Follow the Bloodshed (The Executioner Trilogy Book 3)

by Sowder, Kindra

  “Damn, my uncle was a sneaky bastard. I didn’t think it blended right into the wall like that,” Chase stammered as he moved over to me, inspecting the key hole inside. With no hesitation he put the key in and twisted. Within seconds the sound of multiple locks came from inside the wall, making me jump a few steps from it. It was like a great unveiling was taking place as a portion of the door clicked and slid open, swinging out towards us.

  “Wow,” I breathed, taking a step around the door and peering inside, not wanting to be the first to enter the room.

  I would let Chase have that honor. This was his uncle’s shop after all and we had no idea where his uncle was. I turned to Chase and the others. Sam showed interest but was as far away as she could be without being too far away from the group. Beth was next to Chase. Gordon had moved closer to me when I had been startled by the door’s mechanisms. He had his hand out like he was about to grab my arm so I made sure to nod in his direction for reassurance. He was worried about me and the baby. I didn’t blame him, but I didn’t want to be coddled either. The closer I got, the more an overwhelming smell was taking over. I cringed because of it, feeling bile rise in my throat as the others gasped in disgust.

  Chase made his way into the doorway of the room. From what I could tell it was rather large, possibly a quarter of the size of the shop itself which was already pretty big.

  “Uncle Jasper?” His voice came out in a whisper; so soft I could barely hear him past the open door and five feet of space between us. I gripped the edge of the door and pulled it a little bit farther open and once Chase’s foot crossed the threshold automatic lights flared to life, illuminating everything inside. We followed him into the room as he called his uncle’s name one more time and were stunned by what we saw before us.

  I heard a few shocked gasps and sighs behind me. Beth let out a nice string of expletives and I couldn’t have thought of a better way to say it myself. What we saw when we stepped into the room was beyond anything I had ever seen in any type of armory. Shelves, guns, and boxes of ammunition lined the walls with a few standing free. It was about as large as I had predicted it would be.

  Chase made his way around one of the free standing shelves and I lost sight of him. I heard him gasp and it was followed by an anguished cry. All three of us ran in his direction and once I was around the corner I stopped in my tracks. The body of who I could only assume was Uncle Jasper was slumped on the floor against the shelf stocked to the gills with guns and ammunition, head bowed and skin shrunken tight against his bones. He had been gone long enough we couldn’t smell the decay, but that didn’t help the fact there was there was a congealed puddle around him of all of the fluids had managed to escape. The carpet beneath him was now tacky and grimy. I didn’t want to come any closer, but once I saw Chase’s face I knew he needed the comfort of those around him.

  I closed the distance and placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it so he knew I was there. His shoulders moved as he sobbed, not making a sound despite his violent shaking. I leaned down and put my mouth next to his ear.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  He stood so fast I nearly fell and wrapped me in his arms like I was the only thing that existed, the muscles underneath skin trembling with the effort to hold himself up. I let my arms fold around him, trying to bear as much of his weight as I could. There were eyes on us, but I didn’t care. Chase needed a friend and I was one of his first within this group even though we hadn’t gotten to know each other for long. Beth was standing off to the side. Her eyes hadn’t left the long departed Uncle Jasper. I couldn’t look at him again. Instead, I closed my eyes and let Chase’s grief pour out of him and into me.

  Chapter 36:

  Armed

  Gordon had placed an old sheet that he found in the shop over the body of Uncle Jasper. There was no way we could bury him. It was a luxury we didn’t have time for. The darkness around us wouldn’t hide us from anything at this point. Not that I was willing to bet on anyways.

  Chase was sitting in the corner of the store, doing his best to avoid the room where his dead uncle lay. From the looks of it he had starved to death when all Hell broke loose, not having enough food in the store to keep him for a while. From what I could tell barely anyone had been able to get to the stores to stock up besides Beth and Chase, but not everyone had the necessary tools to deal with what was crawling in the dark these days.

  Thankfully his uncle was stock piled with a lot of different things, duffle bags and back packs included. We decided to use a back pack and stuff as much weaponry in it as we could without weighing Chase down too much. He would still want in on the action at the U.S. Bank Tower considering Lilith was the cause of all of this and ultimately his uncle’s death. I know I would.

  “Do you think he’ll be okay,” Gordon asked me as he stuffed boxes of various sizes of ammunition into the red back pack.

  I looked at Chase and I couldn’t tell. Beth was sitting by him, holding his hand and trying her best to be his rock, but I could tell she was a little uncomfortable. I knew I would’ve been no better in the situation. All I had managed to do was stand there and hold onto him for a little while his heart and soul poured out onto the floor around us.

  I shrugged and answered, “Honestly?” I paused, taking in Gordon’s earnest appearance and willingness to know what I thought. “I want to say he’ll feel a lot better once we barge into Lilith’s lair in the U.S. Bank Tower. I don’t know about you but blowing a bunch of monsters away tends to do the trick for me.” I placed a small gun into the bag. It was a twenty-two caliber at best and I knew it would be a last ditch weapon when it came to Lilith and her ilk. I was only hoping it would be enough once all the other guns were gone.

  I was hoping Chase had enough sense to use the knives and machete his uncle had left behind once he was out of ammunition. More than likely it wouldn’t take long to run out.

  “I know he’s having a hard time but we really should get going. Before Lilith realizes what’s happening. She knows we have nowhere to stay and they have to know by now that we abducted Vlad. Who knows if he can really get out of the silver shackles or not…” Sam said.

  “He can’t,” Gordon interrupted.

  Sam hushed him with a wave of her hand and replied, “We don’t know for sure. One can only assume there is a way and we don’t know what it is. He is one of Lilith’s after all.”

  “She’s right, Gordon. I know that this is what you believe, but we can’t assume he can’t get free of them at all. We have to believe anything can happen at this point. We have no way of knowing for sure. I mean, look at this whole situation.”

  I looked to each of my companions as the energy in the shop changed. The buzzing in the air made my skin feel as if spiders were crawling underneath it. I had to fight the urge to rub my arms. A shiver crept up my spine and I did my best to suppress it. The entire situation was too surreal and when I had been saddled with the job of being the Executioner I would’ve never thought I would be the one who would save what little was left of humanity. And at the moment it really sunk in, almost knocking me off of my feet and onto the floor. I needed to sit down. The floor was beginning to sway and was coming to greet me. I wouldn’t black out. I would just fall under the weight of the world.

  I felt arms wrap around me. I hadn’t seen Gordon move, but here he was with arms around my waist, pulling me to a stool behind the counter. Nausea crept up my throat but I swallowed it down, feeling the bile burn the entire way back to my stomach. He moved around me and kneeled, placing his hands on my knees, giving them a slight pat.

  “Hey, are you alright?” he asked when he noticed I could barely focus on his eyes. I forced my gaze to steady on his face.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed and tired.” I used the back of my hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead and leaned forward enough for our foreheads to touch. He was worried. I didn’t want him to be. The baby and I were perfectly fine and soon the room was no lon
ger spinning. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The nausea ebbed away, finally calming enough so I could sit up. My hands found their way to his, my own clammy skin smoothing over his warmth with a sticky quality like when you wake up with night sweats.

  “Well, once this is all over you’ll be able to rest.” He paused and his brow furrowed. “Hopefully.” We sighed in frustration at the same time and I nearly smiled.

  “There’s only one way to know.” My voice sounded strong despite the shaky quality of it as I stood, nearly knocking Gordon to the ground as I did. I was beginning to feel better as I stood there, the resolve of our somewhat plan to kill Lilith taking hold on my heart.

  Hope bloomed within me. Hope we could make a better world for our child. If I wasn’t going to do it for Gordon and myself, or our little group, I would do it for our little bean. Our little miracle deserved a place to grow up, where safety wouldn’t be an issue because an ancient vampire had a huge problem with humanity as a whole. Chase rose from his corner, shocking all of us and startling Beth who had been leaning against him.

  His eyes met mine as everyone watched him. I could see and feel the rage, sadness, and determination in his muscles and in the air. There was no mistaking the familiar buzzing heat of the combination of emotions. I almost started to perspire standing in the same room with him, flashes of hot and cold causing my skin to break out in goose bumps. This was one thing I hated about being empathic sometimes. Certain emotions and certain types of people and magical beings caused different reactions, some of them unfavorable. This was definitely one of those times.

  He straightened, pushed out his chest, and said the words I was hoping he would.

  “Let’s go kill that bitch.”

  Chapter 37:

  Hope for Morning

  We had made it to the U.S. Bank Tower without incident, somehow managing to sneak past the few vampires we did run into. So much for vampires being literally everywhere. Where were they? I was sure it was on all of our minds and none of us were willing to say it out loud.

  I couldn’t see through the glass doors. The streetlamps were reflecting painfully off of it, causing the darkness inside to be swallowed. I squinted and nearly pressed my face against the glass to try to see. From the little I could see the place was completely deserted. The only lights were the street lamps surrounding us. Maybe a few small lights inside but that was all. I sighed and backed away from the doors. From what I could tell there was no one inside, but I knew that couldn’t be true. They were somewhere in the building, high and away from everyone and everything.

  “Did you see anything?” Beth whispered. I shrugged.

  “No, but I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to stay on the lower floors. Plus, she’d want to watch the destruction. What better place than at the top?” I didn’t look her in the eye. I could practically feel her cringe at the volume of my voice and for some reason that frustrated me. Hormones? Yes, maybe.

  “Let’s go,” Chase practically yelled as he started to move towards the glass doors. Beth tried to grab his arm but he jerked away and moved past her. I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He was seething with anger as I stood there, but he stopped anyway. I had a feeling he wasn’t about to mow down the pregnant woman who was able to turn him into a pile of ash with a touch of her pinky finger. “Robin, please get out of the way.”

  I stared up at him, making a point not to blink and to hold eye contact. “If you go in there guns blazing you will get us all killed. You go in smart or you don’t go in at all.”

  His gaze was cold as ice as he looked down at me, but I saw a warmth move through his eyes I knew meant he understood. His shoulders sagged in defeat and he let out a breath in a whoosh. I took a step back.

  “What do you suggest?”

  I thought about it for a moment and moved to the door, grabbing the handle and pulling it open, choosing to avoid the revolving doors at the center. “We go in smart. We go in quiet.” He raised his eyebrows and a smirk crossed over his lips. This was the Chase I knew.

  Tilting my head towards the door I signaled to go inside. If I was right there would be no danger in this portion of the building. There would be more and more vampires and the like the closer we got to the top. Possibly crawlers, too. I shivered as I took the necessary step across the threshold, following them into the darkness. The air inside was cold like the air conditioner was on overdrive. While keeping an eye on our surroundings we stalked towards the stairwell.

  The lobby was expansive; all glass and metal and tile floors and try as I might I couldn’t get my shoes to stop squeaking as I walked. I knew it wouldn’t work, but I tried to quiet my steps, quickly realizing I was correct. We made our way to stairs and by the time the doors were in direct sight I was nearly sprinting towards them. We all were. Sam was almost as quiet as a mouse. If I didn’t see her, I wouldn’t have known she was there with us.

  A familiar energy was weaving its way around me as Sam pushed the door leading to the stairs wide open. It was Lilith. She was reaching down to me, trying to instill fear in me that wasn’t there. If anything, the beast was beginning to react, making its way through my veins and my heart. It was warm and inviting. Before I knew it, I was crossing the threshold, Gordon in front of me with Beth and Chase behind me.

  A rough hand slipped into mine and I looked to my right to find Gordon standing next to me. I hadn’t realized he had moved next to me. I gave him a weak smile and he returned it. We were both terrified. The fear in his eyes was hard to miss and I knew there was only one reason he was going to let me go through with any of this despite our child growing in my womb. It was because this was what I was made to do and he knew if he tried to stop me it would happen eventually. I would rather it be now. My eyes drifted to the steps before us and I felt my heart race beneath my ribcage, beating faster as I stared up the stairwell. I placed my foot on the very first step and we began our trek towards evil.

  I was running up the steps, barely bothering to take my time. We had seventy-three floors to go and didn’t need to waste time. Within a couple flights my thighs were burning with the effort and it wasn’t long before I heard the undeniable screech of crawlers.

  “Crawlers,” I yelled, making sure everyone knew what we were about to come across.

  I drew my silver-tipped machete though I didn’t really need it and let the beast flare to life inside of me a crawler came around the corner of the next story, running into me. He snapped at me with strong jaws, but I was able to keep him from biting me. I slashed with my blade, catching him in the ribs and pushing it in as far as I could while still moving. Once I could feel his rib cage against my hand I pushed my other hand into his face, sending heat and flame into his flesh. He screamed as two more crawlers pushed past us and turned into a pile of ash at my feet. I kept moving, knowing the rest would be behind me.

  We encountered a lot more crawlers before bursting through the door leading onto the observation deck. I was out of breath and covered in soot and ash. I turned right and then left, finding the stairs that led to the helipad. They had to make it easily accessible in case of an emergency. I ran towards the stairs, hearing the footsteps of my group behind me. I knew they were tired, but we couldn’t stop. Lilith was on the helipad so I would be there too, even if it meant passing out from exhaustion. Without hesitation I gripped the metal rails and pulled myself up the stairs with a clanging noise on each step. My legs burned, my body burned, but the beast was still strong within my muscles. The beast was what was pushing me to the very top.

  If it weren’t for Lilith waiting for us I would’ve collapsed on the helipad, but somehow I was able to stay on my feet and what I saw stunned me. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself.

  Chapter 38:

  Kicking & Screaming

  Lilith was standing there facing us, her blonde hair whipping in the wind and dressed in a white flowing gown. Almost like when I had met her. But
she wasn’t the only one on the roof. She was surrounded by a circle of crawlers, only allowing enough space around her so I could see her as I stepped out onto the roof.

  “Executioner, I’m so glad you could make it.” Lilith’s voice flitted through the air like a thousand song birds, the wind carrying it to me like a silent messenger. “I was beginning to think you would stand me up.” She was trying to joke, but I wasn’t amused. I let an entertained chuckle slip past my lips anyways.

  “And miss the party? Absolutely not.” I wasn’t going to give away the fact that I was terrified and my heart was beating so fast I thought it would leap out of my mouth and run straight off the roof, but I knew she could tell regardless. She could hear it pumping from where she stood. Her red eyes glinted in the lights on the roof, making her look more sinister than usual.

  “Well, then you won’t miss the final attraction, my dear. I even brought a gift for your friends.” She lifted her hands and motioned towards the crawlers, which were snarling and crouched, waiting to pounce at the smell of our blood pumping through our veins. “And your lover. I have something special just for him.”

  The clanging sound came from behind us on the stairs, and it was big. I didn’t want to take my eyes away from Lilith, but I had a suspicion she would want me to see this too for maximum effect and my heart sank as soon as I saw what crossed onto the roof. Vlad’s eyes met mine as he moved towards us, wrists raw from the silver that had contained him. There was a sharp intake of breath from each one of us as we took the sight of him. The singe marks from my hands were still there, healing but still crumbling at the edges.

  “Well, hello again brother. I’m sure you’re surprised to see me,” he chimed. He stopped as his feet hit the white portion of the helipad. “After all, you did leave me chained in silver in your little hideaway.” His eyes moved from Gordon to me and I felt a shiver roll up my spine and the beast growl within me. If I didn’t know better I would’ve sworn they could’ve all heard it. I heard Sam’s fear threatening to overtake her. No one said a word. Not even Gordon as he watched his brother before us. I swallowed the bile that threatened to spill out of me and turned back to Lilith, the smirk on her lips as clear as day from where I stood.