by R. M. Garcia
“What are you doing outside?” Clara demanded.
“It’s safe. Donnie is making it cloudy,” she replied.
“I knew he could do it,” Clara said proudly. “So give me a report.”
“We are under attack,” she replied. “There’s at least one tank coming toward us.”
“A tank, are you sure?”
“Positive. The guards have given visual confirmation. It’s called a panther something or another.”
“Abbie, a panther tank is a type of German Panzer tank.”
“Oh no,” Abbie said startled. “Do you think they are here for me?”
“It’s possible, but I would think it would be easier to sneak a few in rather than take on the whole compound,” Clara replied. “I’m more inclined to think they are here for everyone.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Donnie has given us a tactical advantage,” Clara replied. “We have time to organize before the sun sets and the enemy comes at us at full force. Go tell Luther to get everyone you two can to gather at the counsel hall, and I will rouse the elders.”
“Right,” Abbie yelled and turned and ran out of the house. She got a few steps when a second tank shell hit the meeting hall. It busted a crater in one of the walls, but otherwise the structure was unharmed. Luther liked living near the water so Abbie had a bit of a run to his cabin. She reached it within minutes; just as a third shell hit one of the outer walls, decimating it completely.
“Luther! Wake up Luther!” Abbie yelled as she pounded on the door.
“Abbie, what are you doing outside,” Luther said from within his cabin.
“We’re under attack, and we need to wake everyone,” she said.
“We have another forty-five minutes before sundown, we have to stay inside.”
“Luther, Donnie made it cloudy, and Clara is waking the elders. We need to get ready to run,” Abbie advised. Luther opened his door and walked out.
“Outstanding!” Luther said. “Let’s get the Foundlings up.” Luther and Abbie began making the rounds waking and passing the word to every vampire living within the walls. One by one, the Foundlings were awakened and began gathering outside the counsel hall. Luther was talking to several of the older Foundlings; they were talking in an old slave tongue that she didn’t understand. Maxwell soon joined them, riding over on his jet-black stallion.
“Luther, we are fortunate that the sky is dark, you can make your escape before the enemy arrives,” Maxwell declared. “We will guard your escape, for as long as we can.”
“No,” Luther replied.
“What?” Maxwell said confused.
“No one wants to run,” he replied. “They’d rather die fighting than run away.”
“Preposterous!” Maxwell exclaimed. “They are here for you. If you run they will follow.”
“I’m afraid that Luther is correct,” Claude said as he exited the counsel hall with the other elders. “This attack will not stop at just the Foundlings, they want everyone dead. We will be unable to evacuate everyone safely. So we will need to stop them here and make them regret ever coming to Tranquility.”
“It will be an honor, sir!” Maxwell yelled. “I need to prepare the men to repel invaders then.”
“So no one runs and everyone fights,” Luther said. “It breaks every rule I teach, but Claude is right. We need to take a stand, and for once we have numbers on our side.”
“Anyone that wishes to flee may do so,” Claude stated. “You have your alternate locations to head to. If you are going to stay, please come inside and take a weapon.” Abbie looked around at the gathered crowd and was surprised. No one walked away, and everyone began walking inside.
“Who’s that out there?” a voice said from the top on the counsel building. Abbie looked up to see a small oriental man standing on the roof of the building. He appeared to be sniffing the air. She did not recognize him.
“Who do you see, Nox?” Claude asked.
“Stupid boy, trying to stop tank,” Nox said. “He got run over.”
“Dear god, Donnie is still out there?” Clara asked Abbie.
“Yes,” Abbie replied in shock. She had been so caught up with helping everyone and listening to Claude that she had completely forgotten about him. How could she have felt so calm? She felt absolutely horrible now. She knew Donnie was tough but tackling a tank? She became extremely worried, extremely fast. She began to move to go to him, but Luther grabbed her.
“You need to get a weapon first, Abbie,” Luther said. “Beside, we both know how tough he is.”
“Oh, he got shot, many bullets,” Nox said.
“Nox, can you smell any Bloodlines,” Claude asked.
“Yea, boss. I smell three Bloodlines. I know two of them but I don’t recognize the third.” Nox replied.
“This is not good!” Claude said. “They have combined forces. This is bad, a planned attack with three Bloodlines. Which two do you recognize, Nox?”
“I smell Reich and Adored, there are five vampires in the tank, and they are all Reich.”
“Nox, can you tell how many more we are dealing with?” Claude asked.
“At least one hundred executioners, and about three hundred humans,” Nox replied “Oh! He got run over again! He’s not getting up from that one I think!”
“Shut the hell up!” Abbie yelled up at Nox. Nox looked down at her a bit confused.
“Abbie calm down,” Clara said as she grabbed and hugged her. “We need him, his senses are sharper than yours.”
“Who is that guy?” Abbie asked.
“His name is Nox and he is delivering a message from Espee to Claude, he is from the Miami den,” she replied.
“I don’t believe it. He got up,” Nox yelled. “He’s really tough!”
“That’s my man!” Abbie said cheering. Luther came out of the hall, carrying an assortment of weapons. He handed Abbie a wooden stake and a Bowie knife.
“You get a two-handed sword and I get a dagger?” Abbie said shocked.
“Remember your training, get inside, stick ’em, and don’t let them take big swings on you,” Luther said. “The stake won’t kill a vampire, but a shot through the heart will paralyze one long enough for you to behead them.”
“The dagger will be well suited to your fighting style, Abbie,” Clara agreed. “Try to sever limbs until you get a clear head shot.” Abbie could not believe how calm Clara was, or how calm she herself felt now. She began walking to the gate with the rest of the Foundlings. Another blast from the tank leveled the front gate and the tank was clearly visible now as it was almost inside the compound.
“Did you calm her?” Luther asked Clara.
“Yes, I have been holding down the panic as best as I can,” Clara replied.
“We could use courage,” Luther said.
“When they come, I will use my ability to take everyone’s fear away,” Clara replied.
“Can you influence that many?” Luther asked, “It’s a lot for Claude to ask of you.”
“I will risk no less than anyone else here,” Clara replied. “Just stay close, I will be mostly helpless while I concentrate.” Nox began jumping up and down on the roof.
“What’s he doing now?” Nox asked pointing at the tank. “Oh fuck!” Abbie looked up and saw Nox pointing to the northeast. She tilted her head and began to listen for Donnie.
“I’m sorry, Abbie. This is going to suck so much,” she heard Donnie say, and then there was a loud whistling sound. The noise got louder until there was a large eruption of sound. The tank exploded and was violently shoved aside. It came to rest on its top. Abbie watched helplessly as Donnie’s body bounced off the tank’s armor and ricocheted like a bullet through the trees disappearing into the west woods. Everyone went silent after the tank was demolished and pebbles began to rain down on everyone.
“What in God’s name just happened?” Claude asked.
“Donnie!” Abbie yelled in anguish and fell to her knees. The crowd er
upted into cheers and started chanting Donnie’s name. Abbie sprang to her feet and ran into the west wood after him. The crowd was at a fever pitch now. Everyone felt unbeatable. The clouds above began to clear and disperse, but by this time, the sun was already down.
“Mother,” Luther asked Clara.
“Best time to pump them up,” Clara said. “Albeit a bit cruel to Abbie.” Across the forest a radio chirped.
“Report,” Hans said into the radio.
“The tank has been destroyed,” Frieda said. “They must have missiles. Our spy gave us incomplete data. I suggest we attack on foot now, we make too easy a target while packed into the transports.”
“Agreed,” Hans replied. “Deploy everyone, and kill indiscriminately. Everyone in that den must be destroyed.”
“I love those two words,” Frieda replied over the radio. She exited her transports and rallied the human mercenaries.
“I say we use the Adored to cover our approach, while the Bretons ensure that no one escapes,” Stefan suggested to Hans.
“Radio the command out, then attend to your personal mission,” Hans ordered coldly. “If she’s not dead by morning, do not bother returning to Miami and consider your life forfeit.”
“Understood, sir,” Stefan replied and began issuing the attack orders. The caravan stopped and the executioners began advancing on the compound like a pack of starved wolves. The women of the Adored assumed their misty forms and provided cover for the mercenaries and the Reich soldiers. The diminutive Bretons walked calmly after the fog bank. Stefan picked up on a familiar voice, he pulled his sword from its scabbard and began moving southwest toward her voice.
“We have only two orders!” Frieda yelled out, “Advance and kill indiscriminately! Bathe in the blood of our impure enemies, and get paid a king’s ransom to do so!” The soldiers and mercenaries began cheering and headed into the fog.
Abbie ran as fast as she could into the western woods and no one could stop her. Once outside the gate, Donnie’s path became very visible. She followed snapped tree limbs and shattered tree trunks as she called out to him repeatedly. After running for about a mile, she found him lying peacefully against a large moss-covered boulder. His arms and legs looked horribly deformed and were twisted at odd angles. His head was caved in on one side and she was sure one of his eyes was missing. His condition was gruesome, and it was made worse by the look of intense pain on his face. Oddly enough, once again he was covered in wildlife. Wild animals tended to avoid vampires at all costs, but they would seek out and find Donnie. Several birds and chipmunks watched him as he lay motionless. Abbie walked up and kneeled next to him. “Baby, I’m here.” Abbie placed her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating and whimpered in relief. He was still alive! He was trying to heal himself, but he was struggling to do so. Abbie knew he needed blood, but she was not sure this was the best place to give him some. If he frenzied, he could easily kill her without realizing it. Abbie decided to take him back to the compound. She began trying to pick him up but it was like trying to carry a large water balloon. His body was simply mush, so she couldn’t establish a firm grip on him.
One of the chipmunks jumped onto Donnie’s chest. It began squeaking at her excitedly. Abbie looked at it surprised. “Hey there, little guy,” Abbie said, trying to calm the small animal. “I’m not going to hurt him, I promise.” The chipmunk moved forward then back several times. “How about I give you a name?” she asked, “Does Boo sound good to you?” The small animal stayed very still and bared its two little teeth at Abbie and suddenly charged her. Abbie was surprised as it ran up her arm and toward her face. Abbie instinctively shied away as the small animal leapt off her shoulder. It landed on Stefan’s face and began biting him and attempted to gouge out his eyes. The surprise attack threw off Stefan’s swing, and he missed Abbie’s neck by less than an inch. Abbie, realizing she had just been attacked, rolled to her side and pulled out her knife and stake.
“Confounded vermin, why do you vex me so?” Stefan said as he grabbed the chipmunk and crushed it in his hand. The poor animal squeaked once, and Stefan dropped its lifeless body onto Donnie’s stomach.
“Stefan?” Abbie uttered in shock. “What are you doing here, and did you just try to cut off my head?”
“Hello, Abbie,” Stefan replied. “Like you have to ask that, I thought you were smarter than that.”
“You bastard, you do this to me and then you come here to finish me off!” she screamed.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Stefan replied. “We have known you were here for a while. We just didn’t have the manpower to deal with this place.” Stefan began circling Abbie, and she matched his steps and maintained her distance.
“So why come now if you have known I have been here for a while?” Abbie asked.
“Once we discovered such a large den of Foundlings, we felt is necessary to destroy it. It has indeed been a safe haven for a long time, but no longer. We mean to see it burned to the ground and everyone inside made into ash.”
“I see you have a uniform now. You get what you wanted? You get to be free?” Abbie spat out.
“Oh, my involvement in the fiasco that was Abbie Gottlieb was not well received, but as I had planned, I wasn’t held accountable.”
“Then why chase me? Why continue to look for me?”
“I discovered where you were two years ago, but I kept it silent.”
“Why? Why would you do that?” Abbie watched as Stefan’s face softened.
“Despite all my reservations, I really liked you, Abbie, and afterward I felt guilty for what I had done to you,” Stefan said. “I protected you.”
“It’s a little late to play my hero.”
“When the order came down to find you, I volunteered for the job. When I was required to question your friends and family, I made sure that I went easy on them.”
“You questioned my parents?” Abbie asked alarmed.
“Yes, I questioned your parents and your friends from High School.”
“What did you do to them?” Abbie asked loudly.
“I broke bones and hospitalized most of them, but no permanent injuries.”
“You sick bastard!” Abbie screamed. She felt rage and sick to her stomach at the same time.
“I could have killed them all!” Stefan screamed back. “I didn’t because of you!”
“Gee thanks!” Abbie replied. “That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“I could have kept your location quiet for decades, but the company you kept made that impossible,” he replied. “The killing of twenty executioners places you high on the most wanted Foundlings list.”
“You mean you’re here because of Donnie?”
“Your boyfriend, no, we could care less about him, but from what I can see, I don’t expect him to survive much longer. His heart is starting to beat slower. His human life is about to end.” Abbie suddenly realized that Stefan had no clue that Donnie was responsible for the deaths of the executioners, and he thought Donnie was still human. It made sense, his heart was beating, and Stefan had no reason to believe he was a vampire, especially living here in Tranquility.
“So then why are you here now?”
“The Adored became concerned when a large executioner squad simply disappeared. They suspected that a large den of Foundlings was responsible, but their searches revealed nothing. They asked for aid from the Bretons, and just about when they were going to give up, they read the mind of a human who had information,” Stefan informed. “I am not sure, what mental tortures they put Matt the farmer through, but he told the Bretons everything about this place.”
“So you got lucky?”
Stefan continued to look for an opening, “or unlucky, in your case, quite unlucky.”
“So what happens now?”
“Once my incompetence was revealed, I was given an ultimatum,” Stefan said as he began to measure up Abbie. “Kill you or forfeit my place among the Reich.”
“In othe
r words, you have to kill me or they kill you.” Abbie could see where this encounter was heading and played out her attack in her head.
“Regrettably so,” Stefan replied. “I allowed you to have these years. That’s much longer than most Foundlings survive. Now I must complete this mission.”
“Well, if you are here to kill me, you’re going to find that a lot harder now,” Abbie said. “I’m no longer the scared little girl you tortured and forced into a living hell.”
“Abbie, you have no chance against me,” Stefan said. “I have been a soldier for over fifty years. You should just let me finish it in one swift blow.”
“If you think it’s going to be that easy, you are sorely mistaken,” Abbie replied. “Just like Hulderich.”
So she managed to kill him after all he thought. He could take no chances then, “very well.” Stefan advanced on Abbie, swinging his saber with expert skill. Abbie ducked under the swings and rolled behind Stefan. She jabbed the dagger outward in mid-roll and sliced the back of Stefan’s knee. The blow dropped him to one knee. Abbie stood up quickly and whirled to attack Stefan’s exposed back. She lunged forward trying to stab Stefan in the back of his neck. Stefan turned his saber around and thrust it behind him without turning around. It struck her in the stomach and exited out of her back. Stefan yanked the blade out swiftly and rolled onto his back and brought his boot up and hit Abbie square in the face. The blow sent her sprawling backward. Her stake flew against a tree, and the knife fell at her feet.
“See, your training means nothing to me,” Stefan said.
“I’m only getting warmed up,” Abbie said as she got up and spit blood out from her mouth. Stefan charged her again, but Abbie didn’t move until the last moment. She sidestepped the sword swings and got in close. She began delivering short but brutal strikes to Stefan’s chest, torso, and neck. The flurry of blow sent Stefan flying backward and he slammed into a tree. She didn’t stop there and moved in to press her advantage. Stefan recovered faster than she expected and with a lightning fast flash of steel, cut Abbie’s throat. Blood sprayed outward as she gurgled on blood inside her throat. She started backing away, but Stefan kicked her in the face and she fell to the ground again. Abbie rolled to her left, deftly avoiding another stab from Stefan’s blade. She had to neutralize his weapon, it was giving him too much of an advantage.
