by Carly Fall
He’d thought long and hard about what to do with the bodies currently in the building. At some point, he supposed the vampires would have to make them disappear. He remembered what Sami had said about the police finding bodies in the forests and thinking animals had killed them. They couldn’t do that with every body, so what did they do with the rest? Burying them in the desert was a viable option. Hell, for all he knew, he sat on top of a mass grave at that very moment.
Although he’d love to return the dead to their families for a proper ceremony, doing so would be impossible. There’d be more questions raised about how the bodies got in the condition they were in, and he’d have to tell someone he knew vampires addicted to human blood were responsible. Yeah, that didn’t sound sane. After that, he could try to sell the police a bridge on Mars.
Before he sent the place into a fireball of flames, he would say a little prayer for the dead and call the explosion a cremation. It was the best he could do without putting himself in danger of being committed to a psych ward, or worse, accused of the crimes. He was far more effective hunting these bastards down rather than being locked up.
With no proof the truck would show up tonight, he was going on instinct. If they didn’t come, he’d return tomorrow evening, and every night after, if needed. He’d laid the groundwork to decimate the place, and that had been the hardest part.
All he had to do now was wait.
* * *
At midnight, Connor slipped on the bullet-proof vest, pulled on his disposable latex gloves, put the UV flashlights in the gun holsters, placed the knife Dedou had given him in another pocket, then hiked in the half-mile. He had no idea if the UV flashlights would work on vampires, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to find out. He didn’t expect them to go up into flames as he imagined the sun’s UV rays caused, but maybe temporarily stun them or blind them, giving him the upper hand.
He hadn’t bothered with his gun as vampires couldn’t be killed with bullets. However, he wouldn’t take a chance on a vampire using a gun on him, hence the vest. He did have to admit it felt strange going into a combat situation without a piece, but this was anything but a normal situation.
About fifty feet away from the building, he dropped to the ground where he had a view of the building and the road leading in. When he looked through the night-vision binoculars, everything seemed normal. The area around the building remained quiet, and he couldn’t see anything moving on the dirt road.
He remained where he lay and listened to his surroundings. The desert animals sang their songs, harmonizing to bring their rhythm to life. It relaxed him a bit, and his breathing evened out. For the millionth time, he wondered if he approached this situation correctly, but as the night breeze shifted and the smell of rotting corpses hit his nose, he couldn’t think of another option. This shit had to end, and he would be the one to do it.
Two hours later, he had rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. Without the city lights, the blackness seemed so vast and deep, the twinkling stars beckoned to him. If he could shoot off into the sky to answer their call, he would in a second, and he wondered what he would find up there.
Like any future, it would be the unknown. He didn’t know if he’d make it through tomorrow, let alone tonight. If he did confront the vampires and came out unscathed, tomorrow, a bus could hit him. His ending could come at any time, but so far, he’d been damn fortunate, and he hoped that Lady Luck still stood by his side.
Lying in the desert, staring up at the sky, he’d never felt so utterly alone. His thoughts returned to Sami, but he pushed them away. The last thing he needed was her clouding his mind. He had to focus on the task at hand and not think about full lips, fangs, sexual heat, or big, beautiful dark eyes that made his chest feel soft.
He flipped back onto his stomach, and in the distance, saw lights approaching him. A knot formed in his gut, and he took some deep breaths to try to calm his pounding heart.
“Game time,” he whispered. “Get ready to die, fuckers.”
26
The box truck pulled up to the same side of the building it had before. What he hadn’t seen in his previous trip was a second truck following the first. The second parked on the other side of the building with music blaring, and vampires filed out the back, lining up just as he’d witnessed before.
Apparently, the vampires in charge not only provided the ‘drug’ for the addicted, but gave them a lift to get it.
Full service. How nice.
Surveying the situation, he decided he would concentrate on the providers and deal with the addicted later.
He crawled toward the truck carrying the humans just as the driver jumped out. Connor couldn’t help but grin when he recognized the vampire who apparently now had to wear a bandana covering his face all the time. Two other well-known faces showed themselves as the light went on when the passenger door opened. With these three directly in his sights, he had to guess that the other three were driving the addicted.
The driver checked his phone while the other two walked around to the back of the truck.
Now only about ten feet away from the driver, Connor got to his feet. The vampire would never be able to see him as all his attention was on the phone, and the light shining in his face would block any sight beyond it.
Connor ran at the vampire and was on him before he ever got the chance to look up to see what the noise was. Straddling the man, Connor placed a hand over his mouth.
Wide eyes stared up at him, but he couldn’t tell if he saw fear or just sheer surprise. He didn’t bother to contemplate that any further, and simply lifted the knife from the holster as the mark Dedou had given him burned crimson, and blade in the vampire’s heart.
The scream of agony that tore through the night scared even him, and he realized he should have had the forethought to kill him another way. The noise would attract the others, and his plan for a stealth operation had just gone to shit.
As the smell of burning flesh met his nose, he heard bubbling. It was as if he’d just poured acid on the guy, who tried to roll to his side, but Connor’s weight stopped him. He almost felt guilty for inflicting such a painful death on someone, but then remembered what the vampire had done, and how many murders this group had been responsible for. He changed his tune quickly—they deserved every last agonizing moment.
Like he’d predicted, the other two came to see what the commotions was about. He rolled off the first vampire and onto his back, pulling out a UV flashlight. He flipped it on and shined it in the faces of the two approaching him. A wave of relief went through him as the glare had the intended effect—they cried out and covered their eyes.
In a swift motion, he got to his feet, shoved the flashlight back into its holster, and moved behind one, slashing his jugular so he’d bleed out. The popping and hissing sound once again met his ears, the stench of burning flesh almost unbearable, making his eyes water.
Turning to the other one who still seemed blinded as he waved his hands out in front of him and attempted to run, Connor jammed the knife into his stomach and lifted upwards, gutting him.
Breathing heavily, he could still hear the music from the other truck. Thankfully, they hadn’t shut it off, and it had provided cover for him to take care of business on this end of the building.
Now it was time for the other.
Glancing down to make sure everyone was dead, he noticed that the bone, muscle, and skin of the vampire he’d slashed in the throat had disintegrated, and the head had become detached from the body.
As he stepped over the corpses, he felt strangely removed from the scene, almost as if he weren’t fully present. The blood and gore didn’t affect him in any way, and he didn’t know if that could be considered a good thing or not. However, he wouldn’t take the time to think about it now.
He walked to the back of the truck and slowly rolled up the door. He counted ten humans sitting on the benches, all staring directly in front of them, oblivious that they were literally minu
tes away from death. He wondered how long the trance state lasted, and wished he’d asked Sami about that.
He moved over to the side of the building and leaned against it. After taking some deep breaths, relief washed through him when fresh air entered his lungs. He rubbed the knife and his gloved hands on his pants and tried not to notice the bits of flesh and streaks of blood that covered him.
Wiping the perspiration from his brow, he ran along the side of the building and stopped at the edge where the second vehicle had parked.
The addicted stood in line, their eyes glazed over. Some of them shook and dripped sweat as if they were deep into withdrawal. The three vampires who had driven the truck leaned against its side, their beauty radiating even in such an ugly scene.
Squatting down, he considered his next move.
If he went after the vampires in charge, the ones waiting to get their drug of human blood would most likely attack him once they realized he was derailing their fix. He peeked around the corner and counted twenty-two waiting patiently—he wouldn’t have a chance defending himself against all of them.
He needed a new plan.
Standing, he ran back to the slaughter at the other end of the building. He looked at the vampire who wore the bandanna around his face and came up with an idea, although a disgusting one.
Bending down, he untied the cloth and tried to ignore that the man didn’t have any flesh on part of his neck and most of his chin. He didn’t study the corpse closely, but instead concentrated on patting him down. Finding the keys in the vampire’s pocket, he shoved them in his own, then wrapped the bandanna around his face just as the vampire wore it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the building and used his flashlight to make his way through the cots and bodies.
As the smell of rotting flesh met his nose, he once again considered leaving and disappearing into the streets of Los Angeles. He could catch a bus to Oregon. He’d never been there, but he also hated the rain, so that seemed like a bad choice. Texas was big, and there were most likely ranchers who could use a strong body like his to help keep up the farm. New York was nice, but way too expensive. He didn’t want to go back to Vegas … and as he reached the door where the addicted vampires stood to be let in, he knew he wouldn’t be going anywhere. He had a responsibility, and this shit ended right here, right now.
Opening it, he turned off the flashlight and made his way back to the door where the humans were held in the truck. He heard the vampires filing in behind him, grunting and groaning as they searched for their fix.
He picked up the pace to a jog and heard someone say, “Why aren’t the candles lit?”
When he reached the door leading out to the truck, he pulled the detonator from his pocket and slipped out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.
In a few steps, he was at the truck and climbed into the driver’s side. Peeling off his gloves, he reached into his pocket and struggled for a moment to pull on another pair. He didn’t want this truck to have any signs of blood. Once his hands were covered, he started it and took off slowly down the hill, not wanting to harm his passengers.
In his rearview mirror, he saw the candles being lit, and didn’t notice anyone outside of the building. He glanced down at the detonator in his hand. It was only a matter of time before they realized that everything had gone wrong and everyone exited the building to find out where the buffet had gone.
His finger hovered over the button for only a moment as guilt for the addicted washed through him, but he pressed his thumb down, and the night sky lit up, a plume of orange and red exploding where the building once stood. The sound hit his ears a few seconds later, a large boom that seemed to rattle his bones, startling him, even though he’d known it was coming. In fact, it reminded him of the blast in Guatemala just over a year ago.
He didn’t look back as he drove, carefully maneuvering the bumps on the dirt road. He considered his actions again and wondered if there had been a way to kill the main vampires without destroying the addicted ones, but he couldn’t see how that could have been done.
Besides, if he did get them out and let them loose, chances were good they’d just find some human to kill, and that had been the whole point of him stopping this horrible business. He knew very little about the vampire world, and he certainly didn’t know how they treated addiction, or if they even did. He’d done what he’d needed to do. The ones running the operation were dead, and the ones who had kept the operation thriving were now also gone.
He drove the truck back to Los Angeles and parked in a lot belonging to one of the more popular clubs about two miles from his apartment. He had no idea if the humans had been taken from there, but at least they were alive, and he wouldn’t have far to walk to get home.
Making sure he grabbed his bloodied gloves, he took one last glance around the cab. There would be nothing to tie him to the vehicle.
Placing the keys on top of the front tire, he walked to the back of the truck and pushed up the door. Everyone still sat as they had when he’d seen them at the building of horrors. He left the door open and moved through the parking lot to a row of trees that lined it, then sat on the curb and waited.
No one bothered the truck, and after about an hour, he saw movement inside it, then bits and pieces of conversation met his ears as the people jumped down from the interior. They had to be wondering what the hell had happened to them, and as he stood, a small surge of pride engulfed his chest. Those people would never know the horrors of the ones he hadn’t been able to save. He’d done his job, and he’d done it well.
As he began his walk back to his apartment, he made sure to stay in the shadows and not draw attention to himself. The last thing he needed was a cop asking why he wore a bulletproof vest. Thankfully, he’d worn black, so the blood that caked his clothing wasn’t noticeable during the late-night hours.
The only issue he had was the van he’d rented. He certainly wouldn’t be heading back out to the desert to retrieve it. However, he had worn gloves and also taken the precaution of wiping it down to be certain no trace of him remained. He’d also removed the rental agreement he’d signed. He doubted it would be discovered for quite a while, but when it was found, that could lead to a problem since he’d used the credit card Dedou had given him.
He glanced at his phone. It was closing in on two a.m., which meant it would be five o’clock in New Orleans. He debated whether to call Harper now, or wait until later, and eventually decided to call now and leave a message.
She picked up after the first ring.
“The Wrecking Ball of Firewalls speaking.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, despite his dire situation.
“Harper, it’s Connor.”
“Hey, Connor. Did you blow your stuff up? Was it spectacular destruction?”
She sounded wide-awake, and he began to wonder if she ever slept.
“Yeah, it’s done. Listen, I don’t know if you can do this, but I thought—”
“Is this a challenge? I love a challenge. Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I was wondering if you could hack into a rental car site and delete a reservation.”
She sighed. “Seriously, Connor? That’s it?”
“Yeah. Can you do that?”
“Well, let’s see. Are there naked people in porn?”
Damn, she was funny. “I take that as a yes?”
“I’m a hacker, Connor. Do you know what that means? Here I thought you were going to give me something fun and interesting. How wrong I was. Give me the information, and don’t ever insult my intelligence like that again.”
He pulled out the rental papers and recited the company name, as well as the alias he’d given for the rental, Connor Le Polla.
Harper giggled. “That’s the name Dedou gave you? You know Le Polla means dick or cock in Spanish, right? That means your name loosely translates to Connor the dick!”
He sighed in frustration as Harper continued to laugh.
“Oh
, Dedou can be so funny!” she proclaimed.
There was apparently a side to Dedou he hadn’t seen.
Finally, he reached his apartment. Once inside, he couldn’t wait to strip down and get in the shower.
He heard the clacking of a keyboard on the other line as Harper mumbled something he couldn’t make out.
“It’s done,” she said, after a moment.
“Okay, thanks, Harper.”
“Yup.”
A sudden thought occurred to him.
“Where do you work out of?”
“I’m in the attic at Dedou’s.”
He walked into the bathroom and stepped into the tub, careful not to look at his reflection in the mirror. He pulled off the bulletproof vest and dropped it to the porcelain. He wasn’t quite ready to confront himself, and Harper seemed to be offering a great distraction.
It surprised him he hadn’t met her when he’d been there.
“Why didn’t I meet you?” he asked.
She sighed again. It seemed that everything he said to her elicited the sweet sound. He kicked off his boots and peeled off his socks.
“Connor, I’m a very busy person. I don’t know why you didn’t meet me. I’m here all the time. Just come up and say hello. It’s not that hard.”
He grinned despite her irritation and slipped his black jeans down his legs, stepping out of them. Maybe her annoyance kept his mind off the gore on his clothes, or maybe she made him curious. He liked her energy and her spirit, despite the fact he infuriated her.
“I’m going to come and meet you when I get back,” he said, pulling the shirt over his head.
“Fine. Whatever. Bring me coffee, and we should be off to a good start. Bring me coffee and cookies, and I may fall in love with you.”
She hung up, and he set the phone down.
As he studied the pile of bloody clothing in front of him, doubts about Operation Underworld once again crept into his mind. He’d killed a lot of vampires tonight, and certainly, some of them had just needed some type of help. Could he continue to do so, if necessary? Or would the guilt he felt at his own actions weigh too heavily on his soul?
