by Art DeForest
Emily stopped beside the growing pile of ash that had once been her mother. She stared down at it for a brief moment before looking back up and locking her eyes on mine. “You did this!” She hissed at me, blood red eyes glaring in hate. “You killed Mommy!” She shouted as she hurled the grenade she’d taken from me earlier, directly at me with speed and accuracy that no major league baseball pitcher on earth could hope to match.
Fortunately for me, little vampire girls don’t typically know a lot about grenades, so she didn’t pull the pin first. The one pound chunk of metal and chemicals collided solidly with my rising shotgun before ricocheting off and hitting me high in the chest. Even with the interference of the shotgun and the padding of my vest, the force still knocked me to the ground and caused the breath to woosh from my lungs.
As I lay there stunned amidst the legs of a mass of zombies, I felt Ahriman’s power lash out in all directions. “Rise my children! Kill the intruders!” He shouted as he regained his feet.
The feel of his power and his shouted orders, got me going once more. As the zombies around me turned towards where the sound of the rifle fire had come from, I rose to my knees and brought the sights of my shotgun up to center squarely on Ahriman’s head. Whatever else happened this night, Ahriman was going to die.
I stroked the trigger on the Saiga. Nothing happened. Looking down at the weapon in puzzlement, I saw that the impact of the grenade had crushed its upper receiver into a twisted mess. Cursing silently, I dropped it. As the shotgun swung on it’s sling off to the side, I reached down to grab my .45 from the holster on my hip. My eyes are locked with Ahriman’s in mutual hate as the big pistol rose in his direction. I was so focused on the act of putting the ancient necro down, that I didn’t sense the attack until it was too late.
A weight crashed into me, hurling me to the ground once more and sent my .45 flying off into the night. Emily came up straddling my chest and began raining blows down on my head. I tried to fend them off with my arms, but she was too fast, too strong. I felt my nose break with a grinding crunch at the first blow. Pain exploded through my skull and tears filled my eyes, further inhibiting my ability to defend myself.
Blows continued to rain down; my vision narrowed down until I was looking through a dark, narrow tunnel. “Don’t kill him child,” Ahriman’s voice came through the enshrouding darkness. “We need him alive for the sacrifice.”
I heard a little girl growl as the slight weight of her body departed my torso. Small hands grabbed my arm roughly and started dragging me towards the brazier. Consciousness came and went in amongst waves of pain. The sounds of gunshots and shouting came to me during one moment of lucidity before pain engulfed me in darkness once more.
The next moment of lucidity came as I was thrown roughly on a long narrow stone bier, next to the flaming brazier. Emily’s small form stood on the bier looking down at me with scorn and hate. Ahriman stood on the ground beside the long stone enclosure, looking at me with a similar expression. “Let me sacrifice him, master. Let me plunge the knife into his heart. She hissed around her fangs.
“Patience child.” He said with an indulgent grin. “All things in due time. We must finish the ritual first.”
The world continued to fade in and out. Moments of darkness interspersed with flashes of firelight. I tried feebly to resist as my arms and legs were roughly chained to the cold stone beneath me. All the resistance got me was another blow to the head from the monster that used to be my daughter. The world flashed white hot in pain briefly before going dark once more.
I was brought back to consciousness once more by the deep baritone sound of archaic words being intoned into the night. Ahriman stood at the head of the bier, hands spread wide in supplication as he recited the ritual that would end in my death. Firelight cast harsh shadows across his features as he spoke, giving a mad, evil cast to his features. I could feel his power gathering around us causing my skin to tingle as if I were hooked up to an electric charge.
On the bier next to me, stood Emily. She was dressed in a ceremonial robe of her own now. Orange and amber firelight reflected off of its shiny surface, making her seem to almost glow.
She held a large wicked looking dagger with both hands held high over her head, in preparation for plunging the jagged blade into my heart.
Ahriman’s chant began raising in volume to a crescendo as I struggled in vain to free myself from the chains around my hands and feet . “Ereshkigal, nodanu I emuq a MITU!” he shouted thunderously as his eyes met Emily’s with a short nod.
Emily’s blood red eyes flashed down to meet mine in savage glee as the dagger descended with blurring speed towards my chest. My hands strained against their bonds in an effort to block the lethal strike. A sound like someone hitting a side of beef with a sledgehammer cracked through the ai,r and Emily’s coiled form was abruptly replaced by a crouched form in black leather with auburn hair flying wildly about her.
Siobhan was in her full vampire form. I got a brief glimpse of crimson eyes and two inch, needle sharp fangs set into the demonic visage of her inner beast. As abruptly as she appeared, she was gone. Another meaty impact was followed by a baritone shout of pain that sounded suspiciously like Siobhan trying to put her fist through Ahriman’s chest.
The next instant she was back by my side, using her bare hands to break the shackles that held my wrists. “Took you long enough.” I choked out as first one wrist; then the other were wrenched from of their restraints.
“I had to wait for him to be in the throws of his ritual before I acted.” She said as she headed down to free my ankles. “Otherwise he’d have sensed my presence.”
“My team? I muttered, sitting up as my right leg came free. Or short way off, I could see Emily’s crumpled form amidst the rubble of a shattered headstone.
“They continue to fight on valiantly to reach you, but they are hard pressed. My people join in the fight even as we speak.” She replied, heading towards the chains on my left ankle.
Her movement was halted suddenly, as an overwhelming power saturated the night. Ahriman stood tall once more. “You fool!” He said with utter contempt. “Did you think to beat me so easily?”
A vicious smile spread across his lips as Siobhan stared at him in horror, frozen in place...helpless. “I do have to thank you for the reinforcements, however, my dear.” He said. “The minions I had summoned to repel this human’s companions, seem to be unable to accomplish the task. It will be an easy thing to finish them off now that you have brought me so much help.”
Siobhan moaned and dropped to her knees as I felt Ahriman’s power ratchet up once more. Instinctively I reached out to connect with her once more.
The pressure being put on Siobhan’s formidable defenses was crushing. It was taking everything she had, simply to keep him at bay. Even at that, her shield was slowly deforming under the onslaught. I pushed all the power I had through our bond, and Siobhan began to fight back.
Ahriman’s features drew down in consternation as Siobhan began to push back. Her mental shield firmed back up, and she stood up from her kneeling position, hands raised towards him as if she could physically push back his power.
I could feel the blanket of power that Ahriman cast around the cemetery begin to falter and recede back toward him as he was forced to focus more and more power into the fight with Siobhan. Leaning forward, I reached into my thigh pocket and pulled out the little MP5 pistol, raising it to put the sights on Ahriman’s chest. I was way to shaky to try a head shot.
My finger started to squeeze the trigger when a hiss sounded from the darkness. Emily’s leaping form came into the firelight. Her hands were stretched out in front of her, forming themselves into claws. Her mouth was distended unnaturally giving free reign to her fangs to bite and rend. The smudged and torn robe she wore, nevertheless glowed amber in the firelight as she flew towards me.
I saw all this in an instant as my sights centered on her and the pistol bucked in my hand with two sharp explo
sions. My aim was good enough; both shots took her in the chest. One silver bullet transfixed her heart. The pain I felt in my own heart as her limp body crashed at the foot of the bier, felt even worse.
I couldn’t let myself dwell on it, however, as the battle between Siobhan and Ahriman continued. Ahriman had the advantage once more as the attack by Emily had broken my concentration. I tried in vain to push power at Siobhan, but I had nothing left. The night of pain and the constant battle had tapped my reserves.
There was only one thing left to do. I raised the .45 in my hand and put my last four bullets into Ahriman’s chest. He staggered back as the bullets impacted his sternum and ribcage, coming to rest against a headstone. Then he stood back up, smiling. “I admire your tenacity, human but I am beyond death. I am beyo...” His words were cut off, literally, as the silvered blade of a battle axe whistled through the night and impacted with brutal strength against Ahriman’s neck. The head tumbled into the night as the rest of the body crumbled to dust.
I stared in shock for a moment. Part of me kept expecting Ahriman to coalesce before me and resume the fight. Instead, an immense form stepped through the swirling dust of Ahriman’s remains. He was battered and bloody. He had a limp that said he was going to need some medical attention and his brutish face may have been the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Petey looked at me and slowly winked. “I got your back boss.” He said with a smile.
I hopped off the bier to go check on people. Or at least I tried to. In all the action, I’d forgotten that I still had one leg chained to the damned thing. The resulting demonstration in the laws of physics left me sprawled on by back beside the bier, one leg hanging awkwardly above me.
“Smooth,” said a female voice above me and I looked up to see Siobhan smiling down at me sardonically.
“A little help here?” I asked plaintively, gesturing up at my ankle.
Siobhan’s grin remained as she walked over and casually used her superhuman strength to pry open the shackle. The smile faltered and turned to an expression of profound sadness as she took in the sight of Emily’s crumpled form lying at the foot of the bier. “Oh Dale, I..I’m so sorry,” she said as a trembling hand came to her lips.
I stood up slowly, staring at my daughter as her body came into view behind the huge chunk of granite. Shooting the heart of a vampire with a silver bullet can stop them for awhile, but it doesn’t kill them. For that, you had to take the head.
Standing to my full height, I held out my hand to Petey as he came up beside me. “No boss.” He said reluctantly. “Let me take care of her. No father should have to do this.”
“Let him handle it,” Siobhan said softly. “This is too much for anyone.”
“I can’t,” I said through trembling lips as I tried to keep my composure. “I have to do it myself,” I said in a hoarse whisper.
“But, why?” Petey asked innocently as a tear ran down his boyish face.
“Because I couldn’t forgive the person who did it,” I said as the hand I continued to hold out to Petey started to tremble.
Our gazes are locked in a moment of understanding and Petey slowly handed me his axe. Siobhan stepped out of the way. Blood red tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. As I moved to Emily’s side, the rest of the Dreadnoughts slipped silently out of the darkness to stand silently beside me. They were battered and bleeding, every one of them. Lori wept openly, her sniper rifle hanging limply from her shoulder.
In her unconscious state, Emily’s features had returned to that of an innocent little girl. I studied her face hard, etching into my memory for eternity, her angelic face. It was all I had left.
The axe rose and fell burying itself deeply into the ground as my little angel turned to dust.
Epilogue
Thanks, in large part, to Siobhan and her people, my Dreadnoughts and I had survived. The Dreadnoughts had been cornered against the fence that surrounded the cemetery. Running low on ammo, they’d hunkered down behind the shield wall, and used blades and the occasional well-aimed pistol shot, to keep the horde at bay. That’s where Siobhan’s people found them. Zombies are no match against vampires. The bite that turns humans into zombies has no effect at all against those who are already dead.
The vampires dared not get any closer to Ahriman than they had already, however. They felt his compulsion even at the edge of his range. A couple of the younger vamps had to be restrained by their elders so that they didn’t start attacking the Dreadnoughts themselves.
That left it up to my boys and girls to come to the rescue. They’d spread out to come at it from all angles and either by God’s will or blind luck; Petey got there in time.
It was Siobhan herself that kept me going after the axe fell. Through our bond, she managed to keep the pieces of my shattered soul together as I rocked back and forth silently in her arms. It’s in too many pieces to ever go back to what it was before, but with her help, at least it’ll have a chance to heal, a little anyway. It doesn’t really feel like it right now, though. I don’t want to talk about it.
As we trudged slowly back to the entrance of the cemetery, Lori came up beside me. She was still crying. “Dale,” she choked out. “I’m s...sorry.” Her shoulders started to shake as sobs started wracking her body.
I stopped where I was and enfolded her in a tight embrace. “You have nothing to apologize for,” I said in puzzlement. “What’s wrong?”
“I missed the shot.” She sobbed into my chest. “O...On Emily. Because of me, you had to...end it yourself.
I tightened my grip and stroked her hair, trying to ease the pain. You’re the only person on earth I could allow to take those shots other than myself, and you saved me from having both of their existences on my conscious. You did good, Lori. I wouldn’t be alive without you.”
We stayed that way for a couple more moments before Lori disengaged and wiped her nose. “Thanks, boss,” she said with a watery smile, and we turned to catch up with the group.
Alex was waiting by the entrance for us with a look of profound relief on his face as he saw that everyone who went in, came out. He walked over to me with an outstretched hand. “Is it...over?” He asked anxiously.
I nodded but was unable to talk suddenly. He looked into my eyes. I’m not sure what he saw, but his other hand came up to squeeze my shoulder briefly before stepping back. “We’ll go clean up the mess,” he said, after clearing his throat self-consciously. “Go get some sleep or something.”
“Thanks,” I said, turning to face my Dreadnoughts. “Drinks are on me, boys and girls,” I said as I put my arm around Siobhan’s shoulders. “We have a lot of celebrating and mourning to do.” I finished with a catch in my throat. That’s the life of we few who stalk the night.
++++
A shadow, lost amongst shadows, slipped silently between headstones, hiding from the light of the flashlights that played over the scene of his defeat. The local authorities were cleaning up the mess. Here and there the corpses of his children could be seen in the harsh light. Seen, that is if Ahriman still had eyes. That ability, along with all his other abilities had been robbed from him once more.
He still existed, however. No mere weapon of man could take that away from him. Long ago, he’d mastered the abilities of the Lich. So long as his soul stayed safely in its hidden reliquary, he would continue to exist and plot his revenge.
The end
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I like to talk with everybody and I’ll do my best to talk to you.
Art DeForest
Books by Art DeForest
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I Love the Shadows
Stalking the Shadows
Savage Shadows
Kaitlyn Strong, Books 1-3
Light and shadows
Hunter
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Hunter’s Game
Hunter’s Chase
Hunter’s Vengeance
Hunter’s Home, Books 1-3
