by Justin Sloan
“It’s your home too, now,” Amos said.
Gerald nodded, then turned back to Valerie. “He’s right. But you and yours will be welcome whenever you come through this area.”
“And if I ever come calling, in need of every man and vampire I can find to stand up and fight alongside me and mine?”
“That would have to be a mighty important mission.”
Sandra cocked her head and mouthed, “What are you talking about?”
“Thing is,” Valerie added, “I don’t like the stories like the one you shared with me, about this woman you loved. I don’t like them one bit, and when I’m done here, I plan on having a united America, a land where, even if we’re divided by wastelands and ruined cities, the cities that remain will be safe-havens where anyone is welcome, as long as they pursue a life filled with honor. Do you share this dream of mine?”
Gerald laughed. “You have big dreams, that’s for sure. But you know, sitting here with you and listening to the way you say it, I believe you might indeed be the one to see it through. Should that day ever come, you can count on me.”
“On all of us,” Amos said. He clapped the woman’s shoulder to his right. “Ain’t that right?”
She crossed her heart with her fist and bowed her head briefly, before smiling and saying, “Damn straight. But I got one question,” she winked at Valerie as she said the next part, then nodded at Diego. “What’s the story with this one?”
“What do you mean, what’s my story?” Diego said. “I was born—”
“No, no, no.” She held a finger to his lips, and Amos laughed. “What I meant was, how interested are you in members of the opposite sex, particularly, the one talking to you right now.”
“Wow, if that was a proposition,” Sandra scooted closer to Diego, putting an arm around him, “you’ve got to work on your style. Also, he’s spoken for.”
Amos grinned at the woman and said, “You getting lonely, you know I’m always up for it.”
She froze, turned and socked him across the jaw, and then walked off.
Valerie had sat up straight at that, but relaxed when she saw that Gerald was smiling.
“It’s been like that for about a month,” he said. “Ever since the dick cheated on her.”
Amos rubbed his jaw and shrugged. “I’m an idiot. What can I say?”
“You can say ‘I’ll never sleep with your sister again,’ and see if that makes a difference,” Gerald said.
“True, sure,” Amos said. “But then again, I’ve been raised to never lie.”
“Cheating is fine, but lying isn’t?” Sandra asked, glaring.
“Hey, I never said my parents were perfect, far from it.” He chuckled, staring off at the stars. “Just said that’s how I was raised, didn’t I?”
“Tell you what, Amos,” Valerie said, leaning forward so that she felt the heat of the flames dancing on her cheeks. “You ever want to fight alongside me, I’ll treasure that day. But no way in hell will I ever let you get close to any of my girlfriends.”
“I take it you’re taken then?”
“Know when to turn it off,” she said, and the others laughed at him as he leaned back and shrugged.
“You’re not technically taken at the moment,” Sandra said, much to Valerie’s annoyance. “I mean, you two are kind of on a break, right? At least until you know what’s the deal out here and when we’re going back?”
Valerie shot Sandra a glare. “Shut up, will you?”
Sandra laughed and motioned zipping her lips.
“And, for your information, I’m not like this slut-guy here,” Valerie added. “So, let’s just not discuss my love life with strangers, even if they are pretty cool strangers at that?”
“Deal.”
“Many people will be resting soon,” Gerald said. “You all are welcome to sleep here and get back to your journey in the morning.”
“Offer accepted,” Valerie said with a grin.
They stayed up a bit longer, sharing stories of what had happened in Old Manhattan and receiving stories of the surrounding areas where these people had come from. Some had faced horrors at the hands of Forsaken, but many had never come across a vampire or any member of the UnknownWorld before meeting Gerald.
It was clear he had a bit of a cult following—some seeing him at first as some sort of god, but as he had shown them more and more of his true self, they had come to see the man in him, and the leader.
As Valerie closed her eyes that night, with Diego taking the first watch, she thought about a world where people worshiped vampires, and what a horrible world that would be. Sure, she had taken a turn for the better, but she didn’t know a single vampire, werewolf, or regular human that was worthy of worship. The whole idea felt so wrong.
When she finished setting this land straight, telling them the whole truth about her kind might be something she would have to consider. Perhaps the old ways of keeping the UnknownWorld hidden was no longer relevant, especially when the alternative to being open and honest meant humans worshiping vampires.
Halfway through the night, Diego woke her for her shift, and she stood vigil, considering the stories this vampire had told her. She had already heard too many bad things about vampires up north among the pirates, and now one of their own had confirmed those stories firsthand.
Some of the local groups he had referred to might be just as capable of atrocities, and she knew the Black Plague certainly was.
At some point, she would have to see this land healed.
When morning came without problems, the trio bade their hosts goodbye and packed up their belongings, along with fresh food that Gerald’s group had been able to part with. Even Valerie had to admit, it hadn’t been a bad side-trip.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Black Plague HQ
Robin stood before her new team—freshly made vampires assigned to her as a test, ready to begin their training.
Brad smiled at her, his own new recruits standing before him, and she smiled back. Whatever they had been through, this was the next phase. They were to train these vampires to be warriors, assassins capable of moving in to take over, first Chicago, and then expand. With the funding from some men known as the CEOs, they were going to conquer the world, or so they were told.
She, for her part, still had every intention of running when the moment was right. When that would be, however, she had no clue. First of all, they couldn’t survive in the sunlight. That was no myth. It had proven to be true.
Perhaps she could snag some of the protective clothing the vampires had worn when they went off to attack Valerie, and also the tents they used. All that gear would be heavy though, and while she was strong now, she really had no clue which way to go or how long she would be able to last on her own.
Another glance at Brad, and she wondered about his allegiances here. Would he possibly get interested in accompanying her? Helping her across the Fallen Lands to search out her family?
He had already started showing his recruits the basic fighting stance, a blade flashing in his hand as he explained a means of attack. Even if he was nice to her at times, the look in his eyes as he trained them gave her a bad feeling. He was one of them now, fully indoctrinated.
Giuseppe walked by and cleared his throat, pulling her back from her thoughts.
“Everything fine, Robin?” he asked.
She nodded curtly and then turned to address her recruits.
However, a murmur arose from those close to the courtyard entrance, and several groups ran over. With a shared look of curiosity between her and Giuseppe, she motioned to her recruits and they all ran over, together.
Barely visible in the moonlight, they could make out a figure approaching, fast.
“One of ours,” Giuseppe said, squinting. “This can’t be good.”
A moment later the vampire was among them, shouting for them to get out of the way.
“Leon,” Giuseppe called out. “What is it?”
The vampire
, Leon, paused to stare at him, his eyes wide with confusion, as if he almost didn’t know where he was. His clothes were tattered, blood running down his chin. He must have fed to make it here so fast.
“The other two, are gone,” he said, collapsing to his knees.
“And the vampire princess?” Giuseppe said. “The one they call Valerie?”
A look of interest crept over Leon’s face, a slight smile, and he said, “Dead. She’s dead,” and then fell face forward in the dirt, unconscious.
“Get this man to his room,” Giuseppe ordered two vampires nearby. “The elders will need to see him, maybe even… yes. Just, get a move on it.”
When he turned back to Robin, his eyes were wild with excitement.
“What does this mean for us?” Robin asked.
“For us?” He laughed. “It means war. It means that as soon as we take Chicago, we’ll make our move on New York. The vampire princess is no longer there to stop us.”
Fallen Lands
Valerie, Diego, and Sandra wondered how long the journey could last, each of them growing sick of it.
They had entered a rocky area, full of rubble from the ruins of old houses, with a strong scent of earth in the air. A quarry was on their left, and soon they were passing it, staying low and out of sight in case anyone was around.
A low holler sounded, and they ducked behind a five-foot drop-off as several wild looking men and woman in bear and wolf hides ran past, some freshly killed vermin in their hands.
Diego’s fists were clenching and unclenching, and Valerie was pretty sure she knew why.
“More likely than not, they weren’t Weres,” Valerie said, trying to comfort him but barely able to hide the fury from her own voice. “And we can’t be going around picking fights with people for no reason.”
“Plus, we might want to hurry,” Sandra said, pointing to the sky to the south. There were thick clouds, gray at the edges, bursting with blue flashes of lightning. “If we can avoid that storm, that would be a win in my book.”
Diego nodded, though still glanced back with clenched fists as they left the quarry behind.
They were an hour gone before the winds caught them. Strong winds pulled leaves and dust from the ground and threw it at them one moment, sent it spiraling the next. A line of trees ahead creaked against the force, but provided shelter when the rains started. It got worse when any of them had to relieve themselves and couldn’t be sure which way the wind would blow from one minute to the next.
But they pushed on, soon the storm was over and they were able to find semi-dry clothes in their packs.
The trees here were dense, but allowed them enough openings to watch the sun reach its peak overhead and then begin its descent.
Valerie came to a stop where the trees gave way, only then realizing it was to a drop-off beyond. While her first thought was to figure out a way down, the moment her eyes lifted to the land below she could only think one word – finally.
Down there, past several rolling hills, green from where vegetation had overtaken old suburban ruins, past a river, and farther still, she saw the lakes and what she had to assume was Chicago.
“Hurry your asses,” she said with a cocky smirk to Sandra and Diego.
Diego was the first to reach the spot, and his wary expression suddenly brightened, as if he’d just had a four-course dinner ending with steak and a glass of Sandra’s wine.
“Don’t tell me…” Sandra said, her voice thick with annoyance.
But she stopped and just stared.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Valerie asked.
Sandra pursed her lips, considering, then said, “I’m still trying to decide if it’s real, or just a hallucination.
“It’s real.”
“A mirage then?”
“It’s. Fucking. Real.” Valerie looked to Diego for help.
He just shrugged and said, “Hey, I’m as happy as a bull on stampede day.”
Sandra and Valerie both turned to look at him.
“What? Don’t tell me you don’t know what that is?” He looked at them like they were crazy. “Come on, when… oh, right, France. What did the leadership do there for public punishments?”
Sandra frowned. “You’re telling me that in Spain, they would put people in a pen and let a bull go after them… for punishment?”
“Hell, you wouldn’t think about stealing again after watching your brother go through that, right?”
“No, but I’d sure consider ways to kill the bastard who was making people do that in the first place.”
“You’d have to kill him again,” Valerie said, “because I’d already have killed him.”
“Someone else would just pop up in their place.” Diego shrugged. “After a while, you stop worrying about it, because you don’t want to risk getting someone even worse and more corrupt than what you’ve got.”
Valerie sighed. “Well, I’ll just say I’m glad New York isn’t like that now. Cammie, Royland, Donnoly, they’re all great.”
“And Jackson too,” Diego said, before realizing both ladies were glaring at him. “What?”
Sandra hit him, and Valerie just turned back to the city in the distance.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, and then worked her way off to a find a way down the hill.
They zigzagged down, sometimes having to grab roots or secure rocks to lower themselves down over a steep section, but soon they had reached the bottom. From there it was all straight walking, aside from the river, which was easy enough—a section of it was narrow, with white, glistening rocks close enough that they could leap between them to get across.
The sun was approaching the lakes to the west now, casting a shadow that reminded Valerie that, in spite of her joy at finally arriving, they hadn’t come for merriment.
They were here to dole out justice.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Enforcer HQ
Cammie couldn’t get enough of Royland, and judging by the heavy panting and crazed look in his eyes as he looked up at her riding him, the feeling was mutual. With a final moan of ecstasy, she pressed her body against his and mimed biting his chest.
“I’m the vampire, here, don’t forget,” he said. “You’re only supposed to bite when you’re transformed.”
“Ew, please tell me you’re not into that.” She rolled to his side, finger caressing his chest. “I have to draw the line somewhere.”
“Into… oh, God no!” He laughed and gave her a fake shove. “Is this what you call sexy talk?”
“Hey, I was just being playful. You’re the one who started imagining me as a wolf while—”
“Okay, okay, enough.” He sat up and shook his head, as if that would clear the image from his mind. “We gotta get dressed before someone finds us here.”
She laughed, looking around at the café’s back room floor, where they lay. Yeah, not their finest hour, but since going back to his place, it was like they were unleashing everything built up between the two of them over the last couple of months.
“They’re late, actually,” she said. “I mean, we probably should’ve been interrupted about thirty minutes ago.”
“I’m glad we weren’t.”
“You and me both, bub. Twice.”
He grinned. “Vampire stamina.”
That earned him another laugh. She stood to find her clothes and start dressing. Midway between fastening her bra, a knock came from the back door. The two shared a look of relief as she pulled on her shirt.
“Good timing,” she said.
She tossed him his shirt, pausing to watch how the shadows maneuvered across his abs as he turned to put it on.
The knock came again.
“Coming, coming,” Cammie said, then opened the door.
A man stood there with a cut across one cheek, his left hand pressing a cloth against his upper forearm, which seemed to be bleeding. He was short, but with thick arms and a strong chin that was covered in stubble.
; With a grunt, he leaned against the doorway and said, “Shipment’s not coming. Bloody pirates.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Cammie said, the shock of it hitting her.
“Let him in,” Royland said, nudging past her to wrap an arm around the man and help him sit. “Let me see the wound.”
Cammie paced while he looked over the man. Each click of her cowboy boots seemed to echo in the room, silent aside from the man’s heavy breathing. There was a lot riding on this shipment, and the thought that someone else had just taken it really irked her.
“It’s not bad,” Royland said, “but we should get you stitched up to avoid scarring. If nothing else, get the wound cleaned.”
“And how about the shipment?” Cammie demanded. “We can’t recover from that.”
Royland wiped his forehead in frustration, not realizing he had blood on his hand that now streaked across his face.
“We have to get it back,” he said.
“Wait, what?”
“This problem is bigger than just some wine and cheese. There were munitions in there, and more. The medical supplies seized from the Bazaar will only last so long, and now with this… it’s a matter of security and stability.”
“Come with me.” She walked into the main room, arms folded as she waited for him to join her.
“Sorry, just a sec,” he said, his voice carrying out from the back room. He came over to her and looked like he wanted to take her hand, but seeing them in fists with the crossed arms, thought better of it.
“We have a duty here,” Cammie hissed, doing her best to keep her voice low. “Valerie left us in charge.”
“Us and Colonel Donnoly. He has Wallace, and we have our deputies. All I’m proposing is a scouting mission, initially. When we know where they take the goods, we come back here, round up a small army, and declare the days of pirating over.”