I knelt before her and drove a stake through her heart. Seconds later, the two stakes that had been stuck inside her dropped to the wooden walkway. I snatched them and turned to face Aron once more.
The rain slacked.
“That’s three,” I said.
He grinned. “And what is the name of my aspiring hunter?”
“Forrest Wollinsky,” I replied with a mocking bow.
“You might think me impressed. You’re sorely mistaken.”
“I welcome your challenge since your offspring are almost as bad as the neophytes I slayed last night.”
Two more female vampires appeared, one to each side of Aron. They were beautiful, dressed in fancy gowns. They hugged his arms, smiling at him for a moment, and then they glared sternly at me with hunger in their eyes. These were different than the three I had killed. These were personal, like wives.
“You are no challenge for me,” Aron said coldly.
He had definitely been an aristocrat with that smug attitude.
“I suppose not since you hide behind your minions.”
His jaw tightened. “There is the smell of death on the air tonight. I’m sure you noticed it on your way into the village?”
I had. But the rain seemed to have washed the scent from the air. I shrugged.
“Tonight’s a night of sacrifices,” he said, his eyes peering toward mine.
Like with the baron, I also kept eye contact with this master. It didn’t anger Aron as much as it drew his immediate curiosity.
“Sacrifices?”
Aron nodded. “Three of mine have been offered. What is it that you offer, besides your friend?”
I didn’t oblige him with any shocked response since that was what he had aimed to achieve. Instead, my brow tightened, and I peered coldly at him.
He smiled and lifted his left hand palm up toward me. “Perhaps it is a pound of your flesh? Perhaps more?”
The strong decaying smell returned, but harsher and closer. I took side-glances, trying to look around without taking my eyes off of him and his female companions, just in case it was a trap.
Strange imp-like creatures hobbled from one of the side roads. Swallowing hard, I studied these strange creatures. Their pallid skin was covered with bits of moss and lichens. Their faces were hideous with elongated jaws, jagged black teeth, sunken black eyes, and long serpentine tongues that appeared too long to fit inside their mouths. Their arms hung low as they ambled. Long fingernails protruded from their fingertips.
I counted six of them without realizing that I had completely turned in their direction, ignoring the vampire master and his two companions. I had no idea what these creatures were. I definitely didn’t know how to combat them. Another half dozen came from the other side of the main road, but farther away.
I glanced toward Aron. He still hadn’t moved. A look of triumph beamed on his face. He tilted his head to the side, awaiting my response. He didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking the creatures or me. In fact, when he did regard them, there was a bit of apprehension in his eyes, which indicated that they weren’t under his power. They were as much a danger to him as they were to me.
He reveled toward me as though I had already died. I hated to disappoint him, but I had no intentions of dying this night. The biggest problem I had was figuring out how to stay alive. I doubted Dominus would make an appearance again.
“Have you killed any of these before?” he asked.
I shook my head. “What are they?”
“Ghouls. They like to eat out your insides while you watch.”
Not a pleasing thought for me, but he found it exciting. At least he had beamed a smile while explaining it.
Dominus had mentioned ghouls and zombies; rare creatures he had said, but the most valuable information—how to kill them—he had never disclosed.
Before these creatures came in my direction and noticed me, I left the storefront and crossed the road.
Aron’s brow rose.
For a moment, I pretended that I was heading toward the shop directly across the road from where I had been standing. Midway across, I tore into a sprint and changed direction. Instead of running away from him, I came straight for him. He seemed confused by my approach. His two female companions flashed fangs and hissed like startled cats.
As I came closer to the walkway where he stood I realized I was taking a great gamble, using the only faith I held. I slipped the stakes into my pockets, and slid my hand to my dagger, pulling it from the sheath, not knowing if the magic placed upon it would even work.
The dagger gleamed with a bluish tint when I neared him. I didn’t know if I needed to chant a mantra, say a prayer, or recite a spell. Nothing else was given to me. No directions.
Aron’s eyes fixated on the glowing dagger. A slight moment of worry furrowed his brow, but once I crossed the invisible threshold and was close enough to initiate the dagger’s blessing, the magic leashed around him, and his worry disappeared. He bowed to one knee and lowered his head. His two companions did the same thing.
“What is your bidding, my Lord?” he asked.
“Stop their approach,” I replied, “even if it requires sacrificing your life. Never yield or flee from them.”
Aron didn’t question the command, nor did he attempt to argue. There was no hesitation. He promptly rushed toward the six closest ghouls. The two females remained bowed before me.
The ghouls charged, gobs of drool dripping off their tongues, and leapt upon Aron. He grabbed one and ripped off its head. The others grabbed his legs and began sinking their teeth into his leg, tearing and ripping away flesh and meat. Aron wailed. Reaching down, he twisted and pulled the head off another ghoul.
I looked at the two female vampires and pointed. “Stop those ghouls.”
I knew I didn’t have much time to flee if I expected to get far enough away from these ghouls. Sending the vampires to attack the ghouls was merely an opportunistic distraction. I didn’t know if the vampires could actually kill the ghouls or the exact opposite. Could ghouls kill vampires?
The other six ghouls approaching from the farthest part of the village noticed Aron and rushed in his direction. By the time the two females reached them, both groups of ghouls had combined. Should they decapitate Aron, the other two vampires died as well. The ghouls would pursue me then.
From what I understood, vampires could be staked, beheaded, or burned to death. I believed if his body was ripped to shreds and eaten by these ungodly creatures, there wasn’t any way for him to resurrect. At least, I hoped not.
I sheathed the dagger and ran across the road. After I grabbed Dominus’ crossbow, I turned to run back to the mountain road where he and I had descended. As I neared the road, it dawned on me that I was now fully exposed with nothing to hide beneath. No trees, buildings, or mountain ledges protected me from an overhead attack. I had placed myself back out into the open. The winged creature that had taken Dominus had done so before either of us knew the beast approached. There had been no forewarning due to the darkness, so I could only hope that no more of them flew overhead.
My choices were few, however. Ghouls or winged beasts. More a coin toss of fate I supposed, but I needed to keep moving, put some distance between the carnivorous ghouls and myself, and get the hell out of this village while I was able.
Chapter Twenty-six
The childish part of me insisted that I head uphill to where I had placed my hunter box. The hunter in me demanded that I head in the direction where the winged creature had flown off with Dominus.
There was a greater chance that he was dead than alive. But even if there was the slightest chance that he was alive, it was my duty to bring him back. And if he was dead, I risked my own life by looking for his corpse.
Several things about this night changed me inside. For one, I wanted to become a stronger vampire hunter, but I discovered that in doing so, I needed to know more about these other undead creatures that emerged during the night. So many
nasty beasts roamed at night, and I wondered why most people had never mentioned them. The most logical thought was the beasts had killed the ones who had seen them. Thus, allowing no testimonies to warn others.
Over time, I learned the asylums were filled with people who had seen things so bizarre that no one believed them. The more the insistent person attempted to prove the monster existed, the crazier the person sounded until relatives had no choice but to have the person locked away. And to be honest, the creatures I had seen this night I’d never tell a person outside of my immediate family for that very reason. Insanity accusations destroyed a person’s credibility.
While I walked, I held the crossbow in my left hand and a stake in my right. A misty haze hung about ankle height all along the ground’s surface. I hurried, running slightly stooped forward, hoping to make myself a smaller target, which was laughable, given my massive size. Of course my heftiness was in my favor because it would take an incredibly strong beast to hoist me off the ground anyway, and such an attempt probably would yank its arms or legs out of place when it tried to loft me upwards.
The sound of the rushing river increased, so I didn’t have much farther to investigate. Dominus had been crass upon our first meeting, and there was a time or two when I really wanted to punch him. Okay, sometimes I ached to do much worse than that. But once that phase passed, I discovered he really had the best intentions for others, even if he didn’t know how to express it.
Mist sprayed off the river as I neared the bank. I sighed, wishing it was daylight, so I had a better view. With all of the dark crevices and holes along the river’s edge, finding a body at night was impossible.
Something thrashed against the ground several times to the right of me. I turned toward it with my stake ready. Easing closer, the thing crashed again. A long arm covered with rows of feathers. It almost looked like a giant bird’s wing except for the hand at the far end. The last bit of life was apparently fleeting from this monstrosity.
When its strange wing slammed against the ground again, I placed my foot upon it and held it down. The huge body jerked slightly in protest, but there was no fight to escape or attack. Best I could tell, it had stopped breathing altogether.
Still holding my weight atop the wing, I knelt and examined its humanlike hand. Long razor talons like those I had seen on hawks and owls, lengthened outward. I set down the crossbow and gripped its wrist tightly. Stepping back I pulled on the arm part of its wing and flipped its body over. A stake was driven deep into her chest, right between her feather-covered breasts. A pool of blood formed a dark circle where its body had lain.
Dominus wasn’t one to be killed easily, I supposed, but where was he?
Looking around, I distinguished lots of large rocks and old tree stumps, but wasn’t able to see him anywhere. I backtracked through a long row of bramble and not the mountain road since I’d never passed him upon it. Based upon where the creature had fallen, I wagered he must have fallen nearby.
A large section of the bramble was bent over. The stems were broken and crushed. Lying atop the mangled thorny vines was a figure. I recognized the long coat. Dominus. He lay facedown and wasn’t moving.
I hurried to him and took his hand. He was warm. His fingers moved. Relief flowed through me. He was alive.
I put my hands beneath his armpits and heaved him forward. He groaned as the briars snagged his clothes and bit into him.
“It’s me, Dominus,” I said.
He moaned and turned his head, trying to look up. He choked and hacked and spit out the wad of wet tobacco at my feet.
Once I freed him from the thorns, I sat down beside him on a large rock near the river.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’ve been better.” He placed his hand against his forehead and winced. “I must have hit a rock when that damned bird-woman dropped me. How long have I been out?”
I shrugged. I told him what had happened after the creature snatched him away into the darkness.
“Ghouls!” he exclaimed, rising to his feet. He staggered and placed his hand upon my shoulder to hold himself steady. “Boy, we gotta get back there.”
“Why?”
“Unlike vampires, those flesh-eaters don’t need an invitation to enter homes. They’ll devour the villagers before dawn if we don’t stop them.”
“How can you kill them?”
“Fire. It’s the only way I know.” He patted his pockets. “Dammit, where’re those matches. Ah, there they are.”
I stood beside him and he leaned partway against me as we walked. He smelled of old tobacco, whisky, and something else.
Dominus chuckled and crinkled his nose. “Hell, I must’ve pissed my trousers when I fell, too. She had me quite a ways up there ‘cause it was a long ways down. It’s a wonder I didn’t soil myself as well.”
“Do you think the ghouls killed the vampires?” I asked.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“How badly they ripped the vampires to shreds.” Still leaning against me, he held out his hand, and extended fingers as he counted. “There are several ways to kill vampires. One, a stake through its heart. Two, cut off the head. Three, fire but you have to burn them to complete ash. And fourth, dismember the body, which is what I suspect those ghouls were doing when you left.”
“It seemed that way.” I listened for the sound of large wings as we moved off the road and toward the village. “What was that winged beast?”
“Harpy.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Few people ever have. You’ve had the good fortune of seeing one of them dead after I struggled to stay alive.”
“You think there are more of them nearby?”
Dominus groaned and touched his forehead again. “Lots of cliffs here. It’s possible. Though highly unlikely. They’re quite rare.”
“So were ghouls, you said. There’s at least a dozen of them in the center of the village.”
“They’re still rare,” Dominus replied. “But you seldom see just one. They come in groups, but usually three or four. Not a dozen.”
“Fire kills them. So how do we manage that?” I asked.
“We need to find something to make a torch with and hope the vampires killed several of the ghouls or injured them at the very least. I doubt the two of us can take on a dozen of ‘em.”
“A torch?” I frowned, trying to think how that might work. “Are we supposed to jab them with it? These things rushed the master vampire.”
“We’ll find a way. I take it that the dagger worked.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Better that you discovered that with only a few vampires, instead of inside a lair full of them.”
“I agree.”
We came upon a small pen with a calf in it. The boards nailed to the fence posts were narrow slats but tight and secure. I tugged at one slat with all of my strength. It didn’t budge. I studied the small shelter connected to the pen. Dry hay bales were inside but fenced off from the calf’s reach.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I thought about ripping off one of these to make a torch. We can use the oil in that hanging lantern to start it.”
Dominus grinned. “I have a better idea.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
“Bait?” I said. “You want to use me as bait?”
“Yep.”
“Look at my size. There’s no way I can outrun those ghouls.”
“You think I can? It’s all I can do to hold up my pounding head.” A good size lump had grown above his left eye. It looked painful.
I sighed and shook my head. “Explain what you want me to do once more.”
He pointed. “Sneak through that alley there, locate the ghouls, and then get their attention. They will chase after you. You lead them into this pen and slip through the side door of the shelter. The hay will be saturated w
ith lantern oil. Once they run inside the shelter, I’ll toss in a match and latch the door shut. You make certain the other door is secured, too.”
Dominus loaded an arrow into the crossbow and handed it to me.
I gave him a curious stare.
“Shoot one of them to get its attention and then run like mad to get back here.”
“What if it kills it?”
He chuckled. “Trust me, it ain’t gonna kill it.”
I ran through the plan in my mind again. Sounded easy enough, if I were one hundred pounds lighter. I never liked running. My feet were so large that I often tripped over them while running, which was the awkwardness of growing tall and large so quickly. I lacked coordination. With my clumsy footing in mind, the entire scenario didn’t sound too promising. But I wasn’t about to leave this village at the mercy of these creatures. I was willing to risk my life to save theirs.
I edged my way down the dark alley. Most of the storm cloud cover had passed, which allowed for a bit of the overall darkness to fade. I peered around the corner of the shop where I had fought and killed the three vampires earlier. Toward the center of the main road sat six ghouls. They were feasting on the three vampires’ dismembered bodies. For some reason, their bodies had not disintegrated into dust. Perhaps they weren’t fully dead.
The vampires had managed to rip six of the ghouls apart before succumbing to their own demise. I now understood why Dominus had said that fire was the only way to kill and destroy the ghouls. The strewn ghoul body parts were bloody, but they were still moving. Severed arms and legs flopped. Some hands were crawling, pulling the connected arms along behind them.
A couple of the ghouls ripped and tore meat from the vampires’ arms and legs much like a person ate the meat off a chicken’s leg. Two ghouls were tugging and devouring the entrails of one female vampire.
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Book One] Page 20
