraping off his hands, his knees jarring. Getting up on all fours, he grimaced, looked up.
Down the corridor walked a red-haired woman he recognized from somewhere. And striding beside her was a man with a bloody face and a shotgun.
* * *
Rabbit reached behind him, grabbed the vampire’s hair and yanked him over his shoulder, slamming him to the floor. Rabbit, the strength seeping out of him, stood on his unsteady legs. He took in the room: the control desk, the window looking down over the club, the old man, and –
The vampire lunged.
Rabbit ducked and rugby-tackled the thing around the waist. He rammed the vampire into the desk, and Rabbit felt the air rush from the creature’s body. He yanked a stake from his belt. He went to stab the creature, raising the stake, but the old man said, “No, no, don’t.”
Rabbit faltered, glanced at the old man.
And the old man sneered at him.
Rabbit felt cold fear rush through his veins.
The vampire clawed his face and Rabbit stumbled backwards. The vampire came after him.
The old man cackled, said, “Pitiful, pitiful man – you are going to die and live again and feel hunger for the rest of time.”
Rabbit threw his arms above his head, protecting himself from the vampire’s attack.
Teeth bared, the creature pounced.
Rabbit slashed with his stake. He felt the point cut through skin and the vampire whined.
Rabbit gave himself room, dancing like a boxer around the lighting booth. The vampire swivelled, losing his balance, black blood spouting from its face wound.
Rabbit thrust forward, the stake sinking into the vampire’s chest.
The creature grimaced, and a hiss escaped its throat. It locked eyes with Rabbit and Rabbit saw the hate and the ugliness in the thing’s face.
The vampire clawed at Rabbit saying, “I don’t want to die.”
“Tough titty,” said Rabbit, and he drove the weapon deeper into the creature’s chest.
The old man yelled and grabbed a metal briefcase. “Help! Help!”
The old man threw his voice towards the open door. “Help! Help!” He scrabbled to his feet, sat in his wheelchair.
* * *
When the voice shouted “Help! Help!” the red-haired woman and the armed man picked up their pace, racing down the corridor in Lithgow’s direction.
The shout for help came from a room about twenty yards away.
Lithgow glanced over his shoulder. His dad and Keatch hurried round the corner, Keatch going, “What the hell was that?” and his dad saying, “It sounded like Dr. Haddad to me.”
Haddad, thought Lithgow; Haddad in trouble. Could that mean Lawton’s mate was in that room? So that was the lighting suite. That’s where the UV controls were. That was Lawton’s plan, what he’d told Lithgow in that last phone call.
Adrenalin flushed Lithgow’s heart. He took a look at his dad and Keatch, their eyes fixed ahead, ignoring Lithgow.
Keatch was right behind him. He kicked out like a mule and caught Keatch just under the knee. All Lithgow’s strength went into that kick, and it bent Keatch’s leg back in a way it shouldn’t bend. The thug screamed. Lithgow’s dad ran into him, pushing Keatch over, Keatch grabbing his knee, bellowing. Lithgow’s dad tripped over the lout, hitting the floor hands first.
Lithgow sprang to his feet.
The red-haired woman and the armed man were close, heading for the lighting suite, the red-haired woman throwing a glance Lithgow’s way.
Lithgow faltered, fear sapping his strength.
What was he thinking? He wasn’t Lawton, wasn’t a soldier.
What was he going to do?
He looked back at his dad and Keatch. Keatch groaned, a sound like, “Broken my – my – broken – fucking leg,” coming from him. His dad tried to get to his feet.
Lithgow went to him. He said, “Dad?” and his dad looked up.
His dad said, “Son.”
Lithgow kicked him in the face.
* * *
The vampire screeched. Rabbit stared at the dying creature. It was a boy, about seventeen, Rabbit guessed, younger maybe.
But not for long.
Arteries of fire threaded under the pale skin of the vampire’s face.
The thing’s eyes filled with blood and its flesh withered. Unleashing a last shriek, the vampire shrivelled and collapsed into dust, leaving Rabbit standing there with the stake thrust into space.
Rabbit looked at the old man trying to take the brake off his wheelchair. He watched him for a few seconds and thought, Fuck him, do what the sarge sent me here to do.
He turned to the desk.
He saw lines of knobs and switches everywhere. Rabbit’s eyes narrowed, his head spinning.
Which one is it? he thought.
He glanced through the window.
“Oh, shit,” he said, seeing Lawton in the monster’s claws, Lawton thrashing about. Vampires scaling the scissor lift around the piston.
“Oh, shit.”
His eyes roved the desk.
Which ones?
Lawton had said, It’ll be there somewhere.
And then he saw and he gasped, and his skin goosepimpled.
The selection of sliders had a sticker above them saying UV. The sliders were divided into groups marked xenon, mercury, arc lights, and some words that had been smudged.
“Jam all the sliders right up to the highest level,” Lawton had said.
“Flick every fucking switch. Make sure every single UV light on that desk is on full blast. And then wreck the fucking thing so no bastard can switch them off.”
Rabbit reached out.
A gun fired.
He grimaced, feeling as if someone had punched him in the back.
Then numbness spread through his chest. He grew cold, turned to see a bald guy with glasses and blood on his face aiming a shotgun at him.
A red-haired woman stood next to the shooter. She grinned at Rabbit and started to wheel the old man out of the booth.
The old man cackled, clutching the silver case.
“Shoot him again, Birch,” said the woman. “And let’s get the hell out of here.”
Rabbit’s vision blurred. Pain spread through his chest. His throat clogged up with blood. His legs felt like paper and he knew they couldn’t bear his weight for too long.
Sarge, he thought, sarge –
The shotgun blasted. Rabbit’s ears popped. The spray slammed into his chest, ramming him back against the desk. His vision blurred. Air hissed out of his lungs and his chest grew tighter and tighter.
He heard the old man cackling in his head.
He reached for the switch, flailing hopelessly.
I’ve let you down, sarge, was the thought swimming in his head; I’ve let you down.
And then a face appeared above him saying, “There, it’s those – oh, shit – hit the fucking things – all of them – ”
Chapter 106
THE FALL.
KEA raised Lawton off his feet, the talons digging into his skull.
Blood washed over his ears, down his neck. He fought the pain, but he thought he’d pass out. The monster twisted Lawton round, bringing them face-to-face. Lawton glimpsed Sassie, her eyes pleading, her mouth making the shape of his name. Vampires bit into her throat, dragging her towards the pit, her feet kicking.
Lawton forced out a shout: “No!” and anger boiled his blood, knowing Sassie was lost to him. She shrieked as the vampires pulled her down into the trench, her feet scrabbling at the edge of the trench, the last part of her to disappear.
It felt like Lawton’s heart was being wrenched out.
But the rage blinded him, immunized him from the pain in his skull.
He raised the swords. The creature opened his mouth, bared its fangs.
Lawton stared into the purple and red maw, saw the forked tongue and the teeth. The jaw, like a snake’s, dislocated to enable the monster to open its mouth wider than seemed possible.
Lawton roared and drove one of his bone-swords into the demon’s mouth.
Kea’s eyes bulged. The weapon stabbed through the back of its mouth, piercing the creature’s skull. Lawton felt the weapon’s slice through bone and flesh and muscle.
Kea unleashed a terrible shriek, spraying blood into Lawton’s face.
The monster let Lawton go, but Lawton held on to the weapon, and then drove the other one into the soft flesh inches above Kea’s collarbone. The demon shuddered and moaned. Lawton’s weight dragged the creature’s head down. He hung on to the bone-swords, his arms starting to tire, his feet dangling.
He started to kick Kea’s crotch. Kea clawed at Lawton, ripping through the boiler suit, tearing away the skin of his chest.
Lawton knew he couldn’t let go. But the wounds in its mouth and shoulder wouldn’t kill Kea. And unless he did something, Lawton knew this monster would kill him.
Th
e ancient bone had to be driven through Kea’s heart.
Lawton shook the bone-sword buried in the vampire’s mouth. A mewling came from Kea’s throat. The creature thrashed about, trying to toss Lawton off the weapon.
And then the vampire started to pull the tusk out of its mouth. A shriek came from its throat, the vampire god spinning now in a bid to dislodge Lawton. Blood sprayed again. As he was spun, Lawton caught glimpses of what was going on around him:
Murray and her children cowering at the edge of the platform, holding up a ragged piece of cloth. Richard fighting off vampires, finding strength from somewhere. The dark-skinned woman, Crane’s ring on her finger, going at vampires like a banshee. Smoke filling Religion, fire crackling, tearing through the club.
And vampires crawling from the pit where Sassie had been dragged.
His eyes welled with tears. Grief tore at his heart. He knew she was gone. His rage swelled again. Kea yanked the bone-sword free of its throat. Lawton let go of the other weapon, left it buried in Kea’s shoulder.
Lawton dropped to the platform. The vampire god staggered. He lowered his head, glared down at Lawton. A beam of light came through the hole in the back of its head, down along its mouth. Lawton drove the bone-sword into Kea’s chest. The vampire vomited black blood.
And then another light, strong and white, flashed and blinded Lawton for a second.
Religion flared.
Blinding white light.
Lawton blinked, his vision blurred. Stars danced in front of his face. Vampires started to mewl.
Rabbit had found the ultraviolet switch.
The reek of burning flesh filled the air.
Smoke rose from a vampire crawling out of the trench. The creatures started to claw at their bodies as fire ignited on their skins, scorching them. Up in the balcony, flaming vampires lit up the gloom, leaping like balls of fire out of the smoke that roiled and swarmed up in the gallery.
Smoke billowed from Kea’s flesh.
But the monster eyed Lawton with rage. It paid no attention to the heat, to the light destroying its offspring. Kea bore down on him and Lawton backed away, unarmed now, both his bone-swords buried in Kea’s body.
Around him, vampires burned to ashes. Their dying screams deafened him. Their bodies flaming balls, plummeting off the balcony, off the platform.
