Turning to hobble back down the alley from where he came, Sam soon found that he had been cornered by yet another similar looking man, although this one was dressed in the same black suit as the others. With speed no longer on his side and no other visible way out, the time for running was over. If it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they would get, and he wasn't about to make things easy for them. Sam positioned his back against the wall so that they couldn't sneak up on him and clenched his fists, raising them up in front of him as he braced himself for an attack. Neither man wasted their time on making their approach, their menacing grins showing no signs of mercy.
Deciding to act instead of react, Sam made the first move. Using the age old saying of 'the best defense is a good offense', he flung himself at the nearest enemy; his wild battle cry not quite as intimidating as he might have hoped. Colliding with the attacker wearing the long coat, Sam caught him off guard and took him down with surprising ease. As both of them fumbled around in the snow, he was almost sure that he had the upper hand, but his stronger and far more flexible foe had him pinned to the ground before he even knew what happened. Sam tried to wriggle free, but it was no use as the man bared his fangs ready to strike. The fractured bones in his body made it difficult to do much of anything, the pain he felt growing worse by the minute.
The man never spoke, nor did he take his eyes off Sam as his indistinguishable colleague stood over them, their faces drawn in duplicate expressions of cold savagery. The situation was dire and he knew it, his failed escape attempt achieving little more than wearing his own body down. There was no way that he could overcome one of them in his current state, never mind both at the same time.
Sam hated feeling helpless, he always had, but what aggregated him even more was that he wouldn't be around to witness his maker's downfall. He had wanted nothing more than to save Alice, his friends and everyone else in existence from the Blood Queen's wrath, and yet it seemed that he would never have the opportunity. Whether Katherine was victorious, Renita's revolution overcame her, or someone else defeated her entirely, Sam wouldn't be around to see it and the thought of that angered him.
A sudden rustling sound drew the attention of the second man who was still standing nearby, and in a blink of an eye he was gone. His disappearance was punctuated with wet shredding sounds and a vicious roar that let Sam know that the cavalry had arrived.
"I know you're not scared of me." Sam said with a grunt and a serious look in his eye. "But you should be scared of them."
The man in the trenchcoat released his grip and quickly rose to his feet. However, before he could think, let alone act, he too was dragged off into the shadows. Sam sat up slowly as he tried to get a better look, his limbs still aching from the injuries that he had sustained from the fall. Within the dark of the alley, he could see the shapes of two hulking wolves, their ruffled fur raised aggressively as they ferociously mauled their prey. The snow around them turned red with blood and the brutal sounds of their onslaught died out soon after.
As the wolves turned their attention to Sam and slowly crept towards him, he didn't back away, as he knew them both for who and what they were. Rahna and Max were two friends whose loyalty had been made clear, and it had taken him far too long to learn that he could rely on them in times of need.
As the pair stepped out into the streetlight, it wasn't the sight of two large beasts that greeted Sam, but two humanoids as naked as the day they were born. Both Rahna's ebony skin and Max's lighter complexion were dripping wet with crimson, but the warm smiles upon their faces made them seem anything but threatening.
"I wasn't worried for a second…" Sam jested weakly from where he sat.
"You're a fucking liar, Sammy!" Rahna said with a chuckle as she quickly moved to help him to his feet.
"Are you okay?" Max asked as he rushed to be by their side.
Sam winced as he stood, with even the slightest of movements hurting him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks guys."
"Don't mention it." Rahna winked before looking back to the shadows. "What's their deal anyway?"
"Yeah. Why do they all look the same?" Max added with curiosity.
"I honestly have no idea…" Sam stopped himself from shaking his head, not wanting to cause himself any more pain. "What about the others?"
Rahna flashed a wicked grin. "No longer a problem."
Max looked back and forth between the two of them. "So what now?"
"Should we report back?" Sam enquired. He didn't want to stay in the city much longer in the state that he was in, but he also didn't want to abandon their mission unless it was too dangerous to continue.
"We don't know how many of these guys there are." Rahna said with a frown. "I say we split before we find ourselves in deeper shit."
Max seemed a little disappointed. "What about our objective?"
"I know…" Rahna replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I don't like it any more than you do, but things have changed."
Both Sam and Max nodded their agreement, the latter somewhat more reluctantly. Another sharp stabbing pain let Sam know that he should keep his responses strictly verbal, his discomfort getting worse the longer they waited.
Rahna took a moment to eye up Sam as she noticed his awkward stance. "You gonna make it back okay, Sammy?"
Sam forced a brave, yet reserved smile. "I'll do my best."
His taller companion paused for a moment as she studied him in silence, her dark eyes examining every inch of him carefully. A short moment later and she turned to head back down the alleyway, beckoning for them both to follow. "Let's make it quick then. I want to be out of here before anyone else turns up."
Max fell in obediently, in the same manner that he would if it were Vincent that gave the command. A second later and Sam followed suit, doing his best to keep up with them. It would be a long and hard journey back to the cave, but he was single-minded in his purpose. They had to hurry if they were going to make it out of Calgary before they were set upon again, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to delay their departure. Sam may have been Forsaken, the runt of the litter and the weakest link in the chain, but there was no way that he was going to let either of them down. Other than Alice, Rahna and Max were the closest friends that he had. They were the nearest thing that he had to a family. His own little pack.
Chapter Twenty: The Price of Blood
The journey north had been long and gruelling, a trial in itself, but that chapter in Alice's existence was finally coming to a close and the end was now in sight. They had entered the city from the south, driving up the gently winding road that ran parallel to the river. On one side it was flanked by high rise apartments, with the parklands just opposite, across a field of deadly ice. The sight alone had brought back memories both good and bad, the stark contrast of nature and civilisation sitting so close to each other that they were in constant conflict.
Although it seemed to be of little importance, Alice still remembered her first real winter in Calgary; the snowball fights and hand sculpted snowmen of all shapes and sizes. It had been a wondrous experience at the time, but one that seemed so distant now. There was no room left for distractions, as her mind had to be completely focused on defeating Katherine at her own game. No matter what, Alice had to concentrate on the end goal of taking all the Blood Queen's power for herself.
Even in the hours of night, the roads were occupied by mortals going about their daily business, the blood within their veins far too weak and insignificant to provide any real sustenance. They were little more than pests now, their meaningless lives no longer worthy of Alice's attention. She knew that she had cared about human beings once upon a time, but she couldn't remember how it felt to be concerned with someone else's survival other than her own. Most vampires didn't hold much appeal either, as their constant lies and scheming were too much trouble to be worth her time. If it wasn't for the fact that he had proved to be useful, she would have already gotten rid of Matty too. As for Sam? Well he had
been out of sight and mind for so long now that he may as well be dead.
It was a wonder that they had made it to the city at all, the campervan struggling the whole way as Matty did his best to keep the failing machine moving. The fact that it had got them this far was nothing short of a miracle, the bodywork warped and misshapen from the forest fires that it had only just managed to endure. They had been pulled over by highway patrols on several occasions since and given warnings to get the vehicle repaired as soon as possible. With the sheer amount of damage that the vehicle had sustained, there was no denying that this was its final trip; a last hurrah for a home on wheels that had seen them through some seriously tough times.
Strangely enough, there were no obstructions on the way through the city streets, at least nothing outside of ordinary traffic patterns. There had been no guards at the border to prevent their passing and no visible sentinels standing watch for any signs of intrusion. For one brief moment, Alice thought she caught a glimpse of someone watching them from an alleyway while they waited at a red light, but the moment she blinked they were gone, as if they had never been there at all. The lack of opposition was suspicious to say the least, a fact that bothered Matty more than it did her. As far as she was concerned, if the path forwards had been cleared for them to pass freely, then so be it.
If Katherine still ruled Calgary with an iron fist, there had yet to be any sign of it. In fact there had been a surprising lack of any unusual activity on their approach at all, which was unusual in itself. It either meant that their presence had so far gone unnoticed, or they had been granted safe passage for reasons yet unknown. Perhaps their arrival had been expected and the minions of the Blood Queen were lying in wait, ready to ambush them at any moment. If that was true, then the situation might be more dire than either of them realised as they made their way deeper and deeper into hostile territory. All around them, danger seemed to lurk in every shadow and every dark corner, the street lights struggling to hold back the night.
Once the campervan had made it downtown, it didn't take long for them to locate the next destination in Alice's bloody crusade. The Diamond Dreams Lounge was a dusty remnant of its former self, a derelict building left to rot. Nestled in the heart of downtown Calgary, its back street location was a mystery to the general populace and its significance to the wealthy long forgotten. Once believed to be nothing more than a glorified strip club, it had catered to an exclusive list of clientele harbouring dark secrets that were better left buried. The lounge had been managed by a cult known only as the Serpent Temple, a secretive group that had since been wiped out of existence after they became cannon fodder in a private war. Without their leadership and guidance, the business had struggled and the place was soon left abandoned. As time went on, the cult became little more than a bad dream; its crumbling legacy like dust in the wind.
The empty shell of what had once been a bastion of lust and greed stood firm in the night. The sandstone building was an architectural achievement in itself, its hand cut stones carefully placed to form a structure that had survived countless harsh winters, with the promise of many more to come. Even though the club was only three stories high, it was an impressive sight to behold, standing out amongst the steel and glass structures that surrounded it on all sides. Formerly a bank in a previous life, it still had many of the features that would identify it as such, although the blacked out windows and diamond shaped sign above the door told an entirely different story.
The establishment itself had been frequented by seedy businessmen with insatiable appetites and even larger wallets, feeding their perverted cravings with horrific acts best left unspoken. In all the years that the lounge was open, there were never any reports of abuse or mistreatment from any members of staff. However, the high turnover of employees and the increasing list of unsolved missing person cases said more about what was going on behind closed doors than words ever could.
The Diamond Dreams Lounge was once far more than it appeared to be on the surface, bribes to the authorities and organised crime aside. Deep within its underbelly, far below the main stage, lay a hidden den of debauchery and cult worship that held darker secrets still. It was a place where ritual sacrifice had been commonplace and any who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon its mysteries often found themselves upon its altar.
From what Alice could tell, it was somewhere within those cold and lifeless halls that her next feast awaited. Whether the vampire had been imprisoned like the others or whether they dwelled down there by choice, the age old blood that they held within their veins would provide the strength and sustenance that she required to destroy the Blood Queen once and for all. Yet again she had received a vision, or perhaps a memory, that was so vivid that it could have been one of her own. She couldn't be certain as to who it was that awaited her within the temple itself, but she knew that their blood was incredibly ancient and far more potent than any that she had ever tasted. It was a tempting thought indeed, one that caused the beast inside of her to lick its lips with anticipation.
Alice didn't spend much time inside the deserted club as she rushed towards the basement. Matty did his best to keep up as she hurried through the main room, unable to take the time to carry out his usual precautions. The entire premises had been stripped of furniture and left vacant, each footstep echoing throughout with nothing there to dampen the sounds.
Alice briefly noted the central stage with the golden railings, glass walls, and mirrors to make the main hall appear much larger than it was. Rows of crystals sparkled like diamonds in the sky, suspended from the ceiling in a manner that made them appear to float in a sea of obsidian. The old teller stands had been converted into bars against each side of the room, with drapes covering what Alice could only presume were private areas for those who wanted to satisfy their baser instincts. There was a time where she would have explored the lounge further, but not anymore. Now she had one goal in mind and she didn't have the patience to wait a second longer.
The underground temple was a desolate sight to behold, completely barren and as cold as the grave. It was a place devoid of hope, the musty air thick and stale. It was in those dark depths that Alice and Matty now found themselves, beneath the old bank vaults and the sub basement below. A hidden entrance behind a fake wall led them into the secret place of worship, its yellow brick walls cool and damp to the touch. Thick, stone columns braced against the ceiling, their large forms carved into effigies of massive coiled serpents, mouths open and fangs ready to strike. Unusual hieroglyphics marked the walls, their shapes set out in rows as if telling a story that would require extensive research to decrypt. At the far end of the room, a sacrificial altar lay front and centre, etched with snakelike runes that looked hungry for blood to be spilled.
As they entered from the spiral staircase, Alice could see Matty brooding in the corner of her eye. His forehead was creased and his brow furrowed, a look that seemed to have become permanent in recent nights. She couldn't work out what his problem was, but it was of little concern. As long as he would carry out what was asked of him, the expression upon his face was of no consequence. As long as he continued to fulfill his duties, he was of use and she wouldn't consider him to be expendable. The soldier had so far proved useful for dealing with annoyances that Alice couldn't be bothered to deal with herself, a fact that meant she still wanted him around. The moment that he stopped doing as she asked, he would be discarded as if he meant nothing to her; which as far as she knew was the truth.
Without another thought, Alice stepped into the open, her senses trained on every corner as she hunted for the vessel that held the ancient blood she had come to claim. The temple was dimly lit, but it wasn't quite as dark as she had expected, the wall sconces burning as if they had recently been tended to. Clearly someone had been keeping up with the maintenance since the cult's fall, as the dust that plagued the club upstairs wasn't present in this place of unholy worship.
Perhaps a member of the cult had survived and they ha
d been hiding down in that dark place ever since. If that were true, then they might just be the one who Alice was searching for. She could sense someone else's presence down there, someone other than herself and her companion, but her eyes were unable to catch any signs of movement. Whoever they were, they were close and it was only a matter of time before they fell victim to her bite.
Alice could feel Matty tense up as he entered the room behind her, placing himself on high alert as he prepared for the worst. If his instincts were as sharp as his reflexes, it was likely that he could sense that danger was near. As if to prove him right, disaster suddenly struck in the form of a tremor that shook the entire room; a loud rumble and subsequent bang causing them both to look back to where they had just entered.
Where there had once been an open doorway, a large and heavy stone door had fallen into place, blocking the only way out. The two of them were trapped in there now, the dark temple all the more menacing when their only escape route had been closed off. It would take some time to break out of their new prison; time that they likely didn't have to spare.
"Stay on your guard, we're not alone..." Matty warned, his words little more than a whisper.
The ancient blood that Alice craved was somewhere within that very room. She could smell it through the dead flesh of the body that contained it, the distinct and tantalising taste of it merely wetting her appetite for the feast that was yet to come. There was something else in the air too, the scent of something sweeter. A hint of cinnamon and other spices, likely the aroma of an expensive perfume. Unfortunately, it was a fragrance that she knew all too well.
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