by Wooden, E M
Prologue
"Lucifer is late," Vlad observed.
"Careful Tepis, I would hate for your creator to get mad at you," Petronius teased. "And why you decided to start calling yourself Vlad Tepis is beyond me."
"I don't think you have much room to talk, Petronius. Sounds kind of feminine to me," Vlad replied. Petronius let out a soft growl.
"Quiet, both of you," Michael chided. "He'll be here shortly, and let us not forget our agreement. Besides, Tepis, you are the reason we are here. If you had kept a handle on your kind, we wouldn't have even had to use the bestowing," Vlad spat.
"You would think that after all this time we would have come up with a better name for it," Vlad joked.
"There is no point in changing the subject, Vlad. We may be at war with each other, but the preservation of the Immortalis comes first, at whatever the cost," Michael chided again. "If your rogue vampire had gone unchecked, there is no telling the devastation he could have wrought with his army. It is a miracle that only so few mortals discovered their existence."
"You should have let me go after him," Petronius offered. "My minions would have made short work of them." That drew a snarl from Vlad. Michael spoke before Vlad could take action.
"It would have been a fool’s errand. While you would be off gallivanting on some adventure, your kind would have been wiped out." Petronius was startled by the finality in Michael's voice; Vlad chuckled. A new voice entered the conversation from behind the three.
"And that would have been such a pity. There wouldn't be any more wolves to howl at the moon or lick their own balls," Lucifer said sarcastically.
"You're late," Michael stated.
"Calm yourself brother. Be glad I decided to show up at all. It would appear as though our champion had a change of heart. He refused to take care of the mortals," Lucifer replied. The crumpled heap of a man that Lucifer had been dragging murmured something through broken lips.
"B...but they...were innocent." He coughed and blood spilled down his chin. Lucifer threw the man in between the other three and took his place, completing the circle, opposite Michael.
"They should have known their place," Lucifer spat. Michael gave Lucifer a sharp glare, as he knelt down to cradle the beaten man's face, lifting his head slightly. His eyes were barely visible through the swelling.
"Alexander...," as Michael spoke the man's name, energy passed through the angel's hands, slowly healing Alexander's wounds. Michael lifted the man higher, until they were both standing. Alexander's face, previously bloodied, now clearly showed his wonder and bewilderment.
"I know you have questions. I am sorry, but I cannot answer them. You did well, champion. Your great deeds will forever be remembered throughout time. That is what they will call you, Alexander the Great. You saved humanity from almost utter destruction. I am afraid it is time," Michael said, trying to console the confused warrior. Before Alexander could speak, Michael looked from werewolf to vampire, and then lastly to his brother, the demon. At once they spoke in unison.
"You, whom has been bestowed, we hold your oath fulfilled. Consummatum est." At the end of the last word, Alexander's body slumped to the ground.
"Right, well glad that is all finished," Lucifer said. With a quick snap of his fingers, the body combusted into flames. The other three jumped back, startled.
"I do hope you have learned your lesson, Tepis. It is such a drag having to recruit these halfwits and giving them the power of gods. They always think they can win in the end, the fools. I hope you can handle all the details. I have souls to steal and sins to commit," Lucifer said, turning around to walk out.
"Yes, as usual, I already have my scribes writing the harrowing tales of Alexander the Great. It really is a marvel to think that he was just a farmer before we found him; sad, really. The life he would have led, had you controlled your flock, Vlad," Michael said. Vlad spat on the still burning corpse.
"It is done. I will hear no more of this from the likes of you. I will see you all on the battlefield someday. Until then, stay alive. I would hate to be robbed of that pleasure," Vlad said with an evil grin.
"You really are a vile creature, Tepis," Petronius said. Vlad cackled and he too turned to walk away, giving a rude hand gesture over his shoulder. Michael turned to Petronius.
"You know you and yours are still welcome in my house, Petronius," Michael offered.
"Save it, Michael. My kind fought for our freedom from yours for a reason. We will not kowtow before you again. Count your days, Michael holier-than-thou. There will be a reckoning, and not like this measly vampire uprising. A day will come when we will all be challenged. I hope you will be ready," Petronius prophesied. It was his turn to walk away now, leaving Michael with the ashes of he who would be known as Alexander the Great. When he was alone, he crossed himself and spoke softly.
"So be it..."
Chapter 1
Shakespeare once wrote, "Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” He could never have been more right, though I didn’t know just how right he was. My life was at a standstill, or at least that is how I perceived it. I never openly admitted that I wanted to go back to the military, because I didn’t, but there were days when it seemed so much easier and exciting. People often thought I was crazy for missing the bullets whizzing by my head or the explosions that sometimes still wake me up at night, but it beat my boring life hands down.
It was another mundane day in the city and I was skipping class, again. The rain had been a light drizzle for a couple hours and I didn’t feel the need to crawl out of bed. My phone buzzed. I suppose at some time I should check the messages. I stole a look at the alarm clock next to the phone. It said it was two in the afternoon. I let out a long sigh. I was tired, but not, at the same time. It seemed like more and more I had restless nights with little or no sleep. For the most part I had gotten used to it, though every once in a while it could drive me a little insane. The clouds parted and a beam of sunlight broke through, right into my face. It was like God was telling me it was time to wake up. A chime signaling that I had another text message broke the silence; a sign, indeed.
“What the hell,” I said, very irritably. I rolled over to the side of the bed, sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I stayed there for a few minutes with my face buried in my hands. The reminder from my phone went off again. I reached over and picked it up. Four new messages. I was willing to bet that most of them would be from Kellan, either telling me about last night’s endeavors or saying he had started drinking already and wanted me to join. I was right about three of them. The other one was from Eve. I sighed. Kellan and Eve were pretty much the only two people in my life that I really gave a damn about. There was family but I never saw them all that often. Kellan was a buddy from back home who idolized my military experience, well more so the fact that I had been to combat. And Eve…Eve was, I guess what you would call, my current flame, and the relationship tended to flicker, a lot. Apparently she wanted to stoke the fire. Her mood swings were seriously giving me whiplash.
After a few minutes of thinking about her, I pushed the thought out of my head and stood up. The pain in my knees almost forced me back down. That was one of the only things the army had ever truly given me; periodic blinding knee pain. I stretched and it felt amazing. A grumble in my stomach told me that it was far too long since I last ate, and I needed to break my fast. I decided a trip to the bathroom would do me well before I set out. I completed my normal routine with a shower, lingering under the hot water a little longer than usual. The cold water told me it was a good time to get out. I wrapped a towel around my waist and paused briefly to assess myself in the mirror. I suppose I could be vain at times. Not too
bad. Some pudge was starting to show at the bottom of my six pack, but all in all I really couldn’t complain. Fortunately, I was blessed with good genes, the kind where I could eat all I wanted and never work out, and all that would happen is a little pudge at the bottom of my six pack. As I turned to walk out something flashed in the mirror causing me to double take, but I was the only thing there. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes. I really needed to start getting sleep at night.
Continuing out of the bathroom, I grabbed the remote off of the kitchen counter and turned on the TV. I love that TV. It was 32 inches, all flat screen, and hooked up to a kick ass Bose sound system. I had it all situated in the corner between two windows. It worked out pretty well when the blinds were closed. I could even swivel it so I could watch it from my bed, when I didn’t want to use the papasan chair I had maneuvered right in front. I knew I had to have one the first time I ever plopped down in one; damn near the best money I had ever spent. I used it for everything from watching movies to rocking out on my 360. Down the wall, opposite of my bed, was my computer desk with my other pride and joy. I custom built a desktop that would make most Apple owners wet themselves with envy. I surveyed the rest of the room and marveled at just how clean I kept it. With the exception of some dirty clothes strewn about the hard wood floors, it was pretty tidy. It only took a moment of admiring my palace before I decided it was time to get dressed.
I threw some clothes on, grabbed my phone, and went over to the closet to get my riding jacket. Instead of a car I have a motorcycle, a Honda CBR, and even though it isn’t a Ducati, it still gets me to where I needed to go, usually very quickly and somewhat dangerously, and I loved it. Wintertime made things a little less than desirable, but hey, sacrifices. Naturally my parents didn’t approve and Eve, well Eve had mixed emotions. I think some days she only humored me when we went on rides. She wasn't too materialistic, but I think she wanted me to get a Ducati almost as much as I did. The Honda was fast enough for me, for now, and likely to get me killed. I put on my jacket and reached into the pocket. My keys were right where I left them. I used the remote again to turn off the TV. Taking a last look around my apartment, I opened the door and exited, stopping only to lock the door behind me. The hallway to the elevator was as eerie as it always was, dimly lit with brown walls. I don’t think I will ever get used to it. I took a breath and made my way down. I swear I could always feel an uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. It was kind of like when you just knew an IED was about to go off. It just felt wrong. It wouldn’t be all that far-fetched either.
One of the reasons, probably the biggest one, I was able to get a loft apartment downtown was because there was a murder here. Apparently it was violent. A couple used to live here about five years ago when the guy came home to find his woman cheating on him. He went to the kitchen to grab a butcher’s knife and chased the other guy down the hall. The jealous boyfriend got to him just before he reached the elevator. If the cheater was smart, he would have taken the stairs. The enraged lover stabbed him in the back 15 times by the time his girlfriend got to him, he turned around and accidentally stabbed her in the chest. The blade made it all the way to her lungs. At least that is what the police report said. Of course it’s all speculation. When the cops showed up she was cradled in his arms, everyone was dead. The slashes along his wrists made it all pretty cut and dry, a jealous rage turned suicide. So the apartment was cleaned out, renovated and the hallway painted, the rumor is that they chose brown because the blood stains wouldn’t come out. Long story short, the place stayed on the market for five years until I came along. I got a really good deal on it and after my tour in Iraq, I think I can handle the lore behind the place. So I jumped on it. For the most part no one really notices anything, but every once in a while, when I have people over, someone always mentions that I need to turn the heat on, even if it was midsummer. I guess I am just lucky enough to not notice it.
The elevator dinged bringing me back to reality; I had almost forgotten that I pushed the button. I got on and pushed the lobby button, the doors shut fairly quickly and the elevator lurched downward. The wires groaned in protest creating a spectral sound, sending a shiver down my spine. Some cheesy music would have been nice. My trip finally ended with a jerky stop and the elevator doors opened up. The lobby was an unremarkable place with a reception desk off to the right that looked like it was rarely ever used. Off to the left were the mailboxes. I walked over to mine and used my key to open it up. Junk mail, that’s all I ever seemed to get any more. Most of what I ever got was credit card offers or get rich quick schemes with the occasional college offer littered in there as well. Today wasn’t any different. There was a single credit card offer. I sighed pulling the envelope out and shutting my mail box. I searched the lobby, but once again the little waste basket that sat next to the reception desk had been removed. Mouthing “of course,” I folded the piece of mail in half and stuck it in my back pocket. I turned towards the double doors that were my gateway to the blissfully dismal day that was today. One of them was propped open. It made me wonder what the point of having to use a key to get in was.
Walking through the door into the world I paused to take a glance down the busy lane that was my street. People and cars were bustling in every which direction, but mostly towards downtown. The sun was successfully peeking through the clouds enough to make me pull out my sunglasses. I had a pair of Oakley’s that I bought back when I was in the army, back when I was dumb with too much money. Surprisingly, I managed to keep them in decent condition. I had a bad habit of spending money on expensive things and then breaking them, but these babies lasted through the war and were kind of like a good luck charm. I made my way down the sidewalk, away from the city, to the little parking garage that housed my bike. That was another thing that sold me on this place, premium parking that was included in the rent. The attendant in the booth that controlled the arm was a guy I saw frequently. His name was Rick and had seen his fair share of summers. Come to think of it, he was the only one I ever saw work the booth, which was impressive, given his age. He pulled a lot of hours. I gave him a cursory nod and he muttered something imperceptible as I passed. I went up the stairs to the second level and just off to the left was my bike, sitting in one of the small spots reserved for motorcycles. I let out a soft sigh, like I did every time I saw her. She was all black with the exhaust going straight out, underneath the seat. To be honest, she wasn’t much, but she was perfect to me. I threw on my helmet really quick and mounted the bike. Grabbing my keys, I fired her up, revving the throttle a little to hear that throaty purr I liked so much. Almost instinctually, I pulled my phone out to see if I had gotten any new messages, and I had. Kellan sent me another one practically begging me to hit up the bar with him. I stared at the message for a few seconds before I decided I would indulge him; after all, I really didn’t know where I was going anyway. I typed him a reply saying I would see him in a bit.
Chapter 2
Now would be a good time to clarify where exactly back home is. I grew up about twenty minutes outside of the big city and truly thought that by moving into the city, I would be getting away from my hometown. Truth be known, I really didn’t want to leave and actually missed it from time to time. So it was decided, I backed up my bike and took off towards the ramp. When I got to the bottom Rick had the arm already lifted waiting for me as he usually did. I waved and he nodded in return. I switched on the left blinker and waited for an opening in the traffic. That was probably the only bad thing about the garage, sometimes you could be left waiting for a while. A blue Prius hesitated for a second, probably a tourist, and I took full advantage of it darting out onto the lane. A few horns signaled that I had just pissed a couple of people off, but I wasn’t too concerned about it. It only took about ten minutes to get out of the really urban area and then it was wide open roads. The best part about the road leading back home is that it was usually deserted and cop free. I immediately coaxed the bike to about eighty miles an hour. After
going roughly five miles down the road, feeling like I had smooth sailing, I crested a hill to see about fifteen cop cars with lights flashing. They were maneuvered outside a factory and warehouse complex.
There had always been rumors that the buildings were abandoned and frequently used by thugs; feel free to insert your own cliché crime organizations. But no one ever really believed the rumors; most of us just wrote them off as stories to keep miscreant youths from breaking and entering. I slowly let off the gas due to the mesmerizing light display, and it was a good thing too, a uniformed cop was directing traffic. I think he was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. He waved me through, but my curiosity got the best of me and I stopped. I asked him what was going down. I gave him a spiel about living close and being concerned for my safety. He bought it, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. He didn’t give me anything solid. He told me that there had been gang activity, a possible drug bust. He was about to say more when someone shouted at him to keep traffic moving, I assumed it was one of his superiors. He startled slightly at the sudden rebuke, backing up a few steps and began waving me forward rather emphatically. I nodded and kicked the bike into gear pulling away. I waited until I was close to a mile away before I picked up the pace, in case there were any late comers to the uniform party I just left. The rest of the trip was uneventful and I made it to High Grove fifteen minutes later. High Grove, it amazed me to actually think of that name. I tried hard not to, and often just referred to it as back home.
You see, High Grove was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone, but there still was the capacity for you to meet new people. We had frequent visitors due to the stylish restaurants and bars. But all in all there still really wasn’t much privacy. I could go piss behind a garbage can and I am sure I would hear about it in the morning, from at least six different people. That was just from the old money in town. You throw into account my generation and I found the place damn near unbearable. There was kind of a saying that the locals coined, “If you didn’t grow up here, you don’t stay here.” It isn’t like they go around being unfriendly or anything of that nature. It’s just that if they don’t know you, it takes a hell of a long time for them to get to know you. The main reason my parents stayed was because they didn’t care about the politics of the townies. They kept to themselves on their land on the outskirts. They had some good neighbors and that’s all they cared about. You can imagine that it made life for a young teenager that much more difficult. In order to clear of some confusion, I will explain just how I came to High Grove.