The Savage Earth (The Vampire World Saga Book 1)

by P. T. Hylton

  Drew grinned, gripping his shotgun. “They have nightmares. About me.”

  CB shot them both a look. “Stay on your toes. Remember where we are. Things can get real bad real quick down here. Let’s find a way into the building.”

  They split into two groups. CB and Firefly headed left, while Alex, Simmons, and Drew headed right. The building looked to be pretty tight. The doors were solid steel, and every one of them was locked. Two sets of sixteen-foot bay doors stood at the front of the building, but they were locked too. The factory might not look like much, but someone had secured it well.

  “I don’t like it,” CB said. “One-hundred and fifty years, and not so much as a broken window?”

  Firefly grinned. “I can fix that.”

  CB shook his head. “We’re not blowing anything up. Not yet.”

  “Aw, come on, Captain. I’ll have you in there in two minutes flat.”

  “Yeah, and any vamp sleeping inside will be on high alert.”

  “You ask me, those bay doors out front are our best way in.”

  “The locking mechanism looked pretty sturdy,” CB said. “Maybe we could cut our way through. Blowtorch?”

  The rumble of a familiar engine sounded from the front of the building.

  “You gotta be kidding me,” CB said. He took off running toward the sound. He rounded the corner just in time to see Alex in front of the one of the bay doors, sitting in the driver’s seat of the eight-wheel rover the team used to haul equipment. The vehicle’s front-end loader was jammed under the door. She pulled a lever, and CB heard the locking mechanism break. The bay door went up with a clang.

  Alex turned off the vehicle and hopped off.

  CB stormed toward her. “What the hell was that, Lieutenant?”

  Alex looked genuinely perplexed. “Sir, you said you wanted to find a way in.”

  “Finding a silent way in can mean the difference between the whole team making it back or not. Running in without thinking is never the play.”

  Drew cleared his throat. “Uh, Captain?”

  CB ignored him, keeping all his rage focused on Alex. “We have to work as a team, especially down here.”

  “Seriously, Captain,” Simmons said. “You need to see this.”

  CB and Alex both turned in the direction the others were facing and looked through the open bay door.

  Inside, there were a dozen mounds of dirt on the factory floor. CB knew those mounds could only be one thing: vampire graves.

  ***

  Alex swallowed hard as CB gave her one last angry glare. Clearly, he wanted to continue this conversation, but there were more important things to focus on now. Alex was glad. She was beginning to think facing a vampire would be far preferable to facing a pissed-off CB.

  He turned to face the others. “Okay, we move quickly and quietly. You know your jobs. Do them well and do them efficiently.”

  Drew raised an eyebrow. “We’re still going in? With those things?”

  Alex stared at the mounds of dirt. There was likely a vampire under each one of them.

  “If they haven’t woken up yet, we should be okay,” CB said. “Vampires are groggy in the daytime. It takes a lot to wake them.”

  “Could be these are abandoned crypts,” Firefly said.

  CB shook his head. “Let’s assume they aren’t. Proceed with caution, people. Move out.”

  Owl hopped into her customary place in the rover’s driver’s seat and eased the vehicle forward. Alex carefully followed, pistol in hand. She gave the mounds of dirt a wide birth as she passed.

  They found the motors quickly enough. The things were mammoth, and every member of the GMT groaned softly at the sight of them—even CB. Trying to finagle these beasts out of here was going to be no easy task.

  The group went to work. They did their jobs in near silence, each doing their best not to think about the numerous mounds of dirt between them and the exit, and in forty-five minutes, they had the first motor out, loaded on the rover, and headed back toward the ship.

  The second motor was a bit more tricky. It was wedged further back, and the crew didn’t have as much space to work. Still, with the knowledge gained from removing the first motor, they were able to get this one out even faster than the first.

  As they were loading it onto the vehicle, Drew let out a soft cry of pain.

  “What’s up?” Alex said.

  “Nothing. I’m good.”

  Alex trained her flashlight on his hand and saw dark liquid seeping through his glove.

  “Holy shit. You’re bleeding, Drew.”

  “It’s nothing,” Drew snapped.

  “We need to get out of here. Now.”

  Owl backed up the rover and started toward the door. The team flanked the vehicle, weapons drawn, as they trotted toward the exit.

  Alex held back with Drew. She saw his left glove was soaked with blood now, about to drip.

  “Drew…” she said.

  “I’m fine!” he snapped.

  As he said it, a single drop of blood began to fall, and dirt exploded into the air as a vampire erupted from the ground.

  Chapter 7

  The vampire landed on all fours and hissed.

  For a terrible moment, Alex froze. All the pictures and videos she’d seen, all the mornings of practice and afternoons of study, none was like facing the real thing. She’d never been this close to a vampire.

  Its leathery skin was stretched taut across its body, and it was the color of old, yellowed parchment. Webs of skin connected its upper arms to its torso, forming wings that Alex knew would allow it to glide, giving it the ability to jump absurdly long distances. Its eyes were a solid gray—Alex didn’t know if that color had a name, but it should be called death.

  Looking at it, smelling its rotting odor, it was difficult to imagine this creature had ever been human.

  The vampire leaped into the air, heading for Drew, probably drawn by the scent of his blood. Drew raised his shotgun, but he was moving too slow.

  Whatever temporary paralysis had gripped Alex was gone now. She took a step away from Drew and swung her sword.

  The weapon cut cleanly through the vampire’s neck, and its head separated from its body, continued on its trajectory, and landed at Drew’s feet with a thud.

  “Holy shit,” Drew said, pushing the decapitated head away with his boot. “Thanks, Alex.”

  Alex brought her sword back to the ready position and steadied her breathing. She barely noticed the black, gooey substance that clung to her blade, the vampire’s thick, coagulated excuse for blood.

  How many times had she dreamed of this moment? How long had she waited? But, to her surprise, she felt no joy. Instead, she felt the hyper-alertness that came with combat and the thrill of adrenaline coursing through her.

  Alex looked at the exit, then at Drew’s hand. There were a dozen mounds of dirt between them and sunlight.

  “We gotta move—”

  Before she could finish, two more vampires burst from the ground. Unlike the first one, these didn’t take a moment to get their bearings. They both charged Drew, their long fangs bared.

  The one on the left suddenly jerked as its head exploded. The report of Simmons’s rifle echoed in the distance.

  Drew had his shotgun up now, and he fired at the vampire on the right. The creature moved more quickly than Alex would have thought possible, spinning to the side, and the slug hit it in the arm. The creature squealed in pain and tendrils of smoke rose from the wound. Its arm was barely attached now, held on by only a flap of skin and exposed muscle, but the creature didn’t slow down.

  Alex stepped forward, sword raised, ready to meet the attack. But, before the creature got to her, two gunshots rang out, and a gaping hole appeared in the middle of its chest. The creature let out an unholy scream and fell dead.

  CB sprinted toward them, his twin pistols still in his hands. Firefly was close behind, rifle at the ready.

  “They’re blood crazy,” CB said. �
��They’ll all be zeroing in on Drew. Firefly, Alex, flank him, anything coming at him from his six is your responsibility.”

  Another two vampires burst from the ground ahead.

  “Drew, you and me got the ones in front,” CB said.

  One of the vampires fell as Simmons’s rifle sang out again.

  “Along with a little help from Simmons. Let’s move.”

  They headed toward the bay door and the safety of the light, seemingly progressing by inches. Vampire after vampire leaped from the darkness. They all seemed to be attacking mindlessly, operating by pure instinct as they honed in on Drew’s blood.

  A vampire glided toward them, its webbed wings stretched, and Alex dropped to one knee and thrust her sword upward as it reached her, stabbing it directly in the heart. A pool of inky, thick black goo bubbled from the creature’s chest as she removed her weapon from its body.

  Another vampire quickly followed, and Drew fired. The slug removed half the thing’s neck, but still it staggered forward. Drew’s second shot finished the job of decapitating it.

  They team worked wordlessly. CB’s pistols bit at the creatures with uncanny precision, dropping vampires with a barrage of silver bullets to the heart. Drew was less precise, but no less effective. His shotgun maimed vampire after vampire, slowing them down enough for the others to finish them. Firefly worked his rifle like a mechanic, cold and efficient with his shots. Simmons struck with his sniper rifle from the safety of the light.

  Alex stuck to her sword.

  Time felt like it was both moving at a snail’s pace and happening so fast she could barely keep up. She had no idea how long they’d been fighting or how many they’d killed.

  Finally, they were almost at the bay door. Firefly stepped through, and CB grabbed Drew and pulled him into the light. Alex had somehow fallen a few steps behind. From across the field, she heard Simmons’s voice.

  “Alex, look out! Three o’clock!”

  She spun to her right and saw the vampire gliding toward her. She quickly stepped aside and, as the vampire soared past, she drove her sword into its back, slammed it down, and pinned it to the floor.

  Drew tore away from CB’s grasp, ran back into the shadows, and blew the creature’s head off. Then he grabbed Alex and pulled her through the bay door.

  Alex stumbled into the light. She let her sword fall to the grass and put her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Everybody okay?” CB asked. “Check yourselves for bites, scratches, anything.”

  Alex peeled off her gloves and checked her hands. No damage. Her clothing didn’t appear to have been ripped. It looked like she’d made it out intact.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as the heat of the sun fell on her face.

  ***

  After taking a minute to gather themselves, the crew got back to work. CB whispered something to Firefly, who nodded vigorously, his eyes suddenly alive with excitement. The short man ran around the other side of the building.

  While Drew, Simmons, and Owl worked on securing the salvaged motors in the cargo hold, CB pulled Alex aside.

  “Alex, you wanna tell me what happened in there?”

  She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she answered. “I know. It was amazing. The way the team worked together? It was just like you drilled us.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about.” CB’s face transformed in a scowl of barely restrained anger. “Your lack of caution was the reason we had to fight in the first place.”

  Alex took a step back, shocked. “Hang on, what are you talking about?”

  “First there was that stunt with the doors.”

  “Captain, that was the only way we were getting in. The place was locked down tight. You said it yourself.”

  “Maybe yes, maybe no, but that’s not your call. It’s mine. You can’t keep running off making your own decisions. That’s not how this team works.”

  Alex concentrated on not showing her emotions. No way was she going to let CB know how much he was pissing her off. The worst part was she knew he was right. “That was stupid of me, Captain. I should have waited for orders. Anything else, sir?”

  CB’s scowl deepened. “Yeah, if I might have another moment of your time. You knew Drew cut himself, and you didn’t say anything.”

  This assertion genuinely surprised her. How did he even know? “It all happened really fast.”

  “Too fast for you to alert your commanding officer?”

  She drew a deep breath. She was losing the fight to remain calm. “I made some rookie mistakes. No doubt. But have you considered that maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing, sir?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “We’ve been training for this. Exactly this. And now we put our skills to use. We proved we’re better than the vampires.”

  CB barked out a strained laugh. “Are you kidding me right now?”

  She spoke softly, struggling to keep the shock out of her voice. “Sir, I don’t understand. We annihilated those things. We were surgeons in there.”

  “Okay, Dr. Goddard, then tell me this. How many vampires did we kill?”

  Alex blinked hard, surprised by the question. “I think I killed four.”

  “That wasn’t the question. How many did the team take out?”

  “I… Sir, I don’t know. I was focused on keeping myself and my teammates alive.”

  “We killed fourteen total. And you killed three, not four. You missed the heart of that second one. The fight lasted one minute thirty-four seconds.”

  “How do you know that?”

  CB stepped close, approaching until he was up in her face, and he spoke softly but firmly. “Because I’m a goddamn soldier who is aware of his surroundings. I keep tabs on what my team is doing. I don’t get caught up in bloodlust like a damn vampire.”

  Alex couldn’t believe this. It was her first vampire encounter, and she’d taken out four—okay, three—of the creatures. What more did he want from her? “Captain, you’re right. I could have paid more attention to the team. But with all due respect, didn’t we perform well? It was fourteen to five, and we won. Without a single injury. Doesn’t this prove we’re better than them, sir?”

  “If you believe that, you’re a fool.” The anger in CB’s voice was gone now, replaced with a weary disappointment. “The vampires we fought were half asleep, disoriented, and day sick. The vampires that come out at night? They are a whole different animal. After sunset, the team wouldn’t have been able to take out fourteen of them. We would be lucky to survive a fight with one.” He gave her one more disappointed look and shook his head sadly. “Go rejoin your teammates. Get to work.”

  Firefly ran up to CB. “Now, Captain?”

  “Not yet.”

  The crew finished securing the motors and stowed away the rover.

  Owl glanced at her watch as she stepped out of the ship and into the sunlight. “We’re right on schedule. Haven should be passing overhead in twenty-one minutes. What do you say we join up with it?”

  As the ship lifted off, Firefly tapped CB on the shoulder. “Now, Captain?”

  CB nodded, smiling slightly. “Light ‘em up.”

  If he hadn’t been wearing his safety harness, Firefly would have leaped for joy. “Eyes on the factory, everybody.”

  He only gave them two seconds to comply before pressing the detonator in his hand.

  The explosives he’d placed around the foundation of the factory went off in a thunderous series of bangs.

  As they rose into the air, Alex watched the factory collapse. Any vampires still in there might not be killed by the falling debris, but they certainly would be killed by the sunlight.

  Firefly giggled as the dust cloud around the factory grew. “That’s how we do it in the GMT.”

  Chapter 8

  The crew arrived back at New Haven just before noon. Owl timed the rendezvous perfectly, meeting the airship as it was almost directly over Buen
os Aires. They docked in the hangar and waited for the all-clear to debark the away ship. After a five-minute wait, Owl spoke into their headsets.

  “Lady and gentleman, we’ve been given permission to debark. Please remember to follow standard procedures. Wait for your handler to call you, and do not exit the biohazard containment room until you have been cleared to do so. I hope you enjoyed the flight.”

  The team left the ship one by one as their names were called. Alex waited as Drew, Simmons, and Firefly left. She was alone with CB.

  “Hey,” she said. “About before. I want to apologize.”

  CB sighed, not meeting her gaze. “Look, Alex, I have high expectations for you. You could be a key contributor to this team. Maybe even lead it someday. But the mistakes you’ve been making are because you don’t look at the whole picture. Making a show of the jetpacks and rushing into a vampire-invested building might work out sometimes, but things like that have just as much of a chance of getting you killed. Or worse, getting your teammates killed. The general won’t stand for that kind of short-term thinking on his team. And neither will I.”

  A voice came up through the open door of the ship. “Captain Brickman!”

  CB stood up. “They’re playing my song. We’ll talk later.”

  Alex sat on her seat, safety harness still buckled, feeling shell-shocked. When they’d recruited her, they’d said they were looking for people who could think for themselves. People who could improvise successfully in extremely stressful situations. Hadn’t that been exactly what she’d done? Now CB was talking about benching her?

  “Lieutenant Goddard!”

  Alex unfastened her harness and shuffled out of the ship.

  She was met at the bottom of the ramp by a woman in a full biohazard suit.

  “Hey, Shirley, how you doing?”

  The woman’s voice sounded a bit crackly as it came through the speaker in the suit. “Not bad, Alex. You ready to go?”

  “You know I love getting naked for you.”

  Shirley had been Alex’s handler since her first trip to the surface, and in that time Alex had worked hard to build up a rapport. No matter what she tried, though, the woman was all business.