INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1)

by Bryan Donihue

  Doc nodded and finished chewing the bite she had just taken. She cleared her throat and began, "The coroner was... off. There were two bodies that hadn't been buried or cremated yet, and they were both the same. Feeding marks on the thighs, wrists, and necks. It looks like garden variety vampire feeding."

  The DHS team leader looked at the priest and asked, "What are some of the characteristics of this 'garden variety' vampire? Is there more than one kind?"

  The team's priest nodded and took a breath. "In a short–answer: yes. But if you want to know what you are fighting, you need to understand a little more background. First off, forget almost everything you have ever seen from movies, TV, or books. Very few points are correct and most of the big 'facts' are wrong.

  "The traditional vampire, what I referred to as the 'garden variety vampire,' is not a suave, debonair creature of the night who seduces by looks. They do not have the gothic sense of dress. And they absolutely do not sparkle. Except when you roast them with a flamethrower, then their ashes glow a little." The chuckles around the table rose to nervous laughter.

  Doc continued, "When a vampire is created or appears from an incursion event, they are monstrous in shape and form. Very animalistic with sharp teeth, not just the canines, filling their mouths. They can quickly grow long, razor sharp fingernails and use their enormous strength and speed to hunt, capture, and feed on their prey.

  "When they feed, they do not poke two little holes in the neck. Instead, they rip open places where the major arteries are closest to the skin. They will rip open the throat, gnaw on the wrists, and shred the inner thighs. They need the oxygen-rich living blood to circulate in their bodies. Their own blood is cold, black, and sluggish. They can survive off animals, but most prefer the taste of human." Doc's calm, cool delivery was offset by the slightly queasy expressions around the table. Boomer, in particular, was really regretting her choice of hamburger.

  "So how do we stop or kill them? Garlic? A cross? What?" Six questioned.

  The priest shook her head. "Again, ignore Hollywood. Garlic does absolutely nothing against a traditional vampire... except give it bad breath. A cross that is wielded by someone who has faith in that cross will drive a vampire away or make them cower on the ground. And that applies to any religious symbol. As long as the symbol represents the faith of the bearer, it will be effective. I've read reports of the Star of David being wielded by Jews and even pentagrams wielded by Satanists and witches.

  "The most effective way to kill a vampire is to stop blood flow to its head. This stops the regeneration from happening, and the creature will die. Either separate the head from the shoulders or do enough damage to the heart that it can no longer function—although this takes far longer for the vamp to stop attacking you."

  Boomer looked up and asked, "What about stakes? What does a wooden stake do?"

  Doc shrugged. "The stake has a very weird effect. As best as we can determine, the most effective use of the stake is to use it as a 'grounding rod.' A wooden stake to the body, other than the heart or head, has no effect. A stake to the brainpan will interrupt the function of the brain and end the vampire's life—as long as the stake stays in there long enough to effect true brain death. If you stake a vamp through the heart, it seems to basically interrupt the function of the heart, as long as the stake is there. However, if you can stake the vampire through the heart and into the ground, it completely paralyzes them."

  Spooky spoke up, "Can they be cured?"

  "Great question!" Doc responded. "A vampire that was recently turned can be cured by killing its sire, the creature that made it. The death of the sire must occur sometime within the couple days after it was turned, and the timing is different for every turned creature. I've never seen any reports for a successful cure after three sunrises."

  God looked thoughtful. He thought about the vampire movies he'd seen and asked, "What about sunlight or ultraviolet light? Does that hurt them?"

  The priest answered him, "This is one that Hollywood gets partially right, Little G. The ultraviolet rays in natural sunlight, as well as in artificial UV rays, will burn and blister a vampire. Their skin is about a hundred times more sensitive than ours is, and they have a built-in psychological condition as well. The net effect is that if they could build up the willpower to completely cover themselves, and if they wore some really strong sunblock, they might be able to walk around during the day, but if sunlight hits their skin, they receive a third degree burn within a few seconds.

  "Silver is also really effective at slowing down the regeneration rates of vampires, and it physically causes a severe allergic reaction when it touches a vampire's open wound. This causes them to feel a severe burning sensation. It's not quite as strong as the lycanthrope's reaction to silver, but it hurts them."

  Doc opened the small, leather-bound book in front of her and flipped through a couple of pages, taking care with the parchment. She read a few of the notes that were listed in the book aloud: "This type of vampire gains power as it grows older and as it feeds. New vampires are fairly easy to kill, with the right equipment; however, some the older masters were notoriously difficult to dispatch. Most masters will have a place where they stay during the day, a 'nest,' if you will. Typically, they have their newbies guard the nest, occasionally having familiars or revenants standing guard."

  Sensing that questions were coming, the vampire expert continued, "Familiars are humans who have willingly offered their service to the vampire. While they may occasionally be bled for food, typically, they are simply controlled through will, fear, or mind control. It is difficult to tell who a familiar is, as they do not typically wear any outer sign.

  "Revenants are basically a cross between a zombie and a familiar. They are a ravenous beast that feeds on living flesh. They retain some of their intelligence when they are turned but are completely loyal to their master."

  Doc looked around. "That pretty much sums up what we know about typical vampires. I believe that we are facing a couple of recently-turned traditional vamps here. There are technically two other types, called the 'vampyre' and the 'dhampir.' The vampyre is a creature that is typically classed as a 'psychic vampire.' They feed on the emotional energy of the humans around them, thriving on intense emotions such as fear, hatred, and even love. They are very intense and have different weaknesses. In fact, this is probably where the legends of the vampire's power of seduction come from. Current records are fairly sparse as this type is very rare.

  "The other type, called the 'dhampir,' is the offspring of a vampire and a human. While they do not inherit many of the more animalistic traits of their sire, they also are not affected by many of the same weapons. Dhampir are mortal and are not necessarily evil. In fact, there are records of some becoming great monster hunters."

  The team sat in stunned silence at the wealth of information that Doc had provided. They looked around at each other, many of them again wondering why they had joined the team. Doc returned to her seat, and Six recovered from his momentary lapse.

  Six looked around the table at his team. He cleared his throat and began giving orders. "Now that we have some intel on these critters, let's hunt them down and kill them. I'm going to be meeting with the mayor, the city council, and the sheriff tonight, and I'm sure the FBI will be there. Because the activity is speeding up, we're going to be instituting a town-wide curfew. Hopefully, we'll be the only humans hunting tonight.

  "As before, I want God up on the hospital roof on overwatch. Spooky, get the UAV up in the air. Doc and Boomer, I want you ready to respond here in the truck. I'm going to go meet with the mayor and then we'll have the press conference. After that, I'll be back out to the truck to be able to go hunting." As the team stood and headed for the War Wagon, the team leader went to meet with the mayor and sheriff.

  THE TEAM COMMANDER wrapped up the press conference and announcement of the impending curfew. Ignoring all the reporters' questions, he grabbed his notes and headed out to the MRAP. As he reached th
e truck, Boomer was coming out of the rear hatch.

  "Hey, boss man. Spooky just got a couple of weird cold blobs moving down an alley about a block from here. I was coming to get you."

  Six nodded, reached for his rifle, and activated his radio. "God, this is Six. Spooky picked up movement. We're going to go get this critter. You stay here and cover the VIPs in the city center. Doc, Boomer, you're with me. Spooky, you cover from above."

  Spooky waved from inside the truck as Doc climbed out. Draped over her normally demure suit jacket, the Catholic Priest wore a pure white stole with many intricate designs woven throughout. Around her neck hung a cross on a long chain, and Doc carried a very large cross that was ornate silver inlaid with an intricate design and was mounted on a sharpened piece of wood.

  Six activated his radio as he closed and secured the truck doors. "Spooky. Direction and range to target. What do you have?"

  Spooky came back quickly. "Northeast of this location. There is an access drive behind this building. It leads to a neighborhood. About two hundred and fifty yards. Satellite and directional sent to your phone."

  Six responded. "Roger. Northwest, about two hundred and fifty yards. Access drive behind city center. God, watch the VIPs and Spooky."

  The sniper replied with a simple, "Copy."

  Six grabbed his rifle with both hands and then turned toward the two women. "Boomer. Doc. Let's go get a nightcrawler."

  He then turned, and they began walking at a relatively fast pace down the access road toward the area where Spooky had seen the suspicious cold spots.

  Rounding a slight bend, they came to a road. Across the street was a row of houses, with a church across and to the right. Six looked at Doc.

  She shook her head. "No way. They can't go on consecrated ground."

  Six nodded and moved across the road, carefully walking down the cross street.

  From three stories up, God tracked the team as they walked. He shifted and moved his gaze back to the command center. Picking up binoculars, he scanned the area around the buildings and the truck. As he swept past the unlit sides, a dark shadow caught his attention. Moving slowly, the shadow appeared to study the side of the truck and the front of the building. The sniper saw another dark shadow slink out of the brush and move toward the back of the building.

  Clicking his binoculars into thermal mode, he saw that the moving shadows were colder than the surrounding areas. Subvocalizing into his radio, he called out, "Six, this is God."

  "Go for Six."

  "Six, I have three cold shadows back here at the ops center. One is going around the back, make that two going around the back. One is heading toward the War Wagon. Spooky, heads up. One is coming your way."

  Six looked at the other two team members. "Copy, God. We're on our way. Once target is verified, you are cleared to engage. Repeat. Weapons free."

  Even as the sniper acknowledged his leader's orders, he was putting the binoculars down and shouldering the rifle. Calculating for wind and drop, and flipping the scope to a thermal setting, he looked for a target. He barely caught sight of one as it broke around the building. God soon heard the screams from inside the building.

  Six and Boomer sprinted toward the building, hoping they were not too late. Doc was a touch slower; her modest flats were definitely not combat-ready.

  Six waved to Boomer as they approached the building. The screams inside were dying out as they reached the back door. Seeing the door already ajar, Six shouldered through the door, moving into the room and raising his rifle to his shoulder in a practiced move.

  Outside, Spooky heard a terrible screech and howl as something slammed against the rear hatch to the War Wagon. The electronics wizard was quivering as the truck physically shook under the repeated blows of a creature trying to get to him. Raising the gun in one shaky hand, the young agent leaned over and waited for his opportunity.

  Earlier, Spooky had carefully pulled the special ammunition that Norbert had given him from its padded case and cautiously loaded two of the bullets into the magazine for his Beretta. As the howling intensified, he could see that the thick armored door was moving against its frame. Spooky reached out and timed his actions with the pulls from whatever was trying to get to him.

  As the creature gave a fantastic heave, the analyst popped the latch on the door. The creature flew back, stunned, and landed on its back in the parking lot. Spooky saw the terrible visage of a small girl turned feral animal. The rows of sharp teeth gleamed as she snarled and rose. The young agent pointed the gun and pulled the trigger twice.

  The once-young girl howled in pain as a blinding flash lit the area. There was a thunderclap, and Spooky saw the monster's arm fly away from her body. Wrecked and in severe pain, the creature howled and bolted into the night. The electronics specialist slammed and locked the truck's back door. He then began to shake.

  Dimly registering the gunshots from outside the building, the DHS leader paused at the carnage staining the walls and floor around him. Blood spatters stained the walls of the room and body parts were scattered around the space. That moment of shock wore off as he finally caught a glimpse of a feral creature with a half-gnawed arm in its mouth. The creature paused a moment too long to stare at the agent's sudden entrance. As it turned to run out the front of the room, Six began pulling the trigger on his rifle.

  Calmly walking rounds up the creatures back, Six shot as fast as he could, while still maintaining control. As the fourth round hit the creature at the top of the spine, Boomer burst through the door and raised her shotgun.

  The demolition expert's Mossberg roared, and the vampire fell to the ground with a large hole where its spine and heart once were. Cycling the action, her shotgun roared again, this time taking off the top half of the creature's deformed head.

  As Six began shooting the vampire inside the building, God watched another creature burst out of the front door. The thing paused momentarily to look back into the building and howl. That pause was long enough to center the reticle on the creature's head and squeeze the trigger. Less than a tenth of a second later, the large silver hollow-point bullet with a pure wood core entered the forehead of the creature. The former HRT sniper had just enough time to register that the vampire used to be a teenage girl before the head disappeared in a spray of black goo. Huh. I guess dipping them in Holy Water makes them even nastier, God thought to himself. A grin worked its way across his face.

  Inside the building, Six and Boomer quickly made sure the rest of the building was empty, and then Six announced, "Six to all team. Building is clear." He nodded as Doc crossed the threshold.

  "God to Six. Exterior clear. One Tango. One Body."

  "Spooky to Six. Truck is clear, although I might need to change my underwear."

  16

  COVER-UP

  SOUTH CENTRAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. TRINIDAD, COLORADO.

  Doc stood in the doorway and blanched at the carnage. Even her worst experiences working for Doctors Without Borders did not prepare her for this. The vampires had not tried to feed. They had simply slaughtered. Using their tremendous strength and near-invulnerability as powerful weapons, they had slaughtered everyone in the main hall. The priest could see enough parts to piece together several bodies, and she estimated that there must have been ten or fifteen people here when they were slaughtered.

  She walked toward a corpse that was quickly becoming a pile of what could only be described as goo. She looked at Six and asked, "So, is this what's left of the one you guys took down?"

  Six looked up and said, "Yep. Is this a vampire?"

  Doc knelt down and carefully turned what was left of the head around so that she could see the mouth. Seeing the tell-tale rows of razor sharp teeth, she nodded. "This one's a blood sucker. Help me clear out the rest of this room. Where is the other one?"

  The DHS leader nodded toward the front of the building. "God said he got one outside," he said, distracted by the gore and remains around him.

  The vampire sp
ecialist stood and walked toward the front door. Stepping outside, she immediately saw the black slimy ooze that covered the area around the broken front door. She looked around but could not find any remains large enough to be a head. As she watched, the black slime began to evaporate into thin air, as if it was ectoplasm from a ghost.

  Keying her radio, the priest called for the sniper on the roof, "Little 'G,' this is Doc. Where are the remains of the one you shot? Am I missing something?"

  Doc could hear the smirk as God answered through the tactical radio, "Negative, Doc. Apparently, when you hit the head with one of these rounds doused in Holy Water, the critters do their best to explode into little pieces of goo."

  Six cut in. "God, knock out the commentary. I need you to spot for us. We're going to be cleaning this one up. Spooky, keep the drone up. Let me know if any humans are coming. We should have law enforcement in moments. We're going to keep them outside for now. Also, Spooky, prep a report so I can send it to Agent Smith. We're going to need more cleanup on this one. Doc, come back inside and make sure nothing is going to be found of the creature. Boomer will help."

  A chorus of acknowledgements sounded over the radio while Doc walked back inside to collect the remaining vampire's head. Six passed the priest on his way out to greet the approaching sirens.

  IT HAD BEEN a long night for the team. By the time the first law enforcement officers had arrived, all trace evidence of the vampires had evaporated like water droplets on a hot summer sidewalk. Doc had placed the head in an evidence bag, sealed it, and taken it to the truck. Six had arranged for the medical examiner to take care of the victims and had talked to the undersheriff and the deputy chief of the police department for a few hours. He had been finally able to convince them that his team was in charge of the operation and that all of the investigation would be handled by his the DHS agents.

  The medical examiner had come to retrieve all of the body parts and was in the middle of the gruesome task of piecing together the bodies and accounting for any missing parts. It had taken threats of physical arrest and detention in Guantanamo Bay to get the coroner to ignore the fact that there was no body for the attackers. Only repeated reminders that this was a national security matter had kept him from complaining to the press.