by Garth Ono
They drove past her truck and entered a parking lot to watch. Daphne could see Kate down the street fighting the zombies. She got all tingling, knowing her friend would be exhausted when she finished. Easy prey.
"Who are they?" Carl asked.
Two dark sedans and a minivan slowed to a stop. One sedan parked behind Kate's Land Rover. Another parked across the street. The van went around the corner and pulled over. Daphne noticed all three vehicles were filled with young men.
And Kate was on her way back with three heads in hand. Oblivious to it all.
Chapter 9
The three rotters moved swiftly up the sidewalk. The only time Kate had seen a zombie that focused was when it was after a living person. She didn't see anyone or any movement up the street, so wasn't sure what they were after. All that mattered was they didn't know she was coming up behind them.
"Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie!" Kate cried.
They stopped and looked back. Kate was on them, machete held high. She ran up and swung with all of her might. The closest zombie threw his arm up, so she ended up taking that arm off at the shoulder. He lost an arm, but gained continued undeath.
Without flinching, the rotter swung his other arm and smashed a right cross into the side of her head. Kate was spun around, head spinning. Zombies didn't usually punch, so he caught her off guard. She stumbled back, dropping the machete.
They were on her in a flash. She felt arms encircling her and knew she only had seconds to live. Kate dropped her weight, falling to her butt in their midst. That distracted them just enough for her to roll to all fours and scrambled away between their legs.
Rising to her feet, Kate pulled Lupara around to her front on its shoulder strap. The zombies were charging her en masse, so she gave them both barrels without bothering to aim. Point and fire and run away. One of them went down, but the other two continued after her.
Ejecting the spent shells, she loaded two more shotgun shells and snapped her weapon closed. Then she grabbed up the machete as she ran. Kate veered to the left and looped around the zombies, who were too stupid to realize what she was doing. They simply tried to follow her. The third one was back on his feet and coming towards them, as well.
"Hey, zombies!" she called. Kate cut in to close with the rotters. She swung the machete and took off a leg just above the knee. It was the zombie missing an arm. "You're a crawler now."
Kate brought the shotgun up and shot the other zombie in the face. He dropped like a rock, a big hole where his eyes used to be. Still, he got back up, but the blinded zombie grabbed the other one running up. She barked a laugh.
"Go to hell!" Kate cried, bringing her machete down on the crippled zombie. His head rolled across the sidewalk and into the gutter. She grinned at the other two, still struggling with each other. "Come to Mummy, you stupid little rotters."
They stopped fighting, turned toward her and came running. She charged them, and then sent a roundhouse to the first one's head. He went stumbling off to the side. Kate tripped the blinded one and forgot him for the moment.
"Come on, rotters. I don't have all day," Kate taunted. Talking to them made the rotters focus on her. "Mummy needs new furniture. You three are about half of what I need for a cute love seat I have my eye on."
The blinded zombie lurched toward her. She danced to the side, tripped him again, and then brought Lupara around. Kate pressed the barrel to his spinal column at the base of his head. And pulled the trigger.
Boom!
"Dammit," she snarled. Kate pressed the wrong barrel to his spine, so only blew away part of his neck. "Don't go anywhere."
Boom! to the other zombie's chest, knocking him back a few feet. She followed with the machete. Slash. Slash. Intestines erupted from his bloated belly. The stench was soul-numbing. She darted around him, kicked the back of his left knee, and forced him to drop to his knees.
"Hai!" she cried, whacking off his head in one stroke. "Whew!"
She rushed around behind the last zombie, who was struggling to stand. Few zombies bled much, what with the blood being the consistency of pudding most of the time. The last one was a bleeder, with a small pool of blood below him. So he hadn't been undead for long. Kate kicked his rump, knocking him to his belly. Then as he rose again, she moved to his side and brought her machete down on his neck.
"Well, that went well," she said, huffing and puffing. "Not."
Kate stood in the middle of all that blood and gore, catching her breath, and wondering where she was going to go for lunch. Then she giggled. A year earlier, all that blood and gore would've made her sick and the last thing she'd worry about was food.
After reloading Lupara, Kate collected her heads. Once again she was in too much of a hurry and forgot to bring a plastic bag. She had to carry the heads by their hair, blood dripping out of the last one. Heads were heavy, especially carrying three like that and trying to avoid getting more blood on her.
As she returned to the Defender, Kate noticed a blue minivan parked near the intersection. She was pretty sure it wasn't there when she followed the zombies up the sidewalk. Were the people of St. Louis so used to seeing people slaying zombies that it didn't faze them anymore? Did some housewife pull up and go about her business without a second thought of the life and death fight going on just a dozen feet away?
Kate heard a bump inside the van just as she reached it. She looked over, and the side door slid open and men came pouring out. Angry looking men in mostly black. Goths?
"Uggh!" she grunted when one of them planted his head in her belly as he tackled the slayer. "Bloody hell! Let go – "
She was dog-piled, and both arms quickly twisted behind her back. A chill slithered up her spine when handcuffs were snapped around her wrists.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
One of the men forced a red rubber ball between her teeth, and then buckled straps around her head. She screamed into the ball-gag to no avail as a black cloth sack was pulled over her head. Kate kicked and struggled, but they managed to lift her up and carry her into the minivan.
She felt a certain satisfaction when she kicked out, and knocked one of them back out of the door. Fists rained down on her, hitting her in the ribs, belly, thighs, and boobs. When she continued to fight them, one of her captors pressed a knife to her throat.
Kate froze.
"I'll cut your head off," he growled. "I can turn it in for $100. The cops won't know it didn't come from a zombie."
She had a few choice words for him, but… Gagged.
One of them dug the keys out of her pocket and left. That ticked her off. They kidnapped her, and then stole her truck. Talk about insult on top of injury. Kate was disarmed as they drove off. She seethed with the way they cut the shotgun and machete straps.
Where am I going to buy new straps in St. Louis? I don't know where any stores are, she thought. If they don't kill me.
And then they tied her ankles and knees together, making her feel even more helpless. She forced herself to relax, though her heart thundered and dreadful scenarios played out in her overactive imagination. Yet, Kate was pretty sure they wouldn't kill her. If someone wanted her dead, then they would've just shot her. There was no need to take her somewhere else to kill her. At least she hoped not.
Chapter 10
"What the hell just happened?" Daphne cried. "Don't let them take her!"
The minivan pulled away from the curb and continued up the street. One of the men in the minivan was running back to the intersection, while both sedans pulled away from the curb, too. Brody hit the gas and tore out after Kate, as the runner opened Kate's vehicle's door and got in. Daphne thought it strange they kidnapped her and stole her truck.
Brody was faster than the other two sedans. He raced up behind the minivan and tapped their bumper. When they swerved, he swerved into the other lane to come up on their side. Carl lifted an Uzi, racked the charging handle, and grinned as he rolled down his window.
"You can kill anyone and everyon
e, except Kate," Daphne said. "Do not kill Kate."
He scowled, but gave a curt nod. Her minions might be obedient, but the curse didn't force them to be happy about it.
"Watch out!" Daphne cried, seeing oncoming traffic.
Brody had to brake and fall back behind the minivan. A second later the minivan's back window shattered as someone inside opened fire on them. Brody swerved back and forth, but bullets peppered their car. A moment later the car behind them opened up, too.
"We seem to be in a bad place," Brody said. He caught her eyes in the rearview. "You better hope they don't kill me."
Her eyes widened. He'd mentioned a few times his desire to torture and kill her if he ever became a vampire. Daphne was pretty sure Carl had the same dark desire.
A bullet slammed into Daphne's chest and knocked her back into the seat. There was no pain, but it was a shock to her system. It only took a second to recover. The wound was already starting to close, which was the best part about being a vampire. Immortality, with quick healing. In five, ten minutes max, there wouldn't be a scar.
"If you keep threatening me, I'll order you to your knees and chop off your head," she said. "Then turn in your head for the bounty."
"Clear," Carl said before Brody's retort could leave his lips.
The sedan behind them suddenly raced up beside them, and two hands came out with pistols. Bullets riddled their car for a long moment, before Brody swerved into them. Their vehicles came together in a loud crunch, bounced apart, and slammed into the side of a convenience store.
Daphne saw the wall coming, so dropped to the floorboard. Still, she was tossed all around for a brief second. She came to rest sprawled halfway across the center console. Brody and Carl bailed out in angry snarls, weapons in hand. She lifted her head just in time to see them empty their Uzis into the other car. Young men and women screamed and jerked as countless bullets tore through their mortal bodies.
Crawling out of the wreckage, she looked up and down the street. She just had time to see the other sedan turning a corner two blocks up. The minivan with Kate got away.
"That just sucks," Daphne said, turning angry eyes on her minions. "Are they all dead?"
"All but one," Carl said. He pulled his pistol, took aim. "Say bye-bye, little girl."
"Stop!" Daphne commanded. He stepped back. She walked over and looked inside. One Goth girl stared back at her, more dead than alive. Daphne could see two wounds. The shoulder wound wasn't mortal, but the chest wound was another story. "Awesome. Alive enough to feed upon."
She was starving. The more active she was, the hungrier she got. The pretty drac didn't like to feed on her minions. Blood loss weakened them. Fortunately, Simon had lots of blood cows and was willing to share. But first she'd take that woman's blood.
"Get her out of the car so I can – damn," she said. The other four were rising again, only as zombies. Enraged zombies. They instinctively knew the woman was alive, so pounced on her. In a flash her throat was ripped out by teeth. "Too late."
The newly made zombies spotted her minions and started crawling out the windows. Brody and Carl just stared at them unconcerned. Daphne concentrated a second, and all of the rotters settled down. It was good to have the power to control zombies.
"Find me another car," Daphne commanded. "We might as well go home and tell Simon that we failed."
Chapter 11
"Mmgggh!" Kate screamed around the gag as the minivan came to a stop and the doors opened.
"Listen up, slayer girl," the man with the knife said. His lips were pressed to her ear and she could feel the warmth of his breath through the fabric of the sack. "The Master of the City wishes to speak to you. If you behave, then you'll walk away from this unharmed. But if you cause trouble…"
He nicked her neck with the keen-edged blade.
"Are you going to behave?"
She nodded.
He cut her knees and ankles free. Then he pulled the sack off of her head. Kate was pulled out of the minivan to find herself standing in front of an impressive wrought iron and glass double door set. It was the entry into a modern styled mansion. Not as big or grand as Mordred's but still the second largest house she'd ever visited in America.
There certainly are a lot of rich vampires in this place, she thought as she squinted in the bright sunshine.
Her handler was a six foot even, husky man. He looked to be mid-twenties and very Goth looking, but not one of the frail, effeminate Goth boys. His left hand seized the base of her neck in a vice-like grip. After giving her a little jab in the back, hard enough to slice a hole in her clothes and draw blood, he forced her through the front door.
This mansion had a single flight of stairs, but quite dramatic, off to the right of the large foyer. There was some chrome and crystal monstrosity of a chandelier. And a good dozen Goth men and women stood around speaking in hushed tones, while heavy metal played softly in the background.
Everyone gave her amused looks as she passed by. Kate wondered what it was about being a vampire's follower that turned off your concern for your fellow human beings. Seeing bound prisoners paraded through the house should spark outrage, not bemusement.
The mansion had an open floor plan once they left the foyer. She spotted a gourmet kitchen across the vast room, with two long dining tables lacquered black and set with dark red china. There were at least six sitting areas of modern style furnishings, mostly in red and black. All side tables were metal and glass. The floor was hardwood stained almost black.
Kate was forced down the middle of the Great Room, and then up to a long white couch. In the middle of that couch was an absolutely gorgeous man. He looked Latino, with slicked back black hair and dark brown eyes. The man was clean shaven and wore a very expensive black suit. She guessed he was in his mid-thirties. Four beautiful Goth women sat on the couch with him. A blonde and African-American sat to his left, and a redhead and brunette were to his right.
He frowned up at her.
"Must you gag everyone, Clarence?"
"Yes, sir. Otherwise I have to listen to incessant threats and pleas and questions," he said. In a mocking voice, "What do you want? Why me? Why? Why? Why?"
"Remove it," he said, and then looked into Kate's eyes. "I am Sebastian Cruz, Master of the City of St. Louis. Welcome to my humble home."
As soon as Clarence unbuckled the ball-gag, she pushed it out with her tongue.
"Ah, god, what a relief that is," Kate cried. She worked her stiff, aching jaw a moment. With her wrists still handcuffed, she couldn't wipe the spittle off her chin. "You have an exceedingly sucky way to invite girls over for a chat."
"Oh, no one told me you were Australian."
"I'm English, you bloody – " she cried, but stopped herself. "Why does everyone in this town keep calling me an Aussie?"
Sebastian stood. He wasn't as tall as she originally thought, but still taller than Kate. The self-described Master of the City moved up too close and personal. Her handler still held onto her neck, so she wasn't able to back away. She became hyperaware of his hands, which looked like they wanted to grab something inappropriate on her.
"You're not what I expected," Sebastian said, his face just inches from hers. So close she felt his breath on her face and smelled his exotic scent. "I envisioned a big brute of a woman. You're actually quite pretty."
"Not as pretty as you," she said, giving him a challenging look. "What is it you want, Mr. Cruz?"
"Call me Sebastian," he said. "I'm Mr. Cruz at the office." One hand touched her face, caressing her cheek affectionately. "I understand that you are the only slayer in town to have killed a vampire."
Kate shrugged. "I've killed one earlier this summer. I can't speak for anyone else."
"Mordred Moor is a drac. He very well might be one of the very first to be turned," he continued. "The bounty for a drac head is fifteen thousand dollars."
"I know. I killed one," she said. "Your point?"
His lips skinned back to reveal his up
per teeth. Great teeth. There was enough crookedness and yellowing to show they were one hundred percent real. Not veneers or implants. And they revealed he was definitely not a vampire.
"I'm very much alive. Mordred, whom you've met with earlier today, is not," Sebastian said. His dark eyes narrowed. "He is an evil man. Mordred was once one of my subjects, but after being bitten and killed; he came back to St. Louis and declared himself Master of the City."
"That's fascinating, Sebastian, but I'm not here to slay dracs. I'm here for the rotter infestation," she said. "As tempting as $15,000 is, it's a lot easier and safer to slay zombies."
"I'll add another $15,000 on top of what the territory pays."
$30,000 was almost Kate's income for a year, prior to getting her two retainers. Then she remembered the level of security around Mordred. Not going to happen.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said. "But I'm not interested in St. Louis' Goth politics. It doesn't matter to me if there is one, or twenty, self-styled Masters of the City. And as for Mordred being evil… He's not the one who kidnapped, bound, and gagged me."
Pretty much everyone, especially Sebastian, frowned at her. Then he looked past her, at Clarence, and glared at him.
"I'll give you that, Kate. But at least I'm still alive," he said, cupping her face with one hand. "Feel the heat of my body."
"Your hand is a little on the cool side," she lied with a challenging look.
His eyes flashed. He held her gaze for a long moment, and then he smirked. Sebastian surprised her when he kissed her. Kissed her long and hard. It lingered as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged Kate tight. Despite surprising her, it felt good.
"Well, that was just lovely," she said when he finally released her lips.
"Did you feel the heat? I'm not just alive, but a hot-blooded Latino," he whispered, and kissed her cheek when she turned her face. "And don't deny it. You enjoyed it, Kate. I felt you kissing back."
