by Leo Romero
“No, I’m afraid not. You cannot just destroy these relics and hope the specter of Moroz will vanish. You cannot just throw a nuclear rod in the trash. These things have to be disposed of properly. Using rites and incantations. And so we must have the set. All five of them. And only then can we destroy Moroz for good.”
“And there was me thinking it was gonna be easy.”
“I’m afraid not, young man.”
“Any idea where we can find this Magdalena?” asked Trixie.
Vincent gave her a lamentable shake of his head. “Her location is a deep held secret; it could be anywhere from Mexico down to the Andes. What I do know is that the Temple of Snakes is wired with traps to stop any intruders.”
“Traps?” Dom echoed with a gulp.
Vincent gave him a slow, grave nod. “Traps.”
“Sounds great.”
“Indeed.”
“So, how are we gonna get a lead on her?” Dom asked.
Trixie nodded her head. “I got a guy,” she said, mimicking Miranda Wolff. “And he’ll be more than willing to help.”
“You’re talking about Troy, aren’t you?”
Trixie nodded.
“God, I hate that guy.”
“He’s not my cup of tea either, but he can help,” Vincent said. “And I know someone else who can be of assistance. I want you to get yourselves down to Mexico and find a man named Lionel Sanchez.”
“Lionel Sanchez?” Dom echoed. “Another hunter?”
“No. Archaeologist, Mesoamerican enthusiast. He stumbled across information on a lost temple that held a vampire. Intrigued by the notion, he set about discovering its whereabouts. This led him to uncover information regarding the Chaos Order. He knows more than I do; he will guide you. I’ve lost contact with him, but I know where to find him. He should get you on the right track. He usually has his hands full protecting his village against the cartels.”
“We’re on our way,” said Trixie.
“Woah, woah, woah, there. How are we gonna get dart guns and non-approved tranquilizers across the border?” Dom asked.
“We’ll think of something,” Trixie retorted.
Dom sighed. “Great. And what about you, Vincent?” he asked. “What’ll you be doing?”
“I’ll hold fort here. See how things develop on this side of the fence. We’ve got enough security here to protect us.”
“Alrighty,” said Dom. “Okay, let’s go and see Troy.”
CHAPTER TEN
Dom threw open the door of Miranda’s lockup and looked inside. The sunbed was exactly as they left it.
A gasp shot out from inside it. “Hey! Is that you, Trixie?” Troy’s anxiety-laden voice shouted out.
“Yeah, it’s us, Troy,” Dom replied in a casual tone.
“Thank Christ! I thought you guys were gonna leave me here to die!”
“We’re not that cruel,” Trixie said, stepping inside and closing the door behind them. Dom flicked on the light.
“So, what happened?” Troy asked in an eager voice. “Did you go and get Vincent? I bet you guys did. Cut a deal with the Blood Order did’ya, huh? What did Leviah say? Is the pact back on? I knew you guys would resolve your differences. Can we go back to how we were before now, huh?”
Trixie went and lifted the sunbed lid. Troy’s reddened face stared back at her; his eyes were wide with enthusiasm.
“So, what happened?” Troy asked, keen to be updated. “Come on, tell me.”
“Leviah’s dead,” Trixie said deadpan.
Troy’s face contorted. “What?” He then smiled. “You’re shitting me, right?”
Trixie let out a bored sigh. “No, Troy, I’m not. He’s dead. The Blood Order is gone.”
Troy’s grin melted. “Oh man.”
Dom came over with the key to Troy’s handcuffs. “Ooh, nice tan, bud,” he said, staring at his red face.
“Eat me!” Troy retorted.
Dom chuckled. “Roll over,” he then ordered.
Troy did as he was told. “You two really killed Leviah?” he asked as he went.
“Uh-huh,” Dom said, bending over and undoing the cuffs.
“Man, you nutjobs are gonna get everyone killed.” Troy’s hands were released and he immediately rolled onto his back and began rubbing his sore wrists. “Man, that feels good.”
“Just doing my job,” Dom said, holding out his hand.
“That’s what the Nazis said,” Troy muttered as he took Dom’s hand. He hoisted himself up to his feet with a groan. He then dusted off his long, leather jacket, smoothed down his long, greasy hair and faced them. “I’m starving,” he declared.
“Thought you might be,” Trixie said, throwing him a burger from the bag in her bandaged hand. Troy caught it; his eyes lit up. He threw off the wrapping with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas Day. He began chomping away with greedy bites, hot, guttural sounds escaping him like he was a rabid dog. He gulped down a barely chewed piece of burger. “Oh, that tastes great! Got any soda?”
Trixie rolled her eyes as she handed him a soda. Troy popped the lid off and drank deep, soda spilling down his cheeks. Trixie’s top lip turned up in disgust.
Troy stopped guzzling soda for a second, belched, and then gasped in satisfaction. “Man, that feels better!” He stuffed the remainder of his burger into his mouth and gave it a couple of chews. He swallowed the huge morsel, wincing as it eased down his gullet. He washed it down with the rest of his soda and belched again. He threw the empty soda cup to the side and let out a contented pant. “OK,” he said, dusting his hands, “so what now?”
“Know anything about the Chaos Order?” Trixie asked him, getting straight down to business.
“Ugh, Latinos!” Troy retorted, his nose turned up. “I try my best to avoid drug cartels. They’re bad for your health.”
Trixie nodded. “Yeah, you prefer your vampiric mass murderers to be little old banker types, huh?”
Troy shrugged. “At least they’re predictable. Those other cats are called the Chaos Order for a reason y’know.”
“No, I don’t know. Enlighten me.”
Troy shook his hands on the air. “There’s an inner circle of vampire dons who’ve got control over the cartels. It’s all cocaine and crystal meth with a little marijuana thrown into the mix for good measure.” He glanced up at them with wide eyes. “Hey, actually, I might not be so adverse to them after all.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I bet.”
Troy shrugged.
“Tell us more about this Inner Circle,” said Dom.
“It breaks down like this: every Latin American country involved in drug trafficking has its own don, who acts like a kind of regional manager. The dons make up the Inner Circle. They oversee the cartels within their regional jurisdiction; so the Mexican don oversees the cartels in Mexico, the Venezuelan don oversees those in Venezuela and so on. Some regions might have only one cartel, some as many as five. The head of each major cartel is made vamp, but only one cartel boss from each region is chosen to move up into the Inner Circle. Any other cartel leader vamps answer to their respective regional manager, but cannot ever be part of the Inner Circle. With me so far?”
“Yeah,” Dom said, while shaking his head.
“Yes, Troy, we follow,” Trixie said.
“Good. Thought for a moment Einstein here wasn’t quite following.”
“Hey—” Dom began.
“Just leave it, Dom,” said Trixie, her eyes closed. “Carry on, Troy.”
“No problem. So, the head vamp of each cartel then has his human lieutenants, but these strictly mustn’t turn or it’s,” he ran a hand across his throat. “Those Inner Circle vamps don’t like the idea of vamps spreading, so it’s all gotta be kept tight. Then below the lieutenants are the sergeants and then the street soldiers come in last; your everyday neighborhood gangbanger, or cannon fodder depending on your viewpoint.”
Trixie shook her head. “For an order that describes itself as chaotic, it’s pretty well organi
zed.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Trixie,” began Troy, “but it’s nothing but a giant clusterfrack where you could get your head chopped off for being the wrong color.” He let out a disappointed sigh. “At least with the Blood Order we knew where we stood. They kept everyone in line with financial enslavement. The Chaos Order is much more in your face. And that’s how they like it. If they take the US, then you can wave goodbye to apple pie and baseball.”
“Why would they want the US?” asked Dom.
Troy cocked a thumb his way, his stare fixed on Trixie. “Hasn’t this guy taken the crash course?”
“The various orders all want control over each other’s territory,” Trixie answered, ignoring Troy.
“It’s a turf war, son,” Troy added.
“I’m not your son,” Dom replied.
“Damn right you ain’t, boy. A shit-for-brains like you could never be made of these fine genes.” Troy grinned as he spoke, running his hands down the front of his jacket.
A rush of anger shot through Dom; he grabbed Troy by his lapels. He pulled him in till their faces were inches apart. “Trust me. A dirty, stinky, sack of shit as low as you could never be replicated,” Dom sneered.
“Oh, that hurts. Come on, sweetheart, give me another.”
Dom brought his fist back. Trixie grabbed his wrist. “Come on, you two. Break it up. None of us has to like each other. The unfortunate fact is that Troy is still very useful to us.”
“Yeah, but he needs us too,” Dom said through clenched teeth, his eyes never leaving Troy’s.
“Oh really?” said Troy.
“Yeah, really,” Dom echoed before he shoved Troy backward. While still staring at Troy, Dom dipped a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bunch of cash. Troy’s eyes lit up. A nonchalant grin spread across Dom’s face as he began rifling through the money. “Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty...” He counted nice and slow.
Troy licked his lower lip, his stare fixed on the cash in Dom’s hand.
“A hundred. Two hundred. Three hundred. Four hundred...”
Troy flicked his eyes toward Trixie; she raised her eyebrows in a bored fashion, her hands resting idly on her hips.
“Six hundred, seven, eight, nine... one thousand!” Dom declared, folding the stack of cash back up again. He held the money out on the air, flopping it up and down. A wry smile sat on his face, but his eyes still burned with anger.
Troy straightened his jacket. He chuckled, his fangs coming on show. “Well, I guess we can all get along,” he said and took a step forward, reaching a hand out for the notes.
Just as Troy closed his fingers around them, Dom pulled them away.
Troy flinched.
“Yeah, we can all get along, cause guess what, buddy, we’re going away for a while.”
Troy frowned. “Huh?”
Dom grinned and nodded. “Yeah. We’re all taking a trip across the border. Me, Trixie... and you.”
“Hey. I-I-I. What?” Troy stammered.
“Yeah, you’re gonna be our guide to all things Chaos Order.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“’Fraid not, Troy.”
“Oh, I get it. You took out Leviah, so now you think you can take out Magdalena as well, huh? Well, newsflash, buddy, no one knows where she is apart from those Inner Circle guys and good luck finding them.”
“That’s why you’re gonna help us, Troy. You’re the master vamp detector,” Dom reminded him.
Troy huffed. “How the hell am I gonna get across the border? I can’t travel during sunlight hours. Trixie! Help me here!”
“Well, you’ll have to travel at night, won’t you?” Trixie said, stepping up next to Dom.
“And report back to us at sundown,” Dom added.
“Or, it’s fake tan time for you.”
“Permanently.”
Troy’s top lip curled up. “Crap!” he spat, smashing his fists on the air. “I hate Mexico!”
“Well, you better learn to love it. Fast,” Dom warned. He held out the money once more.
Troy begrudgingly snatched it, muttering under his breath.
“Good man,” Dom said with a toothy grin. “Now, go pack your suitcase.”
Troy’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“We’re leaving. Soon,” Trixie said.
“Oh, man,” Troy moaned. “I’ve only just got off the sunbed.”
Dom chuckled. “Better get your shades on too. It gets nice and sunny down south.”
“Bastard,” Troy grumbled.
Dom laughed out loud.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dom stopped off at Sun to pick up some supplies and say goodbye to Eddie.
He found Eddie hanging around the medical department. He was drinking a cup of coffee outside Rufus’ room.
Dom strode right up to him. “How you doing, buddy?” he asked.
“Better than him,” Eddie replied, pointing at Rufus through the window. He was still wired up, but his breathing seemed to be more settled.
“He improving?” Dom asked.
“Surprisingly, yeah. He might actually pull through this one. Vincent asked me to keep an eye on him. What you doing here?”
“I’ve come to get armed up.”
Eddie turned to face him. “Armed up? For what?”
“The next chapter. I’m going away for a little while.”
“Where?”
“Mexico.”
“Mexico? What for?”
“To hunt vamps. What else?”
Eddie groaned. “Oh man. I thought this was over now that the Blood Order is gone.”
“No such luck, buddy. Now we gotta go end the next order, down south.”
“You really gotta go?”
“Vincent says so, so yeah, me and Trixie have gotta go. It’s what I signed up to, bro. If we don’t go, what’ll happen to the world?”
“Can’t I come too?”
“No, Eddie. You stay here. Support that little guy.” Dom nodded his head toward the window of Rufus’ room.
Eddie nodded in understanding.
“I better go and get my stuff.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Dom snatched up a pile of boxes of holy water and tranqs and threw them in his bag. He grabbed more dart guns for him and Trixie and had a look around the supply room. “Anything new, buddy?” he asked Eddie.
“Since the other day? No. But, you better take some mosquito spray.”
“Ha ha.”
“Look. All jokes aside. You be careful out there, bro.”
“Hey, I’m getting used to this crap now, buddy,” Dom said, loading up his dart gun with holy water.
“I’m being serious. You’ve never been to Mexico before. You don’t even speak Spanish.”
“Yeah I do. ‘Hasta la vista, baby’. See?”
Eddie shook his head. “It ain’t no Chicago nightclub down there, bro. There’s some serious stuff going on. You gotta watch yourself. Look at’cha: you’re the stereotypical gringo with your blond hair and blue eyes.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll try and blend in.”
“How?”
“I won’t wear a Hawaiian shirt.”
Eddie grabbed his forehead. “Christ.”
Dom put a friendly hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Give me some credit, bro. I know I’m going somewhere where I’ll stick out like a sore thumb. But, I’ve gotta go. I’ll be careful. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Besides, Vincent’s got some guys he knows down there who’ll help us. And I trust Vincent.”
“I do too, but...” Eddie gave him an unsure shrug.
Dom laughed. “You worry too much. I’ll be back before you know it. In the meantime, you hold fort here. Get Rufus well too; that poor guy has been through hell.”
“Yeah, he has.”
Dom patted Eddie’s shoulder. They then hugged. “I’ll never leave you alone again, buddy, you hear? I promise.”
Eddie rubbed his back. “I know, bro. I know.”
They released one another. “Keep an eye on Trixie too.”
“I’ve always got my eye on Trixie,” Dom replied with a wink.
Eddie chuckled. “Same old Dom.”
“Same old Eddie, being a worrywart.”
Eddie shrugged. “It’s just my nature.”
Dom finished loading his dart gun. “Trust me, Magdalena won’t know what’s hit her,” he said, throwing his dart gun in his bag.
Back at the mansion, Dom got ready. He packed a couple of pairs of changes of clothes, shampoo and shower gel, anti-vamp hypnosis lenses, and a couple of cans of DEET mosquito repellent into his duffle bag. He didn’t pack any weapons. There was no way of getting guns through airport security, even if they were only dart guns. So, plan B was in effect. Dom hoped it would work.
Trixie had booked the earliest flight out to Tijuana from O’Hare International, which left in a couple of hours. In terms of what to wear for the flight, Dom decided to enter Mexico low-key. He put on a sleeveless beige shirt, a pair of khaki combat pants, and Nike sneakers just in case he needed to make a quick escape. He thought of putting on sandals, but decided that would be a lame look. He wanted to retain some sense of toughness and sandals just didn’t cut it.
“Don’t want em thinking we’re a bunch of pussies,” he said to his reflection in the mirror as he shoved an NY Yankees baseball cap over his shock of blond hair. He placed a pair of shades on to cover his blue eyes, and hey presto, Mr. Gringo was history. “There ya go, Eddie, now I’m incognito.”
Yeah right, he heard Eddie say in his mind. He shrugged. It was better than nothing.
He clapped his hands in excitement. “Mexico here we come!”
He grabbed his duffle bag, his eyes falling on the photo of him and his family by his bed; the one he’d taped back together, photocopied, and framed. Staring at Dad and Eddie enveloped his heart with sadness. In a moment, his excitement at heading for Mexico melted into dejection. He sighed. “I’ll come back,” he told the photo. All the people in it just smiled back at him, including his slightly younger self.
He took a deep breath to try and control those unwelcome emotions. He then forced himself to leave his bedroom, flicking the light off on the way. Out in the corridor, he almost bumped into Vincent.
