The Claw Order (Fanghunters Book 4)

by Leo Romero

  He made it down a few more rungs before he decided to look down. He caught a glimpse of Faisal hopping off the ladder and moving to the side; he looked around him in the height of paranoia. Trixie was three-quarters of the way down and getting there fast; it was like nothing to her. She was just enjoying the ride down the side of the building. Climbing up and down buildings is fast becoming her hobby, Dom rationalized.

  He watched in disbelief as she hopped down more rungs like they were stairs in the house, while his legs were shaking as if electrified.

  Come on, buddy. You gotta get going…

  He puffed his cheeks, and got moving. He took one rung at a time like he was eighty-five years old, nausea rising and falling in his stomach.

  You’ll be on solid ground soon. Just imagine how nice that will be.

  Man, why the hell do I do this stuff?

  “I’m gonna retire after this, I promise,” he said. “Vince can stick this fanghunting crap up his sweet ass. I’ve done my bit. He can send Rufus to the next hellhole.”

  He made it down a few more rungs, finding that complaining was a good way of taking his mind off the vertigo. He made it halfway when he afforded himself another look down. Trixie had reached the bottom. She hopped off the last rung and immediately looked up at Dom.

  “Come on, Dom!” she shouted.

  “I’m coming!” he shouted down in an agitated voice.

  A noise made his head snap up. From over the balcony railing came a ball of flames. Dom watched it in bewilderment. At first he thought it was a fireball somehow shooting out from the apartment, but he realized it was another of those jihadis; he’d soldiered through the fires to give chase. His whole body was ravaged with flames; they waved and rippled on the air as he threw his arms up in a dramatic fashion and slumped over the balcony railing, and fell still.

  Dom’s eyes widened in alarm. The thug managed to land his burning corpse on top of the rope ladder.

  And it was starting to burn through the rope.

  Dom gulped in terror. “Oh no...”

  The rope caught alight and started to burn away. In no time, the flames would eat right through it. The burning jihadi stayed where he was as if he did the whole thing on purpose, his final effort to kill them, making sure his arms sprawled across the ladder before he died.

  “Come on, Dom!” Trixie urged. “Quick!”

  Dom looked down. The drop was too much; he’d at least break both legs if not die if he fell. He looked back up; the flames continued to burn on that corpse and the top of the ladder.

  Dom got his ass in gear. He fumbled his way down, his focus on the rungs, his breathing ragged. Hot juddering sounds burst from his chest, his whole body shuddered in fear.

  Come on, come on, come on, he urged himself, his head down. The ground looked a zillion miles away; a concrete hell. If he didn’t get down before ladder burned through, his brains and guts would decorate that gray in vivid shades of pink and red.

  He got down a couple more rungs and his foot slipped. His heart lurched. His grip on the ladder tightened as hard as it could, his knuckles turning bone white. He swayed left and right like a leaf on a breeze, his feet running on the air.

  Oh my God!

  He kicked the air ahead of him, hoping to get it between the rungs. His sole scraped over a rung and he planted his foot down, throwing his other foot in alongside it. He regained his balance, the ladder swinging to and fro. He whipped his head up. The top part of the ladder was smoldering black. His eyes widened. He literally had seconds to get down to safety. There was no way he could make it in time, it was just a case of getting down far enough that his fall didn’t kill him.

  He scrambled down the ladder, a jabbering mess. Trixie and Faisal were both looking up at him, urging him down, their faces riddled with anxiety. Dom made it down a few more rungs. Make it, make it, go, go! his tortured mind stammered in a chaotic staccato. He got down a couple more.

  Go, go, go!

  Another one.

  Go, go, go, go—

  The top of the ladder finally snapped.

  Dom eyes widened in horror. He sucked in a terrified gasp as his body suddenly became light. He gave the loose rope ladder in his hands a stupid stare, his stomach flying upward. Trixie’s scream played out somewhere at the back of his mind, the terrifying exhilaration of being airborne overcoming all his senses. The flames engulfing Faisal’s balcony came into view as his body fell back; they caused the blue sky above them to shimmer.

  The realization that he was about to smack into concrete slammed into his mind and he went to let out a scream. If he came out of it with just an entire rack of smashed ribs he’d be lucky. He closed his eyes against the inevitable.

  There was a massive jarring, followed by a loud grunt. He hit something soft, much softer than concrete, and landed on top of it. His body slammed back, pain jolting through his bones, but not nearly as bad as he thought it should be. The impact stole the breath from his chest and he rolled away on the concrete, the blue sky above him dominating his view. He rolled a tentative head to the side to see Faisal sprawled across the ground, his head rolling around in groggy circles. Dom realized what happened; Faisal had tried to catch him and ended up breaking his fall. The poor guy caught the brunt of it.

  Trixie came running over. “Are you two okay?”

  Dom nodded, just as his chest began to loosen. “I’m all right,” he said, the rope ladder lying by his feet. He winced at the sight of it.

  Trixie went and helped Faisal up. He made it to his feet, rubbing his head. “I’m okay,” he said with a wheeze. “I’m still alive.” He clenched his teeth as he straightened his back.

  Dom gingerly got to his feet and looked up at Faisal’s apartment. The flames were roaring out of the balcony window. “We better get outta here!” he said, taking nervous glances around him. Already one or two people were attracted to the scene. One was on their phone, pointing up at the apartment. Dom hoped he was calling the fire service.

  Faisal kicked into gear. “Quick. Follow me!” He turned and ran for the small parking lot and his motorcycle. He jumped on. “Come on!”

  Trixie and Dom jumped on the back.

  “We need to leave!” Faisal declared, starting up the engine.

  “Take us to the Al-Hurria palace,” demanded Trixie.

  Faisal stopped. He touched his eye patch with trembling fingers. “I haven’t been there for nearly fifty years. I didn’t dare return.”

  “We think Rah is there now,” said Trixie.

  Faisal remained still.

  “You up for it, Faisal?” Dom asked.

  Faisal took a deep breath. “Allah is guiding us. It is my fate. I have nothing left. I must return to Al-Hurria!” He pushed down the throttle and raced out onto the street. A small throng of people were now gathered outside the apartment block, their attention fixed on the raging fire coming out of Faisal’s apartment. Faisal sped up, and in no time, they left the scene behind.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The beauty of the motorcycle was that Faisal could weave in and out of the traffic, allowing them to streamline through it. They wanted to get to Al-Hurria before sundown when Rah would awaken, so bypassing the traffic was a massive bonus.

  “What if his children are there?” Faisal shouted over his shoulder.

  “Then we’ll take them down too,” replied Dom.

  “How many are there?” Trixie asked Faisal.

  “From memory, there were four cribs in the room with Rah.”

  “So, by now, they’ll be adults,” said Trixie.

  Faisal nodded.

  “No sweat. We still got holy water to use on em!” Dom said.

  “Yeah, but just be careful,” advised Trixie. “They’re the children of a mighty vamp.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So, they’ll be strong. Formidable. We mustn’t go rushing in anywhere!”

  “Isn’t that what we always do anyway?”

  Trixie didn’t answer.
>
  Faisal sped up. They slipped through the streets of Baghdad, a sand-yellow blur broken by the green of palms trees. They hit the highway and left Baghdad behind, soon entering an area of vast desert and dust as far as the eye could see, all bathed in blistering heat.

  “That’s where the fake excavation was!” Faisal shouted, pointing over to his right. Dom looked that way. It was just an area of desert beyond the highway.

  “Al-Hurria is there too,” Faisal added.

  Dom squinted his eyes. He couldn’t see any palace. Just desolate land. Then, from seemingly nowhere, a white block entered the shimmering horizon. As it grew larger, the highway veered away from it. Dom recalled the news clip of the beheading; the one on TV where Vincent first spotted the palace. In his mind, Dom superimposed the news report on what he was now staring at. And they fit like a glove. It was Al-Hurria, and that was where Rah was hiding out.

  “This is Global Jihad territory,” said Faisal. “We have to go around, or they’ll catch us.” Faisal took a road off the highway that led them away from Al-Hurria and into more desert area. He came off this new road and into the surrounding dust. They climbed up to a craggy outcrop from where they could scope Al-Hurria. They bent down low and watched the palace for any signs of life. It sat in the near distance like a white elephant, glimmering under the intense sun. It was quiet, all too quiet.

  “I can’t see anything,” Trixie stated, as she scrutinized the whole area. “It looks abandoned. Just like Hassan the cab driver said.”

  “Nonsense!” Faisal bellowed. “I can hear them.”

  Dom’s face pinched. “Hear who?”

  “The guards.”

  Dom shook his head. “You’re crazy, dude. Trixie’s right. There’s no one there, that place is abandoned, has been for God knows how long.”

  Faisal showed them his palms. He closed his eye. “I can assure you the palace is occupied. I can hear their footfalls along the corridors, hear them cough.”

  Dom put his hands on his hips. “Come on! You expect us to believe that?”

  Faisal poked his head into Dom’s face. He pointed at his ears. “My sense of hearing’s so good, I can hear a harem girl faking orgasm across the Sahara!”

  Dom gave him a skeptical look. “Oh yeah, what does it sound like?”

  Faisal’s face scrunched up. “Well, kind of like...” He wiggled his fingers on the air. “Ooh, baby.” His eye widened. “So big!”

  Trixie rolled her eyes.

  Dom began nodding. “Yeah, like I thought, you’re nuts!”

  Faisal pointed a stern finger at him. He went to speak, but Trixie cut him off.

  “Hey, look!” she said in a hoarse whisper. She ducked down, but kept her gaze fixed on the palace.

  Both Dom and Faisal stopped and stared at the palace. Someone was walking along its side. A figure draped in black, a red scarf around his head. He was patrolling the perimeter of the palace, machete in hand.

  A grin spread across Faisal’s face. “You see!”

  “Yeah, whatever, buddy,” Dom grumbled under his breath.

  The guard rounded the corner, then disappeared from view.

  “Well, at least we know Glo-Ji are here, which probably means Rah’s here too,” said Trixie.

  “Okay, what’s the plan?” asked Dom.

  “We go in,” Trixie answered.

  “No. You wait here,” Faisal said to her. “Me and the young man will go in.”

  Trixie’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

  “Yes. This is no job for a lady. Let the men handle this.”

  Trixie’s eyes widened.

  Dom grinned. This Faisal’s got some brass balls! “Yeah, little girl, you stay here and wait for the men to get back from work.”

  “Bite me, Dom! And you. I can handle myself just fine, in fact probably better than both of you combined. See what I did back there in your apartment while you were bent over and he was squashed under that big guy?”

  Faisal held up his palms. “With all due respect, miss, I believe it is best for one of us to remain here just in case anything goes wrong. I cannot sit idly by and watch two younger people set off into danger. This is my personal battle too. I must finish what I began so long ago.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll go with you then, and Dom can wait here.”

  “Hey! You saying I can’t handle this?” Dom snapped. “I killed Magdalena all by myself. Me. Okay?”

  Trixie went to speak, then stopped.

  “Exactly. Faisal’s right. It makes sense for one of to wait here just in case. And yeah, I agree with him, I couldn’t sit here and watch you go in there. I’m not green any more. I got this. There’s no need for anyone to hold my hand. Now, me and Faisal are going in. If we’re not back outta there in twenty minutes, something’s gone wrong. That’s when you come and save us.”

  Trixie grumbled something under her breath.

  Dom cupped a hand over his ear. “What was that?”

  “She said ‘whatever, Dom, you total—’” began Faisal.

  “It’s okay, Faisal!” Dom interjected. “I don’t need to know the rest.” He gave Trixie a grin. “See, his supersonic hearing might come in useful.”

  Trixie crossed her arms over her chest in an uptight fashion. “Whatever. You two just go. I know I’ll have to come in after you at some point, so you boys just go and play.”

  Dom gave her a wink. “We will!”

  “Have you two finished?” asked Faisal.

  “Yeah, we’re finished,” said Dom.

  Trixie shook her head and focused her stare on the palace.

  “Ready, Faisal?” asked Dom.

  Faisal was muttering something to himself, his hands cupped in front of him. When done, he wiped his hands down his face. He took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I’m ready!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Faisal led Dom down to the palace. He was ducked over the whole way, spinning his head left and right. Dom noticed he made sure to scamper along through any shadow cast by the massive palace. It was like he was trying to blend into it. Dom saw it as a good strategy. He joined him, attempting to become the shadow itself. He realized how much more concealed he felt when in shadow than when exposed in the sun. Then he realized that was how vampires felt about the world.

  Faisal dashed toward the building, holding up his robes so they wouldn’t hinder him. Dom had a look around. So far, so good. No guards to bother them. He followed and for a bizarre moment, wondered where he was. It was like a weird comedy, him following this one-eyed guy in the robes toward an Iraqi palace to hunt down a vamp. Another bizarre moment in the catalog of his new life.

  Faisal made it to the palace. He pressed his back up against the wall. Dom joined him, his breathing hot, his heart hammering, sweat pouring down his face as the sun blazed on them both. Faisal made a small hissing sound. Dom whipped his head around to meet his stare. Faisal tilted his chin upward, and jabbed a finger toward the sky. Dom rolled his eyes up. The window on the second floor was ajar. Faisal gave Dom a firm nod. He faced the wall and began climbing up it. Dom watched the old guy scale that wall in awe. He was managing to find every nook and cranny in between the bricks like a pro rock climber. In no time, he was halfway up to the window, stuck to it like fly paper.

  He glanced down at Dom. He let go of the wall for a second, and threw his had upward with a small grunt.

  Dom showed him his palms. Okay, okay, I’m coming.

  He had a quick look around. Sun and desert stared back at him. He faced the wall. He found a small crack between some bricks, just big enough for his fingers. He crammed them in and hoisted himself up to the small protruding ledge running across the wall. Now he was fly paper. He scanned the wall ahead of him for more nooks. He found some a little higher and pulled himself up, jamming the tips of his toes into gaps between bricks where the cement was missing. He had a look up. Faisal was nearing the window quick time. Dom worked his way up the building, the sun beating down on him, heating up the bac
k of his neck. He found more gaps and protruding bricks to grip onto, all the while, the ground getting further away. He took a glance up; Faisal was hauling himself up through the window. Dom watched the soles of his battered sandals vanish into the building.

  This guy would make a good thief, Dom thought to himself as he took a look down. The ground stared back at him. It looked a million miles away. He gulped. He snapped his head skyward, realizing it was probably best not to look down. He reached up a trembling hand for the open-window ledge, stretching for it. Just as he did, his foot slipped out of the tiny groove between two bricks. His heart skipped a beat, his instincts tweaking. He threw his free arm out in a panic, hoping to grab hold of something, just as gravity began to take over. He got nothing but air and his body began to leave the building.

  Oh no, not again!

  A hand flew out of the window and grabbed his wrist at the last moment. It pulled him back toward the building. Dom’s chest thudded into it. He threw up his free hand and got hold of the window ledge. With Faisal’s help, he hauled himself up. He crawled through the open window and sprawled on the floor beyond. He rolled onto his back, his heart pounding. Faisal’s one eye stared down at him.

  Dom breathed a sigh of relief. “Man, that was—”

  Faisal threw a finger up to his lips. Dom shut up.

  Faisal reached down, grabbed Dom’s tee and yanked him up to his feet. He dragged him to the corner where they ducked down behind a sideboard. Faisal put his finger up to his lips once more and patted the air, indicating to stay low and quiet. Dom scanned the corridor ahead of them. An old, dusty carpet led away into the distance. A couple of bizarre statues stood to attention in amongst sideboards with decorative pots sitting on them. The place needed a good clean, looked like it hadn’t had a dusting or vacuuming in decades. Typical vamp nest.