Hank bent down to the point of straining and reached under the dash right above where the gas pedal came out from a small hole within the plastic shell. There was a sort of trigger there. Hank's finger slid along it nervously. What if this button caused the truck to explode or detached the trailer, Hank had no idea how to attach the damn thing back.
He looked at the symbol that was associated with this button again. Tried to concentrate on it hard. As he stared at it he could see that it had a sort of visual illusion to it, much like an image you stare at in order to see something else within. Only this one wasn't that simple. As that image became clear to him, he realized it was drawn in such a way as to further elude those who would get this far. It was almost as if it were the inverted outline of something. Hank let his eyes relax as he looked at it, tried to picture the outline filled in and then almost like magic the image appeared.
It was a bird in flight.
This was all Hank needed to know. He locked both cab doors then reached down and pushed the button. There was a loud click from the back of the trailer and then a moment later the sound of many feet pounding against the floor from within. The doors squealed open and then many rushes of air shook the truck and through the huge rearview mirror, Hank saw the swift blurs of vampire movement.
He wondered how long they would be gone. The sooner he got to the hive, the sooner he would see Toby. He wouldn't be calm until he knew the boy was safe. He knew Dustin would protect the boy with his life, but that thought only worried Hank more.
What if they were both dead. His best friend and his son. What reason would he have then to go on? He'd been in that place before. Its dark space holding him at bay. He couldn't imagine going back there. The thought scared him so much he felt a burst of panic and set himself to thinking about something else. But no matter what he thought about that picture of Toby in Jack's hands kept flashing in Hank's mind. The boy was smiling. Without even a trace of realization that such a monster was watching his every move.
* * *
A pale man in a long dark cloak was slowly making his way toward the car as Jack put the vehicle in park. It didn't take much of an upward glance for the two vampires to recognize each other for what they were. The very second the cloaked man's fist shattered the glass of the driver side window, Jack's hand blasted up and grabbed the vampire's wrist and broke it all in one swift fluid movement.
Having learned it the hard way from the Emperor, Jack held the man's arm in that broken position, gaining power over him. "Eh, bloke. Whattaya say instead we just let me old chap, Pain, do the trick?" The vampire screamed out in agony. Several others appeared from the darkness walking toward the car in crouched postures ready to pounce.
Jack had heard all about these vampires. The Emperor had apparently hidden a whole hive of the bastards away. And now that he'd gone several days without answering the Emperor's calls, it was safe to say he wasn't on the man's friendly list anymore. Not that Jack cared. He only had one goal now. It centered him more than anything had in years. The hunt was always first. But the idea of hunting this boy at such odds, with so much protection, and within the confines of a coming war made Jack want him exponentially more.
It had taken him a couple of days to regain his strength, he'd even had to resort to some full grown human blood in order to do so this quickly, but he kept in mind throughout that the prize would be so worth it in the end. Even the hunt itself was already making it worth it. The planning, the research, the obstacles that would come along the way, even these vampires he would have to get past only sweetened what was already one of the best hunts of Jack's 500 plus years.
Jack smiled at the approaching vampires. "Come on, fuckers, let's see what you've got." And then he snapped the arm he was holding broken the other way and ripped it clean off. Blood splattered the windshield and Jack's face and his grin grew as he belted out a chilling dose of wild laughter.
The next second he was out through the window, behind the one-armed vampire, holding the poor bastard's chin up and tearing his fangs into the man's juggular.
The others crept up ripe with hesitation. It was almost as if they'd never expected this kind of a fight from their own kind. Jack could almost smell their fear over the thick scent of human vampire blood as he sucked the last of what was left from his captive.
He dropped the drained body at his feet and looked at the remaining vampires with wildfire eyes. "Which one of you lot want to join the darkness next?" Whatever vibration Jack could sense of their fear rose then like the pitch of a violin. This would almost be too easy. Enough so that Jack would normally simply run and let them live as they weren't worthy to die by his hand, but he needed the extra strength that would come from draining them. With this in mind, Jack thought of sweet young Toby and what it would be like to rip his throat out and savor every single innocent drop.
Part Three
The Hive
Chapter 23
Keep on Truckin’
After hours upon hours of bumpy curvy road, the double doors of the trailer finally opened to reveal a cool starry night. Finally, Jackie thought. She'd had to watch as the vampires closer to the back of the truck tore apart the man who had been shoved inside. But now they were free to go and hunt. She waited her turn as dozens of vampires of all shapes and sizes scrambled to get out of the truck like fast-moving cattle.
When it was her turn and she came to the open air, she took one deep breath and then shot out into the night. They were still in the desert, although it was obviously a much different desert. Far-reaching mesas stretched across sections of the horizon for miles. A dozen or so beat up trailers sat in rows barely withstanding the strong winds blowing sand and rocks against their weathered siding.
In that next moment all the vampires seemed to disappear. She had to give them credit. They knew what they were doing. Whereas she had never really hunted. Not in the wild. Those words almost made her laugh. The wild. She reprimanded herself. It was time to focus. So she did.
She targeted one particular trailer away from where most of the vampires had been before they went poof. Stalking toward it, she could smell the blood from within its walls. Within the solitary beating heart inside. She could hear the human's labored breathing. Masculine. Older but not yet elderly.
When she found herself standing just behind the man's silhouette in the window, the blue and purple flashes of television light alternating from inside the room, she jumped up and landed softly—cat-like—on the roof of the weak structure. She waited a moment just standing there on all fours. No rise in heartbeat or rate of breath. She'd managed not to draw his attention then. Good.
Jackie crawled along the roof toward the skylight sending a wide beam of light up into the sky ahead. When she reached it she peeked down into the light. Her reflection stared back, her eyes black with bloodlust. The room below was a bathroom, its light left on and its toilet all too obviously—from the smell and the sight of it—left unflushed. The latch was tight, but not too tight for her newly strong vampire hands. Once it was undone, she pulled the window open, making no sound at all in the process.
With the sunroof removed, she stood up and at the edge of the square opening left in its wake. She took one last look down steadied herself and then stepped forward into the sunroof. She landed softly only making the floor creak slightly. Rising up, she then edged her way to the door which led out to a narrow hallway.
The TV light flashed against the thin cheaply finished walls revealing cracks and an occasional hole about the size of a fist. So Mr. Trailer Trash liked to punch in his walls, huh? Jackie thought she would too if she lived in a place like this. Not that her life was anything better now. She was undead and on the run from the Empire. Why the hell was she even still going along with them? The Empire had vampires too, she'd heard that man say it. The one who was driving the truck now. He seemed important to some of them. To Simon and Ishan for starters.
Maybe after the kill she would start thinking about her future
. She stepped into the hallway slowly, letting the purple light wash over her as she continued on into the quaint living room. The man was transfixed on the screen. Plates and bowls with silverware in them were stacked along the small lopsided coffee table in front of him and on the floor beside his chair.
The scent of his blood was taking hold now. She found her body moving forward of its own accord. Before she could stop herself she had her hand gripped over his mouth holding it shut as he screamed into her palm.
Her teeth sank into the hairy flesh of his neck. And then the blood came. In trickles at first, then sips, finally in mouthfuls. Her pupils shrank into pupils again as her chocolate brown irises took shape around them.
The man's boring, uneventful life played out around her in her mind. What a waste. And now it was over. At least she hadn't taken some doctor or important scientist. Not that she expected to find anything of the like in this place. Before long the man was drained, his empty life filling Jackie's body with energy and draining away her thirst just as quickly.
She raised her head and howled up into the air from the excitement of it all. A moment later several other howls rose from a distance in reply. All happy sounds of well-fed vampires enjoying the real hunt for the first time (ever for Jackie) in decades. There was a camaraderie in that howling. All questions of parting ways with the other vampires slipped away at that moment. She let the blood drip from her fangs onto her tongue and enjoyed the taste of the kill.
* * *
They had been traveling West on I-40 in Tennessee for about an hour now. It had been a little difficult finding the highway again, but thanks to the multitude of maps Jonathan had brought, they seemed to be covered. Toby looked out the window at the passing fields and the large rock mounds where the hills had been cut out to make room for the roadway.
The radio was playing something light and pop-ish. They'd been turning it on from time to time the whole trip in order to keep up with what the Empire was doing. Of course the radio stations could only report what the Emperor wanted them to, but he seemed to be just fine with updating the people on what these new vampires of his were doing.
Jonathan had said it was probably to help instill fear in the people. The possibility that Necropolis would no longer be a means of keeping the people in line needed some balance with something new. And these vampires did the trick just fine. Not only were they as deadly as the vampires of Necropolis, but they did what the Emperor told them and they were held at bay by no boundaries.
Already several reports of criminals being drained in public were surfacing. And even though they claimed to be underground reports, they were spreading like wildfire and the Emperor had even corroborated some of it on the air of one Nashville radio station, his voice void of compassion. But Jonathan and Dustin both agreed that this more aggressive control would likely end up backfiring on the Emperor if he kept it up. The people were happy being sheep led along by the staff and the rod, but when you let wolves into the pen, the sheep are liable to run. And people are much more inclined to fight back than sheep are. And these were people after all.
Even if they had been brainwashed into believing they were sheep.
The early morning sun rose in the east reflecting off of the cars ahead as another news report piped in on the radio. "We interrupt this program to bring you up to the minute exclusive coverage of the war against Necropolis. In Arkansas, a truck trailer full of Necropolis vampires was stopped trying to cross over the state line and was intercepted by several Guardians. The Guardians set the trailer on fire, killing the vampires that were inside. The Emperor has issued an official order for all citizens to watch for any trucks marked with the company name Darvender Industries. If you spot one of these vehicles you are to contact your local Imperial authorities immediately.
"In other news..."
Toby's hands had slick with sweat. He stared ahead trying to keep the nagging question in the back of his mind.
"I'm sure your dad wasn't in that truck. If he had been those vampires would have had more than they could have bargained for," Dustin said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I mean, sorry. I mean about being more than they could bargain for, anyway. But yeah, he wasn't in it. The Foederati have a complete list of who was on that truck, came through this morning. I just didn't think to tell you. Sorry," Jonathan said.
Toby sighed with relief.
"Sorry, kid. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. I'm sure your old man can kick some serious ass, but these vampires are some mean mother—um, yeah. You know what I mean. I heard about how he escaped from Necropolis and all that and it's not that I don't think he's kind of a badass or anything, it's just..."
"Don't worry about it. I understand," Toby said. Part of him wanted to believe his father was invincible, but he knew better than that. No one was invincible. The thought of death crept into Toby's mind and he felt that sudden sensation of falling from an immense height. What was there beyond death's door. Toby often wondered. His worst fear was that there was nothing. Nothing at all. Just a black emptiness. A void of no return.
* * *
The smell of sulfur was nearly choking as Hank rounded the corner of a tall brick building that looked to be barely holding itself together. Screams, gunfire, and explosions sounded from nearly every direction. Except one. In that direction there was only the sound of a quickly beating heart.
Toby's.
The boy had been running from Hank and Hank didn't understand why. Up the rubble-littered street, he caught the boy's scent somewhere. Hank ran toward that sweet smell. Longing for it. Wanting it like he'd never wanted anything ever before. What was wrong with him? He couldn't understand the feelings—desires—mixing within him.
Toby's scent grew stronger as Hank came near an open alleyway—one of the few free of debris. A blue dumpster stood on the right, one of its black hatch-like lids wide open and leaning against the red-brick wall behind it. The boy was in there. It was too obvious. The trash and filth inside weren't strong enough to cover up that glorious aroma.
Hank walked up to the dumpster, leaned his body against the cold thick metal of it and reached inside. His hand came up pulling Toby's shirt by the collar, the boy screaming and scratching at Hank's stone-hard fingers. But they just kept on pulling him upward until that sweet pulsing flesh of the boy's smooth neck was at Hank's mouth. His fangs nearly pushed through his lips at the urging to be used. He opened his mouth and then—
The cab of the truck was shaking violently as Hank woke in tears pushing himself backwards suddenly. He'd been trying to stop what was about to happen in his dream. Only it wasn't a dream. He knew the difference now. What Hank had seen was a glimpse of the future. All this time he'd longed so much to protect his son, but who would protect the boy from him?
He'd come to terms with the fact that he had become a killer. That he would have to be even more ruthless on a much larger scale. But what price would he pay to become this great leader? He wouldn't give up his own son. He would rather die and have the Empire carry on even stronger than give up his little boy. The Queen would know what to do. He would ask her. She would tell him. She would have the answer.
Chapter 24
Feeling Around in the Dark
The entire trailer of vampires in Darvender truck #307 awoke as one, and some began to rise, some lay staring at the ceiling, and still others stretched and made the general sounds of rising from slumber. Simon was one who rose immediately. He no longer had time to stare off idly. The responsibility of many lives had brought his sense of duty to the forefront. The reality of this was accented even more by the fact that he hadn’t been able to hear Ishan’s thoughts for several days now.
The truck was immobile, as Simon had requested it to be around this time every evening. A loud thump came from the back of the trailer and the two doors popped open letting in the warm humid air of the south. Within moments half of the vampires were gone, apparently ready for another night’s hunt. Simon, having n
ever lived as a vampire outside of Necropolis, and not having lived as a vampire for very long so far, found the open spaces intimidating. Like any moment would bring masses of people with pitchforks and torches. Far more likely would be the threat of those other vampires.
Simon walked to the back of the trailer at a human pace and jumped down to the dirt-covered ground behind the truck. The smell of fresh cotton and honeysuckle captured his senses. The truck was pulled off into a wooded area between two large trees and a small creek, from the somewhat distant sound of traffic, not far from a major highway. Beyond the left tree, the larger one by far, a small yellow-and-orange-striped cat was stalking small prey, its paws stepping through the tall blades of grass in utter silence. Its eyes glowed as they turned abruptly to the sounds that Simon made stepping away from the truck. Simon watched the feline for a moment and then turned to go. When he was at the cab, the driver side door was already open and Craig Johanson was sitting sideways, his legs kicking back and forth carelessly from the seat.
“Two more trucks were burned today. Heard it over the horn from Base. Apparently, they didn’t have time to cover up the Darvender stuff and traded off trailers instead. Bastards just followed the trail from the abandoned trailers,” Craig said, and made a loud crunch as he took a bite from a large red apple.
Simon caught himself nearly slobbering as he watched the man eat. A flash of horrible memory came to him. Vampires watching him just as greedily as he choked down a plate of crab legs. He knew now it wasn’t the food that had captured their attention. It was watching their prey eat. Something in the smell of their saliva, and the flash of their teeth and tongue sent a convulsion of bloodlust through their bodies. Simon turned away and looked up to the stars as he regained his focus.
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