80 Proof Hex_Deckland Cain 2

by D Michael Bartsch

  I tightened my grip on the Mossberg, white knuckling the damn thing until my hand ached. “That’s awfully understanding of you,” I said.

  “Your reputation proceeds you, Mr. Cain. I don’t wish to be involved with you any more than you do with myself, I’m sure.”

  I know that I have a supernatural rap sheet that rivals most people, but I generally try and keep a low profile. I’d remember if I’d met this bastard before. I didn’t know how he knew me, but I needed to get the hell out and fast.

  “You know, Maccus ole buddy ole pal, I think you’re right.”

  His eyes widened when I said his name. He apparently hadn’t expected me to know who he was. He’d thought he’d had the upper hand, and was now starting to feel like he might be at a disadvantage, or at least on an equal playing field.

  “I think my friend and I will be leaving,” I said.

  I started to back up, keeping my eyes open and finger with two ounces of pressure on the trigger.

  “Please.”

  I barely heard it. I looked at Cat. She was still sitting down on the bench. Maccus put his hand on her shoulder. “Hush now, child.”

  I didn’t need her to be in the light to see that her eyes were still the dark pits of near black that I’d seen in the photo at the library. I’d avoided looking at her. Now that I saw her, I felt something in my chest dump out and immediately felt desperately empty. I ignored it, thinking that I could just huff some glue later.

  “Veronica wasn’t the one who was kidnapped that night,” I said, suddenly understanding what Charlie must have really seen. “She was.”

  “Kidnapped is such an ugly word, Mr. Cain. Surely you saw her enter this building of her own volition.” Said Maccus.

  “Sounds like she’s free to leave whenever she wants then,” I said.

  “Of course she is.” He said. “Tell him. Tell him that you want to be here.” He gripped her shoulder tightly. I could see a tear stain her cheek. I squeezed the shotgun so hard it hurt.

  “I, I don’t want to leave.” She said. “I’m fine.”

  “You see, she’s happy here,” Maccus said, spreading his arms out around him.

  I kept backing up. I felt Carl behind me.

  “Get the door,” I said, not taking my eyes off of any of the Vampires.

  “We can’t leave her,” Carl whispered.

  I kept my gaze straight ahead. “What do you want me to do?” I asked. “She said she doesn’t want to leave.”

  “Oh come on. Look at her. They’re clearly keeping her against her will.”

  I looked. Tears were coming down her face freely now. Her hands trembled as she stared a hole into the concrete.

  I’m a big believer in the fact that chivalry died a long time ago. It had been a joke by the time I was running around in the 1800s. In today’s day in age, that shit will get you killed more times than not. There’s a reason so many heroes are dead by the time anyone gets around to giving them a medal. Despite that, something stirred in that hollow spot I’d been trying to ignore since I’d seen Cat. I knew that I should have run. She had no doubt made a series of unfortunate decisions to end up where she was. Hell, she made her bed, and it was time to lie in it. I just couldn’t do it though. I blame Carl. He’s the good one, and he just drags me along with him.

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered. I gestured at Maccus with the Mossberg. “Sorry Lucky Charms. The girl’s coming with us.”

  Maccus’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid that cannot be allowed.” He said. “She has already made the agreement. For all practical purposes, she is now property.”

  “Pretty sure there’s laws against that kind of thing in this country,” I said. “Not a lawyer, but I feel pretty confident on this one.”

  “Mr. Cain, please. Some rules supersede the laws of men. You of all people should understand these things. She has made the agreement. Her soul is mine now.”

  That did it. “Don’t talk to me about rules,” I said. “They’re bullshit, and you know it. Now, the girl comes with me, or you’ll be watching the sunrise.”

  Maccus moved forward, standing next to Veronica. “If you persist in this course of action, I will be forced to retaliate. I’ve no quarrel with you, nor do I wish to face off against you. As I’ve said, your reputation proceeds you. Leave now. I ask you, one man to another.”

  I only had one shot, and I’d already decided what to do with it. I pointed the gun up, over everyone’s head.

  “Alright,” I said. “I guess you win.”

  I took a step back, slipping my left hand into my pocket. I palmed one of the coffee filter bombs I’d made earlier.

  “Had to try. Couldn’t live with myself otherwise.”

  “Deckland,” Carl said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

  “Shut it, Carl. This isn’t the place.”

  Maccus smiled, spreading his hands. “I’m pleased you see reason.”

  “Oh, I’m perfectly reasonable Big Mac. Perfectly.”I pulled my hand out and flipped the filter into the air in one smooth motion.

  “RUN!” I bellowed.

  I pulled the trigger. The prongs killed a dozen flowers and split the coffee filter open. A cloud of silver dust exploded across the patio. The Vampires scattered, screeching.

  Cat didn’t waste any time, thankfully. She popped out of her high heels and leaped into motion. I could hear her feet slapping against the concrete between screeching as she dashed toward me. I didn’t bother dropping the empty box mag out of the Mossberg. I didn’t have time to reload. Instead, switched it to my left hand and pulled out of my squirt bottle.

  The Vampires were screaming in rage, trying to crawl out of the way of the falling powder. Everyone but Maccus. As I looked on, I saw that he hadn’t made a move to cover his face or avoid the powder. Thick boils and reddened skin covered his face. Pus and blood leaked out of his noise from where he’d inhaled the dust. Even as I looked on, I saw his skin start to repair itself, faster than any Vampire I’d ever seen.

  “Oh come on!”

  I turned to run. Cat was through the door, and Carl was inside, holding it for me. The big Vampire I’d shot was trying to get to his feet. I gave him a squirt to the face. There wasn’t any sort of satisfying hiss or smoke, but where the water hit, the skin reddened like it had been boiling hot. The bastard screamed, covering his face with his hands. I didn’t stop running, going through the open door.

  We pushed our way through the crowded room, knocking people out of our way. None of us bothered to look back. Most people didn’t notice the gun in my left hand, but the ones that did moved out of the way fast. We cleared the majority of the crowd and started toward the front door. The bouncer noticed us coming and saw the gun in my hands.

  He stood, moving to block the door. Cat and Carl stopped, not sure what to do with the man in front of them. I didn’t have the same inclination. He may have been a hundred or so pounds heavier than me, but it was cause he was fat. Fat and tall with stubby legs. That made him top heavy, and I had a running start.

  I sped up, raising the Mossberg one handed as I ran toward him. I saw his eyes widen as he stared down the barrel of the gun. To his credit, he didn’t move. Though, I’m pretty sure that’s cause he was too scared or just too stupid. I’d hoped that he’d dive out of the way when he saw the gun. That was plan A. He may have been brave, but again, I lean toward stupid because he didn’t brace himself. He just stood there, which was were plan B came in.

  I kept running, dipping my body at the last moment, and planted my right shoulder into his sternum. I felt things crack inside of him, and he went staggering back into the door. He crashed through it, flinging the heavy wood wide and going down hard. I tripped over his flailing body, tumbling out onto the sidewalk in a heap. I bounced up quickly slipping on some ice and almost falling again. Catching my balance, I stood up wide-eyed and looking to see if we’d been followed.

  Carl and Cat were already moving. He had a hand on her arm, ushering her through. The
y jumped over the wheezing bouncer and ran into the street. I regretted not parking right outside the damned door.

  Carl dug through his pockets as he ran. I stuffed the Mossberg back into the makeshift holster in my coat and pocketed the water bottle. I drew the 220 and did my best to backpedal as quickly as possible, watching our backs for incoming Vampires. I was so busy looking at the front door that I didn’t see the brunette come from the other side of the building. They’d come out from the patio exit. I’d been so caught up with running that I hadn’t even thought about the fact that they’d had a faster exit into the parking lot to cut us off.

  She blurred into the street, between us and Carl’s truck. Cat screeched. I pushed past her and put myself between them and the Vampire. Carl stepped up to my side, holding his car keys.

  The brunette started to transform, claws extending from her fingers, her jaw unhinging, slimy tongue lolling out of it. I didn’t waste time. I leveled the 220 and squeezed the trigger. It roared in the quiet street. The bullet tore through her neck. I’d been aiming for her awful face, but it was dark, and I was breathing heavy. Still, the silver filled hollow point did its job. Dark blood spilled freely from the hole, and it was quickly clogged with milky pus.

  “RUN!” I shouted, turning to see if any more of them were coming.

  Sure enough, Veronica was running out into the parking lot, followed much more slowly by the second guard that I’d shot. I unloaded on them as Carl and Cat ran. Veronica was fully changed and moved quickly, rolling out of the way. The guard was already slowed down from the silver. Four more rounds to the chest and he dropped, his body rolling on the ground as he collapsed.

  I fired until slide lock, running as I did. Carl and Cat were already in the truck. I got there at a sprint, leaping over the tailgate. I landed painfully, shoulder smashing into the metal. I got to my knees and dumped the mag, tearing into my jacket to pull a spare from beneath my right arm. Carl started the truck, put it gear, and floored it. I wasn’t ready and when the truck lurched. I spilled forward. I dropped the mag and the 220, nearly falling out of the truck.

  I pitched forward, over the top of the tailgate, and scrambled to grab hold of it. I managed to keep myself from falling to the street, but I was hanging on for dear life as Carl punched the accelerator. Sadly for me, there was a rather pissed Veronica running faster than the truck was driving, and she was closing the distance.

  She caught up with us before we made it fifty feet, leaping into the air and managing to get a clawed hand onto the truck. Her talons sunk into the metal of the tailgate. I was still hanging out of the back. I twisted, getting my feet between us and kicked her in the face. That knocked her off balance enough to avoid having her slash at me with her free hand.

  Her head snapped back, and I lashed out a second time, kicking her in the face and feeling bones break. Unfortunately for me, she had her mouth open, and even as I was planting my foot in her face, her needled tongue wrapped around my leg. I felt pricks of pain as several of the fangs bit into my calf.

  I screamed and nearly let go of the truck. I kicked her in the face over and over again. I could feel the venom crawling up my leg. The flood of warmth was met with the pins and needles feeling of my body negating the supernatural poison. It was the strangest sensation I’ve ever felt. I tried to keep kicking, but my foot flopped around uselessly at the end of my numb leg.

  A moment of needed clarity came to me as I flopped around, still hanging onto the back of the truck. I let go of the truck with one hand and pulled out the squirt bottle. With her tongue wrapped around my leg, Veronica couldn’t close her mouth. I didn’t waste the opportunity. I squeezed the trigger rapidly. The first hit her in the face, the second shooting up her nose, and the third went right down the gullet. It had the desired effect.

  Screaming, her tongue released my leg. Veronica clawed at her face, falling from the truck and bouncing off the ground several times before rolling to a stop. I hung onto the back of the truck, my right leg completely numb. I watched as she stopped rolling, trying to push herself up. I could hear her screams choke off as her tongue swelled.

  I tossed the spray bottle in the back of the truck and awkwardly levered myself back over the tailgate. My numb leg still hung over the top, but I didn’t care.

  “Vampires,” I muttered. “It had to be Vampires.”

  19

  By the time we made it back to the apartment, I’d bled all over the bed of the truck and was freezing my ass off. My leg had a dozen puncture wounds, and all of them were flowing freely. Vampire venom has a potent anticoagulant and paralytic in it. My magic would stop me from turning into a Vampire or dying, but it didn’t stop regular old biology. Nothing had been squirting or spurting blood, so I wasn’t too worried about bleeding out before we got to the apartment. The good news was that when Carl pulled his truck into the parking lot, I could finally feel most of my leg again, everything but my foot, which was still a mess of numb pins and needles.

  I crawled out of the truck, Carl racing up to help me.

  “You alright?” He asked. “I think I had a heart attack when you went over the tailgate..”

  “I’ll live. Leg’s a mess, but what can you do?”

  He looked down at my leg with the light from his phone. My pant leg was soaked with blood.

  “We need to get that cleaned and bandaged.”

  “Probably a good idea.”

  Cat got out of the truck, looking at both of us. She seemed overwhelmed. I was irritated by it, but it also made me feel like I needed to comfort her. It was a weird place to be, and to be honest, it felt a lot like being married again. Something, somewhere inside of me raged in anguish at the thought of being married to anyone other than Elena or even looking at anyone other than her. I was too tired and had lost enough blood to give up worrying about it.

  “Thank you for saving me. You could have left me.” She said.

  Carl took a step forward, putting a hand on her arm. “We wouldn’t have left you with those things.”

  She nodded, not looking at either of us. Which is probably good, cause Carl may not have left her for anything, but if he hadn’t of been there, it would have been even odds I’d have left her to get eaten. She wasn’t my friend.

  “Well, thanks. I should go though.” She said, looking around.

  “Not so fast sweet cheeks,” I said, putting a little charm on it. “You’re going upstairs and telling us what the hell is going on, how you got messed up in it, and anything else you know that I may or may not deem as important. We just risked our necks to save your ass. You aren’t going anywhere until we say you are.”

  “Deckland!” Carl took a step back from me. “We just saved her from someone trying to do the same thing.”

  “The difference being I’m not going to eat her or turn her into an undead bloodsucker,” I said.

  Cat looked up at me. The doe-eyed look was gone, and I could see an anger burning behind those dark eyes.

  “Smolder and sulk all you want little lady. You either walk upstairs or get carried kicking and screaming. It’s up to you. Trust me when I say, none of our neighbors will call the cops.”

  Carl jumped in front of me.

  “He’s not serious. We won’t drag you upstairs. We would like to ask you some questions though. Plus, where would you go? Those things know who you are. You won’t be safe going home. He may not seem like it at the moment, but Deckland is your best chance at staying alive. Trust me.”

  She apparently did, because while she gave me a death stare, she seemed sweet on Carl. Made sense. He was the nice one and in my objective opinion, much better looking. Little too hipster for me but hey, there’s no accounting for taste.

  “Okay.” She said. “But if he tries to carry me anywhere, I’ll slap the shit out of him.”

  Carl smiled and tried not to show that he wanted to laugh. I did my best to look offended, pointing at myself and looking confused.

  “Yea, I’m talking to you asshole.”
She said. “Touch me, and I’ll break your dick off and feed it to you.”

  She followed Carl to the front door. I turned, watching her go.

  “Well, that was just ungrateful as hell,” I said. “Sure, be mad at me. All I did was save you from a pack of hungry Vampires.”

  Carl turned around. “What was that?” He called back.

  “Nothing.”

  Maybe it was the Vampire venom, perhaps it was the blood loss, hell maybe it was the booze I’d had earlier in the day coming back for round two, but dammit if I didn’t stand there and watch her walk away and love every moment of it. What can I say, I like the ones that kind of want to kill me. No accounting for taste.

  I shook my head clear and followed after them. The apartment was cold enough that I could almost see my breath when I walked in. Our space heater is garbage. Carl was making up his room for Cat to stay in. Apparently, that had been decided on the walk up the stairs.

  She stood quietly in the hallway, looking at all of Carl’s stuff. I walked past her and into the living room. I bent down and whacked the archaic space heater until it kicked on. It was damn near useless if you weren’t standing right next to it, but it made me feel better to know that I’d tried. Jerry thumped lightly on the wall a second later.

  “Not tonight Jerry,” I muttered. “Not tonight.”

  It was at that moment that I also remembered I was bleeding freely. I’d left a trail of bloody footprints from the door into the living room. I’d probably left one from the front door all the way to our apartment too.

  “Ah hell,” I said.

  I walked to the bathroom and stripped down. I had to peel my jeans off. My right boot was soaked with blood and some remnants of pus from Veronica’s nasty mouth. I put my boot in the sink upside down to let it drain out. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up, dangling my leg over the toilet to keep from getting more blood on the floor. Once the water was warm enough, I stuck my leg in. It stung the punctures, but as I rinsed the blood away, I could clearly see the holes. I examined them closely. Most of the tiny holes were in the meat of my calf. My shin has some scratches where the fangs had struck bone and bounced off.