But when she woke up a vampire, feeling empty, hollow and as though all the best parts of her had been stripped away, she would’ve given anything to be human once more.
“There are ways you could exist without slaughtering humans.” Zoe’s voice was stronger, louder than before. She allowed the pain to curl around her unbeating heart. She wouldn’t let herself back down from what she was here to do. And Albian’s trickery wouldn’t work.
“I only take from those who don’t value life,” Albian replied. “If anything, their final days with me give them more purpose than they ever had before.” He found humor in his words and chuckled. “Humans squander their existence. They only live a short time and are far too stupid to make the most of it.”
There was a moment of nothing, no sound. Drake was deep in thought, and for a moment Zoe worried Albian’s words had hit him so hard he wouldn’t be able to stand by her side and fight. But then his eyes swept over her, and Drake took another step forward.
“My mother valued life, and you snuffed it out without a second thought,” he spat, his expression solemn. “She loved my father, and she loved me. She would’ve done anything for us.” He took another step forward, his gaze never leaving the vamp’s. “But I’m not here to try and make you see reason.”
That seemed to catch Albian’s attention. “Oh? Then what are you here for, you pathetic human?”
Drake turned to Zoe, his eyes filled with anger, and behind that, a deep sadness. Then he looked at Albian, his expression darkening.
“I’m here to avenge my mother,” he replied, his tone sharpening.
Zoe looked over in surprise at the change, finding Drake’s features hard and his gaze distant as it stared across the room. “And to seek justice for Zoe.”
Drake raised the heavy contraption and pressed the trigger, sending out a lethal torrent of holy water and silver. The liquid shot out from the nozzle, but Albian was too quick on his feet. The vampire lunged in the opposite direction, and before Zoe could move out of the way, he grabbed her, drawing her into his arms and using her as a shield. With his other hand, he wrestled the sword free from her grip.
“I saw what that can do to a vampire,” Albian growled, nodding at the contraption in Drake’s hand. “So, go ahead, pull that trigger again. We can watch her die together.”
“It’ll destroy you just as quickly as it will destroy her,” Drake replied. “Let her go.”
Albian tightened his grip on Zoe. Cold fingers wrapped around her neck and forced her head to the side. She dared not struggle. She’d seen what those fangs did to flesh.
“You’re a fool.” Albian chortled. “Did you really think you’d just barge in here and kill me so easily?” He clicked his tongue. “And you came so ill-equipped. What? All you brought was that gadget, and this…” He ran a sharp fingernail over Zoe’s throat.
It took all she had not to cry out in pain.
“This pathetic excuse for a vampire?” Albian took a step towards the door, shuffling Zoe along in front of him. “You do know she couldn’t have helped you destroy me, right? If she did, she’d die right along with me.”
“You son of a bitch!” Drake roared. “Let her go, and I promise you, we’ll leave this place, and we won’t come for you again.”
“Now, now,” Albian mused. “I wouldn’t want a fresh piece of meat to go to waste. You’ll make a perfect meal for the newest addition to the family.” His gaze flickered to the trembling, young girl in the corner. “After all, considering you ruined the event tonight, it’s the least you could do.”
With that, Albian ambled closer the door. Drake knew he had only seconds to react. If he let Albian leave the room, he’d call for his men, and they’d be quickly outnumbered. He knew he was low on holy water and silver. There was certainly not enough to take out the rest of Albian’s minions.
But if he let Albian walk away with Zoe…
“Let her go free, and you can turn me.”
It was a bold offer, and Drake wasn’t sure if Albian would even consider it. After all, he could have his men rush in, hold Drake down, and simply turn him whether he wanted it or not. But a willing agreement meant something far greater. Something Drake hoped would appeal to Albian’s ego.
A human willingly turned was far more valuable to a man like Albian. With permission, a turned vampire could become one of his army, bound to the man in a deeper way. While a vampire could never destroy their maker, a person who willingly gave up their humanity in exchange for immortality was at their sire’s service for eternity.
“Drake, no!” Zoe begged. “Please, don’t do this.” She thrashed against Albian, trying to break free, but the vampire only tightened his grip.
“I know you need more men,” Drake continued, ignoring the despair on Zoe’s face as she continued to plead with him not to go through with it. “I’m strong, and I’m fearless. I’m here, aren’t I? How many others have tried to get to you?”
Albian’s expression was unreadable, but he remained rooted in place, no longer making his way toward the door. “And why would you want to join my army when you hold such hatred for our kind?”
Drake didn’t even have to think about a response. He let his heart do the talking. “Because I’d rather live my life as a vampire with her, then die as a human without her.”
Albian chuckled darkly. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or revolted. Love… it’ll destroy you every time.”
“So, do we have ourselves a deal?” Drake asked, lowering his contraption.
“Alright,” Albian nodded. “As you wish. Hand over that thing in your hand and all your other weapons.”
“Drake, please. You can escape,” Zoe pleaded. “Please, just make a run for it. Leave this place and never look back.”
“Zoe, you know I can’t do that.” Drake set the contraption on the floor and kicked it over to Albian. Then he reached to his side and pulled out the dagger. “You see, I’m a man of my word, and I made you a promise, remember?
He kicked the dagger toward Albian, but it slid across the floor, well past where the vampire was standing. Albian turned to glance at it, and confirming it was out of Drake’s reach, he turned his attention back to the deal at hand.
Zoe’s expression changed from confusion to understanding. She pulled away sharply, twisting her body so Albian was forced to lower his shoulders in order to regain his grip on her.
Just then, the patter of feet moved across the hardwood floor, followed by the light scrape of metal. He turned, but it was too late.
“What are you—”
Albian’s eyes suddenly grew wide with shock as realization set in. He stumbled back, releasing his hold on Zoe, his hands flying up to his neck. He tried to close the fresh wound with his fingers, but it was no use. An endless river of blood gushed down his throat and onto his chest, staining his blue shirt crimson.
“Y…”
His mouth opened, but no words came out. The gash on his throat was so deep it had severed his vocal chords, leaving him to choke on his own lifeblood. With all the strength he could muster, he staggered back around to face the person responsible.
“H…u…m…a…” Albian struggled to finish the word as he slowly lurched across the room, determined to kill the young girl who stood, shaking, the bloody dagger still in her hand.
Zoe raced to her side, standing in front her protectively. “It’s over, Albian.”
The beast of a vampire shook his head, his face contorted with rage. There was no way a dagger, even one tipped in silver, would be enough to kill him. He knew it, everyone knew it. It would only slow him down for a short time before he’d heal.
“Yes,” Zoe continued, a smile playing on her lips as Albian glared at her. “That’s right. A human is responsible for taking down the great and mighty vampire. How do you like that ending? It’s one that’ll be talked about for centuries to come, that’s for sure.”
The look on Albian’s face was a mix of confusion and disbelief. If h
e could speak, he’d likely be bellowing in fury and disgust that there was no way the little, worthless human girl he’d been using as nothing more than a donor would ever be strong enough to destroy someone as powerful as him.
But he never had the chance to speak.
The sound of a wooden stake being jammed into a body was one that only ever had to be heard once to make a lasting impression.
“I made you a promise, Zoe,” Drake growled, forcing the weapon deep into Albian’s body. He lunged forward, lifting his booted foot just in time to slam it hard against the wood. “And I always keep my promises.”
After one last kick from Drake which plunged the stake all the way through Albian’s heart, the vampire dropped to his knees, his hands trying desperately to pull the weapon from his body, but as he crumpled to the floor, he knew it was no use. His eyes, still burning with hatred, quickly dulled. The feral edge of his face disappeared as he took his last breath.
Chapter 10
“It’s over,” Zoe whispered, smoothing her hand over the young girl’s hair. “He can’t hurt you anymore. Do you understand?”
The girl nodded, her eyes darting over to the corpse which was quickly evaporating under the holy water Drake was dousing him with.
“But we have to get out of here. So, I need you to stay close to us, okay?”
The girl nodded again but finally let out the breath she was obviously holding. “Yes. I want to go home. I want to see my family.”
Zoe squeezed her hand affectionately. “And you will. But we need to get the others first. Do you know where he’s keeping them? They aren’t in the bunkhouse.”
“He keeps them locked up. Ever since someone escaped, he keeps them in a cage.” She pointed to the wall behind them. “Through there.”
Zoe’s heart sank. She was the one who’d escaped which meant she was the reason they were kept in a cage. Drake must have sensed how she was feeling because he moved closer and hooked his arm protectively around her waist.
“Through the wall? What do you mean?” he asked the girl.
The girl stepped towards the corner of the room she’d pointed to. “There’s a secret door,” she whispered. “Right here.” She ran her fingers over the wallpaper until she found what she was looking for. Then she pushed hard on the wall, and sure enough, the wallpaper creased, revealing a small door. “He keeps us in there.”
Zoe shook her head, frowning. “How long have you been here? And what’s your name?”
“Emma,” she replied. “And I’ve been here a few weeks now. I was out for a walk one night, and his men cornered me in the park. They knocked me out, and when I woke up…” Her voice trailed off, her hands flying to her throat. “I was here…locked up. He was going to turn me tomorrow. But you saved me. You both saved my life.” She sobbed, and Zoe wrapped her arms around her.
“Let’s go save the others,” she replied, taking Emma’s hand again.
The young girl surprised her by gripping hard, and suddenly, a fierce look appeared on her face.
“Yes, let’s help them,” she said fervently, her voice surging with a sudden strength. “And then I want to burn this place to the ground.”
When Zoe and Drake looked at her with confusion, the girl continued, “Albian told me he has the entire place rigged with explosives. He was worried his men might be planning a revolt. He said he’d take a few of his favorites with him and destroy the rest.”
Emma looked away, tears constricting her throat. “He was going to turn me tomorrow and take me with him. He said I was the youngest and would make the perfect bride.”
“And did he tell you anything about how to set off these explosives?” Drake asked, his voice low.
Emma shook her head. “He didn’t tell me much, just that he was going to leave through the tunnels and then set it all to burn.” She walked over to a large desk off in the corner of the room and crawled beneath it, disappearing.
They heard her move her hands around the frame, in search of something. When she reappeared, she had a small key in the palm of her hand.
“I saw him place something in this drawer when he was telling me about his plan,” she said, twisting the key into the lock on the drawer. She managed to get it open then reached in and drew out a black box, no bigger than the size of her palm. “Do you think this has something to do with it?”
Drake reached out, and she carefully handed the item to him. He examined it, nodding. “This is a remote control. He must have rigged the place with timed explosives so he could be long gone before he detonated,” he said. He pulled his backpack off, unzipped the front pocket and carefully placed the device inside.
“So we can do it?” Emma asked, eyeing Drake’s backpack. “We can burn this place down? Destroy them all?”
Zoe nodded, but her expression darkened. “But what about those who were turned against their will? I don’t want to kill innocent people.”
Emma shook her head. “Albian was too afraid to turn anyone against their will anymore…other than me.” She sighed. “He was sure if he did, they’d join whoever was planning to go against him. That’s why he was at the Night of Transformation. He wanted to rebuild an army of people who wanted to be turned. He said they’d be forced to be loyal to him…indebted for the rest of their lives.”
Zoe bit her lip as she thought about what Emma had said. It was true. Had he turned people who offered themselves to him, they’d look to him as their leader. “And then he wouldn’t have to worry about his people revolting against him.”
“Yes,” Emma replied, nodding. “He wanted to get rid of everyone here… the entire compound. And start new.” She pointed at the secret door. “He was going to kill all those women tomorrow. Drain them, and then save their blood for the journey.”
Drake pulled his backpack over his shoulder. “Let’s go find those women and release them. Then we’ll burn this place to the ground.”
They headed towards the once-hidden door, their weapons drawn. As they made their way down the narrow hallway, they heard voices off in the distance. As they rounded the corner, Zoe’s eyes widened in horror but also recognition. She hadn’t been caged, but she’d been a prisoner of Albian’s. When she saw the look of despair on the faces of the women who were huddled in the corner of a large cage, she sucked in a breath.
The women were filthy, their hair hanging in knots around their heads. From a quick scan, Zoe counted six. As they moved closer, the women panicked, moving to the far side of the cage.
“Don’t be afraid of us,” Drake said, pulling on the door to the cage. “We’re here to help you. Albian is dead. We’re going to get you out of here.”
Not surprising, the cage was locked. Zoe looked at Emma, hoping she knew where the key was hidden.
She shook her head, her eyes scanning the small space in search of it. “I don’t know where he keeps it.”
“Albian is dead?” The whisper of a voice came from a young, pale woman. The lines under her eyes were so dark it looked as though she’d smeared mascara around them. “He’s really dead?” She curled her fingers around the bars on the cage door.
“Yes,” Zoe replied. “He’ll never be able to hurt anyone again.”
“The key… he keeps it in there.” The woman looked over Zoe’s shoulder, nodding toward what looked like a fuse box.
Drake rushed across the room, yanking the small metal case open and removing the key.
He handed it to Zoe, his expression told her he felt she should be the one to set the women free. She quickly unlocked the cage, and the women stepped out, their eyes filled with hope.
“How are we going to get out?” another woman asked, a note of hysteria in her voice.
“We’ll make our way to the main floor, then out through the tunnels,” Zoe responded.
“But his men,” the woman replied, her voice quivering. She took a step back into the cage. “They’ll find us. Then they’ll take us for their own.”
“We can do this. We have to.”
Zoe reached out, and the woman cautiously took her hand, trembling as she stepped forward. “We just have to stick together.”
The woman nodded and took another tentative step forward, while the others joined them, stepping out of the room and making their way back down the hallway into Albian’s quarters. One of the women bit back a sob when she saw the large bed. Clearly she was remembering the torment Albian must have put her through.
Together, they left the quarters, weaving their way back through the maze of hallways, carefully turning each corner, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Somewhere off in the distance was the thud of footsteps. The group froze as a young vampire came into their vision. Drake lunged at him, his dagger slicing through the air, followed by the wooden stake. The vampire crumpled to the ground.
“Stay behind us!” Zoe instructed the women who swiftly obeyed, moving behind them as they continued working their way through the series of hallways and rooms.
The other vampires were suddenly aware of them, and they appeared from the shadows, screeching as they pointed to their enemies. As they closed in, Drake pulled out his contraption and squeezed the trigger, using the rest of his holy water to take down the growing group of vampires who were quickly closing in. The liquid fizzled out quickly though, and he tossed the device to the ground, pulling out his sword.
Zoe charged at the remaining vampires, her sword flying through the air. A scream of fury burst from her lips. She wasn’t going to quit until every last one of the monsters was dead. She and Drake had sworn justice, and they’d get it. She sliced and swiped, the momentum of her arm as it flung in one direction brought it swiftly back the other way, leaving a heap of vampires in its wake.
They continued on to the landing, finally making it to the ground floor. A slight movement caught Zoe’s eye, and she turned to see a vampire making his way toward them. This one had a weapon of his own, a blade in each hand.
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