“Three. We’re down to the last ammunition box for the machine gun!”
“Go to the pier!”
Juke Box lunged forward, pushing through the burning playground.
“Tank, they have a tank! The vampires have a tank, it’s going to the ship, stop it!”
“Fuck, its David! Where is he now?”
“Near the drugstore!”
“And where is this drugstore?!”
Juke Box slows down, as Ivanov laid out a city map.
“Jimenez, tell me, where is he now?”
“He stopped; he is still at the drugstore!”
The gunner turned to the commander.
“What is it? Why does he not come to the ship?”
“Пидарас! He’s waiting for us. He knows that we are going to the harbor, and he wants us to pop out into the street from the alley, at which point he’ll shoot us on board.”
“And what shall we do?”
“Don’t keep him waiting!”
Jimenez watched the vampire’s tank, peering cautiously around the corner. It had stopped for some reason, even though a minute before tank was triumphantly moving down the street, sweeping away nearly thirty militia with shells, machine guns and caterpillar tracks. Now it stood, turning the huge turret, without turning off the engine. Tank moved another couple of meters and froze again. Between burning houses flashed some figures – the vampire’s infantry. A couple of improvised armored vehicles appeared on the street.
“Jimenez, if you're still alive, open fire on that bastard with all that you have!”
Jimenez didn’t shoot at the tank; she opened fire on the vampire’s infantry, with LJ and the firefighter supporting her. They have to run almost immediately, Third turned armored head toward them, but not use main caliber, only machine gun.
“What is this?”
Burning houses on the opposite side began to fall one by one, almost like Los Angeles was being hit by another earthquake. But the asphalt underfoot wasn’t moving.
“What the fuck?” she whispered, watching the tank turret turning from side to side.
“Surprise!”
Invisible to the enemy, passing through several adjoining houses, Juke Box popped up in the street from the facade of the liquor store, the turret turning to Number Three.
“Hear us, bastard.” Ivanov saw in his sight the Third turret turning. “Stay calm, shoot!”
“Hit!”
“Towards the pier!”
Rounding the burning Third tank, Juke Box came to the crossroads, turned around and slowly moved backwards to the pier, holding at gunpoint Vampire’s Land.
76. Sundown
“Attention, attention! We offer a truce! We will stop our attacks and stop firing. Stop shelling. We will allow your ship to leave. We offer a truce. Attention, attention!”
Jimenez heard it from her walkie-talkie, while Ivanov heard the same in Juke Box. The vampires had indeed stopped shooting; even the crazies were no longer visible. There was no more shelling from the destroyer either. She didn’t want to go out into the open, she remembered the sniper that nearly finished her, but still Jimenez felt that something had changed. As if war was canceled.
“What is it? Why they don’t attack us?” LJ murmured in surprise.
“I don’t know.”
More civilians climbed aboard the crowded ship, which would soon depart from the harbor wall. Jimenez saw Tiger walking on the ramp with a wounded woman pilot and a young cashier girl. She saw the sailors raise Lieutenant Thompson. He was alive, in spite of three or four bullet wounds.
“Listen here,” refers to his comrades Ivanov. “Indeed, a bit of a truce concluded, temporary ceasefire. Say, even chemical weapons use now and nuke-hit we've seen.”
“Temporary ceasefire? And then what?”
“I don’t know; probably start shooting each other again. We received orders to withdraw our dear Juke Box, so I'm leaving. Go to the ship, the destroyer will cover you.”
“OK, bro. Thank you for your shells and armor, it came in handy. Maybe I'll see you.”
“Vaya Con Dios!”
LJ and the firefighter left.
“Guys, can I go with you?”
“With us, in the tank? Why?”
“I lost my job here. In City of Angels it was little use from the police and in City of Vampires will be even less. You join the army, and when the truce is over, will again be in business, maybe I'll find a job too.”
“No problem, we have room enough. Sit down, beauty.”
The turret hatch slammed over her head, and Juke Box gradually gained speed, driving away. Burning Los Angeles is left behind, as Vampire’s Day continues it’s last few hours. Ahead will be a long night.
THE END
Vampire's Day (Book 1): Epicenter Page 17