Nova Nocte (Book 2): Quarantined in Chaos

by Melissa Gibbo

  “I was unreal. It was perfect because it was with you. And I’m going to miss that almost as much as I’ll miss talking with you.”

  I felt twin rivers flowing down my face and onto his back.

  “Like I said, I’m thinking of a job as a gigolo.” He teased.

  We broke down in laughter and tears. I hit him on the bicep and he did a silly dance with a fake smolder.

  “Just so you’re aware,” He slid next to me on the polyester bedspread. “I’ll probably check in on you randomly after we make you forget. But only for the rest of your life.”

  I choked down the feelings battling to get loose.

  “I’d like that.”

  We embraced and had our last kiss before I would die.

  CHAPTER 12 DECEMBER 17TH-20TH - YEAR 2

  The tat-tat-tat of an M16 burst popped me off my bed and into my shoes. I grabbed my belongings and ran to the lobby, nearly knocking Chase and Marley Guy over when I stopped abruptly.

  “Sorry. Where’s the gunfire coming from?”

  The others slid in to place in clumps; we all knelt behind the bulky furniture and crouched along the wall. Sunny craned her neck and pointed out the glass doors.

  “Seems to be coming from the way we came. That ‘small army’ that we almost ran into on the highway would be my guess.”

  “I thought the vamps drained those guys?”

  Reggie’s voice floated to us from behind.

  “I think you greatly underestimate how many people are included in our assessment of ‘small army’; there is a limit to how many three vampires may kill and still get away in one piece.”

  Someone gasped and Hannah began praying under her breath.

  “Okay, so we are outnumbered and these people were angry enough to track us from Savannah to Hardeeville. How many would you say we’re facing and how organized are they?”

  Cal motioned and we slinked back to the nearest room. Garret and Bubba remained as sentries. Once in the fading suite, Cal took the lead.

  “There are roughly fifty people remaining in that group. Assuming the entire force is following us, we are outmatched four to one. Although that party has numbers on their side, they are more of a mob than a trained military and their arms are varied.”

  “About half only have an axe or knife.” Daemon added.

  I made quick mental notes and tried to formulate a plan.

  “But the other two dozen have semiautomatic rifles?”

  Reggie shook his head laughingly.

  “Not even close. Maybe six or seven have serious firepower, the rest have pistols, shotguns, or hunting rifles. Still, it’s not the best odds.”

  Another burst of gunfire, this one closer.

  “It’s only 5AM, sun won’t be up for at least an hour and a half, but that’s not much of an advantage. We can split into two teams and reconvene at another place tomorrow night.”

  Half-whispered complaints flooded my ears. I held up one finger and spoke over them.

  “It’s risky, but our best chance is to retreat as two groups and maximize the number of people we can move quickly.”

  I looked to our Undead allies.

  “A distraction would be ideal, but we can’t be sure that you guys would be able to get to safety so soon before sunrise.”

  Cal and Reggie nodded their consent.

  The fledgling vamp grinned.

  “Better idea.” He pointed at the parking lot. “The cars are almost out of gas and we can’t get more without digging up a station pump, so why don’t we ditch them here and set a trap?”

  Is he insane? How are we supposed to outrun these jerks on foot?

  Cal assumed a position of authority; his time in the Roman Legion was embedded in him as thoroughly as his spine.

  “That is an option. If the majority was to move out on foot and circle around the mob, we could regroup at say,” We looked at the road atlas. “ah, where the interstate meets 278.”

  “It’s just a day’s hike for us and a quick flight for you three.” I folded the map and returned it to my bag. “We could continue on from there.”

  “Exactly right, Squirrel.” The Under-Commander continued. “We divide into two teams: the first is composed of Reggie and all but a couple of you, the second will be Daemon, myself, Squirrel, and two or three others. First team will carry all they can and leave immediately. The second team will stay behind to set a trap for out hunters; we will eradicate as many as possible before making a hasty retreat.”

  Silence reigned for a full minute while the implications sunk in; the trio of Undead would be separate and rushed to find shelter from the sun while we humans would be forced to the extent of our physical abilities.

  It’s all we’ve got. A real battle would do us in and running as one mass is too easy to spot. Guerilla warfare it is. Hope it works.

  “Alright, let’s do this while we still have time. Team two is Cal, Daemon,” I looked at raised hands and was thankful for volunteers. “... Bubba, Marley Guy, Katie, and me. Everyone else, you are in the first team; load up and follow Reggie. See you soon.”

  The detail poured out without a word. Nurse gave Sindbad a hand signal and the canine followed his owner.

  “Not much time so we’re gonna move fast. Bubba, you and Marley Guy cut the fuel lines to our rides and pour whatever’s left in the gas cans around to the side door. Katie and I will get all of our gear up that hill and set up a firing position with all of our weapons.”

  I threw my bag on my back and hefted two rifles; the others followed suit.

  “The idea is to: have Daemon and Cal play bait, blow the cars as soon as they chase him into the lobby area, we open fire in volleys so they don’t get a break, and both of our fangy friends swoop in for some fast food. We cause a lot of carnage and chaos for a couple of minutes and then run like hell to circle this location and reconnect with our friends. Ready?”

  Bubba and Marley Guy agreed in equally unintelligible words before filing out to their mission. Our squad took our places. While I left the front door, Cal stopped me with a smile.

  “I would’ve been proud to have you as one of my Centurions, Squirrel.”

  I saluted him with a fist to the chest like I’d seen in movies and left him with a handshake. He watched as Daemon gave me a peck on the cheek.

  ###

  Katie and I lay at hidden by the brush at the top of the hill. We’d lined up all nine guns with the barrels facing the lobby of the hotel. We switched off each safety and aimed our own rifles. I peered through the scope and saw Bubba and Marley Guy reach their spot at the end of the gasoline trail. That instant, both Undead stepped out of the building and began to shout at the approaching foes.

  Our hunters numbered just under fifty by the time they crested horizon. I noted the fleshies lumbering towards them from the countryside and cast a glance around our position. As planned they saw Daemon and Cal; the mass of men lurched forward like a wakened dragon. The groans of Dead mingled with the battle cries and gunshots of the militia. I dried my palms on my jacket sleeves and put the butt of the rifle into my shoulder.

  Holes appeared in the plaster around Daemon’s head as the first enemy rounds neared their target. The young vampire looked nonplussed and mooned the assailants. Cal grabbed his protégé by the belt loops and pulled him into the lobby as the sidewalk erupted with bullet holes.

  Breathe slow and smooth. Take your time and squeeze the trigger so gently it almost surprises you when it fires. Breathe and do what you have to do.

  The bait taken, nearly thirty of the attackers reached the vehicles as one mass. I spotted nearly that many Dead in the vicinity. Fire snaked from our companions and consumed the automobiles. I tightened my grip on the hunting rifle and kept my breathing steady; Bubba and Marley bounded to our firing makeshift firing range while our enemies stood distracted by the orange and red dance in their midst.

  BOOM!

  Shrapnel, car parts, and limbs surfed the concussion and collided with the
surviving mercenaries. Daemon and his mentor flew out the side doors and eviscerated the confused force like red ink on a term paper. I opened fire on those furthest from the blast; my scope displayed a pink cloud for an instant while the blood hung in the air.

  I fired shots until there was no ammo to refill the chamber and then I grabbed the next weapon and repeated the procedure. A couple of people caught fire and tried to outrun it; I ignored them in favor of those who were uninjured. Our fangy friends fed and gutted the opposing force and returned to the lightening sky. With each second, bodies fell into heaps. Dead came in droves to tear the flesh off their bones; raccoons with clouded eyes.

  Cal landed to my right.

  “It’s time to go. They are beginning to track our shots. We don’t want to be here when they focus enough to retaliate.”

  We got to our feet and sprinted away. Both vampires covered our retreat. I threw the rifle strap over my left shoulder to ease the getaway. As soon as possible, I made a ninety degree turn towards the rendezvous point. The sky was turning violet and the stars blinked out in handfuls.

  Forrest stopped ahead of me.

  “No time to rest, Bubba. Not all of them are dead.”

  “But, they...” He talked through gasps. “...they are. We’re practically surrounded by dem Dead critters.”

  I followed his outstretched hand. I saw Katie get taken down fighting off a quad of corpses with her camp shovel and dagger. Marley Guy delivered a well-aimed jab with his spear through the nose of a grey toned skeleton of a man before swinging it around into the temple of a legless woman. The skin hung off her once obese body and caught in the undergrowth. Bubba and I ran to help him; Katie was already engulfed by blood-drenched fleshies.

  We formed a triangle of blades and relayed instructions to one another as we traversed the uneven terrain laced with carnivorous stiffs. The blade of my sword wedged into the jaw of a large water-logged cadaver; grabbing my rifle I slammed the butt into its face. I was rewarded with a squelch of purification.

  Another herd of Dead gained on us from that direction. I left my sword in the beast’s head and stayed with my friends. Cal landed on the shoulders of a nearby zombie, crushing her to the dirt. Daemon joined him and we ran to do the same.

  The fingers of a middle-aged woman dug into my ankle and brought me to the earth; the air rushed from my lungs as I landed on a rock. The rifle silhouetted in the air before disappearing beyond the predator. I kicked at the patchy black hair. I heard Daemon calling my name but didn’t dare look away from my struggle. I felt the hand disengage and rolled over to regain my footing.

  The teeth of a recently killed man dug into my shoulder. I cried out in pain and fury as I battered the young man I’d tried to save yesterday.

  It can’t end like this. I have to survive. I promised my family I’d find a way to live. No one even knows my real name. I can’t die now. Please, God, not yet.

  The chomping teeth were gone and Daemon’s eyes met mine. All around our group I could see Dead on fire or dismembered. He was holding a hand to my wound to staunch the bleeding. I thought of the pain he would feel after I died in his arms and cried harder.

  Please God, look after him. Let me watch over him from wherever you send me.

  “Squirrel, look at me. I need you to stay with me, okay? Just stay with me.”

  I fought to catch my breath through the waves of sanguine fluid filling my throat.

  “She’s lost too much blood, Daemon. She’s been bitten. Move aside and let me give her a peaceful end; I can glamour her so she won’t feel it. Just let go.”

  “No, I can’t. She’s going to live. I can’t lose her.”

  He dug his fangs into my neck and drank deeply for a few draughts before he must’ve tasted the infection; he spit a small mouthful out. I could feel my body floating like the night I drank so much whiskey I woke up naked in the closet.

  “Daemon you cannot save her once the infection has taken hold.”

  “Not as a human, but I can save her.”

  He bit into his wrist and brought it to my mouth while his mentor killed another of the roving Dead.

  “Drink, Squirrel, please. It’s the only way.”

  I swallowed and felt every cell in my body scream for more. I raised my tongue to the ash to coax more blood and drank until the world fell away. Cal’s voice drifted off and the zombies no longer concerned me. Opening my eyes, I saw my lover’s face more clearly. The pain subsided and I felt strong. The tiny cracks where each skin cell met appeared immense and cavernous; I became absorbed in the faint aura of power just beyond his face.

  Suddenly the world assaulted my senses in a rush of noise and light. The sun would rise soon. It was an instinct as defined as the sensation of a stranger standing an inch from you. I looked at my sire and saw concern. Cal was shouting at him; Bubba and Marley Guy fended off fleshies and snuck peeks of me.

  A wellspring of hunger rose with my worry. It mingled with the scent of blood and the cacophony of screams. Daemon was carrying me now as we all ran in search of cover; Cal carried the bags for all three of us humans.

  Am I still human?

  I passed back and forth between consciousness with its myriad of details I’d never seen before, and fevered dreams of making love with Daemon in a pool of blood. Each time I awoke we were closer to sunrise. Panic gripped me as I focused on the conversation between the two Undead.

  “Daemon, you shouldn’t have done it! Turning someone takes time and all of the elements have to be right or they don’t come across right.”

  “I don’t care Cal; I love her. I couldn’t let her die. She will be fine.”

  “What if she’s not? You can’t bring someone across the divide on the fly like this; there is a reason for these laws.”

  I watched the tree branches overhead and marveled that I could see the life glowing within them.

  Focus. You have to listen and focus.

  “She could live but be...damaged. It happens in cases like this sometimes and when it does, there is only one thing to do.”

  “Squirrel isn’t damaged; she just hasn’t quite come out of her reverie yet.”

  He sighed and slowed to increase the gap between us and the other two.

  “My boy, if they don’t come out of it after the first day, they usually never come out of it. It has been two days and we are halfway through her second night.”

  It hasn’t been two days; it can’t have been so long.

  “We’s almost to da meetin place. Bubba say her map show we near da others now.”

  “Thank you. Let’s take a quick rest before we push on.”

  The comforting sway of being carried ended. Daemon sat me up against a pine tree. I got lost in his smile for a moment before the symphony of crickets carried my attention away.

  “She is fine, Cal. She smiled at me.”

  The Roman’s hand held my jaw and brought my eyes to his.

  “Squirrel, are you in there?”

  Yes of course. I’m here Cal. I’m fine; there’s just so much going on.

  Bubba’s voice wafted over.

  “Is she gunna be alright soon? D’ya think there’s anything I can do ta help?”

  His hand released me; it felt warm now.

  “No, Forrest. I believe Squirrel is beyond help.”

  “Don’t say that; she can hear you. I’ll bring her out of it Cal. It just may take a little time.”

  “She’s as good as a comatose human right now. If you cannot handle what needs to be done, allow me; we can’t let her stay in this state forever.”

  Marley Guy and Bubba moved away to set up a small cook fire. I watched intently as every move was guided by the tiny aura of light. Daemon and Cal argued over my head, but I couldn’t draw my focus from the ballet of movement.

  It’s the atoms. Or molecules or something like that. That must be what I’m seeing: the intent to move is pushing the molecules out to do the task.

  I looked at my open palm sitting lim
ply by my side. A foot away was a patch of leaves.

  Is that how they make fire?

  The layer of light just above the skin grew tighter as I willed them to form together. My hunger grew as the energy within me flowed out to control the loose pieces of my essence. The trees whistled and whispered sweet nothings as the molecules wound tighter and became a thread of vibrating energy in my palm.

  I pictured the thread stretching to the leaves and adding layers of power from other areas of my body. The end became an ember, flickering and dying, before I added more will from my mind to guide it to move more closely together and rub closer until the energy was multiplied. The leaves sparked and a flame burned for a minute or an hour; I watched the energy transform the dry leaf and feed itself off the dormant power stored within the deceased foliage.

  The talking had dropped off when the fire was born. I observed my creation until it was finished.

  “I told you she is okay, Cal. How else could she have done that?”

  Caelinus replied in a hoarse whisper.

  “That is worse than expected; she is unable to reenter the waking world, but powerful enough to make fire. And without any training. Daemon, I care for Squirrel too, but she is dangerous.”

  Marley Guy cut his hand. The delectable scent of flowing blood blocked out all thought.

  I was on him in a blink. Fangs forced their way through my gums with a pain so bad it made my vision waver. I sank them into his neck and held his head in place as I drank.

  I was swept away in the ecstasy of feeding the need. Every cell in my body roared to life, drawing in all of the strength within the man -- my dinner. The sensation of a million climaxes echoed through my body with each swallow. I felt my mind sharpen and my feet steadied themselves on the ground.

  I drank in time with the heartbeat that pulsed from my lips to the tips of my toes and back up to my eyelashes. As it slowed, I held him closer to me and lifted him. I was a child drinking carefully from a cup unassisted; frightened to let it sit too loose in case it falls and spills, wasting it’s precious contents.

  The beating slowed and the flurry of endorphins waned. I suctioned more desperately, pulling the last few drops from the veins as his heart stopped pumping. A peace caressed me as I lowered the body to the ground and knelt beside it, overcome with the unprecedented level of calm satisfaction. I kept my eyes closed and held on to the feeling like one holds on to a pleasant dream for an extra minute before dressing for work.