“We have to break free to stop Zath” said Kate as she fired her weapon at the nearest member of the horde. The bullet hit the man in the head and he went down, only to get back up mere seconds later.
“Great, they take more than one bullet” she announced.
A collected groan came from the group. But that quickly faded as the sounds of gun fire took over.
Julie launched herself into the horde, dodging the bullets from the Keepers guns, she plunged her hand into a vampire’s chest. The woman gasped and spluttered as Julie closed her fist around her heart and pulled it from her chest. The woman fell to the floor and didn’t get back up.
She moved on to the nearest moving being, this time a man she went to grab his shoulder but he lashed out and Julie went flying backwards, she landed on the staircase with a groan and quickly got to her feet. Standing on the second lowest stair, she observed the fight going on below.
Despite the pop of firing guns and determination of the Keepers, only a few bodies lay at their feet. As Lucas slashed the throat of a fanged human woman but even as the blood sprayed his face the woman buried her fangs into his exposed arm, Lucas cried out, dropping the knife as his blood trickled down his forearm.
Julie watched as he grasped another knife from his belt and slashed several times at the woman’s neck until finally she fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood.
We’re losing she thought as she watched Jonas bash one of the vampires around the head with the butt of his gun, clearly out of bullets. Beneath her the stair creaked as more weight was added it to, causing her to look down. Three vampires were slowly making their way up the stairs towards her.
We need a faster way to deal with these if we’re to stop Zath and find Rome Julie thought and with a final look at the Keepers she turned away and headed for the lab.
She pushed open the door and left it ajar as she left her stake on the work surface and gathered up all of the strange liquid in their vials.
Snatching a box of matches she dripped some of the liquids onto the floor and struck a match, it fizzed and hissed before a flame formed and began to eat its way along the match. Taking a step back and glancing at the door Julie dropped the match and the liquid burst into flames.
Julie grinned and faced the door. Three vampires had followed her and she waited for them to enter before dosing them each with the liquid. They burst into action hissing and wiping the liquid away from their faces but it was too late Julie had already struck another match. She hurled it at them and watched as it connected and all three burst into human torches.
They shrieked and fell to the floor, one tried to extinguish the flames by rolling around but it did no good and soon all three were nothing but unmoving forms consumed by fire.
Snatching up the remaining vials from around the lab Julie pocketed the matches and headed for the lab door, she closed the door behind herself and turned away to re-join the fight.
From her position on the top of the stairs Julie glanced around. The Keepers were separated and unable to reach each other as the undead humans crowded around, keeping them trapped and unable to escape.
Chapter 10 - Light Them Up
Lucas was closest to her, she couldn’t make out any weapons but the occasional glint of a singular knife told her he wasn’t weapon less.
She watched as he slashed out at those who surrounded him before taking aim at the enemy below and throwing one of the vials. It spun though the air and hit the floor at the feet of the undead humans that surrounded Lucas.
The vial broke apart, scattering pieces of glass across the floor, the liquid now free from its container spread out into a puddle on the floor. Lucas looked up at her, confusion etched onto his face.
“SET LIGHT TO THE LIQUID!” she yelled.
Her words echoed across the courtyard and for a moment she wasn’t sure he would had understood what she was saying but then Lucas pulled a lighter from his pocket and touched the flame to the liquid. The flame spread and soon the entire puddle was alight.
The undead humans watched with blank expressions as their feet and ankles began to burn, the fire eating its way up their bodies devouring flesh and bone and all the while they didn’t move or scream. Now nothing more than human torches Julie let out a sign of relief as they fell back, hitting the floor with a thud but remaining deadly still as the fire continued to eat away at whatever was left.
Lucas met Julie’s eye and he raised his fist in her direction, is he threatening to hit me or something she thought but then he stuck out his thumb and that’s when she realized that he was giving her the thumbs up. She chuckled and returned with her own thumbs up.
“You throw them and I’ll light it up.” Lucas yelled.
Julie nodded and watched as Lucas began cutting and slicing his way through the undead humans towards where Jonas was trying to keep more of them from surrounding him.
Julie reached for another vial as Jonas pulled a small pistol out of his trouser waistband and pulled the trigger firing bullets, one after another rapidly. Some of the undead went down but they didn’t stay down despite the bullet hole in their foreheads and the small streams of blood that trickled down their faces.
Waiting until Lucas was close enough Julie threw a vial at the feet of a group of undead. It exploded but they didn’t pay it any heed. Lucas pulled out his lighter and tried to spark it to life only for it to be knocked from his hand by an undead man. Lucas turned and tackled the man to the ground, punching him in the face but the man raised his fingers and dug them into Lucas’ wound.
Lucas cried out and Julie was about to rush over and rip out the unbeating heart from the man’s rib cage when a pool of flames erupted and began to lick over the undead. Lucas got up, leaving his foe to burn to death and headed over to Jonas. The two men slapped each other on the shoulder and Julie watched as Jonas handed Lucas his lighter back.
The men headed for May and Kate, who were standing back to back, weapons raised as they fired rounds into each undead they could spot. The men tore their way to their friend’s side and quickly began to explain what was happening whilst they punched and kicked at any undead that got too close. Lucas pointed to where Julie was watching from and then he motioned to the two fires that where burning nearby. The women nodded and all four of them took a step back and vanished under a mass of arms and fangs.
Julie frowned and raced down the stairs. She prepared to launch herself into the horde to free the Keepers but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She was about to throw whoever it was into the wall when she turned and stopped.
All four Keepers gave her sheepish grins, Kate opened her mouth no doubt about to give further orders when the grin faded from her mouth and she gritted her teeth in determination. Julie turned and found what remained of the horde of undead heading straight for them.
She twirled the last vial around in her hand and held it up, showing the Keepers.
“Shall we?” she asked.
Lucas nodded and flicked open his lighter.
She threw the last vial across the ground, it skimmed and spun before finally the glass broke sending the flammable liquid across the floor. Lucas stepped in front of Julie and sparked a flame from his lighter he touched the flame to the liquid and within seconds the flame had spread and formed a pool of liquid fire. Stopping the horde and trapping them inside.
“Look, if Zath is here then Rome might be here as well, I’m going to look for him.” Julie said turning away from the burning mass of unmoving bodies.
“This place is huge. Besides shouldn’t we be focusing on stopping Zath” Lucas replied turning to Kate for confirmation.
But Kate met Julie’s eye. “It’s our job to deal with Zath, you find your husband and once you know he’s safe we’d appreciate your help with Zath.” She said.
Julie nodded “Of course, I’ll get Rome to the van and come back to lend a hand”
“In that case, Keepers lets go Zath went upstairs and he has a head start. Whatever his go
al he doesn’t reach it today!” Kate declared.
They all nodded. The Keepers made their way up the stairs and Julie turned away and raced towards the torch, this time she raised it up. There was a clank and a clink and the section of wall in front of her slid back, revealing a hidden passageway. Making sure that no one was behind her, Julie entered the passage way.
A familiar scent filled the air, mixed together with a smell that made Julie’s mouth water. Rome she thought and raced through the passageway.
It opened out into a cellar and she came to a halt. Wine bottles were littered across the floor, some were empty but some remained in their wooden racks still aging and growing better with each passing day.
Julie took a step further into the cellar and the smell of blood seeped into her nose, the sound of a weak heartbeat came from behind one of the wine shelves but this entire shelving unit was hidden behind a large tapestry that had clearly been tore away from one of the walls of the castle. She reached out and was about to tear the tapestry away when something came at her and she was knocked to the ground.
An undead woman hissed at Julie, her fangs dripping with saliva her hands reaching for Julie’s throat. Her eyes were half misted over but that didn’t stop the undead woman from lashing out and pinning Julie beneath her.
Julie pulled her arm out from between them and stuck the undead in the throat with an open palm. The undead went flying off of her and landed on all fours. Julie picked up half a broken bottle, the broken glass looking sharp and deadly. The undead hissed and raced at her.
Julie gripped the broken bottle tightly and braced herself and the undead woman sprung into the air, her long red air flowing in the air behind her.
Julie watched and forced herself to stay still as the female fell towards her, she waited until the woman was near enough and unable to stop herself then Julie raised the broken bottle as they collided and fell to the ground. The woman gurgled and twitched on top of Julie before finally going still.
Panting Julie rolled the woman to the side and got up. She glanced around but she couldn’t see another members of the undead, she crossed the room and yanked back the tapestry and gasped.
Chapter 11 - Till Death Do Us Part
Rome was tied to the wine rack. He was bloody, his clothes torn and head bowed. Cords of barbed wire encircled his wrists, dried blood had become encrusted into the wire. Through the tears in the arms of his shirt Julie could see burn marks on his skin, like a poker or heater object had been placed against his flesh to make him talk. There were slashes across Rome’s chest; she could see red patches of blood that had soaked through into his shirt.
Julie stepped closer to him and stepped in something wet. Frowning she lifted her shoe, I’ve stepped in some wine, great she thought but it didn’t smell like wine. She wiped her finger across the grips of her shoe and lowered her foot before raising her finger to her nose and sniffed. It’s not wine…It’s blood! A hiss tore from her throat as she looked up at her husband. She jumped up at the rack and began to untie Rome’s wrists.
Slowly she unwrapped the barbed wire but no matter how slow she went the barbs still tore into his wrists, sending beads of blood rushing to the ground. She stopped I’m doing more damage than good, I need to get him down quickly she thought her eyes falling to the racks that suspended her husband in the air.
She gripped hold of the shelf and placed her open hand against Rome’s cheek.
“Hang on” she whispered “I’m going to get you down.”
Rome didn’t say anything but Julie didn’t have time to think whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, instead she broke the shelving, sending splintering bits of wood flying through the air.
She ignored the throbbing in her hands from the unprotected nails and splinters and focused on bringing the rest of the shelving down.
She watched as large breaks in the wood formed and zigzagged across it all, creating thick spits across each beam. The shelving gave a loud creak and she could feel it was about to give, making her way over to Rome’s side she covered his body with hers as they began to fall towards the ground as the shelving gave way with a loud crack.
Julie’s head smacked against the ground, she got to her feet, her head spinning and her vision flashing into double. She groaned and glanced at Rome. He lay on his front, an end of barbed wire hanging from what remained of the shelving whilst the other end was still entangled around his wrists. She could see beads of blood on each little barb. She made her way to his side, forcing her eyes to focus on the real Rome instead of the one that was faint and colourless.
Slowly she turned him onto his back and covered her mouth with her hand. His shirt was now completely torn in two, displaying lacerations and burns across his chest. She raised her hand to his cheek only to find it covered in his blood, she bit back a cry as she glanced down and saw a stab wound in his abdomen. It was a large wound, not made by any knife but by a stake.
“Hey” said a weak voice.
Julie looked up and met her husband’s eye, tears glistened in her eyes and she didn’t try to stop them as they fell from her eyes like stars across a night sky. Rome raised a hand and brushed away one of her tears.
“Hey yourself” she wept, trying to smile at him but she knew it came out as more of a frown then the smile it was meant to be.
“Zath.”
“He took you” Julie said.
Rome nodded “He wanted to know how to make the rings, so he could walk in the sunlight, when I refused to tell him, he, well did this.” He said pointing to the wound in his side.
Julie watched as blood trickled from the wound but as she heard his frail heartbeat she knew it was no good.
“I told him what he wanted to know, he threated to send men after you, to get you and make me watch as he killed you in front of me…I-I wanted to keep you safe so a few hours ago I told him.”
Tears trickled down Rome’s cheeks and this time it was Julie’s turn to brush them away.
“Don’t worry his minions didn’t get to me, my love.”
“But he will hurt others. Break every law we agreed to and kill everyone who oppose him. Many will die because of me”
“I have friends who can stop him.”
“Vampires?”
“No, Keepers they are up there now stopping Zath even as I speak” Julie explained.
“He’s not just a vampire anymore, my love.”
“What do you mean?” Julie asked.
“He has the elements at his will. He can control fire and water, he wields air and can stuck the very life out of your lungs. Even the dead are not beyond his influence” Rome explained tilting his head towards the dead woman.
“What the conquest?” Julie asked.
“He must wait for the sun to rise, then he will do the impossible, he will face the sun without a ring and once he can do that he’ll be unstoppable.”
“So there’s still time to kill him, before the sun rises?”
Rome rolled his head forward.
She noticed the blood trickling from his mouth and his heartbeat grew fainter.
“No!” Julie hissed “You are not leaving me, not yet.”
Rome smiled at her “I’ll wait for you on the other side, my love, no matter how long I must wait I know that I will see you again.”
He tried to push himself forward and it took Julie a moment to realize what he wanted. She lowered her head and their lips met in a long kiss as Rome’s heart stopped and his eyes glazed over.
Julie sobbed and cradled him in her arms, her tears falling onto his cheeks until finally the grief stilled and rage and the desire for vengeance quickened her blood. Lying her husband’s body to one side she kissed his forehead and stood.
With one last look at Rome she raced from the room, following the five heartbeats she could hear from above and barely registered the creaking of the stairs as she ran up them at impossible speeds.
She turned left and found herself standing in a library, books were
scattered across the floor, floor to ceiling bookcases towered over the room and she stopped for a brief moment to breathe in the smell of old books and ink. A section of one of the bookcases had been pulled away from the wall, revealing a hidden spirally staircase.
Without a second thought she raced up the spiral staircase and reached the top, only stopping when she heard a cry of pain from Kate. Looking around Julie realized that she was on a roof. Large pillars stood more for decoration then any practical means.
She inched closer and hid behind a pillar, peering around it Julie bit her lip at the scene before her.
All four Keepers where on their knees. She could see cuts and bruises and more than one broken bone. Zath had a split lip, a black eye and a few tears in his white suit.
They had put up one hell of a fight but Julie could see ripples in the air and around them like the very air was holding them down. Fire waved through Zath’s fingers as he stood over them. Julie didn’t dare move, despite the fact that a part of her was begging for Zath’s blood.
“You will submit to me” said Zath grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“No” said Kate.
“Nope” said Lucas.
“Never” said May, her hair covering half of her face.
“I shall not.” Said Lucas.
And as each one of them refused Julie could see Zath’s anger growing. He came forward and backhanded Kate across the face. She rocketed back but didn’t fall to the floor. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Now let me make something quite clear to you all, I will hurt, torture, drown and burn your leader until you submit and announce to the rest of your pathetic force to do the same.” Snarled Zath.
None of the Keepers spoke.
They all watched as a blade of pure fire formed in Zath’s palm. Julie watched as the heat rippled from it, like a car roof on a hot summer’s day. Zath raised the blade and drew it across Kate’s left shoulder.
She screamed as the blade not only cut but burned into her skin.
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