by P. T. Hylton
The Savage Dawn
The Vampire World Saga Book 3
PT Hylton
Jonathan Benecke
Copyright © 2018 P.T. Hylton & Jonathan Benecke
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
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Contents
What Came Before
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Authors’ Note
What Came Before
ALEX GODDARD is the captain of the Ground Mission Team, an elite task force that supplies the airship New Haven with resources recovered from the vampire-infested Earth’s surface.
The people of New Haven recently learned of the existence of another city, Agartha. Built into the side of a mountain, Agartha is protected one hundred intelligent vampires, led by JADEN.
DANIEL FLEMING, New Haven’s charismatic leader, believes in Resettlement. He tasks former GMT member FIREFLY with leading the effort to bring humans back to the surface of Earth.
But when Alex and the GMT stand up to Fleming, he sets a plan in motion to have them eliminated. After Fleming’s people sabotage the GMT away ship, Alex and her team find themselves trapped in the ancient city of Denver. They set out on a desperate race against sunset, attempting to make it to Agartha before the Feral vampires come out. Jaden and his team rescue them, helping them battle the last few miles to Agartha after sundown.
Meanwhile, the first night of Resettlement does not go as planned. Firefly and his three hundred Resettlers are quickly killed by MARK and AARON, intelligent vampires with a grudge against Jaden. But the Resettlers soon arise, reborn as vampires under the complete control of their new masters.
Back on New Haven, Alex’s allies CB, BRIAN, and JESSICA go on the run, hoping to escape Fleming’s wrath. They are desperate and alone, all their friends gone, dead, or imprisoned.
In Agartha, Alex and Jaden plan their next move, hoping to find a way to take down Fleming, unaware of the new vampire army threatening humanity’s existence.
Prologue
Isaiah Craig glared at the guard through the bars of his cell. He’d been in this prison for nearly a month now, and in that time, he’d had almost no contact with the outside world beyond the dozen guards who cycled in and out throughout the day. And it wasn’t like the guards were chatty.
He still found it shocking how quickly his life had changed. A month ago, he’d been a general tasked with overseeing both the badges and the Ground Mission Team. Law enforcement and the military both reported to him. He’d probably been the most powerful person in New Haven who didn’t sit on the City Council.
And then Fleming had come along, blown up that council, taken control of the city and arrested Craig.
So where did that leave Craig? Could he still refer to himself as a general when he didn’t even have freedom to leave the room?
He looked again at the guard outside and frowned. The man had reported to Craig not that long ago. Craig had been his boss’s boss’s boss. Now the guard didn’t even deem to look at him.
Where was CB? Where was Kurtz? These two men had been his captains for years, his loyal seconds-in-command. Why would they allow him to sit in prison? Wouldn’t they fight to get him out? Craig could only think of one reason they wouldn’t: to protect their people. As different as CB and Kurtz were in many ways, they had one important thing in common: they cared more for the lives of the people who reported to them than they did for their own.
The video monitor in the corner flashed to life and the guard took a step forward. “All right, let’s hear what the man has to say.”
Craig scowled. The only times these monitors were used were during Fleming’s city-wide announcements. He had mixed feelings about being forced to watch these. On the one hand, the sight of Fleming’s smug face called up a righteous fury inside of Craig that he could barely suppress. On the other hand, these announcements were his only source of information about the city beyond these bars. As skewed as Fleming’s perspectives were, it was through an announcement that Craig had learned Alex was alive. Fleming had said she was helping with the Resettlement efforts, but from the uncomfortable look on Alex’s face, Craig got the idea that wasn’t the truth.
Fleming’s face filled the screen. ““Hello my fellow citizens. Today I’m coming to you with some truly exciting news. We’ve had a rough go of it lately. I’ve asked for sacrifices from each and every one of you. My engineering crews have dismantled nonessential systems, and we’ve all felt the impact of that in our lives. The first thing I want to say this morning is thank you. Thank you for believing in my vision for the future. Thank you for helping to make this day possible.”
“Get to the point,” Craig muttered.
The guard shot him a look. “Shut up, Craig.”
Fleming continued, “Before we continue, I do have one piece of disturbing news to report. Despite the overwhelming support for our mission, there are still a few people who haven’t been able to see our vision. They like their lives the way they are. They enjoy the privileged lifestyle aboard this ship that is the result of the hard work of the majority, and they don’t want to give that up. One of those people is Colonel Arnold Brickman. Colonel Brickman took action against our city today, storming the badge headquarters in an attempt to free General Craig, presumably so the general could help him stage a military coup. Colonel Brickman failed, and he was injured by a heroic badge, but he remains at large.”
There was more to Fleming’s speech. Words about important matters like Resettlement and the state of the city. But Isaiah Craig was hardly listening. He’d already heard the one thing he needed to know. The thing that gave him hope. The thing that made him think that, as bleak as everything had been for the last month, maybe the good guys still had a chance.
CB was alive, and he was fighting Fleming.
1
“I’m done losing,” Alex said. “I’m going to go after Fleming, and I’m going to win. And if you are really interested in protecting humanity, you’re going to help me. It’s time to save New Haven.”
Jaden sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Wow, sounds serious. How are you gonna start?”
Alex pushed away the mild annoyance she felt at Jaden’s casual response. They were sitting in a small meeting room in Agartha. It had only been hours since their harrowing battle with Ferals on the road to Agartha. Jaden and his vampires had saved their lives after George drove them out so they could strike the moment the sun went down. They’d made it, but at great cost. One of Jaden’s vampires had been killed in the rescue.
Alex was still buzzing with adrenaline, and she didn’t want to wait for that feeling to go away. She wanted to use it. To put that razor-keen edge she felt herself balancing on in her hand and slit Fleming’s throat with it.
“Huh.” Jaden scratched at his chin. He was silent for a long moment. Then he leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. “You ever see a deer?”
Alex nearly laughed at the non sequitur. “A deer?”
“Yes, a deer. Four-legged mammal. Males have a rack of antlers. Generally brown.”
“Yes, Jaden, I have seen a deer. Damn things are everywhere.”
“Well, back in the pre-infestation days, deer hunting used to be a popular pastime. But deer are dumb creatures. Skittish, yet prone to freezing when faced with danger. There were so many ways to kill them that humans came up with rules and limits. You could only kill them at certain times and in certain ways.”
Alex opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was so flummoxed by this strange line of thought that she didn’t know how to respond.
“My point is, if you’re not careful, you’ll be the deer. You’re so focused on Fleming, you’re frozen. Staring at him. You don’t see that you’ve left your human scent at every point along the road between here and Denver, and that Ferals will be waiting in every shadow for a shot at you. You don’t see that this trail is putting my city in danger.”
“I’m very sorry about that, but we’ll be out of your hair really quick. Give us what we need, and—”
He held up a hand, cutting her off. “You also don’t see that your team has just been through a traumatic battle. They need rest. You leave here without letting them get some sleep, you’ll be lucky if you make it to Denver without accidentally shooting each other. Not to mention how easily Fleming will put your little team out of commission when you get home. If you’re serious about this, if you really want to take out Fleming, you need to stop talking and start listening.”
The vampire did have a point, not that she was about to admit it. Underneath the waning adrenaline, she felt a deep well of exhaustion screaming to be filled with sleep. If she were being honest, she wasn’t in ideal fighting condition. After a long day of driving to Denver, fixing the ship, and flying to New Haven, she’d be crashing. Her team would be just as bad if not worse.
She looked down at the table. Asking for help had never been her strong suit, and she found herself unable to look the vampire in the eyes as she spoke. “What do you suggest?”
“I suggest you let me do my part. You said you wanted me to help save humanity.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tonight we rest. We grieve for the fallen. Then, tomorrow at dusk, I take some vampires to Denver. The Ferals won’t bother us, and we can have the ship back here by morning. Meanwhile, you and your team can start working on a plan other than ‘fly to New Haven and take out their defenses with five people.’ How’s that sound?”
Alex considered that. “I don’t know. Losing a whole day? I don’t think we can spare it.”
Jaden smiled his knowing smile once again. “Let me ask you a question. Who put you in charge of New Haven?”
“Do you have to be in charge to do the right thing?” There was an edge to her voice.
“So that’s another way of saying no one put you in charge of New Haven. Got it.” That infuriating smile still played on his lips. “But someone did put you in charge of the Ground Mission Team.”
“What’s your point?”
“I see it in your eyes. You want so badly to be a great leader. I’ve met a few of those in my time, and a whole lot of bad ones. But my advice is to focus on the things you’re actually in charge of for now. See to your team. Make sure they’re at their best. Then figure out how to help New Haven. I’ll let you get to it.”
With that, Jaden stood up and walked out.
Alex sat another moment, trying to gather herself. Every conversation with Jaden left her a bit confused. He had a way of seeing the world that felt both true and absolutely absurd at the same time. She had to admit he had a point. If she truly wanted to help New Haven, she was going to have to be smart about this.
She got up and walked to the room where the team was waiting, eating off trays the vampires had brought them.
The moment she walked in, Ed pointed at his brother. “Patrick is planning how to kill the vampires who saved us.”
Patrick immediately responded, “I am not!” He paused. “Well, not exactly. I just thought it was an interesting exercise. To think about how I’d do it. You know, if I had to.” He paused again as Alex took a seat among the team. “Shotgun blast to the head, if you’re wondering. I don’t care how fast they are. I guarantee I could get off a shot before they—”
“Can we not right now?” Alex said. “They saved our lives like two hours ago. At least wait a full day before plotting their murders.”
Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, a smile crept onto Alex’s face. Patrick and Ed could be total idiots, but she loved them. Besides, she didn’t have much room to judge. She’d gotten in a fistfight with Jaden’s friend, Robert, only hours after the first time they’d saved the GMT.
“What’s the plan?” Chuck asked, his forehead scrunched in worry. Unlike the Barton brothers, Chuck tended to consider the possibilities of every situation carefully. It was a quality that made Alex believe he’d be a good leader someday, but it also made him prone to living inside his own head.
“Jaden and his vamps are going to recover the away ship from Denver tomorrow night,” she told them. “We should have it back thirty hours from now.”
“Then we fly up to New Haven and shoot somebody?” Ed asked hopefully.
Alex chuckled. “Honestly, that was my first thought, too. But I think we need to be smarter about this. We need a solid plan for when we reach New Haven.”
“If we reach New Haven,” Owl interjected.
Wesley tilted his head and looked questioningly at the pilot. “What do you mean?”
“If Fleming wants to keep away from us, all he has to do is fly New Haven in the southern hemisphere. No way we could reach it with the away ship. It’s designed for shorter-range flights.”
Alex considered that. “I don’t believe that’ll happen. Fleming thinks we’re dead. He’ll want to fly close to Fort Stearns for Resettlement. Besides, he’ll want to recover the abandoned away ship.”
“Could be you’re right,” Owl allowed. “I’m just saying it’s going to be hard to find New Haven if they don’t want to be found.”
“Noted,” Alex said. “Let’s see if George will start working on intercepting their radio communications to Fort Stearns. And let’s all work on a plan.”
The heads around the table bobbed up and down in nods.
Though none of them said it, they were all thinking it. Fleming had made his move against the GMT, and that meant their friends still on New Haven had to be square in his sights as well. CB, Brian, and Jessica were in serious trouble.
“You know what’s funny?” Mark asked as he paced in front of the line of newborn vampires. “They actually think they’re safe.”
Firefly felt a droplet of blood hanging off his chin, a remnant of his recent death. Part of him wanted to reach up and wipe it away, but another part of him was afraid to try. What if he found he couldn’t do it without his masters’ permission?
Only an hour ago, everything had been so hopeful. They’d been the Resettlers, paving the way for the future of humanity. Two intelligent vampires named Mark and Aaron had ended that. They’d used the chaos of Ferals attacking Fort Stearns to do much more damage than Firefly would have believed possible. They didn’t just kill the Resettlers; they brought them back to life and enslaved them.
“You thought you were safe, too,” Mark continued. “You thought your guns and your walls would save you. You lasted, what, twenty minutes?”
Firefly looked up and down the line of men and women, all standing at attention. Some o
f them were shaking. A few were crying. But all of them had the same shocked, hollow expression in their eyes. Not that it was surprising. They’d all just been through something very traumatic: their own deaths.
A wave of nausea washed over him. These people had been his responsibility, and he’d failed them in the most profound way imaginable.
Mark stopped in front of Firefly and gave him a crooked smile. “Agartha has walls and guns, too. Bigger ones than you did. But we’ll bring them down.”
Agartha? Firefly hadn’t considered that this was just a warmup for Mark and Aaron. Now they wanted to move against Agartha?
Aaron stepped forward and stood next to Mark. “As you’re going to figure out real soon, we need to move on this fast. In the next few hours you’re going to start feeling the hunger. But vampire hunger ain’t like human hunger. It’s not just in your stomach. You’re going to feel it in your bones. Crawling across your skin. Every part of you is gonna be crying out for blood.”
As Aaron spoke, Firefly realized he could feel it already. It was mild, like a light humming throughout his body.
Mark nodded. “And the only way we’re going to satisfy that hunger is to take down Agartha. Then we can worry about New Haven.”
Firefly felt a flush of anger. Mark had ordered him to reveal everything he knew about New Haven, and Firefly had been forced to comply. Not only had he let down his Resettlers, he’d let down his city.
Aaron stared at Firefly for a long moment. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
