The Lycan Chronicles

by Schroeder, Brent

  Down underground, club Thirst was alive with the undead, who were all drinking various shots of blood, as the strippers danced and grinded the brass poles to the music that the metal band was playing.

  “This is the club,” Leon presented. “Would you like a drink?” “We need to take care of business first,” the Baron replied, as he had a look around. “Business, always before pleasure.” Not a moment passed, after the last word left the Baron’s lips, when Maximilian shot out his fist and ripped into Leon’s back, snatching out his heart, displaying the blackened, beating organ to the Baron.

  Leon slowly turned to face them, as they were both grinning in his face. “Why did you do that?” he struggled to ask. “I… I warned you they were c-coming.”

  “We know you’ve been assisting JD with information, among other things,” the Baron said to him. “You have taken me for a fool, for long enough. I’m finished with you, Leon. Did you really think I would leave you in charge? You’re not even of royal descent.”

  Leon opened his mouth, but no words came out, before his muscular frame fell to the ground. Max took a bite into the beating heart and Leon burst into flames, putting an end to him, right there on the spot.

  No one in the club seemed to notice, or even care, what was happening, as Max and the Baron returned to the ladder to leave the club.

  “Any original English blood in there?” the Baron asked. “Not a single drop,” Maximilian replied. “All turned by Donovan or Mason.”

  “Have you brought along all of the necessary tools?”

  “I have. Go, leave and I will be right behind you.”

  A mist appeared below the Baron, as he began floating up to the top of the ladder, while Max reached into his jacket, pulling out two light grenades; a new bomb, developed by weapons designers at Alnwick Castle. He pulled the two pins and tossed them into the middle of the room, before flying up to the exit, as fast as he could.

  The grenades shook before the tops popped off, sending light beams flashing in every direction, like twin disco balls. In seconds, the Vampires began dropping like flies, vaporizing into thin air, as they tried diving for cover.

  At the top of the ladder, Max could hear the screams and see the flashing lights down inside the club, as he was setting the timer on a small nuclear device that he pulled out of a suitcase they’d brought along. He threw the bomb down into the club and quickly closed the hatch to the entrance.

  “My lord,” Max said with urgency, “we need to leave, very quickly.”

  The Baron and Max both transformed into winged Vampires, taking flight into the night sky, as the nuclear bomb exploded underground, wiping out the rest of the Vampire population of Wolf Creek. They landed on the outskirts of town, as most of the forest and town was burning high, flames licking the sky and then Max, the Baron and his group of Vampires, descended upon the only building left standing in Wolf Creek: the Blood Bank.

  Inside the clinic, now completely surrounded by Vampires, was Dr. Covey, looking out the glass doors, in complete disbelief at the destruction he was witnessing. With no way out, Covey realized, right then, that he’d been wrong for being the optimistic one and not heeding JD’s words.

  “You, inside the clinic!” Max hollered out to the doctor. “Come out, or we’ll smoke you out! If you let us in, you will be spared… I give you my word!”

  Dr. Covey shouted to the Vampires through the glass, as the fires blazed on behind them. “I’ve been running this Blood Bank for seventy years! And, I have always been good to the Vampires and Lycans, alike, in order to keep the peace! Why are you doing this?”

  “If you tell me where JD went, I will not burn this building!” Max tried to bargain.

  Knowing there was no escaping this, Covey slowly opened the door and stepped outside, well-aware that he was about to die. “I have no idea where JD went, he wouldn’t tell anyone,” he said, telling the truth. “I was hoping we could work something out… a new deal,” Covey tried offering. “I’ll do whatever you ask.”

  “Let us into the building and then we’ll talk about a new deal,” the Baron said to him.

  “You may enter the Blood Bank,” Covey quietly mumbled. “I invite you and your entire covenant. Take all the blood you want… it’s yours.”

  “Please, step aside,” Max said, leading the group, “we’re taking all of your stock.”

  The Vampires wasted no time rushing into the clinic, grabbing away at the storage of blood, which was being preserved in the building’s refrigerators and bringing them back to the semi-trucks;

  Dr. Covey watched for the next hour, as every drop of blood was loaded up. As the last Vampire brought out the last of the supplies, he said to the Baron, “That’s all of it. What should I do now?”

  “Nothing,” the he answered. “All I ask of you now… is to die. Thank you, for all of your hard work, but your years of service are no longer needed.”

  “You said you wouldn’t kill me! You gave me your word!” Covey stammered.

  “Don’t you know, by now… that you can’t trust a Vampire?” The Baron grinned and said, “But I did give you my word, so I won’t kill you. Maximilian!”

  The doctor never saw it coming, when Max came up from behind, snapping his neck, like a stick. The two head Vampires stood there, smiling, after Max tossed Covey’s body back into the Blood Bank.

  After setting the last-standing building in Wolf Creek on fire, they all quickly loaded back up into the trailers… just beating the sunrise. The two semi-trucks rolled out of town, leaving Wolf Creek in a burning pile… nothing, but a smoking crater in a small section of Southern Indiana.

  On their way out of town, Max thought of a way to find JD; he opened his cellphone, making a call to the Indiana State Police. He walked back and forth inside the back of the trailer, as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end of the phone.

  “Hello? Indiana State Police?”

  “Yes, it is,” the operator replied. “How can I help you?”

  “I need to report several murders and an arson fire.”

  “Where and who, sir?”

  “The entire town of Wolf Creek has been burned to the ground and everyone there has been murdered,” Max said into the phone. “I suggest you send some police to investigate.”

  “Do you know who committed the murders and started the fires?”

  “Yes,” replied Max, hoping the operator could tell he was smiling. “It was Sheriff John Davidson and his deputy, Nate Williams. Apparently, they got all hopped up on moonshine and both lost it… political issues within he community, I believe.”

  With that, Maximilian smacked his phone shut and took out the batteries. “That should do the trick,” he said to the Baron. “We’ll get the humans to track down our runaway dogs. Let them do the dirty work, while we rest.”

  The Baron rubbed his frigid, corpse-like hands together, as he spoke. “That was very clever, Max, very clever, indeed,” he said, breaking into an evil laughter. “I like it!”

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  JD returned to the motel, with coffee and couple boxes of donuts for everyone, ready to hit the road, as soon as possible.

  “I didn’t get to talk with you last night, JD,” Nate said, stepping out to the sidewalk outside of his room. “Did you find her?”

  “She’s dead,” JD said bluntly, “but, her granddaughter is alive and she’s willing to help us. She already knew who I was and knew that I was coming.”

  “Creepy,” Nate said, making a funny face. “What did she say?”

  “Well, when Amelia’s elders died, their powers were all passed down to her.”

  “Amelia?”

  “Yeah, Amelia,” JD said, taking a bite of a chocolate donut. “She wants everyone to gather in the swamps and she needs the help of your daughter’s friend, Whisper.”

  “Why?” asked Nate, picking through the box of pastries. “What can she do? She seems to be nothing, but an airhead.”

  “Not too sure, to be hon
est,” replied JD, as the crumbs flew from his mouth. “But, she asked for her, by name. She seems to be much more powerful than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

  “Well, let’s get out there, then. I’ll get everyone packed and ready to leave,” Nate said, taking a bite of a jelly-filled donut he’d selected from the box.

  “Nate, wait,” JD said, stopping him before he shut the door.

  “What is it?” Nate asked, through a mouthful of crumbs.

  “The guys are dead… they’re gone,” he said, not able to look his brother in his eyes.

  “You know that for sure?” Nate asked, chewing slowly.

  “Yeah… she already knew all about it… said it was brutal.”

  Nate just nodded his head a couple times and turned to his room, carrying a napkin full of his favorite donuts.

  Making his way down the row of rooms, JD used his elbow and knocked on each door, hollering as he walked by, “Get everything loaded up! We’ll be hittin’ the road, soon!”

  Nate closed the door to his room, where Sarah was talking with Wendy.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Sarah asked, as she finished packing the rest of her belongings; she was moving as fast as she could.

  “We’re going to stay with someone, who can protect us from the Vampires. Pick your favorite donut,” Nate said, offering one to Wendy.

  “I put the batteries in my phone, for a second,” Wendy said, grabbing a cinnamon roll from the napkin. “I tried calling Dave at the grill, but I got nothing. Not even an answering machine.”

  “I got the same thing, when I tried to call Susannah Richards,” Sarah grimly added.

  Nate put the battery in his phone and he quickly dialed Dr. Covey, but the line was out of service. The concerned look he gave Wendy and Sarah, confirmed their worst fears.

  “Come on, guys!” JD yelled from outside. “It’s time to split!”

  Nate spoke to Sarah and Wendy, on their way out to the parking lot, “I think it’s probably best, if we just forget that Wolf Creek ever existed.”

  As everyone loaded up into the vehicles, Nate, Sarah and Wendy decided to keep their mouths shut, not wanting to scare everyone else. Moonflower and Sebastian took advantage of all the commotion in the lot, sneaking off into the woods along the motel. They hurried through the heavily wooded area, climbing up an old tree with thick branches, so they could be by themselves.

  “I love you, Moonflower and I’ll do everything I can to protect you,” Sebastian said, professing his love. “You’ve had my heart, since I was born.”

  “I know you will, Sebastian,” she told him, giving him a kiss on his cheek. “Everything’s going to be alright, eventually. I have faith in our fathers. I think they know what they’re doing,” she assured him. “They’ve been around for such a long time.”

  “I sure hope so,” Sebastian answered back. “I still can’t believe the rest of them didn’t make it back from the castle… and even the Moore brothers. They were pretty cool for Hunters, I guess,” he said, with a laugh. “I used to sneak beers with them, when they came through town over the years. That Ross sure could eat… and David could clear out the entire grill, with just one of his nasty, rotten-ass farts. Even Nanook would run for the door and nothing scares him!” he said, both of them laughing, as they sat close together, high in the tree, savoring the minute.

  “They will all be greatly missed,” Moonflower said to him. “Alright, Sebastian, enough talking." Bring your face here and kiss me, you fool.”

  The two kissed for a while, before they made love together like it might be their last time. When they were finished, they hurried back through the woods, following the sounds of voices that were calling out their names.

  “Where the hell have you two been?” Nate asked, hard-toned. “We’re leaving in a minute. Get your shit and stop screwing around.”

  Sebastian and Moonflower both shot each other a look; if Nate only knew how close he was to the truth, when he’d said that.

  “We’re both already packed and ready to go, daddy,” Moonflower said, giving him a hug. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

  “I would sincerely appreciate, if you’d not disappear like that, Sebastian,” Wendy scolded him. “Your father wouldn’t like it, either… especially at a time like this. He’ll be out of the shower soon, so stick close.”

  “Is everyone ready to go?” JD asked, stepping out, not a second after Wendy had spoken. He shut the door to his room and walked over to the line of cars, carrying a bag of his belongings.

  “Yes,” Nate answered, hitting the power locks to his truck. “Let’s roll, folks!”

  “Good! Let’s get the hell out of here… and fast!”

  One after another, the line of vehicles pulled out of the motel parking lot and they continued heading south, towards the Louisiana swamplands. As they got out of town, they picked up speed, soon going well-above the speed limit, flying down the highway at over eighty miles per hour. A cop patrolling behind a billboard waited for the fleet of speeding cars to pass by and then he punched the gas, hitting his sirens and lights.

  “Great,” JD said, looking in his rearview mirror. “This is all we need, a fucking local-ocal!”

  “Good thing you’re in uniform. Maybe he’ll be cool, once he sees you’re an officer of the law,” Wendy suggested.

  “I sure hope so,” JD replied, slowing down. “We can’t be delayed, for any reason.”

  The caravan of vehicles pulled off to the side of the highway and everyone stayed in their vehicles, except for Nate, who was last in line; he was also still dressed in his sheriff’s uniform, in case something like this happened. JD watched in his rearview mirror and waited, until he saw Nate getting out of his truck, as did the local police officer who’d just pulled him over. He hopped out and walked towards where Nate and the officer were about to meet, both 44 Magnums hanging from his hips.

  “I realize we were going a little over the speed limit. We’re in somewhat of an emergency,” JD said, once he reached them. “Sorry about that.”

  “Where are you boys going, in such a big hurry?” the officer inquired. “And, where you all comin’ from? IDs, please.”

  “My name is Sheriff John Davidson, from Wolf Creek, Indiana and this man here is my deputy, Nate Williams.”

  “Officer Williams, would you mind standing next to the sheriff, where I can see the both of you?”

  JD and Nate both exchanged looks, noting that the officer seemed a little nervous.

  Checking out the officer’s nametag, JD was hoping to lighten him up a little. “Is there a problem? Officer Morgan?”

  “You say you’re the sheriff of Wolf Creek? Have you seen the news today?”

  “No, sir,” JD replied. “We’re visiting some friends that were in an accident and we’ve been on the road for two days.”

  Officer Morgan seemed to become even on more edge, as JD spoke, reaching up for the radio mic clipped to his uniform.

  JD and Nate sensed that something was up and they immediately did something about it. JD grabbed for his arm, preventing the officer from calling in and Nate went for the firearm inside the cop’s holster, before he could even begin to go for it.

  “Let go of me!” Morgan ordered them. “You’re all under arrest, now stop this! You guys are just making things worse for yourselves!”

  Everyone in JD and Nate’s group watched from the vehicles and Sebastian unlocked his door to get out; Moonflower grabbed him by the arm. “Stay in the truck, Sebastian, they have it handled,” she demanded him.

  “What’s the problem, officer? And, what did you mean… did we see the news today?” JD asked him, placing the cop in his own handcuffs. “Explain.”

  The officer remained silent, so Nate shook him. “He wants an answer!”

  “Wolf Creek was burned to the ground, last night… not a single survivor,” he finally said. “We got a tip… saying that the people who did it would be heading this way. Someone called in and said you did it,
” the officer said, looking up at JD with pleading eyes.

  “When we left town, everything was in perfect order, or we wouldn’t have left,” JD explained to the officer. “You’re telling me, everyone there is dead?”

  “It’s all bullshit…” Nate snapped.

  “You won’t get very far. Every cop, between Wolf Creek and the coast, is looking for you,” he said. “You’re going to just have to explain it to a judge.”

  “Goddamn Vampires,” Nate scowled.

  “Who the hell are you calling a Vampire, son?” the handcuffed officer replied. “Listen, you know that the right thing to do, is take these cuffs off me. If you boys didn’t do anything wrong, then you don’t have anything to worry about then, do ya?”

  JD and Nate set the officer on the ground, taking a few steps away to talk in private.

  “There is no way I’m letting him take us in,” JD whispered Nate.

  “I know,” Nate replied, looking back to keep an eye on the officer. “Well, what the hell are we going to do with officer dipshit?”

  “That’s a good question.”

  Before JD and Nate could figure out what to do next, two more police cars raced up to the scene, screeching to a halt, in front of the first officer’s car. Both sets of doors flew open and four Louisiana State Police officers jumped out, shotguns pumped and ready for action.

  “Get your fucking hands up and step away from the officer!” one of the officers yelled. “Now! Or, you’ll be shot!”

  JD looked to Nate, both wishing that the Vampires hadn’t got the humans involved, but it was a little too late for that; they knew there was no way of talking their way out of this one. JD and Nate ducked for cover behind the squad car, while everyone else watched in silence, waiting to see what was going to happen.

  “I will not tell you, again!” the officer yelled out. “Come out, with your hands up, or we will fucking shoot! We know who you are and what you did!”