Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife)

by Robles, Joyce

  When she was up the stairs she locked her doors and found that despite the fact that she’d never driven her car home it was in the driveway, her cousin was a Godsend. Before she put the car into drive she paused long enough to tell Tom exactly what she was up to. She wasn’t taking any chances with this, not if he could get there first, although that may or may not be an event she would regret. She didn’t think he’d just shoot them, but she hadn’t expected him to do it to Triple-F and Sam either. She would do anything if it meant it gave her people a better chance of survival. And he was probably less then a mile away from her people considering they were likely in the sewer systems directly below him, just like Ethan had suggested. She could only hope that none of the previously known as vampire, currently revenants came knocking on that door Marcia was behind, or they were dead.

  She hated to admit that it was true, but she really wished that the vampire could walk around during the day because she could really use his speed about now. Every single second of the drive there was torture, every single one of those seconds was just another opportunity for her to fail someone yet again. She could not lose these two, she would not, they were the last of what was left of her team, losing them would be like losing herself, for the second time in her life she would have lost everything. At least now she had a finger to point at someone, Ada, had taken her entire family from her on a whim, and she was doing it again.

  She probably broke every speed limit there was reaching where she needed to be, and then having little choice she called Zip. "I need you to pull up some sewer schematics," she ordered without so much as an introduction. She rattled off the location, "I need you to find me a section that has a metal door and I need you to find it for me fast." He didn’t ask for explanations, she really loved how efficient the kid was.

  After a pause, which she spent speeding around several corners, Zip broke the silence. "I’m pretty sure I found what you’re looking for, I’m sending the schematic to your phone."

  "Thanks Kid," she hung up and slammed on the brakes a few blocks from the mall. She was not going to try and get in that way. She had neither the time nor the constitution to deal with any kind of fuss Tom would put up. Jumping out of the car she opened the trunk grabbed a crowbar that was stashed in there and slammed it back closed. Instead of sliding down the drain, which wasn’t likely to be easy with all the hardware she had sticking out she made her way to the nearest manhole and used the crowbar to pry it open. A waft of stench that smelled a lot more like death then sewage came out as soon as the lid was up. She had no idea what she was jumping into on her own, no idea how many she’d be up against, or what kind and still she didn’t hesitate. She all but jumped down the hole in her haste to get to her friends, stopping to pull the manhole above slightly closed. While she didn’t want anything getting out that way she certainly wouldn’t mind having an easy way back out either. As soon as she was down she thought back to the schematic that Zip had sent her and did her best to head in the direction of the mall. If she was lucky Malcolm and Marcia wouldn’t be far, if she was really lucky they’d both stayed quiet and the revenants had wandered off. She didn’t dream for a second that she was that lucky but a girl could hope. Hooking the crowbar to her belt and bringing the Remington into her grasp she started forward, not bothering to try for stealth. One reason being she was tromping through water, it was not easy to stay silent in it to begin with, and the second reason was if she could draw these things to her there were less likely to be as many blocking her people in.

  She made it only a few feet before a blood drenched figure came stumbling out of the dark, she didn’t hesitate to shoot, it’s head exploding in a shower of red. That was a good deal of noise and she imagined if she was close to where her friends were, more of these things wouldn’t be far behind. Considering her initial reaction to the revenants she was being surprisingly calm now, given she was currently down in a dark hole possibly surrounded by them. Her instincts when it came to fight or flight had always been heavily grounded in fight until she’d come across revenants, admittedly for the second time in her life. But it looked like she was past her need for flight now, back in her own skin, at least for the most part. She was somewhat surprised when she made it several more yards and nothing came at her, but she could hear the clanging of weight against metal now. It was encouraging at least in the sense that it meant there was still a door between her people and the monsters outside, it was irritating in a sense that it meant likely Marcia hadn’t been able to stay quiet.

  "Damn," Jennifer practically leapt around a dark corner, her night vision was exceptional but this was probably darker then anything she was used to, if there hadn’t been a flashlight lying on the ground she barely would have been able to make out the frantic figures in front of her that were ramming all their weight into the object in front of them. She could barely make out the noise drawing them but she was pretty certain it was the sound of a woman crying, it had to be Marcia, either that or Malcolm had taken up crying like a woman. "Hey," Jennifer hollered louder then was strictly necessary so she could be heard over the crying and the banging. The flashlight at the revenants feet skittered to one side as the one closest to the door froze, turning a stiff body to face her. The light hit it straight in the face but it’s milky eyes were unaffected, it simply starred at its new prey with it’s mouth hanging open.

  ‘Since you’re where you need to be it might be wise to switch back to stealth now.’

  Jennifer grimaced, but did look down at the Remington in her hands, it hadn’t brought these to her but she supposed since she was soon going to be a party of three with two being potentially all but useless she should try to avoid bringing hell down on them if she could. Irritated that Rou was back in her head when she’d been so happy to be rid of him she grudgingly put her rifle away and pulled the crowbar off her belt. This was not going to be easy, there were at least ten revenants in front of her, at least six of which were taller then her and two of which had more girth. If Rou really wanted to be helpful, whoever or where ever he was he could hall his ass down here, that was what would be truly helpful at the moment.

  ‘None of these are Vampire-revenants if that’s helpful at all?’

  "Screw you," she didn’t have time for more, the first one stumbled up to her all gnashing teeth and long limbs, just another advantage taller people got. Doing her best not to panic Jennifer kicked a knee cap hard enough to send the joint popping back in the opposite direction. Not that the revenant cared, even while it came falling it kept snapping its teeth in hopes of hooking onto some piece of her while it fell. She jammed the crowbar into it’s eye, hard enough on the first try that it stopped moving but also hard enough that it was jammed into the socket. She didn’t hesitate, simply put her foot on it’s face and pulled the bar free. The second one she didn’t even get time to see it was on her that quick, she slammed the crowbar up through the chin, knowing she’d hit her mark when it’s handhold on her shirt fell limb and it hit the ground. She pulled the Bowie knife somewhere in the interim, killing another and another, so quick that she barely had time to glance at them. She took in quick details as she planted the knife or crowbar through eyes, ear canals or mouths. One of the revenants lower mandible had been torn away so she shoved the knife through the soft pallet, another the eye hanging limp and deflated from the socket, which she promptly shoved the crowbar through. Each had something missing, limbs, organs or chunks of flesh. They were on her faster then she would have imagined, so quickly that she barely felt the motions, slashing and kicking, pulling her weapons free from skulls just to plant them in another. She was down to the last, pulling the crowbar from an ear canal when it came up on her. Jennifer lashed out with her foot kicking it back and hit fat in such large quantities that she felt it shift under her foot when she struck, and it barely fell back. When she prepared to reach up and strike at it’s head she paused again, it was not that much taller then her but at the same time it was so large in circumference she
didn’t think she would reach it’s head without climbing on it..

  "You’ve got to be kidding me," she kicked out at it’s knees and wished instantly that she hadn’t as all it’s girth immediately began to fall in her direction. She barely dodged it’s massive torso let alone it’s flailing pudgy digits and she was more then a little disgusted when she landed back in a pool of filth water that was lined with blood. As if that wasn’t bad enough instead of making any effort to get up in any way it seemed to think that it could use it’s teeth to drag itself toward her. Shaking her head she got up, sheathed the Bowie knife, hung the crowbar from her belt and slammed the heel of her foot down on the revenants head. When that didn’t work the first time, probably because even it’s upper skull seemed to have a layer of fat around it she slammed her foot down repeatedly, each time with more force until the bulbous torso stopped twitching. When that was done she pulled the Remington back from its place on her back and made her way to that sealed door. When she reached it she knocked because if they were still armed it seemed like a stupid idea to simply attempt opening the door.

  "Jennifer," she heard Malcolm ask from behind the metal grating.

  "Well it’s not the pizza boy," she could have just said yes but given both his and Marcia’s idiocy she wasn’t sure they deserved one.

  "Thank God," the door creaked open much loader then Jennifer would have liked, before she could react she was in a bear hug that had the Remington digging painfully into her bruised and broken rib cage. When he pulled back he seemed to take note of all the nasty she was covered in, not that he could judge when he was in the same condition. "Are you alright?"

  "Fine, I was just about to ask you the same thing," he didn’t look injured and he even had his 9mm in hand, that was better then she’d expected. She waited and after a bit Marcia seemed to stumble out of the dark in a daze. "Hey, are you good," she was going to be rightly pissed if anyone here was bitten.

  "We’re good," Malcolm answered for them both.

  "No bites?" She hated to ask, but she figured one way or another Tom would find out and put a bullet to them if they were missing any chunks.

  "No," Malcolm answered the minute she asked, Marcia just stared at the bodies she’d put down and started shaking.

  "Marcia, hey," Jennifer took hold of the other woman’s arms and forced her to look at her, "were you bitten?" After a pause in which she hoped it was just the words sinking in Marcia shook her head.

  "Good that’s all I needed to know, follow me alright, Malcolm are you alright taking the rear?" He didn’t look like he particularly enjoyed the idea but he nodded anyway, "how are you on ammo?"

  "Put in a new clip right when we hid," Jennifer nodded but handed him the crowbar off her belt anyway, she would have given it to Marcia if she thought there was even a chance that the woman would use it. Right now she could tell that the she was in shock, she didn’t think there would be much self defense going on in that department.

  "Alright, let’s keep it tight, should be just a few yards to the exit, should take us straight to Tom." She still wasn’t sure if she should be concerned about that plan or not, she could only hope that he’d give her people the same consideration he’d given her. She consoled herself with the knowledge that if he tried to kill her people he’d have to get to them over her dead body, and if he managed to do so without killing her first he would be the first person on her hit list from now until forever. Before taking them forward Jennifer grabbed the flashlight off the ground and turned to Marcia. "Hold this," she didn’t imagine it would do anyone any good given Marcia’s hands were shaking and the minute she wrapped her fingers around the object she brought it tight to her chest but Jennifer at least hoped if worst came to worst the woman would have enough sense to bash something’s brains in with it. "Just a few more minutes Marcia and we’ll have you out of here." She nodded to Malcolm over the mediums head and he returned the gesture, they would both do their best to look after her.

  For some minutes they traveled through the dark, the sound of their footfalls almost a beacon to reveal their presence in the flowing sewage. Jennifer knew they were heading in the right direction when they suddenly hit a corridor with three doors. "Great," just what she needed right this minute a game of frickin’ double jeopardy. She stalled in front of the door at the far end, it was a dead end after that, one of these doors should lead into the lower levels of the building, for all she knew all of them did

  ‘Do not take that door.’

  The mysterious Rou warned as she turned the handle, normally he would have warned her sooner. The minute the handle was even half turned weight from the other side pounded it open, she released the handle but it was too late, her hands were back on the rifle the instant it was open. She fired off a shot, two but knew it was useless when revenants started pouring out liked they’d been packed into the space to the point of overflowing. "RUN!" Jennifer shoved Marcia back, Malcolm pushed her forward past him and when Jennifer made to hold her ground and give them time to retreat he grabbed Jennifer too. Forcing her to leave him at the rear even when she knew it was where she belonged. There was no time to argue over who should be where so Jennifer started walking backwards, firing the Remington and reloading. If it had been Manson with her they might have taken turns taking point and falling back but Malcolm either didn’t understand that tactic or refused to do it. Yet another draw back of working with someone who was very possibly in love with you, tactics went right out the window. "MALCOLM!" She fired off another shot when another one of the doors in the corridor flew open. She saw Tom before heard him call for her. "MALCOLM RUN!" Jennifer grabbed Marcia’s arm and forced her in front of her but halfway on their way down the pipe Marcia lost her footing and fell, Malcolm was pulling her back to her feet before Jennifer could.

  "Go, we’re right behind you," he shouted over the sounds of gnashing teeth, she was not going to move without them. But then Tom was beside her, dragging her to the door he’d come out of, she would have fought him if Malcolm and his own baggage hadn’t been right behind. "Faster," she heard Malcolm shout just as she was pushed through the door. She took a single second to let her eyes adjust to the light in the room she’d just been forced to enter before she turned back. Marcia came sprawling through the entry and some of Tom’s people pulled her into the room, Malcolm inches behind her.

  "MALCOLM!" Jennifer made to run for the door, tried to grab hold of his hand, he was just inside, when Tom imprisoned her with his arms around her waist. Malcolm was just inside, the light illuminating the terror on his face as hands emerging out of the darkness behind him, grabbing his hair, his clothing. One minute he was there with them, and the next he was gone, Jennifer tried to kick Tom off but he wouldn’t let go and she fell over with him on top of her back. The door slammed closed before she could move again, the sound of screaming and chewing pounding through her skull. "Let me go, Tom, let me go, get off me," he did lift himself off of her, even attempted to help her to her feet. She scrabble up on her own, smacking his hands back when he tried to reach for her. She made for the door again but he was in her way before she could grab the handle, "move." She was getting ready to shoot him to remove him from her path when she noticed red flowing out from under the door, past Tom’s boots. She took a step away from the blood as it seeped beneath the frame, the only sound coming from behind that barrier now were not human, no screaming, Malcolm was dead, she had failed him.

  Chapter 28

  There was no evident end to her failures, Tom had rambled on and on about some ‘thing’ that was supposed to be inside her. Something that had been powerful enough to take out revenants and still she was a failure, then and now. As a child everyone had been sacrificed, she’d lost everyone she’d loved but her cousin and a man that she’d once loved like a brother. And here she was again, all lost, her team was down to two people, and instead of finding someway to save what was left she’d done nothing. Malcolm was dead and that was on her, because not only should she nev
er have allowed him to take the rear, but she was capable of stopping this somehow and she hadn’t. He was dead and she could have stopped it, she’d saved Tom once, but for Malcolm there had been nothing. Maybe it had happened too fast, she could probably come up with more excuses if she tried but she didn’t want to. She was comfortable taking the blame, she was the person with the experience in the field and she’d let him cover their retreat, let him protect her.