“I will make myself scarce,” Valdmire said. “I don’t need one of Tal’davin’s lackeys finding me here if any escape.”
“Well I’m heading out there,” Paige said. “Don’t want them finding out where we are.”
“They tracked us here, you dumb bitch,” Dale said. He took a swig from an unmarked bottle. “They know we’re here regardless.” He stood up and walked over to one of the weapon racks looking for a tool that would be of use.
“Will you be alright here by yourself, Gabriel?” Gerard asked.
“Of course, once you go out I’ll be watching via the screens. I’ll activate the traps as well. I wouldn’t imagine any Vampires can get in here.”
Paige was almost out of the room when she turned around. “Abner are you coming with us or not?”
“Anything to smite Tal’davin,” he said.
“What are weapons to good for you?” Paige asked.
Abner just smiled again and let the Bloodrush overtake him. He held up his hand as his claws began to extend out from his fingers. “I am the weapon.”
5
A Storm’s Fury
The Hunters worked their way back through the labyrinth, Abner this time following Gerard who took a different route. The apparent leader of the new Hunters was armed to the teeth carrying a long-barreled rifle, several of the smaller guns known as pistols hanging off his belt and a curved hook blade, perfect for close quarters engagements. Paige and Dale were also similarly equipped, their rifles with noticeably shorter barrels.
Gerard was the first through the door, quickly followed by Abner who’s claws slid back out to their full extent, his red eyes returning to him once again. The Vampires were still a far way out from the den.
“Do you want to be the first line of defense?” Gerard asked Abner.
“Absolutely,” Abner said. He walked out in front of the other Hunters, alone, claws by his side.
“Paige, take the trees, Dale I want you on the roof, should be able to get a good overwatch from up there,” Gerard said. “I’ll provide covering fire from here.”
He placed his rifle onto the bonnet of the car and pulled out a bipod. Gerard then fell in line behind his rifle, checking the scope and making the necessary adjustments. He had a clear line of sight down the entirety of the gravel road. One by one the Vampires came over the hill and into sight. Gerard took a deep breath and fired his first shot.
The bullet leapt from the barrel and shot over Abner’s shoulder landing a clean headshot into the eye of the first Vampire. The dozens behind it paused for a second, off put, but only for a second. With a roar, they surged forward, racing down onto the road stretched before Abner. More kept coming into sight and the remaining Hunters opened fire, the infrequent bangs of their rifles filling the readymade death trap.
Abner ran forward to meet them, his equals, clad in the same black armor that he wore, determined to keep any Vampires from getting close to the den. He was grateful none of these Vampires carried weapons like their counterparts had in the lab. Abner hit the first Vampire with the same force as a bullet. The Bloodrush was in full effect.
What followed became a blur. Bullets whistled around his head at high speed, picking off any Vampire that looked to exploit a weakness. His claws and fangs were his weapons, taking some hits from the Vampires around him, but those that found their mark never rose to do so again. At first the Vampires that attacked him seem eager, but as time flew by they seemed less inclined to engage him.
The Hunters on their flanks, whittled down the Vampires numbers even as they approached Abner, leaving the rest easy pickings for their half-Vampire counterpart. He grabbed another by the eyes and flung it over his head, picking up the screaming monster with ease. It collided with another two and Abner could finally see the top of the hill, free at last from their presence.
Less bullets continued to be sprayed from the Hunters and the Vampires began to realize there was no chance they would win this battle. The last ten turned on their heels and fled. Abner able to keep pace with them took off after them, not willing to let one escape his murderous grasp. He heard the rumbling of an engine in the distance but paid it no mind as he reached his first target, ripping its head back and slashing at it with his claws.
Paige’s car zoomed past him, a black blur catching the remaining Vampires who continued to run on foot. He saw Dale on the roof in a prone position, firing his rifle indiscriminately. Now the Vampires had made it onto the road and were well on their way to their vehicles they had left amassed just out of sight of the den, stretching for hundreds of meters down the long, straight road.
The Vampires scrambled to the first vehicles each able to fit a capacity of five, most of them sleek sports sedans, with more thought put into performance than comfort. Through his Vampire sight, Abner watched as Dale fired a shot towards the first car, a shell larger than the bullets he was accustomed to flew through the air. Upon impact it exploded, much like during the lab escape.
Vampires and their body parts flew in all directions, scattered due to the blast. Behind the first car another started up, pulling out onto the road as a means to escape. Dale pulled the trigger on his rifle again and another shell sped towards the second car. It too exploded much like the first, turning more Vampires into living torches.
“Fuck!” Dale said.
A Vampire on a two wheeled more streamline version of a car zoomed past Paige in the opposite direction. Dale switched his position, bringing the rifle around, following the vehicle. He fired again, this time the shell missing, exploding meters behind the target, leaving a crater in the ground. Abner sped up, making a swipe for the rider, but the rider ducked down underneath his attack, speeding off into the distance.
“Abner, get in here!” Paige screamed from the car.
She pulled up beside him, the tires screeching as the brakes locked, bringing the car to a stop. Abner opened the door and climbed in, slamming it shut behind him. Paige took off again without giving him a moment to be seated, the engine howling under the strain. Dale climbed in from the roof and took a seat in the back.
“Out of fucking grenades,” he said. “Paige, you got anymore? Doubt I’d be able to take out a bike with just a normal shot at this speed.”
“Didn’t have time to restock before we left again,” she said. “You’re going to have to do this one yourself.”
“Fuck, I don’t have anymore rum,” Dale said. “I’m not in the fucking mood.”
“Well I’m not doing it,” Paige said. “Abner are you keen?”
“Keen for what?” Abner asked.
“Oh I keep forgetting you’re from the past. Were you any good at jumping from horseback to someone on the ground?” Paige asked.
“Nope,” Abner said.
“Alright fuck it, I’ll run it off the road,” Paige said.
She continued to speed up, the Vampire slowly becoming larger as the Hunters drew closer. The display behind the steering wheel now read two hundred kmph. And she kept pushing. Down the straight narrow road it edged past two twenty, and suddenly the Vampire was within a stone’s throw. A red light came from the back of the bike and Paige slammed her foot on the brakes, sending Abner headfirst into seat in front of him.
There was a crunch of metal on metal and a cry of pain from the Vampire in front of them. The car lifted, going over the top of the bike and the Vampire that was riding it, leaving it behind them.
“Take it easy will you!”
Dale laughed. “That was nothing, boy. Wait until you’re on a bike like that and go over the handlebars at speed.”
Paige paid them no mind and was already out of the car, her sword and gun in hand. She strode towards the Vampire with it raised, shooting as she went, putting hole after hole into it. They had almost no effect, the armor that it wore absorbing the shots. After eight shots, her pistol was empty and Paige threw it to the side, her face a ball of fury. She slid her sword out of the scabbard, the Dreyth blade sensing a Vampire nearby, its
runes glowing the bright red that Abner was all too familiar with.
As she approached the downed Vampire, Paige raised the sword and stabbed it through the skull. It smoldered, catching alight and vanishing into nothing but ash. Paige pulled the bike up to be on its wheels and looked it up and down, revving the engine to ensure it still worked. She paused as she looked up, her jaw dropping. Abner turned around and saw more Vampires spilling onto the road in front of them.
“I’ve got this,” Abner said. He pushed open the door and crawled out onto the ground.
His rage was yet to subside, his vision still glowing red, his claws still covered in the thick Vampire blood from the first fight. He walked towards them, their fangs snapping as they tasted the scent of him in the air.
“Do you know who I am Vampires?” Abner was met with a response of hisses and screeches. “I am Abner Toldar, son of Barros Toldar, the first half Vampire in existence. I have just killed hundreds of you with my bare hands. What chance do you think you have!”
The Vampires didn’t respond, all of them rushing towards Abner, thirsting for blood. Abner obliged them, waiting until they attacked him. Abner ducked under the first strike, both his claws sinking into the gut of the first to attack. It fell back howling into its kin. Another landed a blow on Abner, this time across his face. Abner recoiled, fresh blood dripping from the wound down into his mouth.
He laughed, licking it off his face, diving into the Vampires yet again. There was no grace to his attack, the black armor from the laboratory guards doing its job, protecting him from attacks he couldn’t see coming. Another claw stuck into the armor, Abner spun, swiping with his own. His hand clasped around a Vampire’s neck and with a roar, Abner gripped on it tighter. He felt the spine snap under the pressure and let the body fall to the ground.
Gunshots went off behind him, Dale was now out of the car, the Hunter and his rifle clearing more Vampires from around Abner. Suddenly only two remained standing, the rest either full of holes thanks to Dale or from the numerous marks Abner had left upon them. At last he blinked and saw the world come back into colour.
“You need to tell your master, Tal’davin, that I am reborn. You tell him that I am coming for his head,” Abner said.
“Why would we do that?” one Vampire asked. “He’d slaughter us.”
Abner raised his three fingers in the air in the shape of a gun towards Dale. There was another bang and a bullet passed through both Vampire’s heads. Abner shook his head.
“No different than I’d do to you.” He spat on the ground, trying to get any excess blood from his mouth.
“Fuck me!” Dale said. “I thought it a fluke when you did it once, but twice? You are a God!”
“Did what I had to do,” Abner said. “Thanks for the assist by the way.”
“Dale, are you still too drunk to drive?” Paige asked. She had pedaled the bike down to them. She’d picked up her pistol and held it in her hand.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Dale said. “Besides it can’t be that hard not to crash between here and the den, now can it?”
“With you anything is possible,” Paige said. “We’ll teach Abner how to drive soon, but to be honest I think he’s just become the designated ass kicker.”
“Most successful hunts for someone aged under twenty-five at any Huntrey,” Abner said. “Might have had a slight advantage over everyone else, but as long as I get Barros’ head in my hands before they put me in the ground, I’ll be happy with that.”
6
Light It Up
Gerard, we need to get out of here now,” Paige said. “We found more Vampires not far down the road.” She walked into the Huntrey, throwing her sword across the room to land on the glass table. “It’s fucking bull shit. Isn’t there anywhere we can go without them finding us?”
“Where, how far away?” Gerard cocked a pistol and loaded a fresh magazine into it.
“Literally just down the road! They have to know we’re here!” Paige said.
“You didn’t let any go did you?” Gerard asked.
Dale laughed. “Gerard did you see what Abner did to them, how is there any chance they could possibly escape.”
“They know you’re here and you need to move,” Abner said. “If my father knows I’m here chances are he’ll be sending an army after us now. Do you have any backup plans or anywhere we can go they won’t be able to find us? We need to move.”
“Ansel will be fine in about half an hour,” Gabriel said. “We’ll be back to being invisible one again. I’ll need someone to watch over him whilst I make sure the rest of the defenses are intact.”
“I’ll go,” Valdmire said. He got up from his chair and began to leave the room.
No,” Abner said. He rounded on the half-Vampire. “Where were you? The rest of us that didn’t have a child to look after could fight. Where and what were you doing?”
“Considering my position and how close I can be at times to Tal’davin, I do not risk exposing myself unless absolutely necessary,” Valdmire said. “If I was to do so, it would not only risk exposing the rest of the Hunters here, but it would also result in Tal’davin destroying me and thus helping us lose most of our funding. That is why I did not fight with you today, Abner.”
“We need every weapon we can get. I can’t fight that many off all the time, alone. I need some other kind of support!”
“And you’ll have it,” Gerard said. “You’ve got all of us here, you’ll have Val, and you’ll have whatever we can provide you. We each sit on a small fortune. My business Golden Excavations can provide us with a front to recruit new Hunters through if that’s what you so desire.” He motioned his head to Valdmire who promptly left the room.
“Your group did well out there, Gerard but I’m questioning if there are any humans up to the task. We’re going to need strong men and women if we’re to succeed. Ones that won’t back down from a fight and people that are fast at picking up both skills and in combat. Where are we going to find some?” Abner asked.
“I’ll post an advert at the start of the week,” Gerard said. “Some of my boys that are human will definitely be able to be of assistance.”
“We’re not going by your standards on this, Gerard. We’re going by mine. Only the best were taken on to be Hunters,” Abner said. “And why are some of your workers Vampires? This is why they’re winning!” Abner smashed his fist on the table. “The first chance you get you should have destroyed them!”
“Absolutely and I fully agree!” Gerard said. “There’s too many in the world and one way or another some will fall through the cracks. They’re also stronger and faster than any humans we have so they’re not a bad investment. Is there any particular way you’ll want to test the applicants?”
“I’ll fight them. That’s a good start,” Abner said.
“And none of them will be able to beat you,” Gerard said. “There wouldn’t be any point. You’re a peerless fighter.”
“If they survive they’ll pass the test,” Abner said.
“Are you two still standing around here yapping like old women?” Paige asked. She stormed back into the room with duffel bags full of weapons ranging from swords to rifles crammed into them. “I don’t know about the pair of you but I am leaving as soon as possible. We need to get the fuck out of here before more Vampires turn up.”
“I’m with her,” Dale said. He took a swig from a bottle of rum he had just found. “Hmm come to me baby.” He followed Paige out towards the car with another bag of weapons in hand.
Valdmire returned to the room. Dried blood on his hands. “Alright I’ve put Ansel to bed. What are we doing?”
“You need to get yourself cleaned up and get back to work,” Gerard said. “We can handle the move from here. I’ll call you if another hit comes up.”
“Righto,” Valdmire said. He walked over to the sink in the corner of the room and began to scrub his arms clean. “You want to move everything out of here in a hurry?”
“No,
we’re going to take what we can carry and burn the rest. Shit happens,” Gerard said. “They’ll find it eventually especially with none of us here to protect it.” He tapped his ear and a blue light came on. A small mechanical device reacted to his touch. “Gabriel don’t worry about the traps. I’ve decided there’ll be nothing left here for them to find.”
Abner could hear the nasally response through the device. “But what about my data! All the files I have here!”
“You’ve got half an hour to clear what you can out and then I’m burning the rest,” Gerard said.
“Gah, alright. Start everything up for me. I’ll need someone to clear Ansel’s belongings out too,” Gabriel said.
“Abner go up the stairs, the room all the way at the end of the corridor. Ansel should be asleep. Pack what you can and throw it into one of the cars,” Gerard said.
Abner nodded and began to make his way towards the Seer’s room. Paige and Dale burst back through the door into the room and looked around. Dale grabbed another bag and began rummaging through the shelves, stacking bottle after bottle of alcohol on top of each other. He vanished a moment later carrying two full sized bags out to their transports.
Now at the top of the stairs Abner, strode down the corridor and found the door at the end of it slightly ajar. There was no light in the room, so Abner flicked the switch just inside the door. Ansel laid on the bed, his limbs thrown out at odd angles, bandages wrapped around where he was bleeding from his arms. A box of toys was piled neatly in the corner and Abner picked it up under his arm. Another box full of clothes and everyday items was piled next to it.
He quickly checked the room and apart from the bed and found it stripped bare. His foot kicked something as he went to leave. Abner looked down and saw a small golden trinket. One that reminded him of the amulets. It was of the same shape and size, but something felt off. He put it around his neck, expecting the warm golden light to wash over him, but nothing happened. A fake.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 62