by Robert Brown
The video ends in a heroically scripted fashion, showing vampires pulling humans from burning buildings to their safety. Another group of vampires fights off attempts by their enemy to reach a human that is running from the scene while carrying an American flag.
When I saw this scene with the man and our flag, I turned to the vampires showing me the footage and I scoffed at them. I have witnessed many forms of propaganda in my life, but this was blatant and false, I told them. To that, they introduced me to the man in that video who survived the encounter. His name is Jeffrey Warren, and he was a Boy Scout troop leader before the world fell apart. The vampires that fought to protect him were members of his troop that joined the battle so they could try and save his life. Several of them gave their lives to protect his.
In their youthful innocence, they told me they put in that particular footage because it looked “cool” and it showed what the battle really meant to them.
Now you have seen what they have been doing for us in these past months. While you are still welcome to take whatever actions you think you must against those who held us in camps, I ask one thing of you. If you really want to express your frustrations and grievances against an enemy that wishes us harm, join us in the fight to free our remaining citizens who right now remain in captivity.
I will not gloss over the fact that there is no way for humans to defeat a vampire directly. They are using our deadliest weapons against each other with little harm or consequence. The only way we can help the vampires who are fighting to free our kind is to provide them with the one thing they need from us. They need our blood.
The mutants have a tremendous army and have pushed the vampires who wish to enslave us farther east. Battle lines have been drawn from Winnipeg in Canada down to Houston, Texas. Plans have been made to move eastward from that front line until every human and vampire between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean is free. Free from enslavement and the threat of death by a group of individuals that wish to turn us into cattle.
To win the freedom of our fellow humans and defeat the threat to our lives that the evil vampires pose, I am asking you to join the almost seven million vampires and giants that have assembled along the front line in preparation to do war on our behalf. Move east with us and do what we as Americans were born and raised for. We were put on this Earth to fight for what is right and just in this world. We were put here to show all who attempt to knock us down how freedom can be challenged, but it cannot be extinguished. We need to join the fight with our children to secure the promise of humanities future. We will fight for our nation’s independence, and we will win.
*
The movement east is unprecedented. Millions of humans and vampires traveling at once all in an effort to save the world from the shared threat the vampires in the east pose. In the past seven days, twenty-three million bodies ran, drove, flew or were carried to the front lines of a new approaching war. Without the help of the humans west of The Rockies who survived the winter in freedom, the war could not successfully continue. The people currently being freed from most cities and towns have been starved to such an extent many do not have the strength or health necessary to donate even a small amount of blood to a vampire before battle.
*
President Thomas is reunited with his military advisors and surrounded by chemists, engineers, doctors, physicists and every manner of scientific specialist that could be found. Tucked away in the halls of NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain Complex, they are all working on the problem of the vampiric telepathy that is causing the losses during battles to be so extreme.
Two days are remaining before The Angel and her generals plan to lead the first charge. Cora’s mother opens the door to Julie Moore, the president’s advisor.
“We found something. They would like to see Cora for testing.”
“Thank you, Miss Moore. She’s sleeping right now, why don’t you come in while I wake her?”
Walking into the small room, Julie smiles sadly. “I’m sorry for this. I know it must be difficult for you.”
“I have been crying a lot lately. As powerful as my daughter has become, I know it makes her the ultimate target in any battle. I…” Tanya sits heavily on a stool and leans against the counter. “I never imagined any of this. I mean, of course no one did, who could have, but I mean if the world stayed the same, there was never a thought that my daughter would join the military or go to war. I expected her to go to college, get a career, meet a nice man and get married one day. I didn’t even get to send her off on a first date or have her turn into a teenager that hates her mother’s rules.
“This whole situation is so… I can’t even think of a word it’s so bad.”
“The president and the military men that saved me keep calling it FUBAR…”
Tanya chuckles. “I guess that will have to do, even if it doesn’t express my motherly longing to have my little girl back.”
“I miss you too, Mom.”
Tanya and Julie jump at the sound of Cora’s voice from a second doorway.
“Julie came to get you, sweetheart. They have something they would like to test on you.”
Cora walks up to her mother and pulls her into a standing embrace, wrapping not just her arms, but her wings around her mother as well. She smiles at her mom, lets her go, and walks out the door with Julie.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Rocket’s Red Glare
Mutant Casualty list
Winnipeg - 33,428
Minneapolis - 48,352
Chicago - 62,171
St. Louis - 37,421
Nashville - 42,951
New Orleans - 51,384
The video message screen crackles with the presidential address on the progress of the war. His tone has softened considerably from the anger-filled frustration born of enslavement. No longer are the pale mutants that fight for humanity referred to as monsters, even though that is still what they are. The term monster is used solely for the enemy. The enemy troops that torture and kill as many humans under their charge as possible rather than allow them to be freed in battle.
The Angel’s troops and the human supporting army have advanced beyond the Mississippi River’s boundary line, and the final stage of pushing across the country is at hand. Rafael and his soldiers take their humans and drain them completely before a battle to gain a blood superiority in the fight. Those fighting for freedom drink from their humans as well, but on this side of the battle, the humans are volunteers and no one is drained to the death. It is considered the same as donating blood and is often no more in amount.
“As our children have advanced across our nation, taking back territory and freeing what humans their evil counterparts have left alive, they have done so at tremendous cost. More than a quarter of a million of our children have given their lives while we have advanced the front line. The tactics of the enemy grow more vicious and desperate as our army continues east.
“The Angel has returned from her battles in Mexico and will be leading our largest force yet to take back Richmond. The enemy general, Rafael, is there and has assembled an army of Three hundred thousand in an attempt to prevent the loss of the southern territory. It is imperative to emerge victorious in this battle. Doing so will push Rafael and his forces back to the Washington D.C. area.
“I have been advised that a new ally from South America has joined us, and we will start seeing them among the groups of vampires and giants as they move through the territory in the next day or so. Please try to remain calm at the appearance of the new mutant forms. They are joining us in battle to fight for their own version of independence, and we should welcome all that wish to fight for the cause of freedom.
“For those that are in line to donate blood before the battle begins, please remember to eat and drink to capacity the night before so your blood will be rich and our victory will be sure. Thank you, and may the light of freedom once again shine from sea to shining sea.”
*
Rafael’s s
oldiers adopted the tactics of The Angel’s army after the battle of Denver. Stores and shops across the U.S. were scoured for whatever medieval weaponry could be found. The remaining living farrier’s and blacksmiths were collected to produce the swords and hammers to be used as the weapons of choice on modern battlefields.
Some firearms are still used but sparingly since bullets do so little damage to a mutant body, especially after being satiated from drinking an enemy’s blood. The giants carry large hammers and can crush skulls and bodies of vampires, preventing them from reconstituting quickly. The vampires carry swords and axes and cleave their way through battle lines with parts and pieces being picked up and drained by any opposing vampire.
“This battle will be different in many ways,” Cora calls out to over two thousand captains and generals that have converged to lead the assembled army. “Rafael will be leading this fight personally. He has grown stronger and is getting assistance from Amanda. I haven’t been able to see into her mind to discover her powers yet, so we know she is powerful. Rafael’s gift is control. You will have to use every ounce of your abilities to prevent him from gaining control over the minds of the vampires and giants fighting under you.
“I’m assuming Amanda must have a power similar to mine. She is able to keep me from reading not only her mind, but has been preventing me from seeing their planning as well. This inability to read their minds will cost us, but you have already had to deal with these issues while I was fighting in Mexico and pushed into South America.
“We have a new ally that will be joining us in the fight. We have various groups of these mutants joining us, but they are not native to the North American territory, so we have had little interaction with them. What I found out when I headed south is these creatures have kept the human population safe and prevented the vampires in their regions from choosing the path of enslavement. I wish we had their assistance in the earlier stages of our war.
“You should know they have limited vocal abilities and speak mainly in Spanish when they have something to say. If you have any questions, please direct them through vampires like myself that have the ability to read minds or to anyone that may speak Spanish.”
Cora shoots into the air with three strong beats of her wings and signals to Lloyd on the ground to have the new army enter. A small howl is heard from the buildings behind him, and a dusty cloud bursts forth and rushes over the field to the assembly area.
In seconds, the assembled group Cora was speaking to is surrounded by the new mutant army. They move incredibly fast, and at times, seem like blurs of motion, even for the vampires’ enhanced vision. The creatures stand in varying heights ranging from three to six feet tall. They are covered in hair, have long tails, and snouts full of vicious-looking teeth.
“These new soldiers are able to fight without having their minds taken over and controlled by arch-vampires. They are faster than us and can use their tails and legs as well as we can use our arms. They will help to keep us alive if Rafael gains control over large portions of our army. Use the next few days to coordinate with the other mind-reading troop leaders to place the werewolves within your divisions.”
“What are they? I mean what were they?” Turning to one of the werewolves standing next to him, the vampire smiles oddly. “No offense intended.”
The hairy wolf-like face turns to him, grins, and gives a peculiar howl. He is six feet tall, covered in black hair, and is muscle bound. “I Mantled Howler. We wish free.”
“They were monkeys,” Cora states to the crowd. “Their similar DNA caused them to mutate in much the same way we did. They, of course, look like werewolves to us. Compared to where they began, they have gained tremendous levels of intelligence during their mutation, and they are seeking a place in society with the rest of us once our lands are free. I have agreed to their autonomy, and they have agreed to fight to free humanity and stop Rafael.”
*
Fifty miles from the Richmond city limits, four hundred and eighteen thousand vampires, giants and werewolves set up camp under the southern stars in anticipation of the coming morning’s battle. The humid summer air buzzes with insects and the busy sounds of swords being sharpened.
The human volunteers that will be providing the vampire soldiers with blood are already set up between the fighters and the city which is their goal. Normally, the human’s camp farther back from the front lines, but the president convinced Cora and her army to allow the humans to be a bit closer to harm’s way. Any advantage we can give you will help free us all.
The scientists working in NORAD developed an electronic helmet which blocks the ability of arch-vampires to read the wearer’s mind. They are setting up production facilities and hope to produce enough for the entire army. So far only a limited number have been produced.
While Rafael and Amanda, the woman helping him, cannot gain control over the vampires who wear the helmets, it also prevents Cora from looking into James Thomas’ mind. The president chose to fit himself and his advisors with some of the first caps produced. Cora’s desire to know what the president is thinking becomes an urgent necessity with the illumination of the night sky.
The shrieking terror of thousands of rockets flying overhead echoes through the woods and hills. Movement from the front lines causes all the mutants to grab their weapons and prepare to fight.
Humans, tens of thousands of humans, run through the woods and line up in front of the mutants in preparation to have some of their blood consumed.
President Thomas walks up to Cora and offers her a serious smile. “I told you earlier, anything we can do to give you an advantage.”
“But what have you done?” she cries back at him.
“We have sent rockets to destroy all of the humans they are holding captive in the Richmond area. In the morning before the attack, they would have killed them all anyway. They would have drained their blood and been better fighters against you as a result. Take your army and destroy Rafael now while they are disorganized.”
“How could you?” Her eyes are welling up with tears. “We are trying to save humanity not destroy it!”
“This is war, Cora. If you want to save lives, then get your army moving and don’t let those lives lost out there be in vain.”
The roar of thundering feet usher forth from the camp as the giants and werewolves head off to battle. The vampire soldiers run among the humans standing in line and drink before speeding off in a blur to the night time battlefield.
Lloyd grabs Cora’s arm and pulls her around, her hateful glare torn from the president’s face.
“War is what they’re good at, Cora. There is a reason you wanted the help of adults after the battle for Denver. He told me about his plan to do this, and I thought it was a good one. We only saved a thousand humans in the last battle, and it isn’t worth letting Rafael have so much blood before a fight.”
She wrenches her hand away from Lloyd in protest and anger and points her finger at the president. “We’ll discuss this when I get back.” Flapping her large wings behind her, she flies into the night sky followed by her winged guard. The cacophony of feet, rockets, and wings display an auditory example of a rush to war that no one could mistake.
The city of Richmond is in flames. The rockets stop falling just before the first of The Angel’s army reach the city boundary. Rafael’s soldiers are in disarray from their human slaves being killed before their blood could be consumed. Many of them are running away from the front line, attempting to escape before Rafael is able to reorganize them with his mind. Then, the werewolves arrive and begin tearing his soldiers to pieces. None of them have seen or battled the werewolves before, and at first, they are overwhelmed by their appearance.
Rafael can see the destruction through the eyes of those he controls. He can feel their fear.
He shakes his head not believing what his soldiers are fighting. These new creatures look like wolves and can drain the blood of vampires just as easily as I can. And they are fast. He
tries leaping his mind connection ahead from soldier to soldier before it is ripped apart and drained, and his thought jumping barely stays ahead of the new army’s advance. He tries time and again to gain purchase to control the minds of the werewolves destroying his vampires but is unable to grasp their thoughts.
The giants arrive at the battlefield, swinging their enormous hammers and crushing all enemies in their path. With their arrival, The Angel’s vampires won’t be far behind. They will run through the field of severed and crushed bodies consuming every ounce of blood they can find. It is the same tactic his soldiers successfully used several times as well before they lost their alliance with the giants.
Rafael orders his winged vampires into the fight, and his ground troops start to push back against the raging horde before them. His soldiers are holding the line, but The Angel’s winged troops haven’t yet arrived, when they do, the battle will turn, and he will lose this city as well.
He grips his hands in fury and prepares to start giving the kill code. He developed his powers of control over others to the point that he can program vampires in his power to fight to the death. He discovered a vampire given the kill code will become twice as effective in battle and has helped him destroy large swaths of The Angel’s troops in previous fights.
Before he sends out the code, a calming voice enters his mind. “Pull them back.”
He looks to the sky and sees The Angel’s winged forces approaching.
“The battle is lost, pull my people back. Amanda is with me, we will stop them in Washington.”
His mind whirls through his soldiers as he calculates. He grabs the minds of nearly a thousand soldiers at a time and gives the kill code. Over and over, he reaches out until nearly twenty thousand of his troops are fighting to the death. He orders the rest to retreat to Washington D.C.