by P. T. Hylton
The Council stood up as she entered. Some of them wore timid expressions and others eyed her with defiance, but all of them were terrified. Maryana couldn’t help but smile. “I hear you are in charge of this city.”
One of the Councilmen stepped forward. “You’re correct. We’re the City Council. What do you want?”
Maryana grinned at him. “Your undying loyalty, for starters.”
Before anyone on the Council could respond, Maryana darted across the room. She tore into their necks one by one, savoring a single sip from each person before letting them fall to the floor.
A few minutes later the Council rose again in their new Twisted forms.
“That’s better.” Maryana said. “The hard part’s over. Now the fun can begin. But first, are there any other defenses I need to deal with? What’s my biggest threat?”
A Councilwoman replied immediately. “The GMT is arriving in their hangar at any moment. They’re coming to kill you.” She put a hand over her mouth as soon as the words were out, surprised she’d spoken.
Maryana rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s annoying. I thought my army on the ground would have tied them up a bit longer than this.” She yelled out to her soldiers waiting outside. “Go to the GMT’s hangar. I want the whole team captured and brought to me!”
The army of Twisted ran off as soon as she finished speaking.
Maryana turned back to the Council. “Someone, get me a radio. I need to talk to the rest of my shiny new badges.”
Jaden shut off the ship and the team quickly disembarked, their weapons locked and loaded. Brian stood waiting outside the ship, a tablet in his hand.
“Where is she?” Alex strode toward Brian, determination in her eyes.
“She’s in the City Council building. She took a bunch of the badges in there a few minutes ago.”
“Okay,” Alex said, her mind racing. “We are going to need to set up a perimeter around the building. I want the entrances and windows covered. Nobody gets out. Chuck, set up on the left side of the entrance. Ed, you take the right. Felix, find a high point in the next building over, and take a shot at any Twisted you see in the windows. Jaden and I will go to the front and try to draw her out.”
“What about the badges?” It was clear from the look in Felix’s eyes that he knew the answer to his question, but he needed to hear it from Alex.
“Right now, they are the enemy, same as Maryana. Kill anyone that isn’t human, the moment you see them.” Alex started toward the exit.
“Alex, stop!” Brian called after her. “They are coming this way, and fast.”
She trotted over and looked at the video feed. A group of at least a hundred badges sprinted through the streets. Brian touched the screen and the video switched to another street, this one showing a massive group of at least twice as many Twisted, running just as hard.
Jaden stared at the tablet over Brian’s shoulder. “How far away is that?”
“At that speed? Maybe two minutes.” Brian turned to one of the techs. “Put us on lockdown.”
Alex scanned the hangar. With all the time she’d spent in there, she’d never considered defending it from an army of vampires. On the plus side, there were only three points of entry, and the doors were steel. But she’d seen Twisted in action; she knew it wouldn’t take them long to get in.
She turned to her team. “Chuck, put a charge on each door. Fire it as soon as they break through. Everyone else, find cover and get ready for a fight.”
Jaden looked down at the monitor, then up at the room. He turned to Alex. “We can’t win against that many. Not here.”
Alex picked up a rifle. “I don’t see how we have much of a choice. Maryana didn’t let us pick the venue.” She strode toward a crate she could use for cover. “We’ve been in bad spots before, Jaden. Do your magic with those swords.”
Jaden stared at her. “Listen to me. Maryana’s army here is bigger than what she had on the surface. There is no backup. We cannot win this fight.”
Alex gritted her teeth, pushing down the fury rising within her. “What are you saying? I’m not going to let her win.”
Jaden strode toward her. When he reached her, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Remember what I told you? Retreating to Agartha was the toughest decision I’ve ever made. It was also the right one.” He looked deep into her eyes. “This is another one of those moments. We have to make a choice. One option is to die here, in a hopeless battle. The other is to retreat and find a way to beat her.”
Alex stared at the door, knowing the Twisted badges would arrive at any moment.
“You need to decide now,” Jaden said.
Every eye in the room was on her. She swallowed hard, staring at Jaden. “We can’t leave New Haven. We can’t let her have the city.”
“She already has it. And we’re not going to take it back without a solid plan.”
A loud bang echoed through the room, and a dent appeared in one of the doors. It was quickly followed by and second. And a third.
The GMT settled in, focusing their weapons at the doors. Alex watched them, knowing they were ready to face certain death. Not one of them had questioned her. They just prepared to fight to the end. Her eyes on her team, Alex made her decision.
“Everyone on the ship! Brian, get the support staff onboard. Team, set up a perimeter in case they get through before we take off. Jaden, I need you in that pilot’s seat, now.”
They sprang into action, no one second guessing the captain. Brian sprinted to the control room, dragging the technicians away from their stations and onto Jaden’s ship.
The banging continued, spreading away from the door and into the walls. A moment later, the first hole appeared in one of the walls. Hands with long, clawed fingers tore at the opening until one Twisted forced his way through. Alex put a bullet in his head as he dragged himself through the opening. The badges behind him pulled him back and another pushed through, widening the hole.
Alex scanned the hangar, confirming that everyone except the GMT was onboard. She looked at her team. “Let’s head out.”
The GMT continued firing as they retreated onto the ship. Two more holes appeared in the wall as Alex stepped through the cargo door.
“Hit it, Jaden!” Alex shouted.
The ship lurched forward and the team continued to fire through the open cargo door. A Twisted jumped toward them, and Alex shot him out of the air. In her peripheral, she saw Ed throw two grenades into the hangar. The ship sped forward through the hangar bay door as the explosions went off. Alex lost her balance and started to fall forward, but Felix grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back into the hold. Chuck slammed the button next to the cargo door, and it slid shut just as the wheels left the deck and the ship hit open sky. A line of Twisted stood at the open hangar, staring out as the ship flew away.
“I’m coming back for you,” Alex muttered. She didn’t know if she was talking to herself, her city, the Twisted, or Maryana. Maybe she was talking to all of them. As she spoke the words, they etched themselves into her heart like an oath. “I’m coming back for you.”
Authors’ Note
Maryana has taken New Haven. The vampires of Agartha are dying. And Alex has made a vow.
Thank you for coming this far on this journey with us. There’s only one book left. THE SAVAGE END will be released in July. You’re not going to want to miss it.
Thanks again for reading.
Jonathan and P.T.
