Original Blood

by Greene, Steve

  They all stopped and looked accusingly at Charlie. “Whoa! Hold on a minute. I’m telling you, she was infected last time I saw her.” Their looks didn’t change. “She got in a car wreck with Philip when they were trying to run from vampires. I saved them, but she was bitten a bunch of times! You think I’m lying? Look at her neck, her arm!”

  “That scar on her arm certainly does look like a bite mark.” Ledge spoke. “And her neck, for sure. So, the question remains, how?”

  “Hell, if I know.” Charlie spat. He was angry and his training already had him thinking self preservation. He was in a really bad spot if they decided to attack. He could handle himself pretty well, but four vampires and one “gifted” were a lot of adversaries in a tiny motel room. His best chance was escape, but that was made nearly impossible with the door barred shut and the windows boarded over. He’d never make it out alive. He began to nonchalantly loosen his knife in its scabbard.

  “Relax, Charlie.” Madeline had decided to throw some cold water on the situation. “No one is accusing you of anything. Right now, I want to get my daughter cleaned and bandaged.” She lifted Virginia with ease and carted her off to the bathroom. Julia followed to help.

  Avery, Sylvia, and Ledge remained in the room, staring at Charlie. “Screw you guys. I know what I saw.” He said.

  “Regardless, we had work to do tonight and now you bring back not one, but two problems.” Sylvia sighed.

  “What do you mean?” He asked. “I thought we were traveling back to the Seraphim Compound tonight.”

  “Change of plans. We’re going to find a vampire named Rowan Glover. I’ll explain on the way. What’s the story with this little one?” Sylvia asked. Charlie had almost forgotten about the little girl who took a step behind him and grabbed his pant leg for security as the vampire cast her glare.

  “Some scumbag was trying to have his way with her. We couldn’t just let her stay out there.” He was getting angrier by the moment.

  “Sylvia.” Avery put his hand on her shoulder and the woman visibly relaxed. “It’ll be fine. We can leave the girl here with Julia and Madeline while the four of us go out to see Glover.” He had a smirk on his face that Charlie didn’t like.

  They could take him if they wanted, but he was going to give them one hell of a fight first. His fist gripped tightly around the hilt of the knife. “You guys ever hear of a Mexican Standoff?” Charlie asked.

  Avery’s face darkened and he took a step towards Charlie. “Is that a threat, Mr. Cutter?”

  “Alright boys!” Sylvia threw her hands in the air. “That’s enough!” She thumped Avery in the chest, breaking his concentration. “This is not helping things. We’re all wound up tightly and infighting won’t resolve anything. I suggest you save some of that fire for our mission tonight. You’re probably going to need it.” The vampires seemed to deflate a little and Charlie loosened his grip on his knife. “If you’re ready, Charlie, we can go as soon as the sun is down.”

  Charlie nodded and after checking his weapons and supplies, went to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw nothing outside. The sun was down and the street was vacant. He unbarred the door and pulled it open. What stood in the doorway was a snarling, drooling, six-foot-five nightmare. Luckily, Charlie’s surprise hadn’t stunted his reaction time. He smacked the werewolf in the larynx with a lightning fast jab, stunning it just long enough to follow through with a powerful front kick that sent it sprawling over the second-floor railing and crashing onto a car below. He slammed the door shut and jammed the four-by-four piece of lumber they were using to brace the door back in place and pressed his back against the door. “What the fuck!” He yelled, breathless. The vampires just stared at him. “What the fuck!” He screamed again. No other phrase would come to his mind no matter how hard he tried to think of one.

  Avery burst out laughing. “Well, it seems that our good friend Mr. Cutter has finally come face to face with a fully mutated hell dog. Wouldn’t you say, Ledge?” Avery nudged Ledge with an elbow. Ledge was grinning from ear to ear.

  Sylvia had a concerned look on her face. “I thought they would’ve taken longer to change. It seems they are more adaptive than we thought.”

  “That was no hell dog!” Charlie yelled. “That was a fucking..”

  “Werewolf, I know, Mr. Cutter.” Sylvia interrupted. “This is what happens when a vampire bites someone of a different blood type. I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”

  “So, all the people that were just crazy bloodsuckers a few days ago are going to turn into that?” He asked, thumbing towards the door and the werewolf outside.

  “Yes, and it knows we’re in here so we best open that door and deal with it before it decides to go get friends. Julia!”

  Julia answered from the bathroom and came out to find out what was the matter. “We’re leaving you, your mother and sister, and your new… ward here.” Sylvia said with a sneer. “You’ll need to bar the door behind us.”

  Julia nodded. Charlie checked the peephole again. The thing was gone. He shouldered his M-16 and got ready for a fight. He kicked the wood out of the way and snatched the door open, and advanced with the barrel of the rifle swinging back and forth from one side to the other as he scanned the area. There was nothing in either direction, just a row of doors on one side of the aisle and railing on the other. He moved to the edge of the railing and peered down at the dented car hood that the monster must have fallen on when it fell. The others stepped up behind him.

  “Why don’t you jump down there and take a look?” Sylvia whispered in his ear.

  “I’m the bait?” Charlie was beginning to feel like a pig on a spit.

  “Don’t think of it as bait.” She said. “Think of it as… Well okay, you’re bait.”

  “Yeah, thought so. Alright, cover me.” Charlie climbed over the railing and leapt onto the roof of the car, dropped to a crouch and spun around with his rifle sweeping the area underneath the motel balcony for the beast. Nothing. He climbed down off the car and moved through the parking lot, scanning. He could see the dark figures of the vampires spreading out across the balcony like stalking leopards watching for their prey below. He moved to the middle of the parking lot where he stood alone in a wide-open space and scanned underneath the row of cars parked along the edge of the motel. Still nothing.

  He heard a rustle in the bushes to his right but it was too late to bring his weapon around. In his periphery he saw the gleaming yellow eyes coming at him at a high rate of speed and shifted his weapon enough to deal a glancing blow to the side of the monster’s head as it barreled into him at full speed. He flew, hit pavement, and rolled. He leaned into the roll and his momentum carried him back to his feet but he was sucking desperately for air that his lungs were unable to draw. He tried to lift his rifle. The thing stepped in and swatted it away. It was about to lunge when the three vampires pounced. They dragged it to the ground, kicking and growling. While his breath slowly returned, they fed. He had seen it firsthand more than a few times since he began traveling with them, but it still turned his stomach. The sound, as much as the action, was gruesome. The beast whined and squawked while the vampires had their fill. The hell dog got weaker and weaker until all movement ceased.

  Sylvia rose and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She sent a mischievous glance in Charlie’s direction. “C’mon. Time to go.”

  The four of them loaded into the SUV and drove away. They were silent for a while. Charlie and Sylvia sat in the back seat scanning the surrounding buildings for movement. “You know,” Sylvia said, “you would do well to get more aggressive with your talents.”

  “Aggressive?” He asked.

  “Yes. You don’t understand the strength you’ve been given. You saw how far the hell dog flew when you kicked it, right? You don’t seem to understand that you can stand toe to toe with any one of us. You’re tentative… and it’s going to get you, or one of us, killed.”

  “I’m not tentative, I’m safe an
d calculated. And it’s done alright for me so far.” Without warning, a silvery flash swept towards his face. He caught her wrist with the blade of her knife just a few centimeters from his face.

  “See? When you rely on your instincts and let your training take over, you are perfect, finely tuned. Stop thinking so much.”

  Charlie knew she was right but refused to give her the satisfaction. He threw her wrist away from him with a load of disgust. “What do you know about my training?”

  She giggled. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice? Each of us has been trained in the art of killing. We’ve spent years… decades perfecting our art, some longer. We noticed. You have the swagger of someone highly trained. And someone not just trained, but you’ve used your art. That rifle is an extension of you. Your movements are fluid and graceful. That hit the hell dog gave you would have incapacitated any other human, but not you. If we hadn’t been there, you still would’ve beaten that thing. You’re a survivor, a warrior. Use your gift, Charlie. It’ll only make you better.”

  “Gift, huh?” He sneered. “You know what would be a nice gift? If all you bastards would climb back down your holes or wherever the hell you came from. Or better yet, just stand outside and get a sun tan tomorrow. I don’t care as long as you go away and things can go back to normal.”

  “You realize we’re the good guys, right? That we’re trying to stop this as much as you are?”

  “That’s funny. Cause from this angle, you all look the same to me.” He stared her in the eyes for a long time.

  She stared back with icy fury, grinding her teeth. “Fine. But when you’re all alone and need help…”

  “We’re almost there. Why don’t you two kiss and make up?” Avery interrupted with obvious frustration.

  “And where is there, again?” Charlie asked.

  “We’re going to see Rowan Glover. He’s an old vampire that the Seraphim use as a kind of personnel department. He’s kept extensive records on the oldest vampires and the Seraphim for as long as any of us can remember. If anyone can tell us who the Golem is or where he might be, it’s him.” Avery said.

  “We’re here.” Ledge pulled the truck to a stop in front of a huge iron gate. Beyond the gate, an asphalt driveway continued, but wound into the thick tree cover on either side. Ledge rolled down his window and punched a code into a dial pad on a stone pillar near the gate. The gates gave a shake and then slowly opened inwards. The truck rolled forward again and twisted and turned down the long driveway. When the trees finally opened up, they came to a giant mansion that looked like a cross between an old asylum and a medieval castle. It was obviously built with security in mind. He couldn’t see any windows on the first floor and the ones on the second floor were small and had sturdy iron grating over them.

  “This can’t be good.” Avery piped in. “No security visible. No lights. Let’s stay on our toes.” He turned to the backseat to meet Charlie’s gaze. “Are you with us? I need to know now.”

  Charlie sighed. “Yeah. Let’s get this done.”

  “Good. Then stay sharp.”

  They all exited the vehicle and gave the perimeter a quick sweep before deciding on the best spot for Avery and Sylvia to try and make their way in. They scaled the wall to get to a third-floor balcony where Sylvia was able to pick the lock on a large door. Amazingly, they were inside within a few seconds. Charlie and Ledge returned to the front door of the mansion and waited for Avery and Sylvia to open it. The night was as quiet as ever. An eerie stillness hung in the air.

  “So, how long have you been working with them?” Charlie whispered to Ledge while he watched for movement in the trees.

  “Avery, a long time. Sylvia, not nearly as much. She just showed up at Seraphim a few months ago. We knew her, but this is the first time we’ve actually been assigned to her. So far, she’s not hard to work with after you get past the gruff exterior. You should give her a chance, Charlie. You should give us all a chance.”

  Charlie grunted. What else could he say? Sure pal! No hard feelings? Go ahead and destroy everything I’ve ever known! No problem! Stinking vamps! He frowned in the darkness. “I’m only here because Julia said you might be able to help me find my friend Maggie. And Sylvia seems to think that this Golem character is the key to the whole thing. But is he the key to finding Maggie or the key to stopping the vampire takeover?”

  “Most likely both.” Ledge said with a grin.

  “Fine. But you guys are on a short leash. If I don’t see some results soon, I’ll be on my way.”

  “No one’s keeping you, Charlie.”

  “Yeah, so I’ve been told. Funny how being told you have a choice sometimes leaves you with no choice at all.”

  The latch on the door behind them made a clacking noise and the door slid open. “You guys coming?”

  Charlie and Ledge slipped in the door and Avery sealed it behind them. “Don’t want any nasties sneaking in behind us.” Avery said quietly.

  Charlie could see a flashlight in the middle of the room ahead of him. Sylvia’s long, black hair was framed in orange and yellow by the sparse light. She seemed to be looking down at something. Charlie flicked on the tactical light of his machine gun and wound his way over to her. “Find something?”

  “Yeah.” She held the light lower and he could see a badly decomposed corpse clutching at a spear thrust through its chest. The smell was terrible.

  “I take it that’s our boy?”

  “Hard to tell for sure. But that’s the same smoking jacket he was wearing when I saw him a few months ago.”

  “You saw him? Before today?”

  “Yes.” She knelt down to more closely examine the corpse. She pointed at a thin chain and medallion hanging from its neck. “I recognize that medallion. That’s got to be him.”

  “So, what the hell happened here?” He asked.

  “The Golem. Had to have been. I don’t think Glover’s going to be much help to us.”

  “Understatement of the year. What now?” A rustle came from the ceiling above them and Charlie shifted his weapon up. The light shined on a yellow pair of eyes. There was a great domed ceiling above them and it crawled with hell dogs huddled together like bats in a cave. A hiss came from the one he had his light shining on and another echoed its discontent. Soon they were all sniffing at the air and stretching their limbs.

  “Run!” Sylvia yelled behind him but the hell dogs were already dropping down to the floor.

  Charlie opened up with his rifle rattling off short, precise bursts. Hell dogs began to fall in front of them as they moved towards the door. He could hear gunshots from Avery and Ledge on the other side of the room and from Sylvia behind him. She followed with her hand on his shoulder, taking shots at the nearest hell dogs whenever she could. One hell dog dropped right in front of him, too close to turn his rifle. He brought the butt of the weapon around with deadly accuracy and caught it in the jaw with a brutal uppercut. It stumbled back a few steps giving Charlie the room he needed to maneuver. His rifle came back down and his finger tapped two quick rounds in to the beast’s chest. They were getting close enough to the door to make a run for it. Charlie hit the magazine release on his weapon and let the empty cartridge fall to the ground while he slapped in a fresh one. “Go!” He yelled to Sylvia and grabbed her by the back of the shirt, throwing her towards the door. Ledge and Avery had the door open and were dragging her out. He turned his back to the door and opened fire on the eyes he could see glaring in the darkness while taking backward steps towards the open door.

  He’d never know how the hell dog snuck in behind him, but the claws that dug into his back were unmistakable and soon he was flying through the air in the wrong direction. He hit something hard. A desk, maybe? And rolled off onto the floor. He still had his weapon in hand so he got up firing. But now there was a sea of hell dogs between him and the front door. He’d never make it out that way. He backed into a wall and felt the corner of a hallway behind him. A quick glance and he saw the way was clea
r of glowing eyes. The hell dogs were still preoccupied by the vampires at the front door so he took advantage of their distraction and disappeared down the hallway while Sylvia screamed his name.

  The hallway was long and the din of the gunfight slowly faded. He could hear his own breath now. He had turned off the light on his weapon so as to be less of a target for the monsters lurking in the shadows. He wasn’t sure it would help any but he’d be better off not attracting any attention if he could. His only hope was to find a door or some stairs to an upper level window. He had completely lost his bearings in the excitement.

  He entered what he thought was another large room. It was hard to tell in the dark. He had only walked in a few steps when a pair of strong hands grabbed his arm and ripped the rifle from his grip. He heard it clatter to the ground somewhere far away. He grabbed the figure and threw a few quick jabs to its midsection, then brought up his elbow and felt the satisfying crack of its jawbone under the powerful stroke. More hands grabbed his shoulders from behind and threw him. He hit something soft this time but before he could get back up, he was pounced on. He fought with whatever it was. One set of hands, then two, then three. He grappled but got nowhere. Not this again! Was all he could think. He waited for his mouth to be pried open and the cold liquid to be thrown down his throat but it never came. Instead he felt a prick in his neck and the blackness around him became all-encompassing as his eyes closed and he drifted into unconsciousness.

  Chapter 30

  Madeline checked her pulse again. It was still weak but hanging on. Her beautiful Virginia lay on the bed, not moving.

  “What happened to her, Mom?” Julia asked. “Who would attack her like this? And Why?”

  “I don’t know, Honey. I don’t know.” They had scrubbed the blood and dirt off of her body and laid her on the motel bed. Her wounds weren’t exactly run-of-the-mill flesh wounds. They had been carrying a good amount of emergency medical supplies and Madeline had to use almost all the stitching to close up the many wounds Ginny had sustained. When Ginny had had all her wounds tended to, they dressed her in some extra clothes they had. Luckily, she and Julia were almost exactly the same size.