Follow the Bloodshed (The Executioner Trilogy Book 3)

by Sowder, Kindra

  I nodded and managed to say yes, a small whisper squeezing out of my throat that seemed like it was closing with grief. Not of what had happened, but of what would happen. “I’m just going to go sit in the living room for a while.” Did it seem like a bad time to go sit in another room and leave the conversation? You bet it did, but it felt right somehow. All of them wore the same wary expression on their faces, but I couldn’t really look at any of them. I kept my eyes low at first, but I met Gordon’s as I slipped off of the stool.

  There was something there I couldn’t interpret besides the unease and the questions flooding them, threatening to leak out and drown us all. I gave him a weak smile and went into the living room and to the crimson couch in front of the fire place. Since the sun was up I didn’t need the fire for light, but for the warmth. A chill of anxiety was rolling up and down my spine, causing goose bumps to pop up all over my skin. I rubbed my arms, trying to bring the heat back into them. It didn’t work and I knew exactly why. Sam’s death had reminded me of my own. I was sure each of our time in Hell played out a lot the same way as well. Some would say I had post-traumatic stress. I was inclined to agree.

  Maybe a fire would be a good idea even though the sun was flowing through the blinds and warming my back. It did nothing to melt the ice that had formed in the pit of my stomach, sending shivers through my muscles. I slid off the couch and onto the floor, scooting across the floor to the fireplace. The DuraFlame logs that Beth and Chase had stolen from the store were stacked in a neat pile off to the side. I took one in my hands, feeling the weight of it as I placed it in the fire place. When I struck the match I knew I didn’t need one, but there was something about doing it this way that made me nostalgic for the old days. Before the vampires, before death, before the blood, and long before Lilith. I touched the flame to the paper wrapped log and watched it catch the flame. Once the flames had devoured the log I backed away from the hearth until my back hit the couch, resting on it even though doing so was highly uncomfortable.

  A voice I wasn’t expecting drifted into the room, causing me to jump with a start and look back to see Beth standing beside the couch, her fingers stroking the soft fabric.

  “It’s amazing how everything’s changed, isn’t it?” She had a faraway look in her eyes; like she was remembering something from way back when. Her eyes were locked on the flames. The chill had left my body in that instant, the flames bathing my legs in warmth.

  “Ummm,” I cleared my throat as a lump had formed at her words. “Yes. Yes, it is.” She didn’t look at me and her gaze never left the roiling flames that bellowed in the hearth behind me.

  I could hear it crackling as it ate the log like a living, breathing thing. I dared not turn away from her. I wasn’t sure if she was in here to actually talk to me. I knew she didn’t trust me completely just yet and probably never would. I needed to at least make the effort it would take to be friends like we used to be. The time apart had changed things. You’d have to be blind to miss it.

  She rounded the couch and sat on the floor next to me, her combat boots in extreme contrast with my old and worn Converse AllStars. The light was bouncing off the leather as we sat. I had to fight to keep my eyes off of her and staring in front of me. I wasn’t expecting the discussion and I wasn’t prepared. My heart was hammering in my chest and, the beast sensing my anxiety, was beginning to unfurl from its dark corner. I swallowed the feeling down taking deep breaths trying to suppress it. So far, so good. I was managing to keep the beast tucked away inside. It was getting angry at not achieving the release, but I didn’t care as long as I didn’t burn the house down with us inside. Hell, I didn’t want to burn the house down at all. I wanted to be able to raise our child in this house. My hand instinctively moved to rest on my belly, feeling the slight bump.

  I stole a glance at Beth, spotting the tears filling her eyes as she stared at the fire. Actually, she was staring through it more than anything. There wasn’t anything I could say to her to change anything so I figured I may as well let her make the change in her own time. No need to rush it. We only had the end of the world to contend with. Yes, I was being a tad bit manic, but I didn’t care anymore. I wanted to give her the time she needed, but how long would that be? I didn’t even want to think about that anymore.

  “Robin?” Beth murmured. Her voice was so low I almost couldn’t hear her and wasn’t even sure if she had truly said my name at all. I decided to take the chance of looking like an idiot with grace if she hadn’t. That was if I didn’t start crying from embarrassment first. Weren’t hormones just lovely?

  “Yeah?” I mused. Everything she had done or said up to this point had caught me completely off guard so this made me nervous.

  “Do you ever think of what life would’ve been like if we had never met?”

  “Uh, well, not really. I mean, it never crossed my mind. Why do you ask?” My heart felt like it was going to beat into my throat and out of my mouth, running away screaming at her question. Why was this conversation making me so nervous?

  “After you died I had thought about it a lot. I had wondered if you would still be alive if we hadn’t met, or if Lilith would’ve ever come into our lives.” She sighed, rubbing her palms on her jeans. I was sure they were coated in sweat from the nerves I now knew were racking her mind. I could feel the pulsating beat of her anxiety against my skin along with the constant buzz of the building energy around all of us. “I had wondered what would’ve happened if you hadn’t saved my life. Would you have met another person who would be sitting where I am now?”

  I didn’t know what to say so I turned back to the flames and watched the shadows inside of the hearth being chased away by the flitting light. We both took a collective breath in and let it out and I would’ve laughed if it was even slightly funny. The gravity of our position was hitting us, and it was hitting hard. There was no denying it.

  The energy around us changed drastically. It wasn’t a good change, by any means. It made my heart race and my breathing go shallow and I could tell Beth felt it took when her hand shot out to me and grasped mine so tight I thought she would break it. I suppressed a small cry and turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide with fear and the fine hairs on my arms were standing on end. We both shot up and out the front door, leaving it wide open. I called Gordon’s name and he was there in a flash, hand on the small of my back as he stood behind me. Chase followed closely and I heard him gasp as he took in what was in front of us.

  “What the…” were the only words that came out of my mouth, but they came in a whisper. I was sure no one heard me.

  The barrier between us and the outside world was shimmering and it looked like Christmas lights were flashing on and off in tandem. My breath caught in my throat and I looked to the sky even though I could barely see through the curtain of flashing lights hovering in the air around us. Our barrier was falling and I could see why as soon as my eyes met the sky. An orb of black was moving across the sky and slowly making its way towards the sun, blocking out each inch of it with magical precision.

  It was like I was drawn to it and my legs began to take me down the front steps and onto the fresh lawn, which was now nearly a quarter way up my calf. Apparently someone had tried to keep up with the grass for those six months I was gone, but failed. Rain could make it through the barrier. See, this is why you always wear shoes. The beast began to writhe inside of me, begging to be set free as the evil poured itself out of that black orb to devour all of the sunlight. The black orb was closing in faster as I moved, one foot in front of the other, across the lawn, not even missing a step.

  “Robin,” I heard multiple voices scream.

  I felt unfocused and dazed, nearly tripping over my own feet as the darkness drew me to it. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I couldn’t sense the terror I was supposed to be feeling. I felt nothing. Not even sadness or regret, which was one of the top five emotions I was capable of lately. My feet stopped mid-stride, planting themselves deep into
the grass. It still had that squishy quality after the morning dew crept in. It was only around seven in the morning, but I knew that with the impending darkness it wouldn’t seem like it for long. A hand gripped my arm and the only reason I knew it was Gordon was because of the rough quality only Hell brings.

  “Guys,” I breathed as I pointed up at the sky, which was still barely visible past the shimmering light. “There it is.”

  All three of them looked up and there was a collective gasp. It would be the only time as the large black circle finally settled over the sun with only a sliver of light around the edges. And there it was, our doom spelled out by the light of the moon and sun colliding.

  Chapter 22:

  Tripping the Dark

  Within moments we were shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the shimmering barrier that we could tell would fall any moment. I felt the pull of whatever had taken over me release its hold, causing me to stumble back a few steps. Gordon’s hand never left my arm. His other hand shot to the small of my back to keep me from falling to the ground. My own arms even jutted out to the side like there was something to grab onto. I had no doubt I would’ve fallen on my butt if he wasn’t there to catch me. The feel of dizziness settled in, making me want to shake my head to rid myself of the feeling and thankfully it worked. Within seconds the whole world was on an even keel.

  Screams and hungry growls erupted from the black beyond the iridescent dome, coming from no direction in particular. It sounded like they were coming from all around us, from every shadow and every dank alleyway. Shivers crept up my spine and reverberated back down and through my legs and feet, launching into the ground. Like the ground drew it down into itself and to its core to freeze it in place.

  As we watched, frozen to the spot, a chill took hold of the air around us and the dome fell, opening from the top and shoving itself down into the Earth. The ground shuddered beneath us, sending us stumbling. The cries and howls of hunger grew louder and that was when I knew we had to act fast. If we didn’t we would be bombarded by a hungry mass of vampires and crawlers just waiting to tear us apart with their gnashing teeth. I was the first to bolt for the front door. Pure adrenaline was running through my veins and my child’s whispers ran through my mind. I had to keep telling myself that we would get out of this alive and that Lilith wouldn’t be terrorizing this world for much longer.

  The water on the bottom of my shoes caused me to slide across the wooden floor as I made my way as quickly as I could to the chest in the living room, trying like hell to make it there without tripping over something in the dark. The fire was still going, throwing light in directions that were more of a hindrance then a help. I sunk to my knees and threw the heavy lid of the trunk open. I couldn’t see anything inside of the chest so I was rummaging around in darkness trying to feel what I was looking for. There was a small gun case, but I didn’t want that. I would use a gun, but I didn’t care for them. My hand wrapped around my bow and the other found the quiver of arrows. Gordon, Beth and Chase were all around me now, Beth snapping a flashlight to life beside me. It nearly blinded me but my eyes adjusted quickly. I didn’t care how or where she found the flashlight. All I cared about was that I could see.

  My silver machete’s handle would have blended in with the wood of the chest if it weren’t for the silver rim around the base of the handle. It was specially made so I got to ask for all kinds of extras. I grabbed it up put it over my shoulder so the strap went across my chest and put the quiver on the other shoulder crossing over the other strap. I felt hands fumbling around my waist and something heavy took residence there. I turned to find Gordon beside me, buckling a gun holster with extra ammo to my waist, a look of intensity and concentration in his eyes I had never seen before. The holster looked to be holding an FNX Tactical forty-five millimeter hand gun. I wasn’t sure what rounds were in it, but I didn’t care as long as they worked. Upon further inspection there was a small light attached to it, no doubt ultraviolet for maximum affect when having to change magazines.

  I decided, I wasn’t going to use the gun unless absolutely necessary. Who would want to waste rounds when you didn’t really need to? Not me. So, the gun would stay holstered until that moment arose and I was hoping that wouldn’t be soon. I did have a nagging suspicion that I would be considering the level of noise coming from outside, working its way closer to us every second. Time was going by too fast and I knew they’d be upon us before I had a chance to blink. Before I could rise to my feet to face the music there were crawlers and vampires in the front yard. More of them than I had ever seen, running to the front door by the slight sliver of sun provided, which wasn’t much at all. If I didn’t have the eyes of an Executioner, which were comparable to those of the vampire, I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face. Sam and I were the lucky ones. The rest of them weren’t and would give away our position with the flashlights they had to use to be able to see.

  Beth’s flashlight was still pointed into the chest and she was still rummaging, throwing weapons that had a sheath or holster at Chase and Gordon; strapping a few to herself in the process. Sam was waiting as patiently for a weapon to be handed to her, leaning forward to inspect what was in the chest.

  I had all the weapons I needed and even had a little extra. Then I heard loud footfalls on the porch and my heart began to race even faster than it already had been; adrenaline pumping and sweat rolling down my back. My breath was coming in shallow gasps as I turned back to them, knowing we had to get moving or we would all be dead.

  “Hey, guys. We need to get going now,” I practically yelled the last word so I could be heard over the noise just outside. A string of profanities spewed from all three of them. I knew there was only one thing left to do to give them a little more time whether it bought us a few more minutes or a few more seconds. I stalked to the door, shutting it, and leaning my back against it; pushing to keep those on the outside from coming in. My back was greeted by growls, screams, and cries of hunger, their bloodlust permeating the door and crawling over my skin like tiny spiders.

  Beth, Gordon, Sam and Chase came through the threshold and Beth’s eyes widened as she watched me hold the door shut while creatures of the night were pushing their way in. A vampires hand smashed through the stained glass and tried to reach for me, causing a scream to explode out of me unbidden.

  “Go!” I bellowed, feeling the beast moving inside of me again and, this time, I would let it come. The apex of my chest was already beginning to glow and beat in that rhythmic way, flowing outward through my veins and I felt my eyes grow hot. That one word didn’t even sound like I had screamed it. Sam continued to turn back as they ran towards the back door, her eyes meeting mine more than once. “Don’t look back,” I said as the door bucked against my back.

  Gordon placed a hand on the vampire’s hand, sending cold into it that I could feel emanating from his skin. The hand froze in place, turning to ice instantly. He took out his gun and said, “This is going to be loud.”

  I turned my head in enough time to hear the gunshot ring out, my ears buzzing at the sound. The vampire’s hand shattered, throwing shards of ice and flesh in every direction. I could barely hear Gordon tell me that I couldn’t keep them back alone. I looked him in the eyes with all the power and sincerity I could muster.

  “Oh honey, believe me,” I let the beast purr into my voice. “I’ve got this.”

  He smiled that deliciously crooked smile and I could see in his eyes he believed me, but he still refused to back away. He would never leave me, even if I begged him to. Good thing I wasn’t the begging kind. He kissed me, soft and deep and when he pulled away I heard him say the words my inner beast was only hoping to hear with extreme clarity.

  “Move away from the door. We’re going to blow them away.”

  As soon as my back left the door, it flew open and the lock shattered, causing splinters of wood to go flying. Turning I removed an arrow, cocked it, and let it fly, taking a vampire sq
uare in the chest. The vampire crumbled to ash as soon as its heart was obliterated. The other vampires and crawlers didn’t care. They stomped inside, their feet treading through the embers of the dead vampire without a single care in the world. They could always make more and it didn’t take as long as it used to when getting blood directly from the source. Within a few seconds I loosed another arrow. Unfortunately I missed my target, but it landed in the brain of a crawler next to it, sleuthing across the threshold like nothing else existed but us and our blood.

  Windows shattered as vampires and crawlers began to pile in, coming from all possible angles. I wanted the action. I wanted the fight, but I also wanted to live long enough to give birth to my child so I would do what I needed to do get out. The still small whisper sounded again as I let the beast pour through my veins, igniting my blood and the adrenaline coursing through it. The beast wouldn’t stop till every single crawler, vampire, or any otherworldly creature was dead and turned to ash to be swept away by the wind.

  I pulled back on the beast’s reigns ever so slightly and let the heat build in the palm of my hand, choosing to target only one or two at a time instead of the whole lot of them. Gordon was following suit as we backed away from the onslaught of Lilith’s children that were assaulting our home. It wouldn’t be our home any longer. If anything I would be burning the place to the ground and as the thought crossed my mind a tear rolled down my cheek, hot and burning as the beast roiled inside of me. The jasmine covered trellis outside that was a tribute to my mother would burn along with it so I might as well make it all count. Lilith’s head better be the key to saving all of us.

  I cried out with a voice that sounded demonic, arm outstretched and the flames building within me, spreading from my chest and outward. It was swirling and blinking in time with my heartbeat as I slowed my steps, only taking two as I heard Beth swing the back door open. I was halfway there and they were screaming behind me. Gordon was beside me, standing in the same position with a sparkling blue churning through him and building. We would take down as many as we could together.