First Semester

by Jace Mitchell

  My first one. My first kill of these evil things.

  The lead vampire fell, landing with a thud on the floor, the stake wobbling in his chest.

  “Come on, there are more.” Dean Pritcham grabbed Claire’s shoulder, breaking the dead vampire’s spell over her.

  Claire whirled in time to see Jack’s crossbow bolt miss his target by mere inches. Claire immediately saw the problem—her group was fighting with their backs to Jack, meaning he had to miss them before hitting the vampires.

  Claire found Marissa next.

  The girl was retreating fast, the vampire slashing and hissing at her. Marissa tried to parry a blow with her stake, but the vampire slapped it to the ground and sent it skidding across the floor. Marissa was fast, if not as fast as Claire, and she reached for her second stake, but the vampire grabbed her wrist.

  “Time’s up,” he hissed.

  No, it’s not! Claire’s mind screamed. Her feet carried her across the floor as if she were floating.

  The vampire leaned forward to bite. Marissa was paralyzed with fear, her eyes large as she watched the fangs come for her neck.

  Claire leapt onto the creature’s back, not knowing what else to do. She hadn’t even considered her stake. She’d only been concerned with stopping the vampire. She wrapped her arm around his neck, trying to choke him.

  The vampire reached up and grasped her forearm in his iron grip.

  He yanked Claire forward, pulling her over his head. Claire groaned as her body slammed to the floor. Stars danced over her vision as pain bloomed across her body.

  Marissa suddenly appeared above her. The vampire had her by the hair and stared down with a sick grin.

  “You killed one of us,” he said. “Now you’ll watch me kill one of you.”

  He wrenched Marissa’s head back, revealing her neck. Claire stared, the wind knocked from her lungs, barely able to make noise. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t t help her friend.

  “Lass, hit it!” Frank’s voice boomed across the lobby.

  Claire’s eyes narrowed. She knew what he meant. She now knew why he’d slipped out behind her.

  God bless that little green bastard, she thought, hoping she wasn’t too late.

  Her hand shot into her pocket, and she pressed the remote’s button.

  Light flashed out from three different corners of the room. It was so bright, it felt like actual stars were burning inside the hall. Claire had to squint to see, but her ears worked just fine.

  She didn’t hear the light, but rather its effects.

  The vampires’ screams echoed off the high ceiling. The one holding Marissa dropped her immediately and wrapped his arms around his face as his skin burned worse than it would have with holy water.

  Claire rolled over and tried to climb to her feet. The four remaining vampires were retreating, trying to find the door or a window they could shatter to escape through.

  “I don’t think so.” Jack stepped up next to Claire and aimed the crossbow. He let a wooden stake fly, and it landed in its target.

  The vampire stopped retreating and fell to the floor. The bolt’s impact caused him to slide three feet before he finally came to a stop.

  Jack reloaded quickly and pulled the trigger again. Another vampire dropped to the ground. “You idiots should have just let me shoot them all. I’m twice as good as any of you.”

  Claire was on one knee now and looking at the two remaining vampires. One was a male, one a female. Neither had any idea what was happening around them. They couldn’t handle the light now shining—ultra-powerful UV radiation lamps.

  “We need to capture one,” Claire croaked.

  Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Huh?”

  “Can’t kill them all. We need to get information.” She nodded at Remington and Lance, who were slowly circling the two remaining creatures.

  They appeared to have had the same idea as Claire. They were trying to figure out some way to capture one of the burning vampires.

  “I got ‘em.” Jack looked down the crossbow’s scope and pulled the trigger. The female vampire hit the ground. He glanced at Claire and winked. “Watch this freakin’ skill.” He loaded the crossbow with another stake from his belt and let it fly, and it hit the last vampire’s leg, dropping him to the floor. He loaded again and hit the other leg.

  Damn, he’s good with that thing, Claire thought.

  The vampire was on the ground, burning alive with smoke fluttering into the air around him.

  “Got ‘em.” Jack lowered the crossbow and reached down to offer Claire a hand. He pulled her to her feet as Remington and Lance fell on the injured vampire.

  Frank waddled over to the group of three, Dean Pritcham joining them as they watched the two FBI agents subdue the screaming creature.

  “I kind of feel bad for him,” Marissa admitted.

  Frank looked up at her. “Pretty, but not many brains.” He shook his head. “One of them almost drank from yer neck, lass. No pity for the wicked.”

  “Come on, you lazy bastards. Let’s go help them.” Jack walked forward, neither injured nor out of breath.

  Claire looked at Marissa, blood dripping from her hand. “Must have been nice to sit back there and watch us do all the freakin’ work.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The room in front of Hannah appeared to be full of electricity. Or rather, a wall of electricity stood in front of her and her two compatriots.

  A single light bulb glowed overhead, although it was unnecessary now. The electrical wall in front of her shone brighter than the bulb could. Hannah’s eyes glowed with the wall’s reflection, and she paid no attention to the other two in the room. She was only concerned with the wall.

  With the Veil.

  A black globe sat on a small table to her left. It hummed with energy, but Hannah hardly heard it. As long as it kept working, everything she wanted would be right in front of her. There were other ways to summon creatures from across the Veil, but none were as sophisticated as the globe.

  The electricity crackled, which it made the fine hairs on her arms rise.

  Come, she thought. Come through and help us end this.

  Matthew dropped to his knees, folding his hands as if in prayer.

  Bradley remained standing on the other side of Matthew, his fat body sweating as if he were on a treadmill. His pits were stained dark, and he had a wet ring around the collar of his black shirt.

  The electrical wall picked up in intensity, and the black globe’s hum grew louder. It was searching for the being they’d programmed into it. Looking for Dracula, a creature who should only exist in myth, but who was alive in the world beyond the Veil.

  The light grew brighter. Hannah squinted but didn’t dare cover her eyes with her hand. She didn’t want to miss this. They’d worked so hard.

  The wall of electricity was no more than a foot thick. It sliced through the middle of the room. It flashed, turning completely to gray static. No one could see through it for a moment, and then it was gone.

  Vanished.

  In its place stood a creature of singular magnificence. He didn’t look like the vampire who had come before him, the one called David. This creature was older, both in looks and in aura. His hair was black and sleek against his skull. He wore a cape, as he did in the myths. His clothes were black, resembling the same suit he would have worn in his castle before Van Helsing rained hell on him.

  “Where...is this?” the creature asked in a heavy European accent. He sounded nearly like the Count from Sesame Street. “Who are you?”

  Hannah dropped to her knees as Matthew had already done. It took Bradley a bit longer, his gut getting in the way of him reaching the floor.

  “This is Earth, and we’re here to serve you, master,” Hannah intoned with her head bowed. “We called you here to serve you.”

  “It’s you the rumors speak of? The reason my vassals are disappearing?” Dracula didn’t move but stood staring at his three minions wit
h an eyebrow raised. “It’s not only my kind who have been called, but others as well. Many, many others.”

  Hannah raised her head slightly but didn’t meet the vampire’s eyes. “There are a lot of things happening between our world and yours, but we, us three, called you specifically. We’ve been looking for you for years.”

  “For years?”

  Hannah nodded. “Yes. This effort has been long in the making, and we are your loyal servants. We will do as you bid, and all we ask is that when the world is remade in your image, you hold us next to you.”

  “Hmmm....” The vampire walked to the table on his right and looked down at the now-silent globe. “And the others not like me that were brought here? Do they serve the same purpose?”

  “Yes, but not with us. We are here to serve you,” Bradley blubbered, sounding like he couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

  Dracula turned his head slowly and looked at Hannah’s partner. “You’re a plump one, aren’t you?”

  A small laugh burst from Hannah’s lips, and she was unable to stop it. Bradley was a disgusting blob who she tolerated because he believed the same as her. Matthew? Even worse, but in personality and not looks.

  “Why should I not drink all of your blood and simply go on my way?” the vampire asked.

  “You need us.” Hannah nodded quickly, hoping to assure this creature of the truth before he ended their lives. “You need humans to help you move around in the world, at least in the beginning.”

  Dracula turned completely toward them. “True, I don’t understand this place. Perhaps you can live until I do. You’ve brought others over here, others like me. Some were even my children. Where are they?”

  “Some are still here, master.” Hannah lowered her head further. “Some were killed last night.”

  “Killed?” the vampire hissed. “Did you fools somehow bring that dastardly Van Helsing over? Is he chasing me again?”

  “No-no-no,” Matthew stammered. “He’s still on your side as far as we know. These are humans that killed them. Humans from Earth. We were-were-were—”

  “Hush!” Dracula commanded. He slowly walked to the three, stopping just in front of them. “Van Helsing isn’t here?”

  Hannah stared at his black shoes, shiny beneath the yellow light above. She wanted to bash Matthew’s head through the floor. He always sounded so weak.

  “No,” she answered before the stammering idiot Matthew had a chance. “These are humans who have learned about our presence. We tried to preemptively kill them, but we learned early this morning that they killed some of your kind.”

  The vampire was quiet for a second, and Hannah didn’t dare look up to see his face. She didn’t want those eyes to fall on her, freezing her. This was who they’d been searching for, and now that he was in front of them, she felt his power in full.

  “They’re just kids, master,” Bradley babbled from the other side of Matthew.

  “Kids?” Dracula asked.

  Bradley nodded. “Teenagers. Nothing more.”

  The vampire started laughing. It was a deep yet raspy thing. It went on for a few moments and then finally died away. “Children... Children are killing my kind?”

  Hannah didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to affirm the answer and end up with two holes in her neck.

  Dracula stepped away, his heels clicking softly on the concrete floor as he did.

  He walked around behind the three kneeling worshippers, which made Hannah even more nervous. She couldn’t see him. She didn’t know what he was doing.

  “Where are we?” Dracula asked.

  “A city called Boston, in the United States. We’re underground,” Hannah answered. “In abandoned subways.”

  “That’s smart. Perhaps you are all not complete idiots after all.” The vampire chuckled. “No matter about these children. I will vanquish them. Rise, and go bring me my kind. We will prepare for this battle, and then I’ll do what I should have done with Van Helsing.”

  Hannah closed her eyes and sighed softly. This creature wasn’t anything to mess with. She heard Matthew whimper quietly.

  Is he going to piss himself? she wondered and smiled inwardly. Maybe Dracula will get tired of his weakness, and then I won’t have to deal with it anymore.

  Claire, Melissa, and Jack were still in the lobby they’d used for the fight. Twelve hours had passed, and the three of them were still exhausted. It had taken a few hours for their nerves to allow them to sleep, but eventually they had.

  Frank waddled into the room, his voice slashing through the silence. “Time to wake up, lazies.”

  Claire groaned, rolling over on the couch she was using. “Go away, Frank.”

  “What’s the saying you have here? No rest for the weary? Well, that’s the truth, lass,” Frank grabbed Claire’s feet and yanked them off the couch, causing her to either sit up or fall off.

  “Damn it, Frank.” She flipped up on the couch, drowsily rubbing her eyes. Her arm was bandaged from where the vampire had cut her. “What are you doing? We’re trying to sleep.”

  The leprechaun stood in front of her, an amber beer in his right hand.

  “Where did you get that?” Jack asked from across the room. He slowly sat up, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees.

  Frank turned partly around and raised the glass to him. “If you look hard enough, lad, you can find anything. Just need a little faith, persistence, and luck.” He took a sip, then turned back to Claire. “They’ve gotten some information out of the vamp. That’s why you gotta wake up. There’s more work to do.”

  Jack groaned loudly, his voice echoing across the room. “These people are slave drivers. They don’t stop. Just go, go, go.” He rubbed his eyes with his palms but didn’t stand up.

  Claire looked at the third couch, where Marissa was waking up. “How are you feeling?”

  Marissa sat up, looking the most disheveled Claire had ever seen her. “My scalp hurts like hell, and so does my arm. But I’m all right.”

  “She complains about her arm,” Jack grumbled. “I’m the one with stitches.” He stood up and stretched, giving another groan as he did. “Just kidding, Sissy. You did a good job. You both did. I did the best job, but that’s to be expected. I’m a guy.”

  Marissa raised an eyebrow. “Sissy?”

  Jack shrugged. “Seems to fit on multiple levels. You’re as scared as anyone I’ve ever met, and you’re becoming like a sister to me. Plus, ‘Marissa’ has too many syllables.”

  “You’re a Jack-ass.” Claire stood up too. “I’m not even going to dignify the chauvinistic comment with a response. Just know if it wasn’t for us, you’d be a corpse right now.”

  “Or walking around looking for something to suck,” Frank added with a mischievous grin. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

  Jack and Marissa walked toward Claire to form a half-circle in front of Frank. “Where are Remington and Lance?”

  Frank took a step back. “They just finished with the vamp. They’re coming upstairs now.”

  “Did they kill it?” Marissa asked.

  “Frank didn’t ask, and they didn’t tell. I asked where beer was, then did my part to relieve this establishment of such a valuable substance. If people were to know about the stores of alcohol in this place, it could quickly become a target for scoundrels and thieves.” Frank winked at Claire. “That we don’t want.” He drained the remainder of the beer and belched. “All right, lad and lasses, Frank needs more beer.”

  “Your liver is going to give out on you,” Marissa told him. She looked at Claire. “You let him drink like this, and he’s your best friend?”

  Frank raised a finger. “First, I don’t like this lass. She’s rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. I deal with only the highest class of people. Second, how do you know leprechauns even have livers?”

  Marissa opened her mouth to say something but paused. She grinned. “Do you?”

  “We could always dissect him
to find out.” Claire jarred Frank lightly with her elbow. “Okay, where are the alphabet boys?”

  “Alphabet boys?” Frank asked with a confused look.

  Claire rolled her eyes. “You don’t know everything, little green man. FBI, FBI, NSA. The alphabet boys. Where are they?”

  “This way, lass.” Frank started walking and called back over his shoulder. “You see why I don’t like her? She’s always got something smart to say.”

  “Only because she’s smart!” Marissa called.

  “She wishes,” Frank retorted with a chuckle.

  Claire smiled, and the group of three followed Frank out of the lobby. The vampire bodies had all been removed. Besides the weapons and huge lights, the place looked as if nothing had happened at all.

  “You both feel okay?” Marissa whispered, slowing down to let Frank get farther ahead.

  “What do you mean?” Jack asked.

  Marissa frowned. “I mean, with what we did. We killed those things last night, and now one of them might be being tortured.”

  “It’s most definitely being tortured!” Frank clarified cheerfully.

  “You heard me?” Marissa asked.

  Frank nodded without turning around. “Of course. Leprechauns are better at everything than humans.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Claire patted Marissa’s hand. “He’s good people. No, I don’t feel bad about it. Do you?”

  “I don’t know what to feel,” Marissa answered.

  Jack took hold of Marissa’s hand and pulled her to a stop. He looked Marissa right in her eyes. “No. I don’t feel sorry for those creatures at all. First, I’m not even sure how real they are. It’s a mind-fuck to think about, considering whether they exist, what they know, where they came from if not from our freakin’ heads. So I don’t know if they’re real like you and I are, or if they’re just smoke and mirrors. Second, what I do know is my arm has a scar on it, and while I think it’s going to be a good story to pick up chicks in the future, I know that thing was trying to kill me. Those things last night? They would have laid waste to every one of us if they’d been able to without a second thought. They’re evil, and they’re invading my fucking world.”