The Night Killers

by Senese, Rebecca M.

  “Come on, focus. Why are you following me?”

  “Not following you.” The words hissed out of the man’s mouth. “Just going this way.”

  “Bullshit,” Rick said. “Talk or I’ll leave you like this. It’ll be hours before anyone finds you. By then the paralysis will be permanent. Actually it only takes about ten minutes for that to happen so you haven’t much time.”

  The man’s breathing quickened. “You’re lying.”

  “Do you want to take that chance? I assume you know who I am, who my friends are. I’ve got quite a few tricks on me. Do you really want to experience them?”

  Sweat broke out on the man’s forehead, dotting his crewcut. His jaw muscles tightened. He was trying to move, Rick realized. He watched the man’s arms and legs. Not so much as a muscle twitch. Maybe that would loosen his tongue.

  “You’ve probably got about nine minutes now,” Rick said. “Want to waste any more time?”

  “Fuck you,” the man hissed.

  “You’ll never do that again if you don’t start talking. Why are you following me?”

  Again the man’s jaw muscles tightened. His head jerked an inch. “Not following you,” he finally said.

  “Then who?”

  The man pinched his lips together, still unwilling to talk. Rick waited. He tapped his wrist for emphasis.

  “Mitchell,” the man said.

  “I don’t see Mitchell here.”

  “You met with him.”

  Shit, Rick thought. There had been people watching but they couldn’t have gotten past the jammers he’d set up. Maybe it was just enough that they saw him with Mitchell. What the hell was going on here? Taking this courier job didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.

  “Who do you work for?” Rick said.

  The man clamped his mouth shut again.

  “Maybe seven minutes now.”

  “You were a captain of a squad,” the man spat out. “Do you care about the city?”

  “Sure, that’s why I risked my life for the last ten years until I got blackballed out of the USC. So tell me why I should give a shit now?”

  “The city still needs you,” the man said. “It needs to be protected.”

  The city, Rick thought, or maybe the Council.

  “Let me take a wild guess. You work for Malcolm Bennett, right?”

  The man’s eyes dilated as his head jerked again. Bingo, Rick thought. He stood up.

  “Wait, where are you going?” the man said.

  “I’ve got an appointment,” Rick said. “But I’ve enjoyed our little chat.” He picked up the pack and slung it over his shoulder. He stepped over the man’s prone body.

  “You can’t leave me like this!”

  Rick tapped the elevator button. As one of the doors slid open, he stepped through and poked his head back out. “Relax. The drug wears off in an hour and you’ll be able to move. Or maybe it’s two hours. I can’t remember.”

  He let the door slide shut and he headed for the surface. Now that he knew he was being watched it was easier to spot them. He ducked into a couple of different bars and restaurants, heading for the washroom where he swapped his clothes for the ones in the pack. Brushing his hair forward gave his face a thinner look. As he sauntered out of each place, he changed his walking gate. After the fourth time, he was pretty sure he’d shaken off the last of them. Still better to be sure. He took the back way to gate 11S.

  Coming out of an alley across from the gate, he saw Mitchell waiting. He paused in the shadows of the alley and scanned around. Yes, there. Two different people loitering nearby trying too hard to look casual.

  Do you really want to get involved with this, he thought. What did he owe Mitchell or any of them? They’d effectively booted him out of the Night Killers after he’d risked his life for ten years. They let a boy like Michael join a squad when it was obvious he wasn’t ready. Probably to keep Sami in line. Why should Rick give any more effort to any of them?

  Because something big was going on, a little voice answered from inside. He knew it from the attack that left Peter bitten. The vampires had purposely gone for the spotter. They’d attacked strategically at the lab and it was happening elsewhere. Could he really walk away from that? Could he leave Sami to fight it alone? Could he leave Josh and Sister Theresa? He sighed. Damn loyalty.

  He set the pack down and unfastened it. Beneath the weapons he pulled out a small jammer. A general frequency jam would also blanket Mitchell. Unfortunate but he didn’t know the general ear bud frequency to mask it out. An idea formed in his head as he triggered the jammer.

  He stuffed the jammer in his pocket and refastened the pack. He grabbed a pebble from the alley as he stood up, hoisting the pack over his shoulder. He headed straight for Mitchell. The two people watching Mitchell tried to inch closer but the general was already moving to intercept Rick. Have to do this fast, Rick thought.

  As Mitchell reached him, Rick held out his hand with the pebble. The general automatically put out his hand and Rick dropped the pebble into it.

  “I’m sorry I can’t do it, general,” Rick said. He made sure his voice carried.

  “What?” Confusion crossed Mitchell’s face. He looked at the pebble in his hand.

  “I can’t help you at this time.” Rick waited until Mitchell was looking up then shifted his gaze to the right. Mitchell lifted his head in awareness.

  “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?” the general said. “This is important work.”

  “I’m tired of being pushed around,” Rick said.

  “I see,” Mitchell said. “Well, I was only trying to give you a job. I appreciate you thinking about it.”

  He held out his hand and Rick shook it, feeling the general slip a thin fabric dot into his palm.

  “I’m glad you understand, general.” Rick coughed, bending forward. He covered his hand with his mouth. “Malcolm Bennett is having you followed,” he whispered.

  “If I hear of anything else, I’ll get in touch,” Mitchell said. He nodded and turned away.

  Rick hurried off, not pausing to see if either of the watchers was following him. He ducked through several alleys until he found himself closer to the D series gates on the west end of the city. Here he could leave the city. Once outside the gates, he could access the dot. The grooves indicated audio playback and it would probably give him instructions.

  As he waited in line, Rick realized that for the first time since being forced to resign from the Night Killers he felt useful. Better hold on to that, he thought. He had a feeling he might end up regretting this job after all.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sami hunched over the wheel of the van, watching the pale grey asphalt stretch forward like an unending ribbon. The sun was already reaching pale orange fingers across the sky, chasing away the darkness and revealing the pale clear blue. They’d dropped the Sister and Druthers outside the city almost an hour ago. Now she was heading back into the desert to find Lucy’s lab.

  They would make it, she told herself. The alternative was unthinkable. Her mind literally stopped when she tried. It wouldn’t go there. She wouldn’t go there. It would be okay. Michael would come through this.

  He would probably have to stay at the lab, like Peter. That would be okay. Sami could live with that. As long as Michael lived, she could live with anything.

  The door into the back slid across with a creak and Josh climbed into the passenger’s seat. Sami kept her gaze on the road but her hands tightened on the wheel.

  “Why are you up here? You should stay with Michael.”

  “He’s… resting,” Josh said. “Watch that pothole.”

  She saw it and swerved to the left. The back wheel caught the edge and bumped, making the entire van shutter. Sami applied more gas and the van steadied. The asphalt was cracked and missing in places as the road slowly lost its fight with the encroaching desert. The pale grey crumbled into the dusty sand at the edges of the road. Soaring temperatures during the day and
plunging temperatures at night caused the asphalt to expand and contract beyond tolerance, creating cracks and treacherous potholes. Sami knew how the road felt.

  “How does…how does he look?” she said.

  Josh was silent and she risked a glance in his direction. He was staring out the front windshield. Dark blond hairs dotted his cheek. His beard inhibitor has stopped working. She noticed tiny wrinkles around his eyes that hadn’t been there before. He looked older than he should and she wondered if she was aging fast herself. She certainly felt a billion right now.

  “I’m not sure how he is,” Josh said. “I think he lost a lot of blood.”

  Sami swallowed, her throat parched. She could feel her heart hammering against the inside of her chest as if it was banging to get out. Why did it have to be Michael? Why now? It felt like everything was falling apart, the strands of her life that she thought was so invincible were suddenly fraying. Peter gone, Raj dead, and Rick. Oh Rick. She shouldn’t have left without seeing him again. It seemed so stupid now to let him sullen mood affect her the way it did.

  Stop it, she thought. She had to get a hold of herself, to help Michael. She focused on the road ahead.

  “Turn off here.” Josh pointed to the right. “Forty-five degrees.”

  Sami took a breath and turned the van. Tires gripped the sand and spun. She gave it more gas and the van lurched off the road and onto the desert floor. Bumps became smoother, as if the sand was cushioning their path, but she noticed they were making slower progress even as she tried to increase speed. The van was not well designed for off road travel. Old equipment, she thought. Another slight to the squads. They didn’t warrant the better stuff anymore.

  “How much longer?” she said.

  “I’m not sure. A few hours. Do you want me to check on him?”

  She flashed a quick smile at Josh. “Would you?”

  He put a large, meaty hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Sure.”

  She listened as he slid the door open and crawled back inside. She wished she could look at Michael but it was better for her to be driving, better to have the distraction. She needed Josh to navigate. After a moment, he returned, slamming the door shut behind him as he settled back into the passenger’s seat.

  “No change,” he said. “He’s still sleeping.”

  “Don’t you mean unconscious?”

  “I don’t know, Sami. I’m not a doctor.”

  “I’m sorry, Josh, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “It’s okay. I understand. You didn’t exactly run off the way I did with Peter.”

  “No one blames you for that, Josh,” she said.

  “Raj wouldn’t be dead though.”

  “But Peter would be.”

  Josh sighed. “I didn’t want there to be a trade off.”

  “We never do.”

  “Sami, what’s going on in the city? How did we end up with such as an asshole and two children?”

  “I don’t know, Josh. They’re trying to cut down the squads.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  She could see him shaking his head out of the corner of her eye.

  “None of it makes sense,” she said. “It’s been building for a while.”

  “But they canned Rick and the others. It’s crazy. Don’t they know what’s going on out here?”

  “They don’t. They’ve spent ten years inside, safe. They’ve forgotten what it was like. They think it’s over.”

  “Idiots,” Josh murmured. “Fucking idiots.”

  A noise from the back caught her attention, the sound of something falling. “Josh!”

  “I’m on it.” He was out of his seat and through the door before he finished the sentence. A moment later his voice rang out. “Sami, get back here!”

  Her heart banged harder in her chest as she eased on the brakes and steered the van to a stop. She wanted to jam on the brakes but she had to stay calm, had to fight the panic that threatened to rise out of her like a scream. As the van finally stilled, she jumped out of her seat and rushed through the door.

  Josh knelt beside Michael who was convulsing. His head flopped back and forth on his neck. Foam sputtered from his lips. His eyelids fluttered, revealing only the whites of his eyes. Josh tried to hold him but Michael’s body jerked in his arms.

  “I don’t know what’s happening,” Josh said.

  “Allergic reaction,” Sami said. “I saw it during the initial infection. Three percent of people are severely allergic to the vampire virus.”

  She hurried to the first aid kit. Her heart hammered in her chest but her hands moved fast and sure. A part of herself felt calm and deliberate. Now that there was a credible threat that she could act upon, she could deal with it. Another part of her wailed in horror.

  She pulled out the scalpel and sliced open Michael’s tunic. “Try to hold him still,” she said. Josh tightened his grip, holding Michael against his body. The boy shuddered and jerked in Josh’s arms.

  Sami slapped antihistamine patches onto Michael’s chest, covering him from collar bone to waist. As she waited to see if there was any affect, she rummaged through the rest of the kit. Nothing else, not even an IV drip or speed pump to flush it out of his system. She would have to rely on the patches and the slow absorption rate through the skin. Dammit! She threw the kit against the van wall. Bandages burst out, showering the floor around them.

  She knelt in front of Michael. His head whipped from side to side. She grabbed his face. His neck muscles strained against her. She felt the tremors from his efforts through her fingers. Tears flooded her eyes, blurring his image. She blinked them back. He needed her! She had to remain in control. It was hard to breathe. Her lungs didn’t want to take in air. Her heart was swelling to take up the entire space in her chest. She sucked in as much air as she could.

  “Michael.” Her voice sounded hoarse to her ears. “Listen to me. You have to try to relax and calm down.”

  His body still jerked against them. Spittle formed on his lips and flecked her arms.

  “Michael, I’m here. You’re going to be all right. Try to breathe in a regular rhythm.”

  She blew air out between her lips, making it loud. Josh followed her lead, breathing with her. After a few moments, she felt the pressure on her hands lessen. Michael’s neck muscles didn’t look quite so strained. His jerking lessened. Under the patches, she saw his chest rise and fall in an echo of her breath.

  Relief flooded her. Her shoulders trembled but she held herself erect, not letting her body relax. She had to be sure the crisis was over.

  They all breathed in tandem for a few minutes. With each breath, Michael’s body relaxed a little more. Soon he sagged against Josh and Sami was supporting his head. His eyelids drooped.

  “Sami?”

  “It’s okay, Michael. Just rest now. It’s going to be all right.”

  She kissed his clammy forehead. His eyelids closed and his breath deepened into sleep. His skin felt colder though and she didn’t like it. From what she remembered an allergic reaction sped up the process.

  They had to find Lucy Cerkasins’s lab soon.

  With Josh’s help, she arranged Michael on some of the cushions from the seats. She tucked a blanket around him and watched him sleep for a few moments. The noise of Josh climbing through to the front sounded distant until the van started up.

  She followed through the door and sat down in the passenger’s seat. “I can drive.”

  “It’s better if you’re free to help him,” Josh said. “Besides it’s my turn now.”

  “Thanks, Josh.” She put a hand on his arm. “For everything.”

  He nodded and kept his gaze fixed ahead.

  She slid around in the seat to face the front as well. Now that she was sitting, her body did relax and she felt almost drowsy. The last of the stress leaving her body, leaving her drained. But she couldn’t rest yet. Not with Michael still in danger. She forced herself to sit up straight and stare out the window.
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  The morning sun blazed out there. The sky was a flat blue with no sign of clouds except for the thin wisps that formed directly ahead of them, like a signal fire. Sami leaned forward. Wait a minute, what was that?

  “Josh, do you see that?” She glanced over at him. He was also peering ahead.

  “Yeah, it looks like smoke.”

  “Gun it,” she said.

  He hit the gas. The van lurched forward. Wheels spun and caught, driving them forward. Fear clutched at her. Had something happened to the lab? The smoke was in the same direction. A glance at Josh told her he was thinking the same thing. His hands gripped the steering wheel and the veins on his neck stood out.

  No, Sami thought, please no. She needed Lucy, needed the cure for Michael. And she wanted Peter safe, wanted to see his gentle smile again. Dammit, how had everything gotten so screwed up?

  They would make it in time, she thought. They had to. At some point something had to go their way.

  The van jostled back and forth, throwing her against the door and then back toward Josh. She grabbed at the door handle and braced herself against it. Josh swayed from side to side but didn’t move. The benefits of being bigger, she thought. As the van cleared a small rise, she peered through the windshield at the smoke. It was closer now. And she saw something in the distance.

  “This isn’t the lab,” Josh said. “We’re not close enough to it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I remember. Do you see that?” He pointed at the shape in the distance.

  “It’s something,” she said but she couldn’t tell what. They were still too far away. She rummaged it the glove box, looking for binoculars. Even when the windshield was intact they hadn’t been equipped with holographic imaging. Another snide swipe at the squad, she noted. They didn’t warrant high end equipment any more. No way to get a decent scan or read on that shape. They would have to check it out the old fashioned way. In person.

  Josh increased his speed and the van shuddered as it sped faster. Sami hung onto the passenger door and leaned forward, as if a few more inches could help her see clearer. Smoke obscured the shape until a bit of breeze brushed it away and she saw the tip of a long blade. Something round and longer bits sticking up from underneath, bent and broken at odd angles.