“I have to go back, Amp. Miriam went back in to see if she could uncover any more plans. In the morning she’s leaving for the last time. I can’t leave her without some kind of backup, in case something goes wrong. I’ll stay in touch with you. Just hang out somewhere after you get here, and we’ll get together when she walks out of there. She’s way too valuable for us to abandon.”
“Be careful, Rio. Think of this guy as the most lethal person you can imagine…and then double it. Keep your head down. He’s the enemy.”
“Will do, Amp…and I’m sorry, honey. I know this hurts.”
The phone was disconnected, Rio staring at it and wondering if all of their plans had just come to a screeching halt, halfway hoping they had…the other half spoiling for a fight.
------
Because of the danger of being discovered, Rio wanted to pick tonight’s position carefully, as well as taking several extra precautions. He hoped it would be an uneventful night, followed by Miriam driving away from the compound in the morning. He had tried to talk her out of returning, but she was determined to spend one more night trying to uncover any other significant information.
The thought of seeing his friends soon, and being able to plan the next step, was comforting to Rio, the excitement of approaching battle intoxicating. It was going to be a long day, and an even longer night.
His first stop was the Rexall Drug Store on Nordic, picking up two bottles of hydrogen peroxide, a box of baking soda, and a gallon of distilled water. He also found a bar of Lava soap, and a plastic spray bottle.
As the clerk was ringing up his order, he asked if there was anywhere in town he might be able to buy deer or moose urine.
“Gonna do some hunting?” the woman asked, Rio shaking his head, knowing from his research Alaska deer and moose season came later in the summer.
“No, just trying to get some good pictures. I’m just an amateur, but I love to get close to the animals. Somebody told me I could get a lot closer if I tried deer urine to mask my scent.”
“Good idea. Try over at the Trading Union; they have all that kind of stuff. If they don’t, they can tell you where to find it. Good luck.”
The Trading Union had everything hunters or fishermen might want, plus plenty of other things. It was one of those stores that carried items you wouldn’t find anywhere else. After walking the aisles, admiring the selection, he bought two spray bottles of Franks Deer Urine, then carried his packages back to the motel. He wanted to be in position before dark, before there were any vampire sentries searching the woods.
He took a long hot shower, scrubbing himself carefully with the rough bar of Lava Soap. After toweling off, he mixed the peroxide, baking soda, and distilled water in the sink, filled up the spray bottle, and sprayed himself from head to toe with the concoction. He had been warned by Nikka of the vampire enhanced senses, and the potion he had mixed would take away his natural body scent. In addition, he planned to use the deer urine around the tree he would be perched in. Hopefully it would confuse the vampire’s ability to locate his position with their sense of smell.
He dressed in black camo, and after tying his boots, armed himself with two .45s, two battle knives, and made sure that he stuck the 5.56 Silencer for the M-4 into a deep pocket. He didn’t expect to be using any firepower this night, but with the information Miriam had supplied him with, he would spend the rest of his time on the island on high alert, ready to roll at any time.
Two hours later, Rio was high up in the tree he had selected, a perfect view of the compound. He was hidden deep in the thick branches, resting comfortably with his back against the thick trunk. He had covered the base of the tree, as well as a three foot circumference with the deer urine. He was looking through the scope of his sniper rifle with night vision. He had brought along the M-4 in case he had to fight a close-in battle. His sniper rifle would be worthless in that situation. It was starting to get dark, and he expected vampire activity soon.
If Miriam’s information was solid, he would soon see several of the vampires leaving the compound on a search for him. If they were as inept as Miriam described them, he wasn’t too concerned. On the other hand, even the weakest vampire soldier was ten times stronger than he was. The M-4 he had slung on his back was his vampire equalizer, he hoped.
He rigged a line he could drop down in an instant in the event he needed a quick getaway. He spent most of his Army career sitting in trees, and on more than one occasion slid down a rope to save his life. This was not Rio’s first rodeo; he sincerely hoped it wasn’t going to be his last.
He didn’t have long to wait for the activity to start. Turk and Wilson came through the front door, out into the night, followed by four armed vampires. Rio wasn’t sure, but he thought three of them were holding shotguns, and the fourth maybe a 30-06, a popular hunting rifle. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when Turk, after giving his instructions, waved the vampires towards the front gate, and returned with Wilson into the house.
He didn’t want to go up against Amp’s teacher just yet. The chances of these four finding him were greatly reduced without the presence of the tall California warrior.
Rio was hoping being so close to the house was in his favor. Watching the four vampires split off into pairs, heading in the opposite directions from his location, he smiled, wondering how long they had been told to stay out looking. He thought briefly about climbing down and stalking them, maybe picking a few off with the silenced M-4. It made sense when figuring the unbalanced odds when it came time to fight, but the chances of him getting killed were pretty high.
It was a bit more than two hours when the first pair came around from the east, walking through the manned gate and disappearing into the house.
Twenty minutes later, he heard the sounds of the other pair approaching from his rear, making no effort to cover their noise. They were talking low to each other, laughing about something, satisfied the person they were looking for was nowhere near. As they walked under the tree stand, they didn’t stop talking, gave no indication anything was unusual, his presence thirty feet above them completely secure. Thank God for deer piss, he thought, smiling.
They went through the gate, nodding at the lone guard, and disappeared around the back of the house. Rio was debating with himself if he should have killed the two when they were so close, but finally decided his stealth mission was more important.
Looking at his watch, and seeing it was almost one in the morning, he wondered if his friends were in Petersburg. He’d give it another hour before he would climb down. When he was well away from the area, he would text and find out their location.
As he was making his tenth inventory of his equipment, his back sore and stiff, and his stomach growling for food, all hell broke loose on the compound’s front lawn.
In the blink of an eye, the sniper’s careful and precise planning went right out the window. The shit, in a metaphorical manner of speaking, had just hit the fan.
------
Walking around her bedroom suite, Miriam was absently touching the personal things she had held dear for decades. This was the only life she remembered, a hundred years of living here, sleeping in this same bed, dreaming about the day she would convince Wilson to give her immortality.
It’s never going to happen, she told herself, sighing. I played a good game, but I lost.
This would be the last night she ever spent here, and the nostalgia was overpowering her. Although most of her memories were not great, some were. They were the only memories she had. If Rio and his friends succeeded in defeating Wilson, she had no idea what or where she would go. She was certainly an experienced business woman, but lacking a degree or credible references, she wasn’t’ at all sure she could find a position her experience warranted.
The woman had a lot of pride, and the idea of working a menial job almost killed her. In the back of her mind was the thought of ripping Wilson off. Her knowledge of Wilson’s bank accounts guaranteed she could get her hands on
a ton of money. Over the years she saved almost everything she had been paid, her personal living expenses paid through the various companies, so there was no chance that she would end on skid row.
She had the drive to be the best at what she did, and with her savings and business knowledge, striking out on her own was not nearly as daunting as she first thought. Anything was better than living among a group filled with the insanity this clan possessed. It was time to move on, and she was prepared to face whatever life threw at her.
Pulling down her blanket and sheet, she moved to the bathroom to shower and prepare for bed. She was leaving with nothing but the information that would defeat Beryl Wilson, and that was a victory. Maybe that makes me the winner, she thought, smiling for the first time in hours.
Drying her hair, she dropped the towel and looked at her nakedness in the mirror. Not bad for a hundred. Boobs still firm, stomach smooth and tight, legs as long and slender as ever. I’m looking at a 28 year old hottie, she told herself, reaching for her bikini panties and pulling them up over her hips. Twenty-eight, single, and with a bit of money. Life could be worse, she told herself. Like living with Wilson another day.
Wearing her pale blue shower robe over her panties, she quietly walked down the hallway to the reading room atop Beryl’s study. Locking the door, she moved to the vent, bent down, and listened, hoping to hear Beryl’s conversation. She was not disappointed.
“I want this, Beryl. In fact, I’ve waited a long time for you to say those words. California is nice, but I’ve felt the need to be among my own for a long time. I am honored you’ve asked me to come home.” The voice of Turk carried unmistakably through the vent shaft.
“It’s settled,” Wilson was saying. “Which leaves us with two problems. The first I’m taking care of before morning exactly the way you suggested. My children need a show of strength, a bloodletting…and a bloodletting they will get. Before the night is over, every one of my children will drink from Miriam. It will be a slow, painful death, one that will energize the very core of our coven. After we dispose of that problem, we must be ready for the vampire girl and her friends.”
“Beryl, believe me when I say that the girl will be no problem. She is a great fighter, but to my knowledge, has never tested her skills in battle. I expect when she is confronted with superior odds, she will wilt like a flower without water. You have my word. I will crush her, and whoever she has brought with her, and ground their ashes into the dirt. I promise you her head…and it will be my pleasure to deliver it to you.”
When Miriam rose an hour later, making her way to her bedroom, her entire world had changed…and she was terrified beyond belief.
------
The DHC-2 Beaver took off from Wrangell at midnight, the short hop to Petersburg taking a mere fifteen minutes.
Amp, Nikka, and Robert had their weapons and ammo packed in four different canvas bags. They were each dressed for battle, in black camo gear and combat boots. The only thing they were missing was strapping on their weapons, and putting on black face paint. They had rehearsed their moves over and over, and now the time was near for some type of action, each of them was confident in their ability to perform. Their plan was to land on the water in Wrangell Narrows, two miles from Petersburg, then hike towards town until they found somewhere to hole up until they heard from Rio.
Debarking from the plane, they stepped out onto an old abandoned dock, waved at the pilot, and started up to the road. They heard the plane rev it’s engines, then lift from the water for the return flight to Wrangell.
“I think our best bet is getting close to town, find a docked boat, and take it over for a while. If there are humans on it, we can convince them go to sleep, then wait until Rio calls,” Robert said. “It worked for Anne Marie when she was here before. She got a boat, as well as food, for the duration.”
Robert was carrying two of the bags, the girls one each. As they drew near to town, they saw there was no activity on the main road, not a moving vehicle in sight.
“The Harbor Bar is up that way…down here along this pier is where I hid the last time,” Amp said.
The docks were filled with rows of fishing vessels, a few pleasure crafts resting among the working boats.
“That one,” Nikka said, pointing with her chin at a 35 foot sail boat, the wood of the deck shining in the moonlight. It was beautiful, and plenty big enough for the three to prepare themselves for what was going to happen.
Putting down her bag, Nikka stepped aboard the boat, crossed the deck, and tried the door. It opened for her, and she headed below deck to see if the owner was aboard.
Sticking her head back out the door, she called, “all clear.”
Amp and Robert boarded, taking their bags down below, then Robert returned to the deck. He waited for the owner to return, not wishing to be surprised.
He didn’t have long to wait. He watched a man and woman strolling down the dock, the woman holding a bottle of Bud Light in her hand, the man smoking a large, black cigar. They looked early thirties, both attractive, and dressed for vacation rather than work. Robert was aware immediately that this was their boat, and then became aware of something else that confused him, a powerful feeling of awareness washing over him.
He backed into a shadow, but it did no good. The man stopped, said something softly to the woman, and pushed her gently away from the boat. The man pitched his cigar into the water, then, with inordinate speed, was standing in front of Robert, moving tenaciously into the young vampire’s space. The boat owner had a look of curiosity on his face, oddly out of place, considering the man’s fangs were completely down…and extremely serious looking.
“Are you lost, young man?” he asked in what Robert thought was the calmest, coolest voice he had ever heard. “Because I’m certain you must know this is not your vessel.”
Nikka felt the vampire’s presence immediately, and ran to the top of the stairs, Amp right behind her. She knew Robert wasn’t going to fare well facing off with a vampire, his experience limited to training with the group and his few trips into Seattle. She knew from the feelings she was picking up this was an aged vampire, probably older than her. He deserved respect, and she was prepared to offer it.
“Excuse me, my Lord,” she said, stepping out of the doorway onto the deck. “We had no idea this boat belonged to someone as esteemed as you. We were looking for a place to rest, and thought an uninhabited human’s boat would be ideal. I beg your forgiveness for our lack of decorum, and assure you we did no harm. If you will allow us, we will gather our belongings and be on our way.”
Turning to face Nikka, the vampire smiled, and bowed slightly. He nodded at Amp, who had stepped out of the doorway, and moved to the side of Nikka, away from Robert, giving the three an even fighting area.
“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you, my Lady?” he said, acknowledging Nikka’s considerable age with his highest compliment. “How insufferable of me. My name is Alexander.”
As he introduced himself, he gave another, deeper bow to Nikka, and she noticed his fangs were back in place, the feeling of danger gone.
“Lord Alexander, my name is Nikka. My friends are Anne and Robert. It is an honor to meet you.”
Now that the formalities were out of the way, and it was understood nobody would die on the boat, there was a positive flow of energy in the air.
“Perhaps the three of you will join us below? I have to confess, you have my curiosity aroused. Perhaps you can give me a hint as to why you’re preparing to go to war…unless this is the latest fashion statement,” he laughed, checking the black camo and combat boots.
Turning, he gestured to the woman standing on the dock, a questioning expression on her face. “Becca, my dear, please come aboard, you’re missing out on the party,” he called to the woman. “Becca is my mate, so do not be alarmed. Becca, I’d like you to meet my new friends Nikka, Anne, and Robert.”
The woman gave the three a nervous smile, and Alexander
led them down the ladder, through the small kitchen, to a small but lovely living area.
“Please make yourselves comfortable,” the man graciously suggested. He looked at the four oversize canvas bags containing the weapons, but didn’t say anything about them.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Nikka said, sitting next to Amp on a black leather loveseat. “We don’t want to inconvenience you in any way.”
“A few questions, just to satisfy my inquisitiveness,” he started. “There is no inconvenience. You are welcome to stay right here until it is time for you to leave. Now, I’ll preface this by telling you it is my understanding the only vampires in this area are members of the Wilson coven.”
Nikka nodded her head. “I believe that is correct,” she said.
Smiling, Alexander continued.
“I make it a point, whenever I am in this area, to take a wide berth around that compound. I’ve never met the man, but I’ve been warned by several people I hold in high regard that Wilson is filth…an affliction to our race. He has been described as insane, a complete lunatic devoid of even a morsel of honor or morals. I always figured that someday, somebody would take it upon themselves to eradicate this scum. Now that my lecture on the local sewage problem is completed, what brings the three of you to Petersburg?”
His smile was charming, his manner easy to embrace, and Nikka knew without any doubt in her body this was an honorable vampire, one whom she could trust.
“Lord Alexander, my friends and I are here to collect a blood debt owed to Anne. We are prepared to use whatever means are available, and we are prepared to settle the debt in full.”
“Oh, Nikka, you’ve told me so much…and so very little. Are you three strong enough to go against the full force of the Wilson clan?”
Kill Wilson (Petersburg Vampires) Page 19