“He is obsessed with Executioners.”
Chapter 27:
Evening Excursion Blues
All five of us were sitting in a circle on the linoleum floor, a few of the colored water bottles and some junk food in the middle. I had laid claim to any Twix bars we found so everyone else was forced to fend for themselves. After Gordon said Vlad had an unhealthy obsession with Executioners we came to the conclusion we needed a plan of some kind. The issue was, we had no idea where Vlad was and there was only one way to get information on him. That would be from one of their minions. We decided every vampire was one so we could always use one of them to get information. But I had a feeling there could be an even simpler way to draw him to us. The issue was we needed a way to contain him once he was in our grasp.
“So,” Beth said as she cleared her throat, “he’s obsessed. How is that going to help us nab him? And why do we need him?” I had put the pieces together rather quickly, but I didn’t blame Beth for being slow because she was in a lot of pain. I had cleaned and redressed her stitched wound with no pain medications to dull the ache.
“He’ll be the only one who knows where Lilith is. I’m pretty sure she won’t let every vampire have that information. If not him, then who else?” I got nods from all around, like they all finally agreed I was right.
I looked at Beth, licking my lips and spoke again. “I think he’s her right hand man and is out when she can’t be, which I have no idea when she couldn’t be now that it’s dark out all the time. And I don’t think Vlad could be out during the day. My question is, why haven’t we seen him until right before the eclipse?” I let my eyes drift to Gordon, who was sitting beside me chewing on yet another Snickers bar.
He swallowed before he could answer. “There’s no telling. Lilith could’ve told him to stay put. He is secretive in a lot of ways so the timing could’ve all been him. We could possibly never know.” He shrugged, almost nonchalant.
“It had to have been Lilith. Why would she want anyone to know about her secret weapon until she felt it was time? He’s much stronger than any other vampire in existence, besides her, and he can take care of business while she’s otherwise engaged.” All of that came from Sam.
I hadn’t been expecting her to say much of anything. She had been so quiet and only spoke on the rare occasion she felt was necessary. I attributed that to her seclusion before now, but she was practically beaming as I looked at her like she had done a good job. I did agree though so I nodded in response.
I knew, based on the new information we either learned or deduced that I just wanted all of this to be over. But we were the only ones left to fight against them so we didn’t have a choice if I wanted a place for my child to grow up. I wasn’t about to let my baby live in a place where only darkness ruled with no chance of light to drown it out. Not a chance in Hell.
“How did his obsession start, anyways?” I asked, looking to Gordon who, I was sure, would have the answer. He was his brother and he should know, right? Or at least that was the assumption. He looked uncomfortable, but I gave him a gently push towards the answers we needed.
“His wife was one,” he whispered. Stunned silence followed, but was quickly replaced by his explanation of the events that took place between Vlad and his wife. “Ilona had only come into her gifts as an Executioner a few years before Vlad was turned, but none of us knew until it was too late. I had only learned about this when I was in Hell. She died a year later.”
“How did she die?” Chase asked. When you heard about her death it was always noted with an air of mystery. There is no account of how or when she died, which is what made the circumstances around her death so fascinating. We were left to make assumptions because we didn’t know the true story, but Gordon did. We had a walking and breathing encyclopedia of anything and everything of the house of Dracul right here. Now we could get the answers we needed. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of it to begin with. I hadn’t gotten a real chance to ask him about his brother before now.
“The Order of the Dragon. Vlad was inducted into it, which is when he changed his surname from Tepes to Dracul. Dracul means dragon,” he clarified. “They were a very powerful force for a very long time, but there is one thing no one knew about them.” A pause. “They were a very powerful coven of vampires who were direct descendants of Lilith, only using her blood to turn those who joined them. Vlad joined and they turned him, making him one of the most powerful vampires alive. The Order found out Vlad was married to Ilona and they knew what she was. They killed her and forced him to watch. Now, he’s the only one left and he has an unquenchable obsession for Executioners. All because of his wife.”
There was a moment of quiet yet again, and this time it was filled with so many unsaid words and so many untold stories. They lingered between all four of us like old friends, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I looked at Chase who picked at his fingernails; unsure of what to say or do with the new information we were given.
Beth was sitting next to him and was staring at the floor. Her eyes were glazed over from the pain of her wound, but she was holding up pretty well considering. And Gordon.
Gordon was like a statue, staring forward and barely breathing as memories flooded back into his mind. I was so afraid to ask about them. I closed my mouth when I had opened it to speak. I thought better of it. But there was another question hanging in the air just waiting for someone to reach up and take it.
“How do we draw him to me? The only time we’ve seen him is in the middle of chaos. He was right outside the barrier when everything happened. Is he stalking humans with the vampires and the crawlers or are they following him?” All heads turned to me, and the look in their eyes made me wanted to shrink away into a dark corner of the store and never come out again. “I’m sorry. Did I ask the wrong question or something?”
Beth shook her head, “No, not at all. It just wasn’t something I thought of, but a good question. Gordon? Would you know?”
He repeated her gesture. “I have no idea.”
“Couldn’t it be both?” Sam asked. “He follows them and they follow him? It makes sense depending on the circumstances. Maybe the barrier had us hidden from him and when we took it down he was able to sense us and came right behind them. And then he saw you and knew who you were, making you the first Executioner he had probably seen in quite some time. I’m not surprised he came straight to you instead of me and, to be honest, I’m kind of relieved.”
I hadn’t thought about that, and Sam brought it out into the limelight. She had had plenty of time to think things over while she was in Hell. I was busy fighting for my life and protecting those around me while trying to make it to the pit so we could get back home.
Facing the garmr was one of the hardest things I had to do while I was down there, but it was only one of the hardest. Killing Escara because I made her a promise was the toughest. Now it looked like killing Lilith not just for us, but the promise I had made her would take the cake. Well, she and Vlad, and right now luring him was going to be difficult. If Sam’s theory was correct he could sense us. If that was the case then why hadn’t he made an appearance yet? Or was it only when I had open wounds. The graze on my forearm was still pretty fresh at the time so maybe that was it. My blood had to have been the key. Sam didn’t have any wounds and he walked right past her to get to me.
“Maybe it’s the blood.” I let the words leave my lips unbidden and each of them looked at me like I had sprouted extra heads, but how could I be wrong? That was the only difference between her and I that I could see.
Chase opened his mouth; his jaw set in frustration, and said, “The blood?”
“Yes.” I could feel the pitch in my voice. “I don’t think he can so much sense energy from that far, but maybe it’s our blood. That’s the only feasible answer.”
“Why?” Sam’s eye brows were furrowed.
I shrugged but was going to give her the best explanation I had. “Well, I still had the stit
ches from where I had been grazed.” I saw Beth wince out of the corner of my eye. “Sam is still pretty much unscathed except for a few bumps and bruises, but I’ve actually bled. That has to be the answer.”
I felt the energy change in the room and that was when I noticed something. Because of so much physical stimuli I had barely kept track of the energy everyone was putting off. Now I felt a mixture of nervousness, frustration, sadness, and pure terror coming from each of them. It slammed into my gut. Hard. So hard I could’ve gasped with the impact. This moment was when I knew I needed to pay better attention.
“Okay, so once we get him to us and can isolate him how do you guys suppose we hold onto him?” This question came from Chase, and he was right. How would we hold onto him? How could we keep him from killing us all? We took a few moments to think and the new tension in the air was palpable, making me want to run my fingers through it like fine silk.
“There are jewelry stores in here,” Gordon stated. Talk about stating the obvious, right? I turned a sideways glance to him, shaking my head.
“There are. How is that going to help us?”
“He may be strong, but that strength comes with a price. He is extremely sensitive to silver. You guys know how bad a vampire reacts when touched by silver?” He looked at me and I nodded. Of course I did. “It burns, right? Well, when Vlad is touched by it, he is incapacitated by it. We can get the answers we want because he can’t move an inch to get away when silver is in contact with his skin.” The light bulb above his head was luminous, nearly blinding, but I wasn’t sure if this would work. Most jewelry was a mixture with some other kind of metal so how could we be sure it even worked? Maybe it didn’t matter. Hope bloomed in my chest. I felt it, plus unease, move through the room. I was uneasy too, but I didn’t want it to drown out what else I was feeling.
“Robin?” I felt a hand touch me. It was warm and rough and I knew whose hand it was. I looked up to find Gordon staring at me. I hadn’t realized I had zoned out and wasn’t sure if I missed anything. I let my eyes lock onto his dark ones and I knew I had missed something.
“Yes?”
“Were you paying attention?” I let my shocked face answer for me. “We will have to make a run through the mall to a jewelry store to see what they have, but I want you to stay here with Sam and Beth.” Those words snapped me out of my trance.
“What? No.” My voice was becoming shriller with each word I spoke. “You can’t go alone.”
“I won’t be,” he assured me as he pushed my hair away from my face with just a slight brush of his fingertips. His hand came around to the nape of my neck and held me there, eyes boring into mine. We had an audience, but I didn’t care.
“Chase will be coming with me. Honey, we just talked about that.” He sighed. “He’ll come with me and you guys will stay here where it’s safer with the door shut.” I shook my head but I knew the effort would be futile. Whatever had slammed itself into the door earlier could still be out there and I didn’t know if they could stand a chance against it. Gordon maybe, but Chase? He was human with nothing but whatever weapon he had managed to grab to protect himself.
Well, it would be a good time for them to stop at a sporting goods store to grab more ammunition while they were at it, and I knew that that had to be a part of their plan. Go to the sporting goods store, pick up more rounds, make a loop to the jewelry store and back to us. I only hoped it would be that easy.
“This is our only chance. I’m sure whatever was out there earlier is still there so this may be the only chance we get. We’ll make it as quick as we can. I promise.” I had to let him do it. There was no way around it. While the plan had been made nearly without me because of my inability to stay focused on the conversation it was the best solution we had. So I would let him do it because he felt it needed to be done.
“Okay,” I surrendered. With that small word of permission we all stood, Gordon helping me to my feet. We walked towards our bags and Gordon and Chase began to forage through them for any weapons that didn’t require ammunition. My machete was next to the bags. I picked it up, taking it out of its sheath with a hiss of metal and turned to Gordon. I held it out to him with both hands and said, “I know you have your powers and all, but they aren’t always the best tool for the job. This has never failed me.” His hand closed around mine on the handle, right below where the metal met the handle and a cool rush of ice move through me. I gasped in surprise and when I looked at him there was a smile on his face. That same crooked smile I was hoping I would see again after this was all over.
I kissed him and felt my skin ignite, but he pulled away quickly. I could feel the need to take action in his muscles as we had briefly made contact, I understood it. He wanted to get it done as fast as possible so he could come back to me. To us. To our growing family that would be here waiting for him when he returned. If he returned. I shook that last thought away.
Once we made our way to the door Chase and Gordon were able to get the metal shutters open enough to slide underneath. And then they were gone. We closed it behind them.
Chapter 28:
Playing with Mania
I was sitting on the counter next to a cash register, my legs moving like frenzied animals. The soles of my shoes thumped on the plywood front. The front had been covered in a kind of linoleum that barely absorbed the sound so the sound reverberated through the air at the front of the store. The panic had set in and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. After they left I had sat in this spot, leaned on my hands that were gripped around the lip of the counter, and began to move like a jitter bug. The anxiety was rippling through me and I could see Sam could sense it.
She forced a reassuring grin and rung her hands right along with the rest of us. Beth hadn’t moved from the door since they had gone, and she was staring at it with such intensity I was sure she would melt the metal as we watched.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Sam said as I eyed Beth, waiting for her to move or at least blink. I could feel she was terrified and I sympathized with her. I didn’t look away from her. That was until a horrifying sound came from the other side of the door.
Screams and a monstrous roar startled us so badly Beth took a few steps away from the door. Those screams were ones I recognized. I jumped off the counter and ran towards the door; Sam coming to Beth’s other side. Her shoes slid across the linoleum with a soft squeak as mine slid to a stop. The cries again.
“We have to open it,” I moved to make the necessary moves to open the door, but Beth and Sam stood there, eyes fixed and wide. “Come on,” I yelled to get them out of their stupor.
They seemed to snap out of it and helped me open the door and what we saw once we stopped the door right above our heads was petrifying. Gordon and Chase were running towards us, yells and cries permeating the air as we watched in pure horror. They both had packs on their backs that looked to be filled to the brim with whatever they had found, fright on their faces as they ran. Gordon was still grasping the machete with a white knuckled grip and I could tell that he had made good use of it. Just like I said it wouldn’t. My eyes flitted to what was going on behind them and a gasp escaped my lips at the sight.
A few crawlers were trailing behind them, but that wasn’t what I was looking at that had me stunned beyond words. It was something I hadn’t expected to see considering I had killed one of them in Hell, and I was literally shaking with fear. It was one of the hardest kills I had ever made, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it again in my state. Was I strong enough? The large body of the garmr was preceded by a loud and demonic bark that reverberated off of the walls and the glass. Would the metal door even be strong enough to hold it off? Probably not even close, but there would be enough of a barrier for us to make our escape. It was nipping at their heels, not paying attention to the crawlers around it since they weren’t living, breathing creatures with a heartbeat.
“Gordon,” I belted out as I ran towards the counter, picking up my bow and arrows. I made
a mad dash out of the opening,. The only sounds I could hear was my heart beating in my ears, the growls of the garmr, and the shouts from the two men running towards me at full speed, their arms pumping at their sides as they moved. I slid to a stop, cocked an arrow, and aimed at one of the crawlers. I wasn’t sure if an arrow would hurt the enormous wolf-like dog, but until I had the nerve to try it I was going to work on the smaller targets. The projectile hit a crawler square in the chest. It was still running as it crumbled to ashes and embers sending them scattering across the floor.
“Robin, go back inside,” Gordon screamed. I wasn’t going anywhere as long as he was out there running for his life. We had run and run and run so many times and we were getting tired. I didn’t want to run anymore. I wanted to fight. The beast inside of me was beating against my bones, despite the fusion within my body just the day before. I stopped, my shoes sliding on the floor, cocked another arrow, aimed, and let it fly.
It demolished another crawler, lodging itself into the farthest wall as it cut through the crawler like butter. A crawler was gaining on Gordon. He turned and slashed with the machete, taking its head off with one swing. The head fell to the ground as the body collapsed on itself in an ashy mound, leaving a trail of ash behind as it rolled to a stop. Then he was running again. Chase had never stopped. He was only within a few feet of me now, almost close enough to reach out and touch, but it wasn’t over yet.
Gordon was all that was left. Well, him and the garmr. He wouldn’t be able to kill it. None of us could with how beat down and tired we were. Once Chase passed me I could hear Beth and Sam yelling from behind my back. I was getting jittery. Everything was moving in slow motion and Gordon wasn’t coming fast enough. The garmr was closing on him. I had to do something. I cocked another arrow and let it go. It hit the garmr in the right eye. Its howls of pain echoed off of the walls and tang in my ears, nearly blowing out my ear drums in the process, but it had stopped long enough for Gordon to make it to my side, take my hand in his, and pull me to the relative safety of the store.
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