The creatures before us had slowed. They were driven by hunger and the lust for flesh between their gnashing teeth and slithering down their throats. Every pair of eyes that met mine were wide with fear, but the terror didn’t stop them. The animal inside of each one of them had taken over, and man did I know what the felt like, but I didn’t let it turn me into something else. They didn’t have a choice. Lilith’s blood coursing through them didn’t give them one.
I closed my eyes, counted backwards from five, the stream of flames shooting from the heated orb in my hand. Animal cries and yowls filled the air, as did the smell of burning hair and flesh. Beneath the roar of the flames, I could hear the crackling sound of human tissue turned to ice, only to be melted into a slushy pile of ash as the heat from the fire turned them into nothing.
Another familiar smell teased my nostrils and my eyes shot open. The doorway leading outside was on fire. The fire wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep the others at bay. This would take more firepower than I felt comfortable unleashing with us inside.
“Guys, come on! We’ve got to get out of here,” Sam yelled over the sounds around us. And then there was gun fire. Lots of it. I turned to see that both crawlers and vamps had worked their way through the back wall of the living room to get towards the back where all of them except Gordon were standing, guns pointed. The bullets shattered their brains and hearts with what I could tell were silver hallow point rounds. You could always tell by the way the ashes flew into the air and fell within mere seconds. It didn’t matter if they were crawler or vampire; they still fell just the same.
I pulled the hand gun out of the holster. I wanted to see what this baby had and I had no doubt I was also brandishing silver hallow points. They would’ve had to be melted down and made so I was only beginning to wonder how many jewelry stores they ripped off when things went to Hell. I didn’t really care, though, because now I had the necessary equipment to do more damage without having to let the monster loose.
Sam and Chase had made it out of the door right after the wall had given way, Beth being left behind without anyone noticing. There was panic in Beth’s eyes as I watched her release the magazine from her own gun, fumbling with the holster that held more full ones. She was prepared, but possibly not prepared enough. She was shaking as she huddled in the corner by the back door trying to slip it inside of the handle. The monsters had made it to her before she had a chance to get out the door. Raising the tactical, I turned off the safety and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 23:
Unrelenting
My wrist snapped as the recoil on the hand gun shot through my arm. I had expected worse because of the size of the gun. Within a second the head of the nearest crawler exploded in a shower of gore and turned to ash and embers before hitting the ground. Beth screamed in excitement as the magazine finally slid home, my own shot giving her enough time to make the connection. She pointed her pistol, each gunshot hitting its intended target, but there were too many of them. In the entire time we had been slaying the evil that stalked the night not once had we seen this many of anything in one place at one time. Never.
I yelled her name and her eyes met mine. We knew this would be a moment where it would be all or nothing. I would use every piece of ammunition I had until there wasn’t any more to use. Even then it wouldn’t be enough. We’d have to use ourselves as weapons, armed with knives and blades until we could possibly find more ammo. And that chance was extremely slim. She nodded and when I turned to Gordon I knew his thoughts were headed in the same direction. All or nothing.
Vampires and crawlers were everywhere. It was like the crawlers were the demolition team and the vampires were there for the bloody aftermath, only wishing to sop up our blood from the floor and our tattered bodies. That was if the crawlers left anything to mutilate even further. We weren’t going to make it easy, Lilith wanted there to be nothing left to save the rest of humanity, and then the world would be hers. But what would they do once human kind was gone? I was beginning to think she hadn’t really thought it all through. It seemed to be a trend with all evil things, whether in real life or on film. They have a plan to take complete control over the world, ridding it of the only species can keep them alive, and somehow live without us without a backup plan in place. What was up with? I began to pull the trigger of the FNX again, getting better at holding my wrist straight with each round that exploded from the barrel.
Gordon was beside me, a Glock raised and level and his eyes focused. I was unstoppable. He was my other half and the compliment to the flames. This was why we worked so well together and Lilith was going to see what our small entourage was made of before all was said and done, even if it meant burning the place down around us to stave them off. Even if it meant losing the only true home I had ever known and the only thing left of my mother right outside. There would be no way to save it and I knew that.
I took a few steps forward and before I knew it I had used up at least two magazines, placing each empty clip back into the slots on the holster. Ash and embers were flying around us as bullets whizzed through vampires and slammed into dry wall. The beast was ramming itself against my ribs, but it wasn’t time yet. Not until Beth was next to me and we were headed out the door. Only then would I let it free. My eyes were burning with energy while the rest of my body hummed, Gordon’s own energy mixing with mine in the air around us.
The trigger gave into my finger too easily this time, clicking as the realization hit me. I had used the last bullet in the clip; the last bullet I had. We had barely taken down half of them. I pushed the tactical back into the holster and gripped the corded handle of my silver-tipped machete, hearing the metal hiss against the material of the holster as I slid it free of its prison. I noticed we weren’t the only ones trying to save her. Chase and Sam were in the doorway, still shooting. The vantage point from the doorway gave them better access to aim perfectly, not wasting a single round while I was sure I had wasted at least a few.
I began to chop and slice my way closer to her, the silver cutting through each vampire and crawler like softened butter. A vampire launched itself at me, his mouth open and fangs glinting in the firelight. The fire had spread towards the kitchen and living room, somehow managing to steer clear of Gordon and myself. Without thinking I lashed out with the machete, it biting into the vampire’s shoulder. He screamed and slammed me with the back of his open hand, causing me to stumble back a few steps but I held strong to my weapon. I would not let go. If I let go it was over.
I tasted blood in my mouth, a small cut forming on the inside of my bottom lip from the impact. The iron saltiness helped pull me back into focus as my head swam and a few stars flashed across my vision. I felt the vampire move closer to strike again so I slashed the air with the machete, cutting across his stomach. As the blood trickled through his now torn shirt I felt the anger flare within him and slam into me, but it didn’t deter me. I hit back with my own angry energy and he stumbled back a few steps as pandemonium unfolded around us, screams and growls flowing through the air seeking ears to hear them.
I pushed my fury into him, causing him to take another step back as another gash opened up across his chest without having to swing my machete even once. I didn’t know why this was happening, but I was going to use it to my advantage and figure out the rest later. I could feel the beast melding into my bones and muscles for the first time since I learned of its presence.
Instead of beating against me, we were working together. Something had triggered it and I was thankful. The energy of the vampire was buzzing around me, causing the newly fused version of the beast and me to fill with the heat of the flames around us, absorbing it like the Hellfire below. It ebbed and flowed towards me, igniting the spark inside of me that I hadn’t known was there. The fine hairs on my arms and on the back of my neck rose as my skin began to glow, my veins filling with liquid fire as I stood there; arms outstretched letting the heat overtake me. Then it stopped. When I looked at the vampire
it wasn’t just him staring at me, it was everyone. Every vampire and crawler had stopped moving and Gordon was beside me, eyes wide. Chase and Sam had stopped firing their guns and Beth had risen to her full height. Everything was quiet, but it wouldn’t be for long.
It was quiet for a few seconds. Then something brilliant happened. One strong and violent pulse forced its way out of my body and towards the vampire in front of me, having a range of only a few feet and any vampire or crawler within that span was obliterated, falling to ash and embers with a demonic scream. It pulsed back into me with a sound like one of those sonic blaster guns from the movies, nearly knocking me to the floor with the impact. This was new and I only wished I knew how to do it from will, but I was sure that would come when the distance between Lilith and I came to a close. Once the sound dissipated, all hell broke loose again, crawlers and vampires trying to scramble away but their thirst for blood so strong they chose to go after those around me. Some after each other.
I came to lean on the machete in my hand, the tip of the blade digging into the wooden floor and spinning slightly under my weight. Gordon was beside me, cool hand on my back. I heard him take in a breath as if he was going to speak. A feminine scream filled the air. My gaze shot up and through the crowd I spotted Beth with a crawler latched to her arm, not willing to let go once the magic elixir that was her blood hit its hungry tongue.
“No,” I yelled at the top of my lungs and, before I knew it, I was raising the silver-tipped machete and wielding it like a Viking in the midst of battle; the barbaric scream rising from my vocal cords with intensity.
Beth was going to die. The certainty of it hit me hard. Hard enough to do whatever it took to reach her so I could at least be there for her final moments as a human being before I would have to cut her down. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe as I ran, slashing at each vampire and crawler that crossed my path until they were nothing but dust underneath my Converses. I could feel the flames from the fire in the house following me, weaving a path along the walls and the ceiling as I moved through the undead surrounding us, only one singular objective in mind. Get to Beth. Save her even though I knew there was nothing I could do.
Her name left my mouth in a shrill cry before I had even realized it. I heard her scream mine in return. She had killed the crawler that had bitten her and was now huddled into the corner holding the silver knife out in a threatening gesture. Even with blood running down her arm she was managing to keep the foul creatures away. There weren’t nearly as many as there were just a few moments ago, but it still seemed like so many when you were faced with the reality of having to slay them.
I coughed and hacked as the smoke and fire followed me through the dwindling mass of undead, some of them even taking each other out, making my job so much easier now that there were small breaks in the mass of swarming bodies. Not only could I feel them, but I could feel Gordon following close behind me, chopping away at any had made their way past me to him. He was quick and he was graceful, and he dispatched each one of them with ease and efficiency. We finally made it within a reaching distance of Beth. I could’ve reached out and touched her.
I took two more steps to close the distance with Gordon at my back and knelt down in front of her, sliding the machete back into place on my back. “Beth,” I yelled over the noise. Her eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular as the fear overtook her. Her eyes were on me but I could feel her staring right through me. At nothing in particular. Her arm was bleeding extensively. I knew her unfocused gaze had to be a part of the effect of the bite. “Beth, I need you to focus.” Her eyes finally met mine as I felt my voice zap her out of her reverie. She grimaced as pain gripped her. “That’s my girl. Can you stand?”
“Yes,” she said shakily, her voice vibrating so hard that it came out strangled, It didn’t even sound like the same word at all, but I understood her just enough.
“We’ve got to get out of here. More are coming and we’ll die if we don’t get moving.” I took her hand in mine and began to stand and take her with me while we had a clear shot of the door, but she resisted. I turned back to her and asked, “What are you doing?”
“I can’t go with you.” She shook her head. “I’ve been bitten and I’ll change any minute now. You have to leave me.” She tried to take her hand away from me, but I wasn’t about to let go. We were all getting out of here alive no matter how long that would last. I would go down before I left her behind. She knew that would mean the end of mankind and the end of my baby who could save all of us in the end.
“I’m not leaving you here. I can’t and I won’t.” I let the beast’s strength move through my muscles as I jerked her up to her feet. We made a beeline to the door where Sam and Chase were waiting, Gordon watching our backs as vampires and crawlers tried to take advantage of my distraction. After a few steps we were at the threshold and I felt Beth begin to sag. I slipped her arm around my neck and my other around her waist to keep her standing and her stumbling feet were making it hard to walk, let alone go down the stairs of the back porch.
Once we were standing on the green grass in the back yard I let her lower herself to the ground and turned back to the house, not seeing the fire or the smoke towards the front of the house from this angle. I felt like a wild fire was blazing over my skin and I knew the onslaught of undead were filtering into the house, searching for us and questioning the ones that were already inside if they hadn’t all torn each other apart already. It wouldn’t take long before they realized we were no longer in the house, but had made it outside into the cool night air the eclipse had provided us. I could feel them moving inside and I knew this would be my only chance to take down such a large number of them at one time. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity while it was staring me right in the face.
I closed my eyes and let the heat flow through me like liquid fire, taking over in the new state of the beast and I. We were one instead of working against each other like before, which made this so much easier. I drew the power into my center and raised my right hand, ready to turn the house into their funeral pyre. The flames billowed out of the palm of my hand, latching onto the house like it was alive and spreading just as fast as any plague left unchecked.
Before I knew it the house was completely engulfed and screams of agony and death were echoing through the air, the darkness swallowing them. The flames reached into the air like beckoning hands. I was nearly entranced by them. I was drawn back to reality when I heard Beth’s moans and cries from behind me. I turned, lowering myself to the ground on my knees in one quick motion, taking in Beth’s appearance. She looked pained, tears streaming down her face and a pleading look in her eyes to end it before she was able to turn and kill all of us. As soon as I looked at her I knew something was different. Her eyes were locked on mine, pleading in them, and I knew what she was asking of me. She wanted me to be the one to take care of it when the time came. The weight of the realization hit me. Sadness flowed through me like the liquid flame was still running through my veins and I knew, besides Escara, that this would be the hardest kill in my lifetime despite anything I would go through since.
I reached back and gripped the handle, sliding it out with that slither of finality metal across leather brought. Hot tears stung my eyes but I didn’t want to let them fall, even though they would despite how hard I fought to hold them back. Beth and I had been a driving force for over a year now, even though some of the year was spent apart, she held down the fort while I wasn’t able to. While I was fighting my way back to the surface to save the world because she lived in it and now because I want a place for my child to grow up and not have to worry about the boogeyman. But that was impossible. Evil never dies no matter how hard you fight against it and how many times you kill it. It always manages to resurface. We will never be safe, but I would strive for the little bit of security that slaying Lilith would bring. Now I could see the veins changing underneath her newly translucent skin as she changed before our eyes.
It was slower than the previous turning we had witnessed. Beth took my hand in hers; gripping it so tight I had to suppress a grimace, and opened her mouth to speak.
“You can’t stop,” she said, her voice already beginning to sound hoarse with the change death was about to bring to her. “You have to stop her and you have to change this world.” She shuddered as she held my hand, the cold grip of the change on her now, tears streaming down both of our faces.
I leaned down towards her and placed my lips by her ear, whispering a promise to her. “I won’t stop. I’ll save us all.” I pulled away from her in enough time to see her eyes flash a deep red and change back to the gleaming blue I had gotten used to all these years. They were a blue that looked nearly white when she looked into the sunlight, making them more beautiful than they were before. Her eyes flashed between blue and crimson red again as her body shook. This was a part of the change we didn’t get to see because the man whom we had tried to save was already dead. Beth was still alive.
As I knelt there and watched with the beast moving inside of me and melding even further into who I was, nothing else mattered more than guiding her through her last few moments. Her hand tightened around mine as her body shuddered again, flashing brilliant crimson one more time.
A scream ripped through her as the blackened veins that had been starting to spread deepened and turned more towards a bruised purple than black. I jerked back startled, but her hand clasped around mine kept me there. A part of me wanted to run. To turn and run and never look back, but something kept me there. It wasn’t just her hand gripping me so tight I felt she could break my hand, but it was some kind of unseen force holding me there like something important was about to happen. That feeling was one reason I didn’t tear my hand away from hers and run for the hills. Whatever this was I needed to be there.
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