"You were all so focused on the idea of liberating a camp, Reuben was sick and I didn’t know how to break it to you."
Borkin covered his face with his hands. "This cannot be true. And now? What do you want to do now?”
"I need to go on. I have to find Michael.”
Borkin laughed imperceptibly and wearily nodded his head. "Now I understand. Borkin the fool is led a merry dance to help the girl he loves find her boyfriend. What exactly have I done to you that makes you hate me so much?”
Stephanie opened her mouth to answer but Borkin held up his hand to stop her, "No, don’t say a word. You don’t even know what you’ve done. Just so you know what will happen when I return, alone, with no camp liberated - I’ll be shot. My family, that is my parents and sister, will be sent to a work camp without even being told why, and all because you want to find your Fascist.”
"Olaf, it’s not like that. Listen to me, we can go there, we’ll take some pictures with your camera and you can say that there was a camp but it’s been destroyed to hide the evidence.”
He looked down in contemplation. She had known all along that there wasn’t a camp. She, they, had lied to save themselves from being tortured and killed, and then lied to get the medical attention that the doctor needed. Who could blame them really?
The last couple of years must have been hell for the Jews, so it was only really to be expected that they would use everything at their disposal to stay alive. He looked into himself and was shocked to find that he wasn’t angry - disappointed but not angry. He knew he could never really be angry with her.
Stephanie said nothing. She knew he was coming to a decision and she felt that if she said just one word, the decision would go against her.
"Show me where this camp is and I’ll try and take some pictures. The General is a good sort. I just hope his good nature can swallow this.”
She closed her eyes in silent thanksgiving and they wordlessly rode in the direction of the firing.
Chapter 60
They destroyed the initial wave of vampires so comprehensively it looked like a canister round at a pheasant shoot. The first hail of silver disintegrated the leading three ranks almost immediately. Their burning bodies fell to the ground and were ash before impact. The remaining pack peeled off and circled overhead.
The squad reformed to take up all-round defence positions. While the vampires circled harmlessly above, they reloaded their magazines and checked their mechanisms.
"Don’t forget, we stay under the branches, don’t leave the circle regardless of what happens," Michael reminded them all.
"The war in the east would have been over a lot quicker if the Russians had used these tactics," Rohleder laughed, albeit somewhat unconvincingly
Henning picked up on the banter. "Yeah, but Ivan didn’t suck all your blood if he took you prisoner.”
"No, Ivan just cut your balls off and sent you to a collective farm to be a practice fuck for the prize bullock!”
"Oh my God … ” Inselman exclaimed.
"Right, lads, concentrate. Here they come again," Von Struck butted in.
The circle of vampires dropped ever lower as if to land on or around the cottages that surrounded the tree. Von Struck waited until they were settled before he gave the order and in an instant they were decimated in a storm of automatic fire.
They flew back to the Castle in a flurry of snow and ash.
"They’ll be back," Michael announced. "They’ve only got tonight to get this right, so make sure your mags are loaded and give your guns a going over. We’ve got a busy night ahead of us.”
Two hours later they came at them again. This time they attacked in a column on foot, carrying tables from the castle as make-do shields before them. The tables, though heavy and awkward, were thick enough to protect them from the soft silver bullets and they made good progress. They advanced in a concentrated silence that seemed more unnerving than an all-out screaming attack.
"Move to meet them but stay under the tree and get your swords ready. This could get close," Von Struck ordered.
They formed two lines to meet the vampires head on. Inselman stood at the back to guard against any flanking or encircling manoeuvres but the rest faced the front.
Nobody fired until the ponderous advance reached the open area between the cottages and the tree.
"Fire! Take their legs out from under them," Von Struck shouted and they shot at the exposed limbs. The mere touch of silver seemed enough to ignite the vampires and the front line behind the tables disappeared in a flash of fire. However, the luxury of numbers kept the tables held high, and though the advance faltered at the first volley, it continued as they dropped the shield lower to hide their legs.
Inselman cried the alarm as, from the sky to their right, another wave of airborne vampires swooped down to attack. Von Struck calmly directed the back line to meet them and the assault failed, like the first, in a climax of burning corpses and falling ash.
In the meantime, the advancing ground assault had made it to the fires.
"Swords!" Michael shouted as his blade clicked and thudded out to its full extension. Von Struck frowned at him to show his annoyance. Michael caught his eye and understood immediately. Regardless of any rank they once held in another army, there can only be one commander in the field and that was Von Struck.
He nodded his understanding and acceptance of the situation.
Von Struck took control. "Inselman, stay alert to any flanking manoeuvres. The rest of you get ready to use your swords. Drop your rifles when I give the word. Let’s take a step backwards and get them under the tree’s branches to see if it does affect them like the old man said.”
They shuffled back towards the trunk of the tree, keeping a constant rate of fire directed at the advancing enemy.
Up to now, the enemy had been kept at bay in text book fashion, by their conserving their ammo and manoeuvring with machine-like precision. However, the rifles were running hot and there seemed to be no end to their assailants.
The vampires reached the fires that marked the tree’s outer limits. The line faltered, as if crossing an invisible threshold, and moved on between the flames.
"Stop firing. We’ll let the weapons cool down. Form two lines and we’ll try it with the swords for a while. If it doesn’t go as planned, the second rank can pick up their rifles and we’ll use them again.”
Wordlessly they moved back into two ranks, five in the first row and four at the back. Henning, Grand, Nau, Von Struck and Michael stood to the fore, their rifles shouldered and their swords out, with Inselman, Rohleder, Smith and Gruhn taking the rear.
"Markus, let me go in the front line,” suggested Smith. “If the Vampires see me fighting them, it may cause a bit of a stir in their ranks.”
Von Struck looked back at him but before he could say anything Smith carried on. "And it means that you lot can keep an eye on me in case I go over to the other side.”
It was said without humour and all that heard it took it as such. Von Struck nodded. "Ok, shoulder your rifle.”
Smith took Grand’s place and they waited for the vampires to close.
* * *
The Dracyl received the news from Arak calmly. They were in the library. "They’re using swords? Have they run out of bullets for their guns already?”
"It looks that way, Master. They’re pressed in tight under the Tree, fighting hand-to-hand with our men. Soon they will tire and the night will be ours.”
"I don’t believe they’ve run out of bullets already. Let them fight a while until they’re tired and we’ll see if they resort to their guns again.”
Arak made a short bow and turned to leave.
"Arak, is my brother among them. Is he fighting for them?”
"Yes, he is.”
The Dracyl nodded his dismissal and Arak left him to his rage.
* * *
They were surrounded and fighting on all sides, and the tables were all that distanced them from the
bloodsucking horde. The work was hard and bloody; all finesse and balance was lost to the blood lust as they hacked and chopped at the slavering foe.
The silence of the Vampires' advance under fire had now given way to a frenzied and rabid scrambling to climb over the wooden tables they had carried as cover. Each man took care to keep the killing arc of the next man’s sword arm free so as not to hinder his movement while killing anything that attempted to climb over.
The silver blades had the same killing properties as the bullets, and as soon as the silver made a forceful impact on the skin of the vampire, the creature burned to a crisp right in front of their eyes.
The shadow of the tree also affected the vampires' speed and strength, sapping them of their will to fight so much that they seemed sluggish and hesitant.
That, together with the instantaneous combustion the silver produced, helped even the field against the inestimable enemy numbers.
The vampires came at them with only their talons and teeth as weapons. The wild staring eyes, drooling fangs and insane screaming made for a daunting enemy to stand against but each held to the line. Nobody wavered in their task for they all knew that it would only take one to falter and they would all be lost.
All communication was forgotten as each man relied on instinct to read the battle and hold his position in relation to the next. Chaos was only staved off by their small number and their intimate understanding of each other’s strengths and habits.
Von Struck knew they couldn’t keep the same pace for long, so he took a step back and unslung his rifle. Immediately one of the creatures sprung over the table and into their line. In the blink of an eye, Von Struck had cocked his weapon and fired into the vampire at point blank range.
Stepping through the already flaked cinders of his assailant, he sprayed his rounds into the other vampires from over the table edge. The squad took his lead, unslung their personal rifles and poured fire into the now retreating mob.
The creatures disintegrated into flame and ash as they fled in disarray and panic. They reached the tree line and took off into the black of the night-time forest.
"Look, there they are," Inselman pointed. Silhouetted by the light of the moon, the vampires could be seen flying in line up to the Castle.
"Let’s build the fires up again. They didn’t like those. Rohleder, issue new ammunition, please.”
"Right, Boss.”
"Henning, sort the wood out. I think we can venture out into the fringes of the forest for the next few minutes. Take Inselman and Nau with you.”
Henning nodded and the three of them moved out into the forest.
* * *
The vampire’s headless corpse lay at his feet as the Count slowly receded back to normal size. The other generals had watched impassively as he’d bitten the head off of the vampire who had called the retreat. He smoothed himself out and turned to address them,
"Let that be an example to you all. I say when we retreat, and not before. Do you all now understand?”
They hissed their understanding and he carried on,
"It is close to midnight. We will attack en masse. Lilith," he turned to Maria, "you will summon the names from their shrines. Bring the child with you. The hour draws near. Utu will be called to battle and this time we will win.”
His soldiers howled their pleasure and filed out to gather their troops for the final assault.
The Count turned to Maria. "Demon, you’re sure nothing can go wrong? We need my brother on our side and at the moment he stands with the enemy.”
"He will come over. I will see to it. He has no choice. Once a man has lain with me, he is a slave to my will.”
"And the named ones, you are certain that it is the list that will destroy Utu.”
"Master, you concentrate on the humans and I will see to it that all ten names are in position at midnight. Then we need only to await Utu. If he doesn’t come before dawn, the day will no longer be your enemy.”
"And if he comes?”
"Then he will see that he now faces the full power of our alliance. With the Book of Blood, the named ones and the fulfilling of the prophesies, he will be forced to turn away and the curse will fall. Then, Master, you will rule the day and thereafter the world.”
The Dracyl smiled slyly and nodded to himself. "And you, Demon? How will you reclaim your powers?”
"I only have to wait until the Utu comes to us. Then I will enter the tree and will be more powerful than ever before. The Book, the prophesies that it holds, and the circle of ten will also ensure my rebirth at the tree.”
Chapter 61
Borkin slid forward on his stomach. The fires around the tree were bright and the Germans had collected a lot of wood in reserve.
"SS," He breathed to himself, "there must still be a camp here." Suddenly he heard a rustling in the snow behind him.
"What’s going on?" It was Stephanie.
"I asked you to wait for me. Can’t you do anything I say?” He sighed.
"It was cold and dark, and besides, I was curious.”
She turned to look at the fires. "Michael!” she exclaimed, and then she was up and running towards the Germans. Borkin watched in disbelief as she dashed through the line of fires and into the arms of one of the shocked soldiers. Confusion gave way to understanding as he realised who they were. He wretchedly looked on as she covered his face with kisses, laughing in effortless joy.
He decided to stay a while to make sure all was well until another noise from above him attracted his attention.
The Dracyl was on the attack again and this time in force.
* * *
The whole squad couldn't believe their eyes as Stephanie sprinted out of the tree line towards them and almost knocked Rohleder over as she sprang on him.
"What are you doing here?" he gasped in between kisses.
"I’ve come for you, I had to find you, it was important,” she beamed, delirious in her joy. "Michael, you’re going to be a father. I’m carrying your child.”
His jaw dropped. "A father?”
Von Struck came up behind them. "Michael, they’re coming back. Get your woman behind us and get ready.”
"Who’s coming back?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"The vampires," Rohleder stone-facedly answered. "We’re here to fight the Dracyl. You couldn’t have come at a worse time.”
"Oh no, "she turned to the wood, "Olaf … ”
* * *
Borkin froze briefly as he saw the gathering cloud above the Castle. They numbered more than the stars and he realized that now he knew where all the Red Army’s losses from the last couple of months had gone.
"Vampires," he whispered to himself.
Deciding that to hide was the best course of action, he covered his jacket in snow and branches, and waited to see what would happen.
* * *
"Get behind me, Stephanie. If anything attacks you, use the sword if you can," Rohleder ordered her, gently shoving her behind him.
"Face the front. They’re coming from the sky again,” Von Struck shouted as they switched off the safety catches in readiness.
As the first faces became recognisable, Von Struck gave the order to fire. Like the assaults before, this one dissolved into an inferno of death as the silver bullets winged through their ranks. The effect was total devastation as the missiles that hadn’t hit the front echelon shot through the flames of the dead vampires to kill the ones behind.
As the first ranks disintegrated into ash and smoke, the next swooped through, only to be met by more high speed silver. The rifles thudded their lethal mantra into the diving horde with venomous efficiency. Each new rank that presented itself was blasted into oblivion by the continuous volley coming from under the tree. The ecstasy of imminent success burned through them all as they discharged their rounds in death crazed abandon.
Then disaster struck. As one, they stopped firing to change magazines. It was as unforeseen as it was unprofessional and the vampire
s made good ground, landing in front of the table barricade.
"Swords! Swords!" Von Struck screamed desperately, rushing to meet the onslaught.
He swung wildly in near panic, the arc of his sword edge igniting vampire flesh as it carved through the flames. Each new target that presented itself was met by biting silver as he chopped with almost boundless energy. The rage of battle was upon him and he knew no fear and no mercy.
Rohleder dropped his rifle to stand in front of Stephanie, reluctant to leave her side in the hand-to-hand fighting. In one hand he held his blade, with the other he felt behind him to make sure she was there. His hand fell on cold metal and he turned in shock to see that Stephanie held a sword and was mentally gearing herself up for the fight.
His words were just forming in his mind as she raised her blade and ran screaming at the vampires on the other side of the tables.
"Bloody woman," he thought as he ran after her.
She reached the edge of the table and swung the sword around over the top and into one of the Count’s soldiers. In an instant it exploded and she ignored it as it crumbled to ash before her and she moved to the next. Michael saw Stephanie in action and shouted to all, "Now we are ten, now we are complete!”
An ecstatic cheer spontaneously erupted from the men, and at the back of his mind Von Struck registered that they were all feeling what he felt, the power of the tree coursing through their mortal frames.
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