Reborn

by Thomas A. Watson

  Prying the fingers open, Besseta pulled her head out of the hand, then pulled her legs from the other severed hand. “I think I’m taller,” Besseta mumbled, turning around. “Oh, what do we have here?”

  Six vampires were walking out of the trees carrying swords and wearing shiny breastplates. “It’s been a long time,” Besseta smiled, twirling her sword and noticed a female walking behind the group.

  “I thought succubus were supposed to be pretty,” Tiffany said, walking up beside Besseta. “She looks like a pile of cold, dried shit.”

  Besseta grinned, watching the succubus flinch in anger. “She doesn’t even look that good,” Besseta laughed and then felt the air close in around her, making her stumble.

  “How interesting. I’ve never felt that many multiple attacks,” Tiffany groaned, then lifted her chin up and Besseta felt the pressure release around her. Pushing her thoughts out in a rush, Besseta released the ‘want’ of the six carrying swords to have broken legs.

  Four instantly dropped to the ground as their knees bent backwards, but none of them cried out in pain as the last two raised their swords and charged. Pushing off, Besseta met them halfway as the succubus screamed, and Besseta blocked a swing from each vampire. Spinning around to attack, Besseta saw the succubus was still standing, but her arms were laying on the ground.

  “I had her, Kenneth,” Tiffany shouted as Besseta swung at the leg of the closest vampire, who jumped away. The second vampire let out a roar, swinging at Besseta’s exposed neck. The ring of steel sounded over the mountain when the vampire’s sword shattered against Kenneth’s blade.

  “She’s mine,” Kenneth growled, swinging his blade upwards to hit the vampire under the breastplate, and slicing through the body. The vampire never moaned or cried out as his torso hit the ground. Besseta ignored him and lunged at the second one, raising her sword.

  The vampire swung at her and Besseta ducked under the blow and chopped his left leg off at the thigh. Besseta expected the vampire to be down when she spun around, but found him hopping on his remaining leg and advancing on her. Stepping back at the sight of a one-legged vampire with a sword raised, hopping toward her, “Okay, you deserve a swing at me,” Besseta concluded.

  The silver breastplate folded inward as an invisible force hit with unimaginable power. Folding over at the impact, the hopping vampire sailed off the road, crashing into a rocky outcropping. Besseta watched the body nearly explode from the impact. “Hey, I gave you a chance,” Besseta panted and glanced around, seeing Tiffany and Kenneth walking around and chopping off the heads of wounded they found.

  Besseta blurred away and joined them. Strung out over half a mile of the valley, Besseta was shocked at the number of bodies, not to mention, the size of the werewolves. “Shit, the smallest one I’ve found was like twelve-foot-tall,” Kenneth said, answering her thought.

  “I don’t remember this many vampires or cubus attacking,” Tiffany panted, walking over.

  Raising his sword out and pointing around them, “We could’ve had a semi-truck bearing down on us and not have seen it, with that many massive bodies attacking,” Kenneth panted.

  Feeling very tired, Besseta looked up the valley where the compound was buried in the side of the valley. “Surprised they haven’t sent out reinforcements.”

  “Why? Inside they will have the advantage, especially in the big rooms. We will have the advantage in the halls,” Kenneth said, wiping the sweaty blood off his face. “I haven’t sweated this much since I was comatose on the floor.”

  Looking down at her hand, Tiffany saw she was still holding the destroyed handle of her pistol. Dropping it to the ground, “Yes, I’m glad we fed,” Tiffany said, feeling her strength returning.

  “I’m glad the cubus are susceptible to our minds,” Kenneth said, taking a deep breath.

  Nodding, Tiffany looked up the valley. “The reason for that legend I’m sure, came from powerful psychic cubus. That skank and those two sword-carriers almost had me locked up,” Tiffany admitted, and Kenneth saw Tiffany’s jacket was gone, and her t-shirt was barely hanging on one shoulder. Turning, Besseta still had on half her jacket with the one sleeve still on her sword arm.

  Looking down, Kenneth saw the only thing he was still wearing were his pants, but even those had large slashes from the claws of werewolves. “These pants and jackets have Kevlar and carbon pads at contact points to protect you during a crash. They should’ve held up better than this,” Kenneth said. “I swear, it was like they were trying to strip us on purpose.”

  “Kenneth,” Besseta sighed. “They are, so a cubus has more skin to grasp at.”

  Closing his eyes, Kenneth calmed, focusing ahead. “Kenneth, don’t probe like that. There is a very powerful telepath up there,” Besseta warned and Kenneth felt a pinprick of pain in his mind.

  “Yeah, I feel him,” Kenneth admitted, opening his eyes. “Just wanted to get an idea of how many more were inside.”

  “There can’t be many more werewolves here,” Tiffany said, glancing around. “There has to be a thousand bodies here. If we hadn’t had guns, they would be dancing on our corpses.”

  Shaking his head, “No, because our bodies would’ve never been here,” Kenneth chuckled.

  “Well, let’s go see how many are left,” Besseta offered. Tiffany and Kenneth gave a nod and the three walked up the valley at a leisurely pace.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Walking up the valley, they soon found three vampires standing by a large tree beside the road. All three were wearing breastplates and carrying swords. “I can’t even call them copycats,” Tiffany moaned and the three moved as one, standing shoulder to shoulder.

  Spinning around, Besseta threw her sword and it hit the center vampire in the face, knocking him back and pinning his body upright to the tree. Before the others could move, Kenneth held up his right palm open and they froze. “Simon says, ball,” Kenneth grunted, snapping his hand shut and the two vampires’ bodies sucked into a squishy mass the size of a soccer ball, and hit the ground.

  As they stopped at the three, Tiffany looked at the body pinned to the tree, kicking one of the bloody spheres. “I showed him how to do that,” Tiffany told the body proudly.

  “You played ‘Simon says’ with the kids too much,” Besseta said, pausing to yank her sword out of the tree. The body dropped between the two balls and Besseta swiped her sword, taking the vampire’s head off. “You do realize, they are letting us inside.”

  “Of course, but that means we just don’t have to fight to get inside and have them trapped,” Kenneth reasoned, and the girls didn’t think that sounded right for some reason.

  “Kenneth, why did you charge that one shielding? It was stopping bullets, so why charge it?” Tiffany asked.

  “E=mc2,” Kenneth answered. “Enough mass traveling fast enough will break anything. I weigh more than a bullet, but can’t move as fast, but I felt the shield waver with each impact. So, I tried it before that cubus charging Besseta locked us up.”

  Continuing up the road, they soon saw a huge concrete archway buried into the hillside. Walking across a small blacktop parking area that didn’t have any cars, Kenneth never paused when a small pedestrian door opened beside a massive set of metal bay doors.

  Two vampires stepped out wearing breastplates and carrying swords. Never raising his hand, “Simon says, stay,” Kenneth called out and the two vampires froze, and Kenneth felt a sharp pain in his mind. Then, he felt Besseta’s and Tiffany’s minds lash out and the pain vanished.

  Never pausing his stride, Kenneth led them toward the two frozen vampires. “Simon says, blow away,” Kenneth commanded and Besseta felt energy drain from Kenneth quickly. About to run to Kenneth, Besseta froze when the two vampires’ bodies just turned to dust and their clothes, breastplates, and swords hit the concrete floor.

  Watching the dust drift off, Tiffany gave a nod. “That’s new,” Tiffany said.

  ‘Quit showing off,’ Besseta shouted in his mind, mo
ving over beside him, but Kenneth pushed her away.

  ‘They are watching,’ he told her and Besseta glanced up to see a security camera looking at them.

  “No reason to be rude,” a smooth male voice sounded over speakers. “They were just going to lead you inside, since you want an audience with your soon-to-be rulers.”

  “Ha,” Kenneth spat, kicking the door open and walking inside. “That’s just fewer we have to kill before all cubus bow before us!”

  “Oh, that was good,” Tiffany mumbled, following Kenneth inside.

  A long hallway greeted them, and Kenneth strolled down the middle, with Tiffany and Besseta just behind him. All of them held their swords tightly as they passed by closed doors, but drawn into Kenneth and Besseta’s minds, Tiffany couldn’t feel any presence around them. Only a powerful collection of bodies ahead of them, waiting patiently.

  Rounding a corner, they saw the hallway opened up and could see rows of vampires wearing silver breastplates. Entering the room, Kenneth stopped just at the entrance, staring ahead at the neat ranks of sword-carrying vampires. It was then, he noticed most of the vampires were in groups of ten and another line was behind them. This second line, Kenneth could tell these were cubus and counted twenty-seven.

  Running his eyes over the ranks, Kenneth counted eighty-nine sword-carrying vampires. Then it dawned on him, this was a throne room as he looked behind the arranged ranks at a stage. Kenneth spotted a man sitting on a large chair with a woman on one side and another man with silver hair on the other. He instantly recognized Damon.

  Kenneth gave a startle, realizing the two dark forms he’d taken for columns were two massive werewolves, standing rigid behind the figure in the chair. A massive pressure filled the room and Kenneth felt his knees get weak. He gritted his teeth and pushed back, and felt Tiffany and Besseta join him.

  The air in front of him seemed to waver as the combined minds fought for dominance. “Now, who’s being rude?” Kenneth grinned through clenched teeth, lowering his shoulders and forming a wall around his mind.

  “Enough for now,” the man sitting in the chair sang out, flipping his hand as if brushing away a fly. Instantly, the pressure around them decreased, but Kenneth still felt an enormous pressure on his mind in front of him.

  Straightening up, Kenneth locked his eyes on the figure in the chair. “Will you bow before me now, or do I have to kill everyone first?” Kenneth asked.

  “Do you know who I am?” the man asked.

  Giving an ‘I don’t give a shit’ shrug, “You’re cubus, and it’s time for all of you to bow before us. Your masters have arrived,” Kenneth answered, and the man gave a soft chuckle.

  “My name is Alaric,” he told Kenneth and was disappointed when Kenneth didn’t show any reaction. “I sit on the mighty council that rules this world.”

  “Pfft,” Kenneth scoffed, feeling Besseta tense up when she realized the woman standing on the raised platform beside Alaric was Elizabeth. “You are terrified of your own shadows. The only reason Elizabeth is alive, is she kept throwing bodies in our way to slow us down. Otherwise, we would have her head.”

  “Don’t worry, bitch!” Besseta sang out. “Even after everyone in here bows to us, dead or alive, you will die slowly tonight! I will drag every ounce of pain I can from your carcass!”

  Alaric gave a forced grin and Kenneth saw Elizabeth waver some as she stood beside Alaric. “Don’t base your attack on Elizabeth. Even in our culture, she’s not much of a match,” Alaric told them, and Kenneth grinned to see Elizabeth clench her jaw. “Too bad you didn’t attack tomorrow. Otherwise, you would’ve faced a real challenge,” Alaric said, studying all three.

  “What? You don’t think we don’t know about the leviathans coming over by ship?” Kenneth chuckled and saw all the cubus in the room give a startle.

  ‘Baby, none of the vampires or the two werewolves have moved a muscle,’ Besseta said in his mind.

  Agreeing with Besseta, Kenneth kept his eyes on Alaric. “You can’t fly the leviathans unless you get a really big transport because they are so massive, but don’t worry,” Kenneth grinned. “There is a big surprise planned for them at the docks. We will take out nine at one time.”

  Alaric narrowed his eyes at Kenneth and Kenneth felt a pressure brush against his mind. Forcing a sharp thought, Kenneth lashed out and then formed a wall around his mind again. Alaric grimaced, grabbing his head and then dropped his hands, glaring at Kenneth.

  “Hey, you started it,” Kenneth sighed, feigning a relaxed posture. “Next time, it will be worse. I want you to bow to us of your own free will.”

  As Alaric glared at Kenneth, Kenneth turned his eyes to Damon beside Alaric. “Long time, no see,” Kenneth grinned at Damon.

  With his hands casually hanging to his sides, Damon grinned. “Yes, imagine my surprise when I was shown the picture of our newest recruit of the Strong Hands and saw your face. A face I saw two hundred years ago. I sent a group to collect you, since you were human. Knowing you would survive the change, I wanted to take you to serve me, but you had already left.”

  “I got a better offer,” Kenneth winked.

  Damon turned to Besseta with a sneer, then turned to Tiffany and grinned. “Yes, we know them. After that day, I had groups scouring the globe for them, but Tiffany stays in the most secluded places, and Besseta never stays in one place very long,” Damon said, still looking at Tiffany. “You disappointed Efrin. He really expected you to kill yourself and save us the trouble. Had I known then, who you were, I would’ve come. The council just couldn’t have two as powerful as you and Herotho, even sitting around as neutral players.”

  Holding a steely gaze on Damon, Tiffany barely inclined her head. “Don’t worry, even after Efrin bows to us, he will die a death that will make what Elizabeth faces seem like a gift,” Tiffany vowed, gripping her sword tight.

  “So, that is the reason you fight?” Alaric asked, leaning back in his chair. “You want to rule? Well,” he continued on and Tiffany fought not to jerk when she heard Xu’s voice in her mind. ‘You have an army of werewolves coming for you, but before they get there, you will face a hundred vampires under their control.’

  ‘How did he do that?’ Besseta cried out in their minds as Alaric continued lamenting at them.

  Shifting her eyes to Alaric, Tiffany heard his words again. “So, I give the choice to join us. We will put you over our forces,” Alaric offered.

  “You have a real pretty mouth, boy,” Kenneth drawled out and Besseta couldn’t help but snicker.

  “What?” Alaric mumbled.

  “Why don’t you take them pretty panties off?” Kenneth said, again, with a deep southern drawl.

  “Make him squeal like a pig,” Besseta offered behind him and then it hit Tiffany. Kenneth was doing a movie line.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not following,” Alaric told them.

  Rolling his neck on his shoulders and popping it, Kenneth grinned. “I had really hoped you would’ve given your followers ammo like we use. I know, you know what it is. We were planning on using what they were carrying, but to our shock, they weren’t carrying guns, not to mention the ammo we needed,” Kenneth said, and Alaric gave a genuine smile that they’d thought he’d outsmarted him.

  “But,” Kenneth said loudly. “It was Besseta who pointed out, you wouldn’t want your followers to have the means to take you out with the pull of a trigger.”

  The smile fell off Alaric’s face and he glared at the three. “So, will you join us? Just name your terms. I will have to consult with the council, but I’m certain they will make accommodations,” Alaric offered as he stood up. “So, what is your answer?”

  Glancing over his right shoulder at Besseta, Kenneth saw her glaring at Elizabeth. Glancing over his left shoulder, Kenneth saw Tiffany glaring at Damon. “You will give us command of the North American continent,” Kenneth said, turning back to Alaric who gave a startle at the reply.

  Kenneth felt the pressure to his front
waver as Alaric glanced at Damon, then back at Kenneth. “I must clear it with the council, but I find those terms acceptable for you to lead our forces,” Alaric smiled. “I will even throw in the life of Elizabeth, so your cohorts can have symbolic revenge,” Alaric offered, and Elizabeth paled.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Kenneth said, relaxing his posture and letting his sword hang at his side.

  “Yes, but don’t ask for Damon or Efrin. They are too valuable to our forces,” Alaric warned.

  “Sounds good so far, so I’ll only add,” Kenneth paused, smiling as Besseta and Tiffany tensed up. “E=mc2.”

  Alaric furrowed his brow, confused at the statement when a loud ‘BOOM’ sounded and Kenneth vanished. Bursting through the shield, Kenneth blew through the ranks of vampire guards, sending their bodies flying. Appearing behind the ranks of the guards, Kenneth started slashing at the line of cubus behind them.

  Connected to the shield with some of the other cubus, Alaric stumbled back into his chair as pain exploded in his mind, making him weak. Yanking her pistol out, Besseta drew a bead on Elizabeth and brushed the trigger, sending out a three-round burst.

  Seeing Besseta pull the pistol, Elizabeth had already started moving and grabbed Alaric, pulling his body in front of her as the gunfire sounded. Elizabeth felt the impacts as she held Alaric as a shield, and felt his body shudder when the mercury rushed his system.

  Glancing around Alaric, Elizabeth saw Besseta and Tiffany charge into the ranks of guards still standing, unmoving. “Attack them!” Elizabeth screamed, and the guards broke from their trance to converge on the three. Letting Alaric go, Elizabeth watched his body crumple to the floor dead and saw Damon on the ground, holding his head.

  “Told you not to join in on the shield,” Elizabeth snorted and took off behind the stage.