by Brandon Hale
Travis chuckled. “One day, your arrogance is going to get a lot of people killed, kid.”
“It already has,” Lily said, “so that’s a pretty weak taunt.”
“Not a taunt,” Travis said. “Just an opinion. Glad to know I was right.”
As they walked further into the field, Lily said, “You’ll never get me back to them. You have to take me alive, which gives me every advantage.”
“You don’t know me,” Travis said, “so let me catch you up a bit. I’m batshit crazy.”
“Yeah,” Lily said. “Okay. Thanks for clearing that up. There’s no way I’ll try to escape now.”
“No, really,” Travis said. “Even if you do everything I say, there’s a good chance I’ll torture you in some very bad ways before we make it back to DC. I promised I wouldn’t kill you, so I won’t. But there’s a very good chance I’ll rip your arms and legs off before we get there.”
“Nice,” Lily said.
“It really depends on how much fun it is to talk to you,” Travis said. “Right now, you’re safe. I find you very entertaining.”
“Thanks,” Lily said.
“However,” Travis went on, “I do feel obliged to show you I’m serious. I think I’ll break something small. Your choice. A finger? A toe? No, wait. A toe’s no good because I don’t want you hobbling around. So which finger?”
“If you’re definitely going to do it,” Lily said, “I’d prefer my left pinky.”
“Fair enough,” Travis said. “Hold out your hand.”
He suddenly looked toward the sky. “Company’s coming.” He looked a back at Lily and added, “You have a werewolf. I’m impressed. I admit, I’m unprepared to deal with a were—”
The werewolf fell from the night sky and landed in the field about ten yards away. In one powerful leap, it was on top of Travis.
Because of the darkness and the speed of the fighters, Lily couldn’t really see anything beyond a brown and white blur. She ran to the edge of the woods and snapped off a small branch from one of the trees. Not perfect, she thought as she looked at her makeshift stake, but it’ll have to do.
She ran back to the fight, which was still just a ferocious sounding blur, and waited for an opportunity to strike. “Scott!” she yelled, “pin the bastard to the ground! I’ll do the rest.”
The werewolf growled in a way that Lily took to mean, “Shut up!”
A small plane landed on the other side of the field. Lily immediately ran toward the plane.
Please be my people. Please be my people.
As soon as she got close enough to see the details of the small plane, her hopes crashed. It wasn’t her team. Branch in hand, she stood in the field, waiting for the plane to stop rolling.
The aircraft finally came to a stop and went silent. The door on the side of the plane opened. A lone figure jumped down to the ground.
As the figure walked toward her, Lily held her stake low, ready for a quick thrust into the thing’s heart.
“No banter?” the figure said. He was now close enough for Lily to see that he was definitely a vampire.
Lily remained silent.
“Interesting,” the vampire said. “Leo’s stories about you always involved banter.”
Hearing Leo’s name made Lily dizzy. “What did you say?”
“I said,” Enrico continued, “Leo’s stories always involved banter. I expected you to say something when I stepped from the plane.”
“Who are you?”
Enrico smiled. “My name is Enrico. I was Leo’s best friend.”
Lily’s entire body was saturated with hate. “Do not say his name again, vampire.”
“Don’t be so sensitive,” Enrico said. “I was there for Leo when you weren’t. Unlike you, I never deserted him, even when it meant becoming a vampire with him.”
Lily tightened her grip on the stake and took a step forward.
“I will follow you into the dark,” Enrico said.
Lily stopped.
“I bet those words haunt you to this day,” Enrico went on. “That was what he said to you at that coffee shop. I was there. I heard it. And he meant it, didn’t he. He would have followed you into the dark.”
Lily realized she was trembling. She wasn’t sure if it was because of rage or because of… something else.
“But you didn’t feel the same way about him,” Enrico said. “When the time came, Leo asked you to follow him into the dark, and you responded by driving a stake through his heart.”
“I didn’t,” Lily said quietly.
“Someone did,” Enrico said. “Someone killed him and I’m fairly sure it was because you allowed it. He was your friend, but you were never his. You used him up and killed him when he was no longer useful.”
“Come closer,” Lily said.
“Does he visit your dreams?” Enrico asked. “Does he come to you and ask why you killed him?”
Lily knew she couldn’t throw the branch. It was too irregular for a precise throw. Since Enrico was keeping a safe distance, a direct attack was also impossible.
“I’m going back to the fight,” Lily said as she turned around and began to walk toward Scott and Travis. “Please, attack me.”
“Leo loved you,” Enrico yelled as she walked away. “And you loved him, but not in the way a human loves another human. He was your pet, Lily. You know this is true.”
Lily began to run toward the fight between Scott and Travis. The fact that she was also running away from Enrico’s taunts was a definite bonus.
Scott’s attacks were unrelenting. He was a frenzy of teeth and claws. If Travis had been any other vampire Scott had ever faced, the fight would have ended several minutes earlier.
But Travis held his own, dodging and blocking the vast majority of Scott’s attacks. Eventually, Scott grabbed him by the legs and threw him toward the trees at the lake.
Travis crashed through several trees, finally slamming into a very large one that managed to stop his flight. Scott was on him instantly, pinning him to the tree with inhuman strength.
Lily quickly slipped under Scott’s massive arms and drove her stake into Travis’s heart.
Travis released a piercing scream, then went limp. Scott released his hold and Travis fell to the ground.
“That,” Lily said, “was the most powerful vampire I’ve ever met.”
“No shit,” Scott said through gasping breaths. He was again in human form.
“Scott,” Lily said, “you, my friend, are naked.”
“Stop it,” Scott groaned. “I just saved your life.”
“You killed him. You actually killed him.”
They turned around to see Enrico standing at the edge of the field. He looked genuinely shocked.
“Get him,” Lily said. “I’ll go get my stake.”
Before either of them took a step, a very large winged creature flew over their heads, swooped down to Enrico and picked him up by the shoulders.
Lily watched in awe as the bat-like thing carried Enrico into the night sky. “What the hell was that?”
“I think it was the vampire,” Scott said.
Lily turned around to see that Travis was gone.
“You missed his heart,” Scott said.
“I didn’t miss, Scott,” Lily said. “But that’s kind of secondary right now. Did we just witness a vampire turn into a bat?”
“There’s nothing in the database about it,” Scott said. “Nothing at all.”
Lily looked at sky. “Well,” she said, “I think you’re searching the wrong database. I’ve read plenty of books with vampires turning into bats.”
“Fiction,” Scott said. “There’s nothing reliable.”
“We just saw it happen,” Lily said. “I’d say that’s pretty damn reliable.”
“Technically,” Scott said, “we didn’t see it happen. We were looking at the other vampire.”
Lily gave him an agitated look.
“Okay,” Scott conceded. “We saw enough. And
I really hope you’re wrong about hitting his heart.”
“I’m not wrong,” Lily said. “I hit his heart.”
“That’s disturbing,” Scott said.
“Yeah,” Lily agreed.
As the looked at the sky, another plane flew overhead – barely missing the tops of the trees – and crashed into the lake.
Chapter 16
Jed and Jackson in Las Vegas
Jed sat at the table, studying his cards. He wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt. He had a full beard and light brown, balding hair.
He was the only werewolf allowed in Las Vegas.
“Hit me,” he said to the vampire dealer.
“Mistake,” the human beside him said. “You have a king and an eight.”
Still looking at the dealer, Jed repeated, “Hit me.”
The dealer flipped a card, revealing a five.
“Told you,” the human said.
“Shut up, Jackson,” Jed said.
Jackson Bates was the only human allowed to walk free in Las Vegas. He wore jeans, cowboy boots, a black button-up shirt, and a large straw cowboy hat. He was almost always smiling, probably because he was protected by a very strict law that no vampire could harm him.
Together, Jackson and Jed had started the war against humanity a decade earlier.
“You’re Jackson Bates!” a vampire said as he worked through the crowd toward them. “And you’re Jed! Holy crap.”
Jackson’s grin widened. “Fame’s a bitch, my friend.”
Jed laughed. “Yeah, it’s torture.”
“I heard you were here, but I didn’t believe it,” the vampire said.
“You’re new to town?” Jackson asked.
The vampire nodded. “Yeah, I’m from Mississippi, on vacation.” He extended his hand. “I’m Chuck.”
Jed shook his hand. “Welcome to Vegas, Chuck.”
Chuck laughed. “My wife ain’t gonna believe this. She’s not gonna believe it. Jed and Jackson.”
“Your wife in town with you?” Jackson asked.
“Back at the hotel,” Chuck said. “She’s getting ready. She’s all excited about the magic show later, which I really don’t get. We’re vampires. Watching some guy perform fake magic tricks seems like a step backward to me.”
“Yeah,” Jed said with a smile. “I guess so.”
“So how’d you do it?” Chuck asked. “Was the whole thing just some scheme to jump-start the war?”
“Not at all,” Jackson said. “It happened just like my magazine reported. I discovered Jed existed and I captured him.”
“I let him capture me,” Jed added. “He still denies that, but it’s what happened.”
“Bullcrap,” Jackson said. “I caught him and caged him like the dog he was. And after I had him, he started making deals.”
“That was my plan all along,” Jed said. “I told him I could make us both very rich. He agreed.”
“Didn’t quite work out that way, huh,” Chuck said.
“Sure it did,” Jackson said. “We’re rich in other ways now.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t stop you,” Chuck said. “The other vampires and werewolves, I mean.”
“Well,” Jackson said, “one vampire contacted us. He wanted us to go through with it. Which is a good thing, because we would have anyway.”
“The vampires knew?” Chuck said. “Wow.”
Jed looked around the room, as if he were making sure nobody else was listening, then said, “This is between us, okay?”
Chuck nodded.
“Some of the vampires wanted a war to happen,” Jed said. “Others didn’t. They were split about it, so we were perfect. We started the war without any controversy in the vampire community.”
Chuck tapped the shoulder of a nearby waiter and said, “Can you bring me a drink?”
“Sure,” the waiter said. “Blood-type preference?”
Chuck looked at Jed. “Does it make a difference?”
“How the hell would I know?” Jed said.
Chuck looked at the waiter.
“If you have to ask,” the waiter said, “it probably won’t make a difference.”
“Okay,” Chuck said. “Bring me your favorite.”
“Yes, sir,” the waiter said as he walked away.
Chuck turned back to Jackson and Jed. “I’m glad you did it. I worked fast food before the war. I like my life much better now.”
“Glad to hear it,” Jackson said.
“Well, I’m gonna go gamble now,” Chuck said. “It was great meeting you.”
“Have fun,” Jed said.
Chuck started to walk away, then stopped and turned around. “One question. What do we gamble with? I don’t have money.”
“It’s really just for the experience now,” Jed said.
“I see,” Chuck said. “Well, take care, guys.”
As Chuck walked away, Jackson said, “I wonder if we should stop telling people about the vampire. That could be controversial.”
“Nah,” Jed said. “Most people think we’re full of crap anyway. Besides, it makes a better story for the tourists.”
“We should do a show about it here,” Jackson said. “I bet people would watch it.”
“Yeah,” Jed said. “You can tell them about the time you fought Bigfoot.”
“I did fight Bigfoot,” Jackson said.
“Sure,” Jed said.
“I did!” Jackson said. “For a mythological creature, you sure have a closed mind.”
“If Bigfoot existed,” Jed said, “I think I’d know. Werewolves are pretty damn familiar with the forests. If anything, you saw a werewolf and thought it was Bigfoot.”
“I’ve seen plenty of werewolves,” Jackson said. “I think I can tell the difference between Bigfoot and a werewolf. You’re just jealous because there’s something out there that can stay hidden from you.”
“Werewolves are the top of the food chain, buddy,” Jed said. “Nothing is hidden from us.”
“Before Cassius came to us that day,” Jackson said, “had you ever seen a vampire like him?”
“That’s different,” Jed said.
“Mm hmm.”
“You destroyed the human race,” Jed shot back.
“When you have to go there,” Jackson said, “it means I won the argument.”
A vampire in a tuxedo walked up to them and said, “Excuse me sir, but we have a problem.”
Jed looked at him and said, “Involving me?”
“Sort of,” the vampire said. “There are several werewolves outside on the street.”
“They’re not mine,” Jed said. “My guys know the cities are off limits.”
“They’re asking for you, sir,” the vampire said. “My customers are getting very nervous. So far, there’s been no violence. Please get them out of here before things get out of hand.”
“What the hell,” Jed mumbled as he and Jackson walked toward the exit.
Jed and Jackson stepped outside to see that the club manager really understated the amount of werewolves in the street. There were hundreds of them, all in wolf form, except the three in the front. A gray haired man stood between two women.
“I’m Wallace,” the man said.
“Oh, shit,” Jed said.
“Who’s Wallace?” Jackson asked.
“How many werewolves follow you, Jed?” Wallace asked.
One of the females – a beautiful, dark skinned woman – walked up to Jackson and snarled, “I should kill you right now, human.”
“That’s not why we’re here,” Wallace said. To Jed, he repeated, “How many werewolves follow you?”
Jed shrugged. “Not sure. It’s not like I asked them to follow me. They just came to me.”
“How many?” Wallace asked again.
“A thousand, maybe?” Jed said.
“Give them to me.”
“Sure,” Jed said. “They’re yours.”
“I’m going to be in the desert south of this cesspool for the
next four hours,” Wallace said. “If they don’t show up with the full understanding that you have surrendered your power to me, we’ll be back. Do you understand?”
“No problem,” Jed said. “They’ll be there.”
“Thank you,” Wallace said.
As the horde of werewolves walked away, Jackson leaned over and said, “Who the hell was that?”
“Day Soldiers,” Jed said.
“Oh damn,” Jackson said. “Something big’s about to happen, isn’t it.”
“He’s going to challenge Talbot,” Jed said. “That’s my guess, anyway.”
“What’s that mean?” Jackson said. “I’ve never been very good with werewolf politics.”
“It means you’re probably right,” Jed said. “Something big’s about to happen. And it means we were premature to think this war is over.”
“Maybe you should switch teams,” Jackson said, “and join that Wallace guy.”
“I kinda just did,” Jed said. “And you’re damn lucky you said no when Cassius offered to make you a vampire.”
Chapter 17
Lost in New Mexico
Lily and Scott sat on the bank of the lake, watching the plane sink into the black pre-dawn water. Scott had managed to retrieve most of their supplies, including his clothes. None of the other team members were on the plane.
“Apparently,” Scott said, “they used the parachutes. I’m sure they’re close. As soon as daylight hits, I think I can sniff them out pretty quickly.”
“Not by yourself,” Lily said. “That psycho’s plane took off while you were in the lake. He’ll be back, and probably with silver bullets.”
“It’ll be daylight, Lily,” Scott argued.
“Right,” Lily said. “And we know sunlight kills all vampires… just like a stake through the heart kills all vampires.”
“Okay,” Scott said. “You have a point there. They still haven’t answered their communicators?”
“No,” Lily said. “That worries me. I even tried to reach Abbie and got nothing.”
“That actually makes me feel better,” Scott said. “It means we probably are just in an area that can’t get a signal.”
“Yeah,” Lily said. “As soon as day breaks, we’ll just have to go find them. I hope they’re okay.”