by Leo Romero
Trixie hurtled toward him from the back like a juggernaut. In the blink of an eye, she was on him. Both her feet slammed down on his back, just as he managed to pull the trigger. He was thrown forward, taking his aim with him. A short burst of bullets showered the mansion wall, missing Rufus by a mile. The other two thugs were too slow to react. Trixie was already on her feet, her dart gun in hand. She fired a quick tranq into the meaty thigh of the nearest thug before he could raise his gun. She then set off on another round of gymnastic flips, just as the third got his finger on the trigger. The thug was caught out by just how fast she was in full flow. She somersaulted away, his spray of bullets following her, but not quite catching up. She sent him in a small semi-circle, before she doubled back, planted her hands on his shoulders and used him as leverage to flip over his head. She landed on her feet behind him and grabbed her dart gun from her belt. She shoved the muzzle into his upper back and let a dart go. The merc had time to yelp before she landed a kick in the small of his back, sending him falling forward. The original thug was by then getting to his feet. Trixie reloaded and sent a dart into his thick arm before he could get up. He went back down in an instant. It all went quiet.
Dom breathed a sigh of relief. Man, she's good.
He'd never seen a human being move so fast. And he wagered neither had the thugs. She could literally dodge bullets she was that good. Watching her was like watching a movie. Unreal.
He looked around in a stupefied daze, realizing he was hiding in the bushes while Trixie was facing fully auto guns point blank. He suddenly felt like a bit of a douche.
I better go help her.
He took tentative steps out of the bushes. On his way, something scraped on his arm. "Ow!" he groaned, looking down to see a small series of scratches on his forearm. He sucked at them as he turned his attention back to the mansion. Trixie was already rushing to Rufus' aid. Dom cleared himself of bush tangles and scuttled across the grass, past the menacing helicopters. He stared at them in disbelief as he went by. "And you call this a pact? Christ!"
A sound then made him start. His head snapped around. More mercs were spilling out of the back entrance, Trixie had her back to them. His eyes bulged. "Trixie!" he shouted and began running toward the mansion. "Behind you!"
Trixie whirled around, just as a merc threw a boot into her face. She caught it full on and went sprawling. A surge of rage burst up into Dom's chest. He upped his sprint, grabbed his dart gun, and began firing it off in the direction of the mercs, jabbing it on the air with each shot. He caught one in the neck, sending him down. The others spun in Dom's direction, just as his feet touched the porch. Guns whirled Dom's way; he stopped sharp. He gulped, his eyes widening. Christ, what have I done!
With a fearful shriek, he threw up his dart gun and fired off an instinctive shot. He got one in the shoulder before he had a chance to pop his gun. Dom caught a glimpse of the muzzle of the other's gun; it was like a dark tunnel to Hell.
Dom's heart lurched.
Without thinking, he threw his dart gun in the face of the merc like it was a brick. It hit the thug square on the head with a clunk. The merc put his hand straight up there, taking his finger off the trigger of his gun. Dom took a second to suck in a lung of air before he steamed into the merc with a roar. He tackled him like a quarterback, juggernauting into his chest. The impact sent the thug reeling. He fell back and slammed into the concrete, Dom falling down on top of him with an ug!
Dom took the initiative. He sat astride the thug and began raining punches on the sides of his head, hoping to knock him unconscious. The merc's meaty head swung from side to side, but his eyes still burned with anger.
"Come on, go to sleep!" Dom demanded through clenched teeth, swinging another punch around; it smacked into the side of his head. The thug was unyielding. He remained wide awake, struggling beneath Dom like a fish fresh out of the river. Dom landed another blow and the thug's head went the other way, but still he wouldn't go to sleep. Dom's knuckles throbbed.
"This is getting annoying," he declared. He turned his head to the side. Trixie was still on her back, watching on. "Pass me my gun, would'ya, doll?" Dom asked her.
Trixie huffed. She got to her feet and dusted herself down. She then went and snatched up Dom's dart gun. "Don't call me doll," she said as she handed it to him.
"Thanks, Patricia," Dom replied with a wink.
Trixie's top lip curled up.
Dom turned back, aimed, and shot the thug in the crotch. The merc's back straightened under the impact.
Dom sucked in air through his teeth. "That's gotta hurt!"
After a few more seconds of struggling, the thug's eyes rolled up and he finally went to sleep.
"Nice one, Rambo," Trixie said before she clicked a couple of smoke grenades and threw them beyond the broken doors. "Now get ready to shoot some rabbits."
Dom frowned in confusion. Rabbits? Once he realized what she meant, he jumped to his feet and stepped back. Trixie was already prepared, a dart gun in each hand, aimed at the back entrance. In no time, the room beyond was lost in a sea of smoke. Then, out they came, coughing and choking behind their balaclavas, staggering out of the smoke like drunken werewolves cutting through fog. Trixie waited till they were fully exposed and caught them in the height of their disorientation. She began pulling the triggers of both dart guns, pummeling them with darts as they spawned from the mist. In moments, the tranq floored them. One or two tripped over the bodies already lying on the patio like it was the set of a slapstick movie. Dom grabbed up his own gun and began shooting alongside her whenever one staggered out. It was too easy, like shooting giant paper targets. He watched them in satisfaction as they dropped under the toxins they pumped into them. After a while, they stopped coming out. Dom was disappointed. Just as I was getting into it.
Still, they both waited with their guns at the ready regardless, just in case. While he aimed, Dom had a quick body count. He made it twelve, but there could be more.
"I think that's all of them," Trixie declared, trying her best to gaze into the smoke inside the mansion.
"You take care of Rufus," Dom suggested. "I'll wait here in case there are any more."
Trixie lowered her dart guns and went straight to Rufus' side. He'd collapsed again, coughing, his breathing wheezy. She put an arm around his neck and lifted him off the floor. She stared down at his broken, bloody body with sorrowful eyes. "Can you hear me?" she asked him.
Rufus' eyelids flicked open. His pupils zoned in on her and he gave her a brief nod.
"Where's Vincent?" Dom asked over his shoulder, his attention still focused on the doorway.
"He already told me that these Order mercs took him away," Trixie swiftly answered.
Rufus nodded as best he could, his pupils zoning in and out.
"Rufus. Rufus," Trixie repeated, giving him a small shake. Rufus zoned back in on her. "Where did they take Dad?" she asked him.
Rufus shook his head in response and closed his eyes. He then pointed a shaky finger toward the helicopters stationed on the grass.
Trixie glanced at them. "They took Dad away in one of those?"
Rufus nodded.
"What is it they want?" Dom asked.
Rufus shook his head before he collapsed in a heap.
"We gotta get him to a hospital," Dom said, turning his attention away from the mansion now that the smoke was starting to clear and no more thugs were heading their way.
"You're kidding, right?" Trixie retorted.
"No way. Look at him, he's been lit up like a tin can at a shooter alley."
Trixie shook her head. "Hospitals are the last place we need to be. Order will be all over them. We have to get him over to Sun."
"Okay, but what about these guys?"
"Don't worry, they'll still be here when we get back!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Eddie was already waiting for them at the entrance of Sun Enterprise when they arrived. Dom got them there in quick time, screeching t
o an abrupt halt just ahead of Eddie. Trixie jumped out of the car and rushed to the back door. Dom threw his door open.
"What the hell happened?" Eddie asked in a frantic voice as he rushed over.
"Me and Trixie were jumped on the job," Dom answered, slamming his door shut. "We were lucky to escape."
Eddie puffed his cheeks. "Christ. Jumped by who?"
"Mercs," Trixie said as she approached them both.
"Mercs? You mean mercenaries?"
"Yeah, they're called Blacklake. The Order sicced them onto us," Dom said. "Looks like shit's got serious."
Eddie had a rueful nod. "Great. Just as I get started on the job."
"They attacked the mansion. They took Vincent."
Eddie's eyes widened. "Oh man..."
Dom gave him a grim nod. "Yeah, Rufus got shot too. You gotta help him."
Eddie looked beyond him to see Rufus sprawled across the back seats. His jaw dropped. "Oh my God!" He raced up to Trixie's side and stared down at Rufus. His face was beaten, he had bullet wounds in his chest. "Christ, is he still alive?"
"Barely," Trixie said.
"How many times was he shot?" Eddie asked as he continued with his stare.
"Never mind!" Dom exclaimed. "We need to get him inside to the medical unit!"
Eddie's fixation snapped. He grabbed his cell and made a call. "Hey, it's Eddie. We got a situation at the entrance. Get the med team down there ASAP!"
Eddie put his cell away and ran his hands through his hair. "Man, this is bad."
"You're damn right."
"What are we gonna do about Vincent?"
Dom huffed. "We have to find him."
"Sure, but how are we gonna do that?"
Trixie nodded. "I know a guy who'll be more than happy to tell us where he is."
Dom met her stare. "Yeah? That's good. But how are we gonna go get him? He'll be surrounded by Order."
"We'll get him," Trixie said with a steely determination. "But we need supplies. Smoke bombs, tranqs, and a shitload of holy water."
"We got all that inside," Eddie told her.
"Good," said Trixie. "Cause we're going to war."
Trixie grabbed some more smoke bombs from the supply room. She handed some fresh contact lenses and to Dom, before spilling two boxes of holy water darts onto the nearest desk. "Grab up as much as you can," she ordered.
Dom's face pinched. "Christ, are we really going to war with the Order? Just me and you?"
Trixie stopped and stared at him. "Yeah. There a problem?"
"Possibly a numerical one."
"I like being outnumbered, keeps me on my toes," she said as she began stuffing darts into the magazine of her dart gun. She threw more darts into a small leather case.
"Oh-kay," Dom said to himself, raising his eyebrows. He then began putting darts into a similar travel case one by one in a tentative fashion.
Trixie stared at him. "Listen. When we got into this, we knew we could be losing our lives."
"Did we?"
"Yeah, we did. We did because those bastard things have taken the ones we loved and turned innocent people into brainwashed zombies. It's what we gave our lives for. Killing them off, keeping them off our backs."
Dom shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose."
"Weren't you the one who wanted to take down the Order the other day?"
"Yeah, but maybe that was just bravado. You know, false courage. Now that we're actually faced with it..."
"What other choice do we have, Dom? We gotta save my dad."
Dom nodded. "Yeah, I know. I owe him that. So how are we gonna do this?"
"Like always. We're gonna storm in there and kill every vamp in sight." She noticed something on a shelf over to her right. She went and plucked up a couple of the sonic booms sitting there. "I wonder if these work," she said, looking them over.
"That one at the mansion worked just fine," Dom replied. "Almost blew my eardrums out!"
Trixie clicked a button and an instant screech bounced off every wall in the small room.
Dom clasped his hands over his ears. "Switch it off!" he screamed, his head a ball of pain.
Trixie pushed the button without hesitation, switching it off. The room fell blissfully silent. She puffed her cheeks. "Yeah, it works," she declared with wide eyes.
Dom rubbed his tender ears. "Too well."
Trixie held it out for him. "Want one?"
Dom waved his hand across the air. "No thanks."
Trixie stuffed both of them into her belt alongside the smoke bombs, making sure to grab a couple of ear plugs for good measure. She emptied boxes of tranqs on the desk and began loading her other dart guns.
Eddie then entered the room. He looked strained.
"How's Rufus doing?" Trixie asked him.
"He's stable. He's unconscious, but fighting."
"At least there's some good news."
"I can't believe he's alive," Eddie stated. "He's taken four or five bullets."
"It's a miracle," Trixie told him.
"I'd say it's more than that."
"Nothing surprises me any more, bro," Dom said, throwing tranqs into his travel bag. "This whole life is filled with all kinds of weird stuff."
Eddie nodded. "True dat." He then sighed. "You two really going after the Order?"
"Looks that way."
"Do me a favor, Dom?"
Dom stopped and faced him. "Sure thing. What?"
"Come back. Please."
Dom frowned. Eddie's eyes welled with tears. Dom threw his arms around his brother and squeezed him tight.
"I lost Dad, I can't lose you too," Eddie said, his voice choked with tears.
"You won't lose me!" Dom told him straight up. "I won't let them harm any of us. I promise!"
While Eddie rubbed his back, Dom could feel the tears choking up his own chest like sludge in a pipe. Don't make promises you can't keep, Dom. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't--
Eddie squeezed harder and it was as if he didn't want to let go. He didn't want to lose his brother. Dom closed his eyes, just as a tear slipped out from between his eyelids and ran down his cheek. He had no idea what the near future held. They didn't even know if Vincent was still alive. The truth was, he couldn't say with any certainty if he'd return to his brother's side. Deep down, his gut told him it was probably the last time he'd ever see Eddie. Surely there was no way just him and Trixie could take down a shadow group of vampires who had a hotline to every mercenary outfit in the US. On the other hand, it might just turn out to be a tiny band of rebels that manage to find the glitch within the machine and overcome it.
Luke Skywalker took out the Galactic Empire with a goddamn X-Wing for Chrissakes. And that was all the inspiration he needed!
He gave his brother a final squeeze before pulling himself away. Tears were now streaming down Eddie's face.
Dom planted his hands on Eddie's shoulders. "Listen to me, bro. If one of us doesn't make it back, or none of us, you gotta promise me you'll carry on fighting them. Okay? We're all in now, there's nothing that can change that. Danger will always stalk us, we gotta understand and accept that. We gotta overcome our emotions."
Eddie gave him a jerky nod. "I understand. And yeah, I'll fight them till the end. If we don't, then who will?"
"Exactly."
"Can you two stop it, you're gonna set me off," Trixie said. They both turned to face her. She was wiping her eye with a delicate finger.
Dom laughed. So did Eddie. "Way to break the tension, Trixie," Dom said.
"Now it's time to break the Order."
Dom gave her a strong nod. "It sure is."
Eddie rubbed his eyes and straightened his back. "What are your next moves?"
Trixie placed on a pair of shades. "First we're gonna tie up a few loose ends, and then we're gonna go to the Loop and pay an old friend a visit."
PART FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"How long do you intend to keep me here?" Vincent asked Leviah. "This w
hole charade is an utter violation of our pact."
"You already broke the pact, Slayer. You killed an Order vampire."
Vincent stared at him sideways. "I did no such thing!"
"Yes, Slayer, you did."
Vincent's back straightened. "When? Whom?"
"Drake."
"Drake? Never heard of him."
"He was new. I wanted to beef up my brood so Veronica brought him in before she left. He betrayed me. Stole the Eye. Your daughter was identified at the scene of his death. As was your new apprentice."
A piece of the jigsaw then slipped into place in Vincent's mind. The vamp he sent Dominic to kill. He was Order? Oh dear...
Vincent licked his lips. "Why was one of your own so far from the Loop?"
"We don't know. All we know is he stole the relic. What he intended to do with it remains a mystery. And now that he's dead, we'll never know." Leviah gave him a fake smile. He then leaned forward in his seat and glared at Vincent with onyx eyes. "You knew, didn't you, Slayer?" he asked. "You knew Drake had the relic in his possession. You hunted him down before we could locate him just so you could get your hands on it."
"If only I were that clever, Leviah, the battle would already be won."
"Oh, clever you indeed are, Slayer," Leviah stated with a knowing nod. "As devious and cunning as me and my siblings combined. We're wary of you, and for good reason." He kept his stare on Vincent for a brief moment. A shiver raced up Vincent's spine. Leviah then leaned back in his seat. "So, please save me the bother and mess of tearing you limb from limb, Slayer. Where is the relic?"
Vincent released a hot huff. He stared at Leviah with wide, sincere eyes. "Look. I believe there's been a misunderstanding here. We were under the firm impression that Drake was a dreg. There was no reason for us to believe that he was Order affiliated. If we'd been aware of this fact, we'd have left him alone and informed you of his whereabouts. As far as we were concerned, we were merely performing our duties as part of the pact between ourselves."
Leviah snatched up his glass and took an absent swig, as if unable to even hear Vincent speak.
