Crimson Thirst (The Huntress Bane Book 2)

by Derek Shupert

  Mathesis was big on classical music. He’d play it frequently when he was in a good mood. My muscles would stiffen and heart would race. It’s a shame, really. Some might find the music nice and soothing. Not for me, though. The pale demon robbed me of yet another joyous gift that life offers.

  Lucian approaches the doors with cautious footing. He creeps up to the seam and grabs the edge of the door. He slowly pulls it toward him. The hinges creak and pop. He pokes his head inside the massive garage.

  “Trevor, you in here, bud?”

  Just the subtle sound of music plays.

  I stay behind Lucian. My hand wants to go for the kukri, but I refrain. The memories the music is drumming up has me jumpy.

  Lucian doesn’t draw his sword, so I don’t retrieve my blade.

  “You’re sure he’s here, right?” I ask.

  Lucian pulls his head out from the building and nods. “He should be. When he’s here, the lights are on and the music is playing.” Lucian opens the door a hair further and heads inside.

  I follow him in. I pull the door to and walk up next to Lucian. He cranes his neck to the left, then the right as he tries to look over the cars that are up on blocks. He looks toward the rear of the building at a large, steel workbench that spans the periphery of the back wall. It stops just shy of another set of large double doors that’s set off to its right. I wonder where that leads to? Numerous lights, that are mounted over the workbench, bring to life the various tool and vehicle parts that lay scattered over the top.

  “He could be under one of the vehicles,” Lucian says. “When he gets working, it’s like he’s in his own little world.”

  Lucian heads down between the set of vehicles. I move off to the right, and in the direction of a few doorways that line the wall. Even though I haven’t drawn my kukri, my hand remains but a scant inch away from the leather-wrapped handle. There is so much junk in here, with numerous places for a person to hide, that it keeps me on edge.

  Given Trevor’s proclivity to be skittish of all things, per Lucian, I highly doubt that a vampire would’ve been able to cross the threshold into his workplace. That is, unless it managed to tap into his thoughts and convince him otherwise. They can be devious like that. A cerebral assassin. That’s just one of the many weapons at their disposal. Weak-minded individuals are the most susceptible to the demons’ influence.

  The music continues to play in the background, low and subtle, as we sweep the garage. The smell of oil, and a pungent musty scent, fills my nose, causing it to crinkle. I pass by a gunmetal gray shelving unit that is littered with engine parts. They lay scattered over the shelves in heaps of chaos and disorder. Not sure how anyone could keep track of anything in such disarray.

  To my right are the skeletal remains of two motorcycles that have been stripped down. The seats are missing from both. The engine compartment has been ripped open and pilfered for anything of value. They rest on deflated, bald tires, and lean against the wall. My fingers glide over the steel frame. It has been ages since I have ridden one. I’d take one these over any four-wheeled vehicle any day.

  Some movement from one of the rooms off to my right catches my attention. It’s subtle, but enough to let me know something is in there.

  I shift my gaze from the bikes to the two rooms near me. The one closest is sealed, while the other has its dingy off-white door cracked open. No light is visible from either. Nothing but blackness bleeds out from any narrow space around their frames. My gaze shifts over to Lucian, but he’s nowhere in sight. With the abundance of steel and clutter about the space, it’s made it difficult to watch him.

  I approach the sealed door first. I grasp the brass knob that has its finish coming off. I test it first, slowly working it from left to right. It’s locked. I stand there a moment longer, listening for the disturbance once more before moving on to the next room.

  There it is again. I train my ear, and hone in on the noise. It almost sounds like something scratching.

  Lucian hasn’t mentioned the strange noise. I imagine my elevated hearing might be why I can pinpoint this mysterious sound over the rhythmic beat of the speakers pumping out the music.

  A brief notion gels inside my head, which stops me from advancing. It could be a vampire hiding; waiting until everything has calmed down. We don’t know how many infiltrated the city, and there could be stragglers that haven’t been found yet. On the other hand, it could be nothing more than some small rodent.

  Fuck it.

  I proceed to the door that’s askew. My hand moves down further, fingers snaking along the handle of my kukri. My back stays close to the shelving unit. I make sure not to bump into any of the parts that are protruding from the edges of the shelves.

  The scratching noise persists.

  I reach out, palm facing the grungy wood grain. Two more careful steps and my flesh makes contact. Fingers rest on the cracked and peeling painted surface. I apply pressure.

  “That’s weird,” Lucian shouts over the vehicle to my left. I pause, and train my attention over to him. “He’s got his tools still under this hunk of junk. Hell, his light is still turned on that’s latched under the carriage. He should be here. He wouldn’t just leave his things out like that and the main entrance open.”

  The door explodes open. Before I have a chance to react, something darts out of the dark room and drives me back to the rusted frame of the vehicle that is up on blocks. My back slams into the passenger side door with a hard thump.

  “Amanda!” Lucian shouts.

  My hand rips the kukri free from its sheath. I bring the blade above my head as I wrestle with the large, fury animal. It happened so fast that it didn’t register that it is nothing more than a German Sheppard.

  Lucian barrels around the front of the vehicle with his sword clutched in his hand. The aggressive dog growls and tries to latch onto my arm. I grab a handful of its fur, and push it back. Its sharp teeth snap at me as its claws scrape down the side of the vehicle I’m pinned against.

  A thunderous explosion rings out. I jump. The dog backs away.

  “Don’t either of you move a single muscle, or old thunder maker here is going to fill you full of blessed buckshot,” a raspy voice barks. “Killer, come here, boy.”

  A man stands near a workbench against the wall as thin trails of smoke escape both barrels of his shotgun. He pats his upper thigh once. The dog huffs through his snout, then turns toward the burly looking man. He trots over to him. He turns about and sits down on his hind legs.

  The man keeps the sawed-off shotgun trained in our direction. He shifts the barrel between me and Lucian. His tongue dances over the ridges within his lips, his narrowed eyes looming in my direction as he pants. His free hand is wrapped around a necklace that dangles just above his stained and soiled white tank top. He brings it up and gives it a kiss.

  Lucian takes a step forward. The barrel of the shotgun bares down on him as the dog growls and barks.

  “Heel, Killer!” the man commands. “I’ll let you rip these damn vamps apart here shortly.”

  I lower my arm, which brings the weapon’s aim back to me.

  “Oh, please just give me a damn reason, honey.”

  I glance over to Lucian and give him a pithy stare. This guy better be quick on the draw, because he’ll only get one shot to take me down. “You better defuse this before I do.” My lips are terse, and brow furrowed. I’m done messing with this guy. His night is about to get worse if he doesn’t train that damn gun someplace else.

  Lucian moves his sword down to his side. He places his hand on his chest. “Trevor, it’s me. Lucian. We’re not vampires.”

  Trevor looks from me to Lucian.

  “All right, but how do I know that you two haven’t been bitten, or this isn’t some mind trickery? Those damn bloodsuckers were running around the streets last I heard. Shit. They could’ve bitten both of you for all I know, or you could be messing with my head.”

  Lucian secures his sword in the scabbard t
hat is attached to his back. He grabs the top of his collar and displays his neck for him.

  “See. No bites. No blood.”

  Trevor shifts his unsure gaze over to me.

  For fuck sake.

  I reach up and pull the collar down from around my neck. I offer a curt smile before releasing the garment.

  “There. You happy? Now point that damn shotgun away from me before you regret it.”

  Trevor takes a few seconds before he decides to lower the weapon.

  Both Lucian and I expel a breath of relief. I didn’t want to kill this guy, but he was damn close to receiving an ass beating for sure.

  I slip the kukri back into its sheath. Since Lucian doesn’t find this guy to be a threat, then I guess I’ll play along.

  Trevor glances to the doors at the front of the building.

  “Are those things still out there? I haven’t heard anything else to the contrary.”

  Lucian shakes his head.

  “From what we can see, they’ve all been dealt with.”

  Trevor’s greasy fingertips glide through the dog’s black and brown coat. He shakes his head and squints. He runs his hand up and down his aged face, then up and back through his brown and gray slicked-back hair.

  “Sorry about all that, Lucian. I haven’t been feeling well here as of late, and decided to go lay down for a spell. Damn headaches and bad dreams not letting me get a wink of sleep most nights. If those damn demons would just die already, I figure I could probably relax a bit and not be so jittery.”

  I notice the slight tremble in his hands. It appears involuntary. His eyes are puffy, with pronounced bluish-black bags under both.

  “Sorry to hear that. Looks like it’s gotten progressively worse since the last time we spoke.” Lucian takes a few more steps forward, which draws a subtle growl from the German Shepard. “New dog?”

  Trevor pats the side of the dog’s head gently. Then kneads the crown of his head. “Yeah. He kind of wandered in here one day off the street. Didn’t have a tag or anything. I figured, what the hell. Might be nice to have a friend around this place. That, and it might give me some peace of mind when I’m sleeping. You can never be too careful with those vamps. They are some slippery sons of bitches.” He looks over to me. This time, though, his posture isn’t as stern and rigid as before. “Who’s your friend?”

  Lucian turns toward me and holds out his arm. “This is Amanda.”

  Trevor holds up his hand and offers me a weary half smile. Now that he isn’t so manic, the tiredness he’s battling through becomes evident in his long, worn face.

  “Nice to meet you, Amanda. I would shake your hand, but mine are still covered in grease. Haven’t had a chance to clean up proper yet.”

  I offer a subtle smile back.

  “No worries. I understand.”

  I’m glad this volatile situation has been diffused. Getting a set of wheels is paramount at the moment. Setting out on foot across the wastelands isn’t going to be a good use of what little time we have.

  “Sorry about just dropping in on you out of the blue like this,” Lucian says. “I know it’s late and all, but last I remember you were always a workaholic that couldn’t sit idle for more than a few minutes.”

  A slight chuckle escapes Trevor’s lips.

  “I am that. Remember what the good book says: Idle hands are the devil’s playground. He’s going to have an uphill battle with me. Besides, who the hell is going to maintain and fix all these scrap heaps I’ve got in here and out back? Not too many folks around that know about keeping an engine firing on all cylinders properly. Probably why the council keeps me where I am. I imagine if they had some other more qualified younger people to do it, they’d shove me in some out of the way place.” A look of sadness washes over him. He peers down to Killer and rubs the top of his head. “I have been known to sound the vampire alarm a time a two, which didn’t go over too well with the guards, or the council for that matter. After a while, it kind of puts you on their shit list.”

  Listening to Trevor speak makes me sort of feel bad about wanting to hurt this guy. He’s visibly in a tough place, both physically and mentally. Who knows what all he’s seen and been through to make him respond in such an aggressive way?

  “Well, you do know your stuff. That’s for sure,” Lucian says.

  Trevor dismisses the notion with a wave of his hand.

  “Oh, you’re just trying to make this old grease monkey feel better. It’s appreciated, though.” He places the shotgun down onto one of the shelves that’s off to his right. “Anyway, what has the both of you coming to my shop in the dead of the night? Not sure I trust being out on those streets just yet. Not until daylight breaks anyway. Even without this recent attack, I’m still leery of those dark alleyways and areas of the city that aren’t overly populated.”

  Lucian glances to me.

  “We actually need a vehicle. Whatever you might have that’s running and in decent enough shape to traverse the wastelands would do.”

  Trevor chuckles a bit. The wrinkles on his face become more apparent. He half smiles and shakes his head.

  “I can’t remember the last time I had someone come into my shop acting like they were shopping for a car.” Trevor walks toward me with Killer by his side. He pats on top of the rusted car’s roof behind me. “Most times, I just get stuff working and leave the vehicles out back for the guards and anyone else who brings their car to me to fix.”

  Lucian nods toward the area behind the garage. “So, any vehicle back there is something that someone has brought in to get fixed up?”

  Trevor continues to knead Killer’s head. The dog tilts his head back and licks the ends of Trevor’s fingers. “Pretty much. Anything that I have that’s just laying around is used for scraps to fix up other vehicles.”

  I crane my neck subtly over Trevor’s right shoulder at the motorcycle that sits in the corner.

  “Do you have a rig out back that was brought in earlier today?” Lucian inquires.

  Trevor chews his bottom lip for a moment. “Come to think about it, there was a vehicle that was dropped off. I was told to use it for scraps or whatever. Guards told me it wouldn’t start, and that it was some raider rust bucket or something.”

  “Is there any way for us to get it back?” I inquire. “It was ours. We took it from a raiding party in the wastelands.”

  Trevor shakes his head. “I was given specific instruction that rig was to be given to the guards after I’ve gone through it and fixed it up. No exceptions.”

  This reaffirms what Lucian stated earlier when he informed me that the city confiscated it. Quinn, the head of the council, is pulling at my last good nerve. Just one of the many ways that he’s probably trying to keep me within the confines of the city without locking me up and tossing out the key. I imagine he doesn’t want to let his one shot at a possible cure to the vampire’s venom leave his walls.

  I scoff under my breath.

  To be honest, I didn’t care for that rusted tin can anyway. I’d rather have a bike, but if I can’t have my way, then that raider rig will be coming with me.

  I glance around his shop in search of another ride. “What do you have that isn’t claimed by someone out there. Do you have any motorcycles by chance?”

  Trevor notices me staring past him. He turns on his heels and peers back to the bike. “That right there is one that I’ve been picking off of for parts. I’ve got a few side projects out there that I’ve been toying with for the past few months. Trying to see if I can get them up and running. I’ve got two nearly ready. Just a few tweaks to the carburetor on one and the other just needs to be looked over one last time. Beyond that, I don’t have anything else in workable condition. Especially anything that I could just hand over to you, even if I wanted to.” The dirty ends of his fingers scratch at the scruff on his face. He looks over to the far wall of the garage as if he’s battling himself on what to do. “Listen, I’d love to help you and your friend out, Lucian, I r
eally would, but if I just hand over a rig to you, they would have my ass. I know this place isn’t much, but to me, it’s all I got left in this world.”

  Lucian sighs then nods. He doesn’t press the issue anymore, and I get why. Trevor seems like a well enough guy, despite his initial reaction to us being here. With the vampires attacking, I can understand why he did it.

  Me, on the other hand, I’m not going to leave without a set of wheels. I don’t want to have to resort to violence with this guy, but what is happening with the vampires demands a further probe into the matter. Ignoring it could have grave consequences not just for Black Fields, but the rest of the world.

  “Listen, I get the position that you’re in with the city. You’ve got a good thing going here, and you don’t want to mess it up. But let me ask you something, do you want another attack to happen like it did tonight?” I pose.

  Trevor shakes his head. “Lord, no. I don’t know anyone that would want such a dreadful thing to happen again, much less at all.”

  “I didn’t think so. Neither do I.” I glance to Lucian. “He doesn’t want it either. I’m going to be honest with you, Trevor, as I feel like I owe you as much. The vampires getting inside Black Fields isn’t just a weird occurrence that no one saw coming. They are planning something big, and they will be back to try again. Next time, though, I imagine their numbers will be much larger.”

  A look of horror floods his face. His mouth gapes open. He shifts his gaze from me to Lucian as if to validate my statement. Lucian offers a slight tilt of his head to confirm what I am saying.

  “How do you know that they’re planning a larger attack? Won’t the city’s defenses be able to stop them?” Trevor frightfully inquires.

  Defenses.

  I’m not overly sold on Black Fields being able to thwart a large attack from the demons.

  The real concern would be if they have sufficient stock of ammo for those automatic rifles they lug around. They’d need that to really make a difference. I imagine making such things now require a ton of resources, which to be honest, is pretty scarce nowadays. Ultimately, unless they have this so-called holy man blessing every round, then it would all be for not.