“I’m only doing what I have to do! Human laws are beneath us anyway; we’re the top of the fucking food chain!” Zmiya leaned in to bite the neck of the woman he held. Her blood ran down his chin and over her shoulder, staining her dress. The train pulled into another station, so Zmiya took the opportunity by throwing the woman at Raymond and then ducking out the sliding doors. The woman laughed as she fell into Raymond’s arms. He barely made it out before the train took off again.
Raymond heard the fast paced footsteps of Zmiya as he ran from the station. The chase was on, with Raymond matching Zmiya’s fast speed with every step. The chase led from the row of office buildings, down past storefronts, to a less populated area of town about four miles from the station. The area was vacant of pedestrians and the directionality of the chase was sporadic. Raymond suspected Zmiya was not familiar with this end of town and was possibly looking for another hostage. The chase took them to the warehouse district, which was in a seedier part of town. Raymond could hear stray cats in the background and the rats that they chased. Car noises emanated from the nearby streets, but no humans on foot were nearby – which was a good thing.
Raymond turned down a dark alley to follow Zmiya when a familiar car pulled up along the docking bay of one of the warehouses. The hairs on Raymond’s arm stood up as he realized who was driving.
He ran to the Jag just as Alex exit from the car. She shouldn’t be here. The situation was much too dangerous. “Get back in the car, Alex. Zmiya is down this alley.”
Alex furrowed her brows. “I’m your backup.”
He gritted his teeth. Even as athletic and as strong as she might be, both physically and fearlessly, she was still a human. Too frail and too easily killed. He couldn’t lose her. “He’s already taken two hostages tonight; I’m not letting him take you as well.”
Alex looked down the dark alleyway. “He has a hostage with him?”
“No. Not right now.”
“But you said …”
Raymond cut her off as he opened the door of the Jag. “Please, I don’t want you in harm’s way. Get back into the car.”
She closed the door. “Sorry, but back down. We do this together.”
“It’s for your own safety, Alex. Now get in.” He gestured back towards the car once again.
Her body stiffened as she stood her ground. “I’m your Director and this is a direct order.”
Raymond couldn’t let her go down that alley, at least not mentally unprepared as she was. A moment of silence existed as Raymond thought out what to do. He had always allowed Dixon to face off the enemies, although never directly on the front line if a vampire team member could fight in his stead. “Dixon told me you wanted to wait for the mental subroutine,” Raymond said. “The only way you’re going in is if I can force your mind not to accept any compelings.” He had considered just compelling her to drive off and leave him to fight alone, but he suspected she’d never talk with him again if she discovered the truth. His oath not to compel her had already been sworn in by Dixon just before the State Dinner, and that also wasn’t in his favor at the moment.
“Fine,” she said defiantly “Do what you need to do.”
It wasn’t his oath that caused him to do what he did next, but a wish to respect her as a soldier wanting to do her duty. He had her sit in the Jag as he leaned into the driver’s side. “This won’t hurt, but it isn’t going to be pleasant. If I had more time, I could be more gentle.”
“Get it over with,” she demanded. “We don’t have the time.”
He put both his hands to her temples and began the process. His mind met her mind. Soon she entered a trance–like state and he began whispering into her ear, forming the subroutine, and completing the bond. He placed the subroutine faster than he would have normally done it, but the compelling was done nonetheless.
Alex scrunched up her nose and held her eyes tightly shut. “Ugh, brain freeze.”
He looked her in the eyes, “Bark like a dog.”
“What?” As she moaned again he kissed her on the forehead. “Good. It’s properly in place.” He helped her from the car. “Let’s go.”
*******
Now that the sun had set, Alex struggled with her vision in the fading sunlight. She walked cautiously down the alley in the back of the warehouse. Raymond walked beside her and the two traversed the alley from one secure location to another, hiding behind dumpsters, air–conditioners, and anything else that would provide them safety. She tossed off her high heels in an effort to keep up with him. His keen sense of vision and hearing allowed them to track Zmiya as he led them further and further down, what Alex hoped, was a dead end alley.
“He’s still here. Holding his ground hoping to kill us,” Raymond said. “I can feel him.”
There wasn’t much of a breeze. Alex hoped they weren’t downwind to Zmiya.
Raymond’s speed was much faster than Alex’s. He left one secure location and immediately was snug in another. Alex felt exposed and vulnerable as she scurried at her top speed. Her fingers tightened on the SBC Launcher in her hand. The fact that she was an excellent shot kept her feet moving forward.
Instinctively the two ducked as a shot rang out in front of them. Another two shots came, and this time Alex could tell Zmiya was aiming at Raymond. She thought it could be a tactical advantage and fell back even more from Raymond’s position.
“Surrender, Zmiya!” Raymond yelled. “You won’t walk away from this. You have nowhere to run.”
Raymond placed his whip on the ground and unholstered his SBC Launcher. Alex watched as he took aim and fired at Zmiya. Her tight hold on her SBC Launcher grew slippery wet with perspiration as fear crept over her. She had been in gunfire before, but not with a weapon she had such little experience using. The SBC Launcher felt bulkier than she was accustomed to. The silver whip across her back weighed her down.
“Never,” Zmiya replied to Raymond’s earlier demand. Two more shots sped towards Raymond’s hiding place behind the dumpster. The sound of a cat screeching marked Zmiya’s movements. If Alex detected the movement correctly, Zmiya was circling back and headed in her direction. Perhaps it was the garbage in the alley that masked her human scent, Alex wasn’t sure, but he headed straight towards her. The narrow alley wouldn’t offer much room for a confrontation, though. Alex noticed doors several feet ahead of her. She figured he was making a run for that building.
Raymond must have picked up the sounds of Zmiya’s movements as well, because Alex was aware he was doubling back and approaching her location. She didn’t have much of a vantage point to take a shot at Zmiya if he did reach the doors. She ran towards some boxes further down the alley that would give her a better shot. She didn’t get far when gunfire rained down on her.
At least one of the bullets hit her, but her silver whip strapped to her back protected her like a bulletproof vest. She ran faster and managed to reach the side of the building, but unfortunately there wasn’t much cover. Cardboard boxes were now her only shelter and she was wide open to Zmiya’s attack.
Her sense of vision played in slow motion. She was aware of Raymond’s position as he double backed. He ran at top speed, but it was all dream–like to her as she took in the entire scene. By focusing on Raymond, she had lost the position of Zmiya, until she heard a noise from above her. Zmiya now stood on a fire escape, and not on the ground. He must have jumped! It was a rookie mistake in assuming he couldn’t reach that height. He was so close to her now. Even in the darkened shadows of the alley she could make out Zmiya’s face. His fangs were bared, his eyes wild, and he looked every bit as scary as any vampire from the horror movies.
When Zmiya aimed his gun at her, she froze like a deer in headlights. He told her to shoot Raymond — like that was ever going to happen. She suddenly felt a sensation like brain freeze. Her focus was on her own stupidity of letting herself be trapped against a wall with a killer who would take her life so easily. She felt stupid to have left the dagger and tranquilizer in
her desk, especially during her first encounter with these monsters. She knew this was the end, and she was going to die like a damn coward.
Again he ordered her to attack Raymond, and once again she felt brain freeze. Zmiya cursed in what Alex guessed was Russian and aimed his gun at her head.
She waited for death and squeezed her eyes shut. Her back smashed into the wall as the bullets sounded, but the pain of bullets tearing into her flesh never came. The world seemed to go in slow motion again as she opened her eyes she saw Raymond staring at her, his chest covered in blood. He had thrown her towards the wall as he blocked the bullets that were meant for her. He spat up blood, and she noticed he had aged. Wrinkles now marred his face and his hair had grayed. His body sagged and he fell to the ground at her feet.
No thoughts existed. No reflections. No processing what her next move was. Alex was only vaguely aware of herself screaming the word “No!” as she watched Raymond take the bullets meant for her. Instinctively, she lifted her weapon and shot three silver bolts directly at Zmiya. The vampire screamed in pain and fell from his perch with a thud. As she reloaded her weapon, Zmiya cursed in Russian and stood. The blood from the wound on his chest suggested at least one of the bolts hit their target, but she suspected that all three had not.
Before she could fire again, he was on top of her. The SBC Launcher fell to the ground when he picked her up and flung her like a rag doll. The impact to the ground was the hardest blow she had ever felt. Her chest felt on fire making it hard for her to breathe. Blood oozed down her forehead and she felt dizzy. She rolled to get her feet under her and stood up. She eyed her opponent, who stood directly in front of her. No. She would not be his next meal. The bastard was going down, or at least going to have one hell of a battle on his hands. She wished she had not dropped the SBC launcher, but she would make–do with what she had available. If she had to, she’d tear him apart with her bare hands.
Zmiya cursed at her again.
The only weapon she had on her was the whip, a weapon she had only used once, unsuccessfully, in practice. She ran towards a dumpster for protection, but Zmiya beat her to the haven. He kicked her with a roundhouse kick and sent her flying backwards further into the alley.
Pain. She was sure she either had several cracked ribs or a collapsed lung. She labored to breathe as she stood up. The silver bolt she shot in his side still ratcheted itself deeper and deeper into his flesh, thanks to the silver barbs it had. She noticed him trying to remove the deadly weapon, but the silver burned his flesh as he touched it.
She unhooked the whip from her back. She may be coming to her end, but she knew a few things. First, he was toying with her, like a cat playing with a mouse before its demise. Second, she suspected the pain affected him more than he would admit. All the curses in Russian were probably him voicing his pain. And lastly, she wasn’t going to be a hapless victim again. The man that attacked her all those years ago was human; she had no doubt about that. Her current adversary may be immortal, and the biggest villain she ever fought, but he wasn’t going to win tonight. This battle may claim her life, but it was going to take him down as well. The bolt was tearing more and more into his flesh. Soon it would shred the organs in its path as it worked itself out the other side. The bolt would kill him long before it worked itself out.
With all her strength, she flexed the whip in the air. A snap was supposed to occur, but her feeble attempt didn’t even come close to doing so.
He pointed at her whip and laughed. His laughter intensified as he neared her. She noticed how much he aged in just the last few minutes. A pool of purple blood stained the alley where he stood. She only had to survive a few more minutes. She looked past Zmiya and saw Raymond still lying on the pavement. Perhaps she still had time to save him, if she could somehow kill Zmiya.
His laughter continued. His endless, evil, maniacal laughter enraged her. She was done being toyed with. She took a deep breath and clenched her teeth. She flexed the whip again through the air. This time a snap sounded and the leather separated from the silver. The whip coiled around Zmiya’s neck and sizzled on his skin. Alex’s palm burned as the whip’s handle was whisked from her hand and flew into the air. As the thought of her only weapon, and her only hope, left her, the whip flew into an air–conditioner and caught in the fan. Zmiya was thrown back as the whip lapped around the fan blades and tightened its hold on his neck, subduing him.
There was no time to lose. Alex quickly recovered her SBC Launcher and ran up to Zmiya, swearing at him with her every breath. Zmiya’s hands and feet were still mobile and she dared not get too close. She aimed the SBC Launcher at him as she approached him and shot three silver bolts directly into his chest from point–blank range.
Blood spilled from her opponent, but there was something else that she noticed. The dim lights from the building reflected off a shiny surface from around the Zmiya’s neck. A necklace. A violent yank on the necklace snatched it from his now frail and aged neck.
“Come here!” he bellowed at her. Blood spat from his mouth as he choked out the words.
She felt the pain of him trying to compel her. “Nyet!” was her reply.
He screamed at her, but the words were weak as they left his mouth. She took the SBC Launcher in her hand and smacked him in the jaw to get him to shut up. She watched as he turned to dust where he stood.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Dust was all that remained. Even having read how vampires died, it still shocked Alex to see it with her own eyes. The son of a bitch had barely died, and his ashes had just touched the tops of her shoes, as she turned and ran towards Raymond. He remained still full bodied and alive. He would not be turning to dust if she could help it.
She watched as Raymond struggled to regain consciousness. As he sat up, he stumbled, aging a few more years. He fell back down onto his back just as Alex reached him.
“Raymond. We got him. We got Zmiya.” She ignored the pain from her ribs and helped Raymond sit up.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Call the team. Have them send out help.”
Alex had heard four shots and had seen bloodstains on Raymond’s shirt. She ripped the suit jacket and tore the shirt. She noticed four entrance wounds, but only two bullets exited his body. Wasn’t his body supposed to regenerate? Bullets shouldn’t have this much effect on him. She retrieved six syringes of blood from her purse and administered them. With each syringe, she noticed a surge of energy from Raymond, followed by red human blood pouring from his wounds. She helped him to stand and struggled maneuvering him down the alley and into the Jag.
Now that Raymond wasn’t lying on the cold ground, she dialed Ben’s number and instantly the vampire gave status. “All is well at the hotel,” he said out of breath. “We got the third one, finally.”
“Raymond was shot,” Alex blurted out as she got herself into the car.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “There should be blood in his pockets and blood in his car. Bullets come right out Alex, don’t worry. Bring him back to the hotel. We have more blood here too.” He took a deep breath, “Get back here, Alex. We need to regroup.”
“OK” She hung up the phone. This was normal? Raymond’s body oozed blood all over the place. Blood now pooled on the seat of the Jag. She could see why Dixon wanted to retire. It was only her first week on the job, and already her nerves were shot.
Just then, Raymond collapsed into a convulsion.
CHAPTER FIFTY–ONE
The four syringes of blood from the car and the two from Raymond’s pockets were fully exhausted. Raymond’s convulsions stopped and he was aware of the situation. He gasped, “We have to go, Alex. I need more blood.”
Alex slammed on the accelerator and sped out of the alley. She wasn’t all that familiar with this area of town. It had been neglected for years, and certainly not a place she ever visited, so she had no idea exactly where she was. No one was on the streets, which was good since she was running all traffic l
ights and speeding like crazy.
Could she convince Raymond to feed off her? Did she even have enough blood to give him? How could she drive and feed him at the same time? Her mind raced as she turned down one street and then another, trying to find a way out of this area.
She ran several red lights as she sped towards any familiar street, trying her best to remember which way she had come. She didn’t know how to use the GPS in Raymond’s car, but felt relieved when she turned the machine on and found her address pop up as the last address punched in. She let out a sigh of relief when the device showed they were not far from her house.
Raymond slid in his seat as she careened around a corner. She hadn’t taken the time to buckle herself in, let alone Raymond. She looked over at him and realized that he now appeared older. She needed to call for help.
“Ben! The blood isn’t working!” she said the second he picked up his phone.
“Where are you?”
“I have him in the car. He’s been shot.” Alex took her hand and balanced Raymond as she made a quick turn to get onto the interstate.
“How many bullets did he take?”
“Four. Two looked like through–and–throughs … so he still has two in his body … in his chest actually. I don’t know what to do.”
In a calm voice, Ben said, “Relax. The Jag has extra blood in the glove compartment. I need you to give him that blood. Once he has it in his system, the bullets should work themselves out, even if they’ve fractured. It’s only two bullets, he’ll be fine.”
“I gave him the four syringes of blood from the car already, plus what he had in his pocket, and the six I was carrying on me. They don’t seem to be working!” she screamed into the phone.
“Okay. Relax. Let me talk to him.”
“You can’t. He’s unconscious.”
“What? Alex, vampires don’t just lose consciousness. Two bullets shouldn’t be this critical. Where exactly are you?” he growled.
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