Blooded

by Jessie Rose Case

  Sarah sat in the driver’s seat putting her head on the wheel and rested a moment. Pleased that this house had been a good choice when they’d first seen it. Now she was really grateful it had lock down shutters on all the doors and windows. Something else they’d had put in quickly after the purchase. The front door had a double dead bolt as well as the back and both had steel door bars and braces. They had replaced both entrance doors with steel that was bolted into the walls. She would be secure on her own behind these doors. “Get up Sarah.” She told herself. She needed to get in the house. They had also purchase steel door braces for the basement door and installed them. The walls of the house were sturdy old and brick and cement. It would take an impact. Which is all they could ask for on such short notice. Their people had done the work before they moved on Marcus. Sarah let herself in the back door and secured the steel bracket and the locks. She slammed on it a couple of times to make sure it was engaged. Satisfied she headed for the fridge and grabbed three bags of blood. Just as well they had stocked up before leaving, thought Sarah. Drinking them in quick succession Sarah felt better. Dumping the empty bags in the waste bag she grabbed some pre-packaged food already prepared in the fridge. Taking a couple of cans of soda, a bottle of water and two sandwiches Sarah stopped at the bathroom to freshen up and then headed downstairs turning and bracing the basement door.

  No human was getting in and a Vamp she would hear breaking in. Sarah slumped on the end of her bed and cracked open a soda and downed it. Opening a sandwich, she tucked in while checking her messages. One from James to Arturo, that had been copied to her, indicated that they had reached the meet point. A second one to Arturo explained that James had met with Marcus’s reps and was on his way home. James had done well to get that over with quickly thought Sarah. Looks like she’d had more trouble than he had. But then, he hadn’t had to run the boundary taking advantage of gaps, or making them, to have a look see, and getting the hell out before someone took a pot shot or stake at her. Stretching her back Sarah rolled her shoulders looking round the basement. Her info was important and Arturo needed it ASAP. Taking the lead from James she took out her phone and quickly sent off her own update. Concise and to the point. Sarah re-read it and sent it. There were areas in the basement that a signal got through. She knew this from their setting up. Sarah opened her second sandwich and walked around eating it. The phone pinged. Satisfied she moved back to the bed. Exhaustion was on her now. Finishing off the soda Sarah laid down. She couldn’t put off the day any longer and crashed.

  A buzzing sound seemed to invade her sleep and bring her to near wakefulness. Sarah groaned and turned over. She couldn’t place the sounds but knew she had not slept the day. Her body clock was telling her it was too soon. The sound was incessant. Sarah dragged her subconscious to the surface. Fully awake, she realised the noise was louder now. Sarah sat up and slipped her legs off the bed. She looked towards the basement door and put her hand on the wall. The house was vibrating. Sarah rose and walked cautiously up the stairs to the blocked door. The noise was coming from beyond it. Sarah placed her hand on the door. She took some comfort from the fact that this door was not in danger. But clearly metal was being forced somewhere in the house. She had visitors. And it was day light. “Shit.” Thought Sarah. Grabbing her phone, Sarah checked the time. 15:43. “Dam it” Sarah whispered. She had roughly two hours till sundown. Quickly messaging Arturo Sarah let him know she had a problem at the house. Sarah realised there was nothing he could do to help her but maybe she could prevent James from walking into a mess. Pressing send Sarah slipped the phone back into her pocket. If she dusted, the phone would go with her. Sarah registered she had two options. Stay put and hope the basement door held until darkness but then be trapped down there or make her way out and hope for the best and take the fight to them. If she stayed in the basement and they were coming for her there’d be no way passed them without her being boxed in. That made her vulnerable and Sarah didn’t like that. She walked back to the steel door and put her hand back on it. This door wasn’t under attack. That meant she had some options.

  Sarah grabbed the bar and brace handle and pulled it away. She disengaged the door and slowly opened it. She couldn’t see or hear anyone in the house but the noise of the steel door on the front of the house being stretched came to her very loud and very clear. Grabbing the steel bar Sarah moved into the kitchen. Lucky for her the shutters were all still down and the back door was solid. They only opened from the mechanism inside the hall way. If they got the door open and lifted the shutters she was dust. Moving quickly Sarah walked through the lounge and entered the hallway door. Looking around the corner she checked the front door wasn’t about to breech. In Vamp speed she approached the electric’s box. Putting down her steel bar and brace handle, she tripped the switch cutting off the electric to the house. Then she ripped the box off the wall pulling the wires out. Sarah was satisfied the electric was off and the shutters were staying down. Grabbing the steel bar Sarah rammed it into the front door frame, then slammed the end of the brace handle into the concrete floor and slipped the other end into the notch for it on the steel bar. The door now had two of them. The only trouble with that was they were not going to be of much help if the door stretched so far it took the door from the frame. Knowing it couldn’t be Vamps out there that only left opportunistic thieves’ or more likely Marcus’s day walkers. And that meant they had followed her after all.

  Sarah stretched her senses beyond the door. Eight humans were behind it. If they had guns and got in, things would turn sour real quick. Had it been during the night those odds were no problem for Sarah but during the day…. That was something else. Sooner or later the door would give way. Sarah looked around her. There was limited furniture. If she had to defend this space it was not going to be easy. She’d had to barricade and stall till the sun went down. Worst case scenario she could use fire as a last result but that carried its own dangers to her but then again, if she was trapped and it looked like they could take her, fire would be welcome, thought Sarah. Remembering she saw a dresser in the kitchen Sarah turned back and ran to it. Picking it up she walked back through the lounge and dropped it against the front door. Sarah realised that the noise on the other side had stopped. They were talking to each other. They had expected her to still be asleep and not hear them. One was blaming the other for being late here. The route or something. Their job was capture not kill and they were here for her. Sarah didn’t like that one bit. That was not going to happen. Not again. She looked around her. The lounge was dark with no light coming in. If the front door was breached she could remain in the lounge and fight. The shutters on the windows would remain down. The daylight would only penetrate the hallway, so as long as she stayed out of the hall she should be ok. The only problem with that is if they decided to use fire and tried to burn her out. Either way fire was a possibility from either of them. She had limited options. Taking the SUV now, in daylight wasn’t an option. She wouldn’t get far without being able to fill up on gas. Then she’d be a target on the road. But then again, they must have a way of getting her out the house and away without burning, they came in day light so she guessed they must have come prepared.

  One of them appeared to be talking on a phone. Sarah could tell by the monotone. He was asking what to do now she was awake. Guess they heard her ram the bar in. The answer was quick. She heard the person who’d been on the phone tell the others to get the door open. Ok, thought Sarah. She would do what they didn’t expect. Sarah moved to the cabinets under the kitchen sink. She remembered seeing cleaning materials under there before they had set off for Marcus. Grabbing two items she ran back to the front door as the noise started up again. Sarah opened both containers and splashed it all over the dresser and onto the floor. Keeping it away from her. She knew the risk she was taking. If it catches her she’d be dust and it would hurt like hell as she dusted. Sarah didn’t like the sound of that one bit. Had her emotions been switched on she would be in a m
ess and knew it. Moving quickly back to the fireplace she remembered seeing firelighters and long matches.

  Grabbing both and moving at Vamp speed Sarah threw the fire lighters at the dresser. If they got in the door she would light it. It would hold them off for a bit. The house might go but in the time it took it might just hold them off enough for sun down. Sarah checked her phone. She had an hour and a half till sundown. Whatever they were doing was not going to keep them out for much longer. Sarah moved into the lounge and grabbed the chairs and table and seating and piled it up at the front door. It made a barrier if nothing else. She told herself she’d only fire it as a last resort. A good fire engine could be at a fire in minutes. In the sticks, where they were, the nearest town was 20 minutes away so about half an hour till their arrival. Sarah was suddenly thinking this house in the middle of nowhere wasn’t the best idea after all. In a town, she’d have neighbours and her attackers wouldn’t be able to do this. But then again, if they were determined they would have used another approach she reminded herself. Ok so if the door goes, she’d hold them back with the barricade and when that didn’t hold she’d fire it knowing she had a 30-minute wait till help of some kind arrived. And hope to god that the house held for those 30 minutes. Sarah blew out a breath she didn’t need. It was gonna be tight.

  The noise at the door continued. Sarah looked at the frame. It was buckling. It wouldn’t hold much longer. Sarah raced through the house and down the basement steps to the beds and stripped the blankets from the beds. If she had to make a run for it she’d need them to cover her. Racing back up the stairs she dumped the blankets by the door into the garage. She put the SUV keys on top of them. Opening drawers Sarah grabbed any weapons she could find. There were several knives for cooking. They would do. She loaded up what she could and seeing a baseball bat in the corner with a glove, she picked up the bat. If it came to close quarters fighting it would come in handy. Sarah placed it inside the door of the lounge. If they came in shooting she’d have to move fast and hope for the best. The lounge was now empty apart from some odd bits of furniture that would not offer any protection. Sarah thought about the beds downstairs and made a run for it. Grabbing one she deposited it in the lounge then went back for the other. She placed it on the other side of the room. Both were on their sides with the headboards pointing towards the walls. Their wooden box frames and mattresses would offer some protection from bullets. Sarah moved back to the lounge doorway. She could see the door moving now and daylight was seeping through. It wouldn’t be much longer.

  She could hear the voices clearly. They were excited. They thought they had this and it was over. Sarah smiled. It was no way over. The door moved again but as it opened inwards it was prevented by the dresser and furniture piled up. More day light came in. It hurt Sarah’s eyes. Patting herself down she smiled when she felt her sunglasses. UV protection. Sarah slipped them on and instantly her eyes were relieved. She could see an arm trying to move the dresser, it was pushing it back and forth. Taking one of the knives Sarah threw it aiming at the arm. It buried deep and the recipient screamed pulling his arm out. Sarah could hear the commotion behind the door. The one with the knife was taking it bad. He wouldn’t shut up. Some of the other guys were not happy either. Sarah spotted another one through the gap took aim and threw another. It raced through the small gap and hit him in the chest. He went down hard. Several shouts went out this time. A body was being dragged on the floor outside. She heard the phone guy tell the others to stay out the way of the gap. Sarah looked at the furniture behind the door it was holding in place.

  Sarah listened. The male that had been on the phone told the others to take the door out. There was some arguing over that they should have taken out a window shutter instead or the garage doorway. The leader, the guy who had been on the phone was telling them again it seemed, this made him angry, that the windows were on a shutter system they couldn’t just open them it would require them to take out the frames that were built into the walls and then remove the blinds and the garage would have an inner house door and this was the same problem. He got pissed then and told them to hurry up. Sarah took her phone out and checked the time. She had just over an hour now till sundown. The noise started up again. It took a while for the machinery to engage with the door again. As it did the door made creaking and splintering sounds. Sarah watched it buckle and the top frame gave way. The door became loose. Time was up.

  Sarah tried stalling. “Hello. I don’t know who you are but you have the wrong house. There is nothing to steal in here. This house is empty.” She told them. “Lady.” The leader told her. “We were gonna do this nice. But you’ve hurt two of my boys and you’re going to pay for that. We’re not here to steal from you, we’re here for you.” No surprise there she thought. “Did you not expect us to defend ourselves?” She asked them. “Well there are five of us in here. You are just going to get a lot of trouble by coming in.” She told them. The leader laughed. “There’s not five of you lady. Just you. We know cos one of our boys trailed you last night. You were good but not good enough. Our boss wants to say hello to you too.” Sarah sighed. “Who in their right minds send humans after a Vamp? Even in day light I’m stronger than all of you and deadlier. I don’t know who your boss is but he cant think much of you to send you on a mission like this. You know, this is going to get you killed right?” She told them.

  “And I don’t know what bullshit they told you about Vamps during the day but as you can hear and see I’m good to go. I’m rested and I’ve fed so I’m at the top of my game. You coming in here is a death sentence.” She told them. Sarah could hear several conversations going on. The eight seem a bit reduced. The leader and five others. It seems none of them liked that information. Sarah clearly heard one say that they had been told she would be sleep when they arrived and no trouble that wasn’t true. Then they had said she wouldn’t have fed in her rush to get here and would be weak. That she didn’t seem weak. That the sun would prevent her from being able to move about and it was clear by the doorway and the knife throwing she could move just fine. The debate went back and forth. The leader got angry and started making threats to the others about what the Vamps would do to them if they didn’t do as they’d been paid. “I can pay you triple what they did.” Shouted Sarah. That caused another round of arguing. Sarah checked her phone. 50 minutes to go.

  Two shots rang out. The leader had shot someone. She’d heard the body fall then he told the others to take the door down. Now there were five. Sarah watched as the door moved and gave way. Sarah lit several matches and threw them into the accelerant on the floor. Sarah watched as the flames danced along the liquid in a rush and headed to the furniture blocking the doorway, the air being pulled out by the open door. The fire passed under it following the accelerant out the door. It caught the fire lighters. The dresser went up in flames. There was screaming from beyond the doorway as it must have caught someone in the flames. Then “put it out put it out.” Screamed out. Down to four maybe thought Sarah. The fire was creating smoke. Sarah could hear the voices outside. The flames were getting higher and they had backed away. Someone said to get some water and wait it out. The leader told them they didn’t have time to wait it out. No, thought Sarah. Sun down was coming.

  Sarah pulled her phone and dialled the fire brigade. If rang for several rings before connecting. “My house is on fire. Help me. I need help now.” She told them. Then left her phone open and walked back to the door. They could find her by the signal. If she was lucky and the fireman got here, she might be able to steal a uniform and get out or get one of them to cover her and get her out or she could try using the SUV and ram the garage door if there were plenty of people around. Either way, the chaos offered options she didn’t have right now.

  Sarah heard the leader shouting and screaming at his men. They couldn’t find a hose and only an old plastic bucket. They threw some water on the fire but it didn’t do much. He was swearing and becoming more and more agitated. The dresser
burnt well. It was old and solid. It would take time to burn through. The fire was hot and filled the door way. Other furniture caught fire. The table and chairs did a slow burn in front of it. A lick of fire was on the sofa. That was going to be more difficult it would need accelerant as it was fire proof Sarah expected. But it helped the barrier remain in place. For the first-time Sarah wished she had a gun. She didn’t like them and they were frowned upon by Vamps of a certain age but here and now, she could have taken those men out without a second thought. Sarah smiled she could hear the sirens in the distance. It was still a good 20 minutes from the house by the sound of it but they were coming. The leader hadn’t heard it yet. But he would and soon. The leader was becoming desperate. He was telling his men to get something to pull the dresser out by a chain. Sarah could hear the manoeuvrings. Men running. An engine starting. A winch. Sarah realised that if they clamped onto the dresser and yanked it free, she would need that table and chairs on fire and the sofa. Sarah Vamped back to the kitchen and grabbed another accelerant. Getting back to the door way she opened the bottle and threw it at the barrier. As it poured down the fire whooshed up. As the flames engulfed everything Sarah could hear the man with the winch tell the leader it was too hot to get near.