Return of Victory

by Justin Sloan

  Sandra turned and looked at all the scared faces. She could tell them all to go away so they wouldn’t have to hear this... But no, it was their war too, their city.

  “Val, the others…” She ran a hand through her hair. “They couldn’t have lost. Right?”

  “That’s what I’m going to find out,” he replied. “I’ve got a team, even that werebear. We’re going to fly north, lights off, then cut across. It might take us some time to get out there and around, but it’ll be safer than going straight through that horde. We just wanted to let you know because—”

  “Because Diego is out there. Yeah, I get it.”

  “And because… You have the comm device, right?”

  She wanted to punch herself. There hadn’t been any answer the last few times she had tried, so she had kind of given up. Now she was terrified, though. If they didn’t pick up this time she would have to assume the worst.

  Hand shaking, she went to her bag, which she had tossed in the corner, pulled out the device, and buzzed Valerie.

  The rest of the room was silent, some leaving out of apparent pity or whatever. And it continued to signal, not connecting. When she finally gave up, she sat there staring at it. They weren’t fighting, so why no answer?

  “It doesn’t mean anything,” Jackson promised. “We’re going to the crash site. We’ll get the answers.”

  Sandra nodded slowly, trying to think of what to say. Her hand went to her belly and she imagined a world where Diego never came back. Fuck! She’d never been the type to need someone else, but in this she desperately wanted him there. Her child needed its dad.

  “I’m coming too,” she said.

  “Like hell you are,” Jackson replied, staring at her aghast. “You think I’m taking a pregnant woman into that, you’re fucking nuts.”

  “I am fucking nuts, and my husband, the father of my soon-to-be-born child, is possibly hurt out there. Who knows? I’m not going to sit here wondering!”

  Jackson had opened his mouth to argue further when the comm device buzzed.

  “Holy shit,” Sandra said, nearly dropping it as she turned it to the see the screen. The hope that had burst forth was just as fast killed as she saw the name. Espinoza. For all she knew—in fact she was suddenly sure of it—the person was calling to tell her they had found Diego’s body.

  She just stared.

  “Answer it already!” Jackson snapped, voice breaking. He took it and said, “This is Jackson, here with Sandra. What’s going on?”

  “The other device,” Espinoza replied. “It’s not working down here for some reason. But the call showed up momentarily, so here…”

  “Sandra?” Diego’s voice came in. “Are you there? Is everything oka—”

  “Diego? Don’t you dare not answer when I’m calling, do you understand?”

  “Dear, the comm device, it—”

  “I don’t care if you have to jump into the sky and yell as loud as you can or tie a note to a pigeon’s leg—whatever. I don’t care. Just answer!”

  There was long pause, and a couple laughs could be heard in the background before Diego said, “Yes, I understand. Of course, dear.”

  Jackson leaned in gingerly, as if scared she might bite him. “Diego, where are you all? The forces are moving for our walls.”

  “So are we, just…underground.”

  “What?” Sandra asked, glancing around as if he might walk through the walls at any moment.

  “Yes, through the subway. But it might be blocked off ahead, and…we’re not alone down here. See if you can figure out the route this would have taken, then start clearing the way from your side. Have some defenses set up in case there are problems. We’ll—”

  Suddenly he stopped talking, but someone was whispering about seeing movement.

  “Just do it,” Diego whispered. “Gotta go. Sandra, I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  The other side disconnected and Sandra bit her lip. A thought hit her. “The old subway map! When we were down here that first time just after saving the vampires from the blood banks, yeah.”

  She took off running, Jackson and his men following.

  Soon they were at the old map. It was falling to pieces, torn behind glass that was mostly intact, but not all the way. Still, they could see approximately where the train would have come in from.

  “I know that tunnel,” Jackson said. When Sandra gave him a confused look, he continued, “You know I led my people. Sometimes that meant being in the subways. Hiding out, planning a move, whatever the reasons, does it matter now?”

  “No,” she said, beaming as hope flooded her body again. “Let’s get to it, then.”

  He looked her over, doubtful for a moment, but nodded. “Right, of course. Come on!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Subway Tunnels

  Moving through the tunnels wasn’t pleasant, not knowing when the vampires that had come down might strike. Valerie could smell them from time to time, but they were relocating too fast to pinpoint them.

  At least they had gotten through to Sandra so Diego could be at ease, and vice versa.

  Cammie and Royland continued to be dual point at the front in case any attackers tried to block the group’s forward movement. Valerie, for her part, had decided to hang back a bit, seeing if she could bait any of the vampires into trying to take her on their own.

  It worked.

  A growl sounded as two of them came at her, one with two short blades, the other just with his claws.

  She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the group was out of range of being in trouble from these two at least. As long as she moved fast.

  The blades came at her and she ducked over the ledge that led to tracks below, long ago covered with debris. As he followed she met him with her sword, so that he fell without one of his legs. The other one was smarter, jumping to the side and hissing, but she charged and impaled him, pinning him to a piece of rotten wood before ripping him to shreds with her claws.

  A shot came from the group and she saw another vampire moving in the dark, so she gave chase. She used the one-legged vampire as a stepstool, being sure to jam her sword through his head as she did so.

  Once back up on the platform, she ran to the other corridor where she’d seen him go, then froze, relying on her other senses. He wasn’t in sight, but there was a distinct odor like mold and onions to her left.

  She caught a movement and braced herself, then nearly shat as she saw Royland dart around the bend. He was ready for a fight, but when he saw her alone he paused, eyes searching the darkness.

  “Get back with the group,” she commanded.

  “I won’t let you face them alone,” he replied.

  “And if they come for Cammie? Maybe two on one? I can handle that, but while she’s tough…I’m not sure.”

  He hesitated, snarled, and then turned back to do as she’d ordered.

  No more shots came, only the sound of a couple commands from Garcia along with the shuffles and clangs of movement. Why couldn’t they be quieter? It was hard to remember the clumsiness of nonmodified humans when you had the grace of a vampire.

  Sinking into the shadows, she moved along the edge of the corridor and found a doorway. Within was an old maintenance shed—apparently empty, but her sense of smell told her otherwise. It gave her just enough warning to jump back as a vampire appeared from a hole in the ceiling she might not have otherwise noticed.

  He tried to spear her with a long metal rod, bent and sharp. This one was fast and moved as if trained. She couldn’t move well in this area, not with the sword, so she backed up—but not far enough, she learned when the point of the spear sliced across her shirt. Too close!

  Pissed now, she waited for the next strike and this time let it come. She moved into the spear, just off to the side, and swatted it so hard that it hit the wall beside her and sent a shock up the holder’s arm. It was strong enough to cause him to drop the rod, stumbling back as she first landed an e
lbow in his face and then slammed her knuckles into his throat.

  Vampires didn’t die so easily, however, so she finished him off with his own weapon.

  “Val!” Garcia shouted, and then she heard shots and clangs of metal.

  No rest for kickass heroines, huh? She sighed, took a deep breath, and ran, reaching them to see Royland darting across the other side in a chase while a female vampire dragged someone off. Valerie pursued her and caught the dragger at the last minute, but not before the female vampire had sunk her teeth into the man in her grasp. It was a large man in a leather jacket, and for a moment Valerie thought it was Micky. She hated the relief she felt when she noticed long blond dreadlocks. No Micky at all in the look of death staring back at her.

  As the vampire turned on her, she realized why the man was dead. Blood covered her front from mouth to torso. She must’ve gotten to the man before this bite.

  “You’re not mine to kill,” Valerie stated, then dug her fingernails into the eyes of the vampire and popped them out before grabbing her head and slamming it into the ground.

  In a dazed, pained shouting fit of rage and confusion, the vampire struggled as Valerie dragged her back to Micky and Arturo.

  “I assume you want to deal with this piece of rotten shit?”

  Arturo stepped forward, Micky giving him room.

  “This is for my brother, you rat fart-eating shit stain-licking piece of fuckstick!” He stomped on the vampire’s head repeatedly while Garcia worked to keep the rest of the group moving, especially Fred and Eddie Jr.

  “Fuck ‘em,” Micky said, spitting on the limp vampire when Arturo was done and the vampire lay still. He handed over a knife and Arturo finished her off.

  “I’m sorry,” Valerie said, senses still on high alert but taking a moment to be there for them. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  Arturo gave her a nod of appreciation and returned to the group, shouting along the way, “Any of you other sons of bitches wants some, come on! I’m right here!”

  Just then, Royland came stumbling back, a cut slowly healing across his cheek, but otherwise good. He frowned at the sight and said, “Got the other one.”

  Cammie took up the spot at his side again and they moved to the front of the group to continue down the tunnel.

  Micky checked his gun, glancing back, and Valerie now decided to stick with the group. She had taken enough of the vampires out that she doubted they had much of a numerical advantage on her anymore.

  ***

  Royland and Cammie led the charge as the snarling of fighting vampires grew closer behind them. Valerie could easily take them, but here, moving about as they were—in and out like assassins in the night—he didn’t have as much confidence. It wasn’t her; it was the ability of the others to move at the same time from different angles.

  It didn’t matter who you were—nobody could be more than one place at a time.

  “There!” Garcia pointed, turning down the main corridor and running along the tracks. It had to be the way out. The main track that led into the city.

  But as they turned, they came to the sight they all had known would come, though all had hoped it wouldn’t.

  There was a wall of chunks of cement and scrap metal, likely put up at some point to keep outsiders from sneaking into the city. It was working in a sense, but at the worst possible time.

  “Get the path cleared!” Royland shouted, already starting to fling rocks out of the way as Cammie joined him.

  Others moved in too while Espinoza and his team formed a line, rifles at the ready.

  “There won’t be time,” Micky shouted from Garcia’s side as the two helped. He was moving what looked like a large metal wheel out of the way.

  “There are only so many of them,” Garcia replied. “Eventually Val will find them all. By then we’ll be through.”

  “Let’s hope so,” he replied.

  A shot went off, then several more, and Garcia turned to see a vampire fall from the ceiling. Two more came at them and then suddenly Valerie was there, leaping from the wall to grab one and pull it to the floor. She commenced beating it to death while others shot at the one above. It dropped, though, right onto Valerie, and she had to roll aside to get it off.

  She moved with precision, quickly drawing her sword and removing the vampire’s head. Without a moment’s hesitation, she disappeared again into the darkness to hunt more of them.

  “Keep them going!” Micky shouted to a couple of people who had turned to watch, but just then Espinoza and the others started firing into the darkness. The shadow they were shooting at dodged left and right, avoiding the shots and coming closer.

  “I’m going after them,” Royland growled, turning to prepare for a fight.

  “We all are,” Garcia agreed, unslinging his rifle. “This isn’t getting us anywhere.

  Bullets weren’t doing a damn thing. Preparing for the worst, Garcia took a stance next to Diego as he transformed, then nodded.

  Royland and Cammie shared a look that said they were ready for whatever lay ahead, whether it meant victory or that it was their time to move on.

  As the group was about to charge forward, however, voices sounded from behind them and then someone yelled, “CLEAR!” followed by a click and then…

  KA-BOOM!

  The wall behind them crumbled, parts of it flying out and raining down debris. When he looked back, it was clear. Sandra and Jackson were looking through and several of their fighters charged, including a bear that went straight for the oncoming vampire.

  “Fuck yeah!” Garcia shouted, motioning the rest of their group back. “Get in there! We’ll cover you!”

  He opened fire and Diego ran forward. The shooters had to stop as the Weres and Royland met the enemy vampire, and soon they had had him overwhelmed.

  Valerie ran up as the bear tore the vampire’s head off with its jaws, and Diego transformed back.

  “Any more?” Garcia asked, running up next to her.

  “If there are,” she replied, taking a moment to sniff the air, “I can’t sense them. That should mean no, but just in case, get everyone out of here and let’s close this tunnel back up.”

  “Roger that,” he replied, and saw to it. He couldn’t help laughing at the way Diego and Sandra were arguing right there in front of everyone, but had to agree with Diego. It wasn’t safe for her to have come.

  “Just thank her for rescuing you already and get over it,” he said as he moved past the two, ducking through the semi-cleared passage. Royland and Cammie were right behind him.

  Diego glared, but then, with a shrug to acknowledge he was right, hauled Sandra in for a kiss.

  “Save it for outside the vampire trap,” Valerie shouted with a laugh. “Damn.”

  After they were on the other side of the wall Espinoza stayed to block up the passage with a couple of his guys, so Garcia did too.

  Valerie lingered a moment to watch with a few of the other warriors as Sandra and Diego led most of them back to the underground hideouts.

  “We’ll have to go back out there,” Valerie noted.

  “Shit,” Espinoza said as they moved back from the walls and set up another charge. “If the Colonel had known the extent of what was happening here, he would’ve sent more soldiers.”

  “He doesn’t have so many to begin with, does he?” Garcia asked.

  Espinoza shrugged. “All I’m saying is, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

  “Don’t forget, New York has fighters,” Valerie replied. “We aren’t going to just lay down our arms and surrender.”

  “Good.” Espinoza nodded and an explosion followed, sending rocks from the ceiling down to block up the hole again.

  “We’ll need more shooters on the wall,” Valerie went on, “and something tells me your guys can hit their marks.”

  “Damn straight,” one of his guys said, a tall one with a hooked nose and olive skin.

  “Best in the land,” another agreed, checking his ears
after the explosion.

  Royland raised a finger and said, “Cammie and I, maybe we should defend the city.”

  Valerie nodded.

  “I’ll want Garcia and Micky,” Valerie said. “We’ll use several Pods to carry others who want to fight, but I’ll need Espinoza and his men on the walls. People who can really shoot. My Weres and vampires are damn good fighters, but none of them are trained like they are. Plus, that’s all the Pod can fit, considering Fred will need a lift.”

  “Speaking of Pods,” Espinoza said, glaring at the new wall he had just made. “I’ll need to recover ours at some point.”

  “We left one too,” Garcia noted, then he frowned in thought.

  “You’re sending Fred back out there? After the shit we just went through?”

  “He’s our best shot at turning some of them to our side. I shouldn’t have to remind anyone here that we want to take as few lives as possible.”

  “Roger that,” Espinoza replied.

  “So when are we heading out?” Garcia asked.

  She thought about it, then turned and started walking. “Immediately.”

  All of them got through the tunnels, glad to be back in the city. But as soon as Garcia made his way above ground he froze, turned to Valerie behind him, and said, “Looks like we have company.”

  She frowned, turned to follow his line of sight, and said, “What the hell?”

  Moving toward them, having already passed the city walls and much of Central Park, were three airships. To his surprise, when she turned back to face him she was smiling.

  “Not company,” she said, “help. Get back to HQ and make sure everyone knows not to fire on those ships.”

  “Roger that,” he said and took off, wondering what kind of help might have just arrived.

  “Garcia, wait!”

  “Yes, boss?”

  She smiled. “I’m coming too.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  North of New York

  The look on her dad’s face made Robin cringe almost as much as seeing the army marching on New York. She hadn’t brought her family and the others from Toronto down here for war. In fact, she had thought bringing her parents here was an act of grace, a way for them to settle down in a city she would feel much safer in.