Demonspawn

by Glenn Bullion

  “I don't even know who Bachner is. I don't know their names.”

  “Bachner? Virus? What the hell is going on?” Cindy asked.

  We should have been a little more aware of the fact that we were half naked with a ghost in the room. A minute before, Cindy and I were in our own world on the couch. She was still pressed against my back, but my mind wasn't on her gorgeous body.

  I picked up Cindy's shirt off the floor and handed it to her. Then I grabbed the cell phone from the coffee table. It seemed like it took her forever to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Victoria, it's me.” I heard a lot of noise in the background. She wasn't at her house, but out on the streets. “Listen, Bachner took the feral to Camden Yards. They somehow got it in. The game actually just went off the air.” My heart sank as I remembered. “Leese is there. My sister's at the game.”

  “Calm down, Alex. I'll call back in one minute.”

  That one minute felt like an eternity. Bill stood there behind the couch, watching us. Cindy grabbed me by the shoulders to stop me from pacing.

  “What is going on?” she asked gently.

  “They're trying to make more vampires,” I said. “Why the fuck would they do that?”

  “Vampires? Like people even more white than you, but with longer teeth?”

  I told Cindy everything about me, but nothing about vampires. There was so much she didn't know.

  “Is Leese okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I'd sense it if she wasn't. But I gotta get over there.”

  “Get over there? You're not doing anything stupid.”

  The phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Alex, it's me. Containment's gonna start real quick.”

  “Containment? What-”

  “Listen. This virus will spread through that stadium fast. One vampire will turn into two, two into four, you get the idea. We've gotta go and help however we can. Are you with me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. I'll meet you there.”

  “How am I gonna find you?”

  “I'll be the one killing vampires.”

  She hung up.

  I took a deep breath. I wasn't ready for this. But I had to get moving. I grabbed Cindy's hand so she could see Bill once again.

  “Bill, can you get to the stadium?”

  He looked embarrassed. “Well, yeah, but it took me a while to get here. I'm not an expert on ghost moving yet.”

  “Okay. Get there however you can. Look for me or Victoria.”

  “Well, how are you gonna get there-”

  My wings shot out of my back before he could finish. Cindy gasped. She knew I had them, but it was her first glimpse of them.

  “Holy shit.”

  I looked at her. She squeezed my hand a little. A part of me was still afraid she was gonna take off and run. Instead, she gave me a soft smile.

  “You okay?” I asked her.

  She nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Stay here.”

  “The hell I am.”

  She was serious. I grabbed her shoulders. “Cindy, we really are dealing with vampires here. We have to stop them before they bust out of Camden Yards. Please, stay here. Lock the door and all the windows and just lay low.”

  She didn't look away. Slowly, she nodded her head.

  I let her go and clipped the cell phone to my belt. I gave Bill a look.

  “Okay, Detective. I'll see you there.”

  I opened the sliding glass door to my balcony. Before I could step out I felt a hand on my wing. Cindy spun me around and surprised me with a deep kiss. She rested her forehead against mine.

  “Don't get hurt.”

  “Don't worry. I won't.”

  She smiled, and actually stroked my wing. I hate to say it, but it felt good.

  “I still want a ride.”

  I smiled back and turned around toward the balcony. I climbed on the railing and jumped off. I sank for only a second, until my wings started to lift me up.

  Chapter 30

  I flew as fast as I could. I tried to take shortcuts and avoid following the roads. But I had to keep the highway in sight some of the time, as I didn't know how to get to the city otherwise. I made good time. I can fly pretty damn fast.

  As I got closer, the shit started to hit the fan.

  Traffic started to bottleneck maybe a mile or so outside the city limits. That wasn't anything surprising. What was surprising was the military that was suddenly everywhere. It looked like a war zone. Jeeps, hummers, soldiers standing tall at intersections. As I got closer to Camden Yards, I could finally see what Victoria was talking about. Maybe it wasn’t obvious down on the ground. But from the sky it was clear.

  The military was setting up a quarantine around the stadium.

  Camden Yards has a large fence surrounding the whole thing. At every gate, every single turnstile, I could see soldiers keeping people inside. They also kept people from getting in. The very sight scared the hell out of me. How far would the military go? Was Victoria responsible for all of this?

  I hovered far above the stadium, so no one could see me. I could see people running around, though, and even heard what sounded like gunshots.

  I heard a helicopter, and had to spin to see where it was. It was heading right for me. I can only imagine how many bullets they'd put in me if they got close enough. A half naked guy flying in midair was certainly going to attract attention.

  I dived downward. As Camden Yards grew closer, I could really see what was happening. Just pure chaos. I saw bodies now, in the stands with pools of blood forming under them. People running and screaming, trampling each other. Feral vampires were leaping and attacking. I saw one pin a woman to the ground from behind and sink its fangs into her neck. A group of four attacked a group of teens.

  We were too late. It was spreading.

  I also saw vampire hunters.

  It was a group of three of them, moving through a crowd away from the playing field. They were laughing as they gunned down a few vampires, then drove a stake though their hearts.

  I landed on top of the lights high above home plate. I really didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know why Bachner spread the virus, yet now had his men killing vampires. I didn’t know what the military was planning.

  I had a flash in my head. I almost lost balance for a second. I had to grab the light structure to keep from falling.

  It was Alicia. I was inside her head, seeing what she saw.

  She was in danger.

  Hell, everyone was in danger.

  She was running down the corridor with a group of people. Arms were flailing around and there were screams. I couldn’t tell where she was at all. A vampire that used to be a hotdog vendor dove at her feet. He barely missed her and bit the man running next to her. I caught a quick glimpse of Donna, her friend from school, pulling her by the hand.

  “We have to get out of here!” she shouted.

  I shook the vision off as best I could. I needed to be in my own head. I yanked the cell phone out and called Alicia. I didn’t know if she’d answer or not. But I had to try. If she saw it was me calling, she would answer.

  I was right.

  “Alex, please help,” she said. I could hear the panic in her voice. “There’s something fucking crazy going on at the stadium!”

  “I'm here now. Where are you?”

  “I don't know! Shit. We just passed section two-thirty.”

  “Alright, listen. You can't get out, we're all locked in. Find someplace and barricade yourself. Just hide. You hear me? Then text me when you're safe and let me know where you are.”

  “Okay.”

  I hung up. Time to find section two-thirty.

  I heard a scream beneath me. There was a man running across the field. Two vampires were chasing him. He only had maybe a few seconds before they were on him.

  I folded my wings and jumped off the light rack. I wouldn't be able to fly to him in time,
so I let myself fall straight down. Ten feet before I hit the ground I threw my wings out and beat them a single time as hard as I could, then landed on one knee near home plate. Still hurt a little.

  The two vampires tackled the man just past second base near the outfield.

  “Hey!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

  They both looked up right at me. The two vampires used to be ushers. Blood ran down their orange and white uniforms and from their new fangs. I could see the red glow in their eyes.

  They ran at me. Behind them I could see the man they attacked get up and run away. He certainly wasn't going to help me.

  I took a few steps back as the vampires quickly closed the gap. I was afraid, but shoved it aside. I could easily vanish and let them pass right through me. But I had to fight them. I had to stop them from hurting anyone else, or worse, biting anyone else.

  I lashed out with my wing as the closest one got near. It actually knocked him to the ground, surprising the hell out of me. But then the other was on me.

  He tackled me hard. I fell back and my head bounced off the ground. Pain shot through me and I started seeing stars. I had enough sense to throw my arms out, and I caught him under the chin, barely holding him back from taking a bite out of my face.

  He snarled and pushed against my face with his hand. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the other one rising to his feet.

  There was nothing I could do. I vanished. The vampire fell through me and jumped to his feet. He looked at the other one before they both ran off together.

  I stood up slowly, still breathing hard. I was all by myself, invisible to the world. I was so angry. I had all these amazing powers. But there was really nothing I could do against a creature so much stronger than me.

  As I once again faded back into the world of the living, my cell phone beeped. It was a text message from Alicia.

  Ruby Tuesday near section 240. Come fast.

  I flew straight up, then soared over the stadium seats. Most of the outside was empty. I could see dead bodies, and newborn vampires rising up. Most of the people were in the corridors, trying to escape. I looked at the section markers and finally found section two-forty.

  I vanished before I even hit the ground. I ran through everything in my way. I tried not to look too hard at the massacre around me. Men and women being devoured. Blood everywhere. I saw a group of maybe eight or so vampires at the front door to the Ruby Tuesday's. I could see people inside frantically blocking the door and every window. I ran through the mob of vampires to get inside.

  There were four people. Alicia was there with her friend Donna. A Ruby Tuesday waiter with a name tag of Chris, probably around Alicia's age. An older guy who looked like a business executive. White shirt, dress pants, black tie. They all worked together to put as much crap as they could in front of the place. Tables, chairs, carts.

  “I knew it. All along I knew it,” Chris said as he pushed another table near the front door. “It's right on the web. Vampires have always been real.”

  “Chris, would you shut the hell up?” Donna said. “They're trying to get in here!”

  “Okay, okay. After this, we’re gonna have to start a fire.”

  “Mister Johnson! Slide that cart over here!” Alicia said.

  He did so. “Please, call me Sam.”

  I appeared behind everyone.

  “Is everyone okay?” I said.

  They all turned. I didn't think about how I looked. A shirtless guy, appearing out of thin air, with a huge pair of wings sticking out of his back. Sam and Donna took a step back. Chris surprised me. He grabbed a broken table leg and jumped in front of Alicia.

  I gave him a look. Thin looking guy. Kind of nerdy looking with short black hair and thick glasses. But he was facing down a demon with a table leg. I was impressed. It was obvious he liked my sister.

  “What the hell are you?” Chris asked.

  “Relax,” Alicia put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s my brother.”

  “Your brother is a vampire?”

  She walked around him and gave me a quick hug. She stared at my wings. I just gave a sheepish shrug.

  “We’ll talk later,” I said.

  A noise came from the front. The vampires were slowly pushing the doors open, even with everything in the way.

  “Come on! Get more up there!”

  I started helping. We tossed everything we could get our hands on in the pile. I pushed with all my strength. The group of vampires was slowed, but it wouldn’t last forever. I could hear them scratching and tearing at the tables. The windows were already broken. I saw a hand reach through and almost grab Sam by the hair.

  We all leaned against the mess we’d made. Donna was crying now. Alicia looked at me, fear in her eyes. I grabbed my cell phone.

  It took forever for Victoria to answer.

  “Alex, I’m a little busy here.”

  “We’re trapped. Ruby Tuesday’s near section two-forty.”

  “Trapped? How the hell can you be trapped?”

  “Come on, hurry up. I’m with my sister and some others. They’re breaking their way in.”

  She hung up.

  “Help is coming.”

  The table I pushed against split apart. A vampire had simply kicked it. They were slowly pushing their way in. One barely missed raking his hand across my face.

  “Okay, everybody back up,” I said. “Get a weapon, anything you can use. We need fire.”

  “The kitchen’s in the back,” Chris said.

  I looked to the rear of the place. None of us could run back there and make a fire of some kind before the vampires were on us. I didn’t see it happening.

  “Donna, Alicia, get to the back and hide.”

  “No,” Alicia said while grabbing a broken cart leg.

  Chris smiled. “I like her.”

  She smiled back at him.

  We all backed up in a line, just waiting. They thrashed like wild animals as they punched through the tables and carts we put in their way.

  “Go for the heart, okay? Like in the movies.”

  The first one broke through. I lashed out with a wing and gouged out one of his eyes. He howled in pain and fell. Two others tripped over him. Chris and Alicia jumped on the two that had fallen, clubbing them with table legs and trying to jab their broken weapons in their hearts. But moving targets weren't easy to hit.

  “Help!” Sam called.

  One had pinned him to the ground. The only thing saving Sam was he had managed to push his table leg against the vampire’s throat. I grabbed a spoke from a broken chair and thrust down into the vampire’s back. Blood fell all over Sam. The vampire went limp and collapsed on him.

  It was the first vampire I’d ever staked. I didn't have much time to reflect on it. I pulled Sam to his feet, then heard Alicia scream behind me.

  I spun around. She and Chris had somehow managed to drives stakes into the two vampires that had tripped, but three more were pushing their way inside. Donna stood behind us, too afraid to move.

  All the things I could do. Talk to ghosts, move through walls, fly, none of that mattered. There was nothing I could do against vampires.

  I saw a quick flash of red hair, just behind the vampires. Then one fell to the ground. Then another. By the time the last vampire had a clue that something was happening, Victoria had the end of a railing in its chest.

  Everyone was stunned, including me. She knocked a few tables out of the way as she pushed her way inside.

  She was covered in blood. Her clothes were ruined. She looked completely in control, which was odd to me. I know I was scared out of my mind.

  Bill Sloane was right behind her. He didn't even bother ducking through the door and what was left of the barricade. He simply walked through it. He gave me a nod, knowing I was the only one who could see him. He must have found Victoria and followed her, not able to do anything else.

  I looked her up and down. I can guess what she had been doing. I'm sure she would have qui
te a story for me later.

  “Damn, Victoria.”

  She looked at her arms, which were covered in blood from elbow to fingertip.

  “Not exactly clean, I know,” she said. “What's going on here?”

  “We tried to hold up in here. I think the army is blocking people from leaving. I saw them from up in the air.”

  “I know. I called them.”

  “You?”

  “Yeah. I still have some friends in high places. We contain this now, not let it spread outside these walls. You and Bill, you did good.” She looked at her arms. “It might not look like it, but you saved a lot of lives.”

  I gave Bill a look. He took a deep breath and smiled a bit.

  “Thanks. And thanks for the help.”

  She looked at the vampires, all staked on the floor. Then she looked at our little crew.

  “I'm impressed. Vampires aren't easy for humans to bring down.” She looked right at me. “But you shouldn't have needed my help.”

  “What?”

  She pointed to my wings. “Have you forgotten what you are? These vampires, they're newborn and wild. Humans will have trouble with them. But you, you should be able to tear them apart.”

  Alicia took a step beside me. Chris was right next to her. She put a hand on my wing, then my shoulder.

  “Lay off my brother,” she said. “He saved us.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said. His tie was loose, his shirt unbuttoned. “I have no idea what he is. But this young lady said her brother wouldn't let her down. And sure enough, he popped in like five seconds later, like a ghost.”

  Victoria gave me a stern look.

  “You keep holding back. I don't know why. But you'd better start letting loose, or we won't make it through the night.”

  “Hey, I'm not stronger than these vampires.”

  “True. But you're a damn demon, Alex. I know you've got more in you than a fancy pair of wings. Just stop holding back.”

  Deep down, I knew Victoria was right. Some of my problem was not knowing what I could do. But I knew I had more powers in me. They always seemed to come out when I didn't think, when I ran off instinct.

  But I was afraid. I stepped closer so only she could hear.

  “If I let whatever's in me out, I might not be able to reel it back in. I have nightmares about demons, and they scare the hell out of me.”