Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires)

by Donald Wigboldy

  “We thought letting them wear each other down was the best idea. How many do you still sense in the nest?” Marek asked hoping the voran’s strange ability could tell more than they could see from five hundred feet away.

  “The number keeps changing and getting smaller. I sense eight reapers and maybe thirty normal vampires left,” he said.

  Whistles of surprise at the number of vampires who had managed to hide in one building, even one so large amazed them. They were also very glad that they hadn’t walked into such a large hornet’s nest.

  Marek looked to his friend and asked, “Do we charge in and try to help kill the reapers?”

  “Not yet,” Nick quickly stated and included the kasha in his look. With a smile he added, “Whoever decided to let them do the dirty work was probably right. How many reapers did you see go inside?”

  “Ten,” Shedu replied even as he felt Alad taking offence at the others taking charge of the operation that they only knew about because of his team. “We followed three reapers chasing a single vampire into this. Even Alad isn’t crazy enough to dive into this mess,” he added gaining a grunt of annoyance from the man mentioned.

  “If we move closer to the building, I can signal the best time for us to move in; if that is agreeable to everyone,” the voran said trying to make sure the kasha weren’t feeling stepped on in the situation. They had called for help, but it was still their show technically.

  Shedu nodded and added, “If you can tell their numbers from afar, then I would defer to your senses and judgment.”

  “I’ll gather Nicola and Derek’s groups to move them to the west roof. You all can move in to the closest south,” the voran suggested. “I can signal with the light of an aura blade when its time.”

  Alad frowned and asked, “What about the east and north?”

  Reading the numbers of vampires dwindling in the building on all floors, Nick shook his head and replied, “If these reapers can kill this many vampires and lose so few, then we had better keep our strength concentrated. We don’t want teams of two or three if they rush in force.”

  Even Alad had to concede that point and they all began to move to their positions.

  Chapter 27- Fall of a Fortress

  As Nick joined the other vampires, Nicola met him with a kiss. She could taste Charlotte on his lips and smell her on his body, but she tried not to be jealous. After all, the vampire was the one who had said she would share her love for him with Charlotte. The woman had practically pushed him into bed with the pretty werewolf in the first place. It was he who had resisted, so as Nicola pulled back she tried not to be envious, though she wished that there was more time for her to be with Nick alone.

  Returning her kiss warmly and hugging her close, the voran had to separate and tell the others of the plan even as his mind tried to monitor the situation in the monstrous building.

  The lookouts on the top floor had nearly been overrun because of their placement as the reaper had leaped up from the outside of the building. They saw the reaper reinforcements join the attack and warned those who were still listening using walkie talkies. The scout to the south spotted the reaper coming up the building and only managed to shout, “One on my side!” before firing his rifle at the reaper.

  With such a large building to cover, even vampire speed barely brought the other three on the source of the call before the reaper was maneuvering to kill him. Three remained firing their weapons hoping to catch the predator before he got to them.

  Nick felt the three die one by one, but the reaper’s aura felt weaker too. He was wounded gravely and might die of his own accord, but vampires could heal from very grievous wounds so hoping wasn’t a guarantee.

  A flash of fire as another reaper died on the second floor could only be celebrated a moment before the reaper from the south tore through the four remaining men on that floor. Nick felt as their auras felt weaker before one by one they were drained of life and killed. The third floor was dealt the same cleansing and the two reapers descended meeting up with the one on the second floor before moving to the base of the building.

  “Derek, you and Sophia head to the top floor. There is a wounded reaper there, but be very careful. He just killed four vampires with guns. The rest of the action is on the first floor, but there may be a basement beneath, since I sense more below the ground.”

  Receiving nods, Nick raised his hand and created an aura blade. The light wasn’t likely to attract attention from those fighting, but for those watching for it, it was obvious enough. The south roof could hear and see enough to know that the fighting had moved to the first floor. Marek’s vampires leaped straight to the ground, while Shedu and Lam jumped to the second floor to make sure there were no vampires straggling behind. Only Alad joined the vampires on the ground in the first moments of the attack.

  Nick wished that he could tell Nicola to remain behind where he hoped that it was safe, but she was a veteran of many fights with other vampires. The girl was also too brave and strong willed to be told to stay behind like some delicate flower. He could only hope that he would be near if she were to get into trouble.

  Leaping over the outer wall of plywood and chain link fencing, his part of the team separated as Derek and Sophia leaped high onto the southern stairs. A fire stair, as a sign proclaimed under a building management sign that looked weathered, led the two upward, though they made their way unconventionally using handholds to propel their bodies up the face of the building faster than they could run the stairs.

  Once out of sight, Nick could only monitor them in his brain and his immediate attention was dedicated to avoiding getting shot by the vampires or killed by a reaper. The resistance of the vampire nest was faltering, though he could feel more of them below ground. They weren’t numerous down there, maybe ten at most, but those remaining topside were getting slaughtered. With no more willing to come fight off the reapers, the handful of vampires were only evenly matched in numbers; which meant they were overmatched in power.

  Before his team could reach the reapers, the westernmost creature spotted his team of four. Ignoring the faltering vampires as his comrades finished destroying them and their weapons, the reaper attacked them undeterred.

  He was on the voran in a blink as Lena had warned. Nicola was knocked aside as it slashed at the only woman thinking she might be the weakest among them. Nick was ignored at first as if it believed he was just another human. It was the creature’s second major mistake.

  Two aura blades lashed out at the reaper as he tried to pass on the way to Will and Tony. The two soldiers held their swords ready even with his speed. As one of the aura blades caught the creature shocking it, the silver swords of the two soldiers attacked. The reaper managed to squirm in the power of the aura blade, but Will’s sword cut into its shoulder. Tony’s blade was brushed aside and the claws of the reaper’s left hand cut across his stomach.

  A return swipe from Tony caught the reaper across the neck. While it wouldn’t behead him or a human, the silver on the blade started to burn making the reaper scream a moment before the fire silenced his vocal chords. Will adjusted and shoved his sword’s blade into the black heart.

  “Back!” Nick warned the men who took orders like the soldiers they were trained to be and leaped back even as Nick lengthened his aura blade to step back as the flames of the vampire’s reaction to the silver made him explode.

  The soldiers recovered even as Nicola moved to Nick’s side opposite the flame.

  Shedu and Lam joined Alad and the vampires as another dangerous battle was underway. Marek and Audrey fought one reaper while Alad and Jake fought another.

  The two kasha moved to the aide of their own as they drew out the silver chains with the spikes designed to catch vampires and hold them until the kasha could remove their evil spirits. Jake seeing the silver moved to help Marek and Audrey as the reaper took a step back as he took in the new danger.

  “We have your back, Alad,” Shedu growled and threw his spiked c
hain at the reaper. It was too fast for the first, but Lam’s follow up clipped the creature’s leg tearing a sliver in the cloth. A little smoke showing the first burn of the silver’s passing meant it wasn’t unscathed.

  Wishing they could employ the silver grenades to further debilitate the vampire, Shedu nearly smiled as the first sneezes from the kasha’s fur came from the reaper. They were as affected as any vampires by their enemy’s first line of protection and assault.

  They worked as a team slowly spreading and making the reaper need to watch more directions. Alad took the middle countering the reaper’s attacks, while Shedu and Lamassu tried to snare the creature over and over again distracting it from the tiger in the center. Claws cut at the tiger, but Alad cut across its chest drawing out some of his essence. The pain of the kasha’s claws went deeper than just the flesh as each strike attempted to loosen the spirit inside.

  Shedu and Lam began to swirl the chains going for legs and arms both driving the reaper back. It couldn’t dare catch the chains or it would burn. If the chains or spikes clipped his skin, it burned. Brazen and immune to fear once, the creature looked worried and Shedu wondered if it would run. If it did, it would expose its back and the spikes would attempt to pierce its flesh so the kasha could pull him into Alad’s attack.

  Getting lucky, Shedu caught the right arm just long enough to distract the reaper, Lam’s spike pierced his thigh bringing a scream even as it used the left arm to try and fend off Alad. A forearm struck merely left flesh for the tiger’s claws to scratch and pull at his spirit again.

  Moving as one, the kasha tried to finish the reaper off. Lamassu lashed the length of her chain around his left arm and tried to sink her claws into the creature, while Alad went for its throat to knock it over. Shedu used the wrapped chain to pull it down as well. The combined weight of the kasha was used to twist and pull the reaper backward.

  When pain from his chest suddenly manifested as they crashed to the ground, Shedu looked down in surprise to see the reaper’s left hand jammed just below the bones of his ribcage.

  “You might take me, but at least one of you is coming with me,” the black eyed beast said from purple lips.

  The clawed hand pushed even as Alad and Lamassu tried to pull the vampire’s arm away from Shedu. Both of their leader’s hands clawed the forearm as his breath disappeared. Spirit was drawn into the three kasha, and soon even the strong, black eyed reaper succumbed to the power of the hunters.

  “Shedu?” Alad asked as he felt the last of the creature’s spirit dissolve in his hands.

  Lam’s eyes had tears in her blue eyes, the eyes of a gray and black striped cat. “Shedu?” she added her voice in query of the panther man slumped to his knees with the reaper’s claws in his chest.

  The panther’s head sagged against his chest as his body was held up only by the arm of the dead reaper.

  “Nooo!” Alad roared in anger.

  Lamassu slapped the side of his head and cautioned, “Not now, Alad! We must finish our work before we can mourn.”

  The sounds of fighting continued around them as the reapers refused to die easily.

  Nick felt Shedu’s passing and even distracted by a fight with another reaper, he knew the kasha was dead before the roar of Alad. Worse, as much as he understood the feeling, the roar would carry for blocks alerting the humans. The fight had just gotten more desperate, because they all needed to disappear and clean up as much evidence as they could before police and other spectators decided to arrive.

  Marek’s group nearly had their opponent, when the two kasha grabbed him from behind clawing the spirit out of him before he could do much. The vampires managed not to run their swords through him causing the explosion of flame until they were through, then Audrey used her sword to turn the drained creature to ash. She would tend to the other one still holding Shedu upright a few feet away as well.

  Their numbers dwindling to just two healthy reapers, they left the remaining wounded reaper to face his death and ran.

  Putting up his hand to those who would give chase, Nick cautioned, “Let them run and we’ll track them. Alad, Lamassu and I can collect them during the day. We can make sure that there are no more of them this way.”

  Derek and Sophia were their best trackers, but Nick had his special sense. The three would follow them after they had a lead.

  With all the reapers dealt with in the building, Alad and Lamassu were ready to finish off the remainder of the vampires that they could smell below ground. It was still before midnight, but they could hear sirens in the distance. “We need to use silver to burn the evidence as quickly as we can. Alad, you and Lamassu get Shedu’s body out of here so we can take care of him properly.”

  His words didn’t seem to sink into the tiger’s mind. “We can return during the day and clean the nest out as well. Now go!”

  Lam pulled at the man and the two kasha moved to pick up the lifeless panther from the ground and ash of the dead reaper.

  The vampires and Nick moved to clear the evidence as quickly as they could. Derek and Sophia had already cleansed the upper part of the building as they descended to the first floor. There were too many bodies on the second and third floor to do quickly, so they had jumped down only to see the reapers running away.

  By the time the first squad car arrived, they had fled leaving only Marek, Jake and Tony to watch over the scene from a roof top, just in case the hidden vampires decided to attack the police investigating the disturbance. Nick followed Derek as the three, including Sophia, followed the trail of the two reapers. After half a mile, the scent seemed to disappear on the street. Nick cursed his decision and knew that Alad and Lamassu would be upset with him. They had been defeated by the simple use of a car.

  He cursed again and try as they might the trackers couldn’t follow the lingering scents of the two reapers in a vehicle. Retreating to their own vehicles where they had parked closer to Fulton, the three soon parted ways. He picked up the cell and called Nicola, “We lost them. I have to head back to the forest preserve, but don’t have to be there before dawn.”

  Nicola replied, “I need to pick up Sami, unless you planned a sleep over for her with Marek’s people.”

  He sighed, and said disappointedly, “Marek won’t be back at the Lair for awhile. Why don’t you pick up Sami and we’ll meet up at the apartment for awhile before I have to go get Charlotte and the others?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” the woman he loved replied. “I could detour to the apartment first, if you want instead?”

  He was disappointed in the way things had gone and as tempting as a little time with Nicola was, the voran wasn’t ready to celebrate when Shedu had just been killed. “My heart wouldn’t be in it. We lost Shedu and the last two reapers after all.”

  “I don’t need your heart,” she laughed, but it sounded forced, “but I understand. Rain check.”

  “Rain check,” he agreed.

  The morning came, but not the sunlight. Rain came down steadily. It had begun a few hours before dawn and refused to end. When the werewolves wandered into the clearing in human form, they looked miserable. While their wolf forms could deal with the cold rain, their human bodies didn’t deal with it nearly as well. Only their above human temperatures made it a bit more bearable.

  Nick stepped out of the car to greet Charlotte. There must have been a look in his eyes, because she asked worriedly, “Is something wrong, Nick?”

  Hugging her naked body to him and kissing her lips with surprising passion for a greeting, Charlotte melted into his warmth. He was nearly dry and she longed to be with him even when she wasn’t wet and cold.

  “We ran into the reapers. Two got away, but Shedu was killed during the mission,” he said briefly.

  Moving to the car, Charlotte put on her shorts and short sleeve shirt. The woman didn’t even bother with her sandals as Logan and Kate joined them similarly. The rain was too steady to waste time getting their clothing wet outside the vehicle.

&nb
sp; Raina waved to them and the two vehicles backed down the access road. They stopped at a diner to eat breakfast as they were all famished after the run and of course the weather made them burn more calories to stay warm.

  As they sat talking, Charlotte began to pale a bit.

  “Are you alright?” Nick asked noticing her eyes. Her blue eyes, which he was still not completely used to, after first knowing her with brown eyes, revealed that something wasn’t quite right in the woman.

  Trapped within the booth, the brunette shook her head waving for him to move out for her to pass. “My stomach’s been getting queasy since we got into the car.”

  She hurried back to the restroom leaving the others to worry over her.

  Logan said curiously, “I don’t even remember her having a headache since becoming a were-... Well, you know. Until last month when she and Kate had the same issue, I don’t remember any of the houses really needing a doctor except after some fighting.”

  “Your people don’t really get sick either?” Nick asked realizing that as a voran it was much the same and of course vampires were undead and beyond basic diseases.

  Shaking his blonde head, the big werewolf’s blue eyes looked slightly perplexed. Noting his eyes, Nick thought that he and Charlotte had always looked like night and day; but now their eyes matched for whatever crazy reason. The change from the full moon while ending her heat condition had somehow changed her eyes. Now the woman was suffering from a queasy stomach, a rarity among werewolves, and that made him worry more than it would for a normal human being.

  “Did you find something to eat during the night?” Nick asked being vague in case other ears were listening. The morning crowd brought the diner to about three quarters full so the noise of others talking created white noise to avoid easy detection; but sometimes key words were noted by others to make them suddenly listen.