He hoped his brothers would catch up and assist, but he knew they would not be able to. They were a long way back and with a slower vehicle. The truck had a heavily uprated engine, but nothing that could keep up with his Harley and the Cadillac he now chased, he was on his own. Bill thundered on up the road after the car that already had a lead on him.
Thinking about how little equipment and support he now had, Bill was quickly realising that this was exactly the situation he had hoped to avoid. Capturing ghouls was a dangerous business, as not only did they present an immense danger, but killing one could result in unforeseen repercussions for the Church, as well as the Brotherhood. Bill was left with only what he carried on his belt, his Ruger, silver bladed Fairbairn Sykes knife and a single wooden stake, fitted horizontally on the back of his belt.
Within seconds, his bike had hit a hundred miles an hour, and he was all too aware of how vulnerable he was. The car screeched up ahead as it took a fast turn, heading for the highway. Bill raced on after his target with no regard for his own life. He knew just how dangerous this ghoul was, and he would not let the foul creature escape to hurt more innocent victims. He took the sharp bend on his bike, very narrowly missing the kerb of the sidewalk.
Going back to full throttle, Bill’s Harley thundered up the road, echoing around all the warehouses as he passed, and yet he was only making small progress in closing the gap against the monstrous power of the Cadillac. Fighting Vampires was getting ever more difficult when their sheer wealth allowed them access to such fast cars, high-end firearms and the ability to pay for protection.
The tyres of the Cadillac squealed and a smoke plume arose as the car slid to an almost halt. As the tyre smoke dissipated, Bill could see his the car had narrowly missed a passing truck on an intersection. The incident allowed him some much-needed time to catch up. By the time the car had got moving again he was within fifty yards and already had a lead on it. Rapidly approaching the car as the driver desperately floored the gas, he drew out his massive Ruger and quickly took aim at the back left tyre.
They had both reached well over a hundred by the time Bill pulled the trigger. The tyre burst with a loud crack and the car veered off wildly across the path of his bike. Hitting a kerb, it flipped onto its roof and spun. Bill pulled his brakes on and slid the bike to a halt, the rear end fishtailing as he did so. As quickly as it had come to a halt, Bill had leapt from the bike, revolver still in hand.
The street was again eerily quiet, only a low hissing sound from the smashed car could be heard. Bill ran towards the wreck. He reached the passenger side and knelt down to look in, it was empty. Quickly standing and turning, his arm was locked by the Vampire. Blood dripped from a wound in the ghoul’s head. He looked Hispanic in features, with a paler complexion.
Bill responded with a quick hook with his left, smashing the Vampire in the jaw, but it quickly bounced back, its teeth protruding from the mouth in anger. The creature twisted its lock in response, nearly breaking his wrist and causing his beloved Ruger to drop to the ground. Not waiting for a second strike, Bill forced his opponent back against the car and drove his knee into the creature’s stomach.
In one motion, he pulled his target upwards by the hair and drew his silver knife, thrusting it deep into the Vampire’s stomach. It let out a cry of agony, quickly interrupted by a strike to Bill’s face, knocking him back and leaving the dagger stuck in the creature’s body. The creature pulled the dagger from its stomach, screaming in pain. Looking at his own blood on the blade of the silver knife, the ghoul looked up at Bill, who had his hands up ready to fight.
“Why hunt me? I have done nothing to you!” shouted the Vampire.
“You are an abomination, and you will be held accountable for your deeds!”
“You hunt and kill the same as I, but because you do it on command you think you have the moral high ground?”
“I know I do!”
The Vampire bared its teeth in disgust and hate, gripping the dagger ready to attack. It rushed at Bill, he parried the thrust of the knife high, and twisted the creature around and locking its arm over his shoulder, clicking the joint out of its socket as the knife was released and clanged on the tarmac.
Bill spun back out from under the creature’s arm, but it leapt on him, forcing him to the ground. It reached in determined to bite into his neck, its jaw wide and ready to drive in deep. He fought desperately to hold the Vampire back. It was in this moment that he realised he had to forget everything but his own survival. As he barely held the Vampire by its throat, he pulled the wood stake from his side and stuck it into the Vampire’s chest at the point of its heart.
The creature let out a shrill scream, before Bill placed his hands on the coat of the Vampire and pulled it towards him, the blunt end of the stake resting on his body armour. He pulled the ghoul down the wood until it drove almost through its body and it finally went silent and still.
Bill threw the bloody corpse off to the tarmac beside him and got to his feet. He picked up his knife and handgun as he stared at the staked Vampire. Shaking his head at the situation, he was already imagining the hassle he would receive from the Bishop. The Brotherhood was fully authorised to hunt those vampires and humans who were considered dangerous to society.
The killing of humans employed by Vampires was largely ignored, neither race having much respect for them, but the death of a Vampire by a Brotherhood team was a serious concern. The Church was always clear that those suspected of crimes, no matter the evidence, must stand trial in a fair fashion. Bill had little respect for Vampires, but he upheld the rules as his duties required.
In the distance, he could yet again hear the rumbling sound of the truck approaching. As the vehicle pulled into view, Bill simply kept looking at the body of his victim, contemplating the consequences. His three brothers jumped out of the truck beside him.
“Damn, Bill, that could have gone better,” said Tommy.
“Yeah, and I could be dead, let us not forget that he was the enemy here.”
“What will the Bishop say?” asked Mason.
“Doesn’t matter. We cannot be held to account for the actions of murderers. We have just saved the lives of countless future victims.”
“Not sure the Vamps will see it that way,” said John.
“Get the body back to Kingston, we’ll write our reports tomorrow.”
“Alright, boss.”
Bill watched as they loaded the limp body through the door of the truck. He knew his superiors would grill him over the death. Deep down they all knew that the Vampires were evil and dangerous to the human race, some were just worse than others. A little part of him was proud of the kill, though he would never say it.
He looked around the dark street, lowly lit by the few streetlights that were still working. It was again a tranquil and eerie night. Bill walked over to his motorcycle and climbed on. As the engine roared to life he felt a relief that the hunt was over, and for whatever hassle he may get over it the next day, this night he could rest.
It was a long ride through the night to get home. The fresh crisp air made the experience a pleasant one. The nights were a lot quieter than they used to be. Since the general population discovered that Vampires truly existed, many avoided leaving their homes after dark. Darkness had long been a fear for many people, now they had a genuine reason.
When Bill finally pulled into the driveway of his home, it was halfway through the night and he was weary from the ride. The lights were off in his home, as he would expect. No matter how much his wife wanted to stay up to greet him, she would never manage it. Bill had married his wife when he was a protestant pastor.
A decade before the protestant church had seen a complete lack of authority and decisiveness in dealing with the existence and actions of Vampires within society. Becoming ever more disillusioned, with a church that was unable to show the leadership and authority he saw fit, Bill converted to Catholicism through the Ordinariate.
There were many asp
ects of the Church that Bill disagreed with, but fewer than his previous calling. As a convert he was also allowed to remain married, having done so before his oath to the priesthood. Bill Marshall and his wife Helen lived a pleasant life in the suburbs. Their two children, both girls, aged seven and nine attended the local Church school. Aside from Bill’s midnight exploits, in the service of the Brotherhood, their life was peaceful and many would even say idyllic.
To his neighbours, Bill was an eccentric priest and motorcycle enthusiast, few besides his wife and the Brotherhood knew of his life as a hunter and peacekeeper. The Church was keen to keep the identity of the members of the Brotherhood safe and secure, protected from the threat of Vampires, vigilantes, and prosecution by the State. In their line of work, the law was frequently a barrier to achieving their goals. As an organisation, their only law was that of the Church.
He parked up the bike alongside the Dodge truck he used as his family wagon. Bill had long given up putting his bike away safe inside the garage, he knew that nobody would dare touch it. Those who knew him wouldn’t, the neighbourhood looked after each other. He got a lot of satisfaction from his work, knowing he was doing everything in his power to protect humanity.
Despite this, Bill was beginning to feel the effects of his work. The night had been both a dangerous and exciting one, but many more he spent at a desk or pursing endless lines of investigation. When he had begun his work with the Brotherhood, it was in the belief that they were working towards the destruction of the Vampire race.
In fact, that had been the intention of the founding of the Holy Brotherhood. Few understood at the time quite how widespread the Vampires had become. Many of them had accumulated large wealth over the centuries, and much of the business around the globe was now controlled by their kind. It was well known, that many of the skyscrapers of the major cities were the offices and houses of Vampires and their Covens.
Chapter 2
Bill awoke to the sound of his alarm, a sound that forever plagued his life. With his duties in the Brotherhood is was rare that he got more than four hours sleep in a night, a fact which was taking a heavy toll on the priest. He awoke alone, the sounds of his daughters and wife having breakfast downstairs rang out, a further signal for him to get up, otherwise he would not see them until the evening.
Finally, Bill sat up in bed and forced his aching body to stand up. Many of his bruises had swollen, and he now hurt more than when he had laid down to rest in the night. He pulled on his robe and staggered downstairs to the kitchen.
“Say goodbye to Daddy!” Helen shouted.
His two daughters ran up to him, forcing him to kneel down to greet them, pressing on the bruises about his waist. He was clearly up too late to spend the morning with his family. His wife Helen worked as a teacher at the school where their daughters attended.
“Alright, go and wait in the car!” she shouted.
The girls ran out with the keys to the Dodge. Helen looked up and down at her husband, his injuries mostly hidden by his robe, but she could see him wince in pain as he stood back up.
“You look like hell, tough night?”
“Yeah, a successful one though.”
“You can’t go on like this forever, you won’t survive it, and what about the girls?”
“What about them?”
“They need their father!”
“The work I do keeps little girls like them safe! You think I like risking my life?”
“Then step down, let someone else take over!”
Bill turned and sighed in astonishment. He was tired and aching, all he had wanted was to sit down for a relaxing breakfast with his family. Helen had been against his second occupation ever since she discovered how dangerous it could be.
“Come on, I don’t need this right now.”
“When then? When you’re dead or crippled?”
“I’m not doing this right now, get to school, we’ll discuss this when you’re a little calmer.”
“You’re as asshole!”
Helen stormed out of the house. Bill walked to the window and watched as she slammed the door of the truck and pulled out of the drive, it was clear she was furious. He could not understand her logic, and neither did he want to. Bill knew his wife did not have a real understanding of the threats that existed to good people in the world. He was glad of it, it meant he had done his job, protected her from the threat and fear of the dangerous and unknown.
Finally, his pulse began to slow and he relaxed once more, the stress of his family’s worries leaving him as quickly as his wife had driven off. As he stood looking out at the street, Bill realised quite how hungry he was. Sleep was not the only thing he frequently lacked in his ever more demanding work.
Opening the fridge door, Bill rooted around until he found some bacon and eggs, a much needed pick me up to start the day. He had gotten half way through cooking when he heard the coarse sound of a big bike tearing down the street. Nobody but him, and his friends, rode cruisers in that neighbourhood. He looked out the window to see Tommy pull onto the driveway. Bill swung the door open and walked back to the cooker.
“Hey, Bill, how you feeling?”
“Few aches and pains nothing a little breakfast can’t help, whatcha doing here?”
“You took a bit of a beating last night, and the Bishop will be gunning for you this morning,”
“And?”
“and just wanted to check you were ok.”
“You know that ghoul was trying to kill me?” said Bill.
“Yes, I know that, but how’s it going to look to the Vamps? One of them is dead, none of ours, looks a little heavy handed don’t you think?”
“You saw what the bastard did!”
“No, we found a victim, which we have not yet directly connected to the Vamp you killed. Then we have a dead Vamp who was unarmed.”
“He ran from a crime scene.”
“Doesn’t mean he killed our victim, you should know this by now. The pact requires us to act impartially and fair at all times.”
“Screw the pact, that bastard was torturing and killing humans, maybe the Church doesn’t have the balls to get the job done, but I do!”
“We are not judge and executioner, Bill.”
“More’s the pity.”
“It’s this kind of talk which will land you in serious trouble with both sides. You need to get your story straight and be very sure about it being self-defence.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Well good, because without any witnesses to corroborate your story, and this gung ho attitude, we are going to have a hard time convincing the Lords you were in the right.”
Bill threw his breakfast on the plate and sat down at the table. He was shaking his head in astonishment and disbelief at how it could even be implied that he was the aggressor.
“You know I did the right thing,” said Bill.
“Of course I do, we all do, but it isn’t about knowing it, but proving it.”
“I’ll head to Kingston, see if I can straighten things out with the Bishop.”
“I’d do it fast, get your story across before the Vamps descend on your ass.”
“Alright.”
Bill got up, leaving half his breakfast on the plate before him. He quickly walked upstairs and pulled on his black combats and jumper, his white collar visible as always. He rushed back downstairs and grabbed his coat from the rack, leaving his Ruger hanging. During the day he liked to present as peaceful and relaxed an image as possible, it was as important for his family as his parish.
“Let’s move,” he said.
The two men walked out to their bikes and pulled on their helmets, adorned with silver crosses on their sides. The human population had flocked to the Church after the existence of Vampires became widespread knowledge. Despite the mass hysteria dying down, the belief and support in faith and religion remained strong. Being on the duty of the Church afforded them many privileges and assistance in their work.
&nbs
p; They fired up their Harleys and pulled out onto the road, the deep rumble of their bikes growling as they trundled on down the street. They were heading for Kingston, the home and base of Bishop Williams. The Bishop controlled the actions of the Brotherhood across the State. The building was a big old mansion from the early twentieth century. It was clearly worth a fortune, but Bill had never questioned who paid for it, or the upkeep.
Kingston was a good way out of the city, with sizeable grounds around it. The Bishop did not like being amongst the business centre of the city, so much of which was populated with Vampires. The gates to Kingston were guarded at all times by men who appeared to present a friendly image, but were always carrying hardware. The two men drew back the gates as the bikes approached, quickly recognising the familiar faces of the Brotherhood.
Bill and his colleagues always wore open-faced helmets when riding their motorcycles, for one purpose only. It was not unknown for Vampires to gear up with enough UV protection that they could travel small amounts in the day, and biker gear was an ideal mask for such a thing. The open-faced helmets made it clear to all that they were human.
The Bishop’s house was always an imposing sight, even more on this day when Bill knew the complications they would be facing. The two men rode up to the entrance of the huge mansion and parked up their bikes. Neither was looking forward to the grilling they were about to receive, though Tommy was glad to not be taking the brunt of it.
The doors of Kingston opened and Bradley met them, the Bishop’s secretary. He was a harmless and simple man on the surface, one who appeared to exist only to serve the basic duties his official job title required. The reality was that he acted as a key advisor to the Bishop, and that made him a powerful figure in the area.
“Come in, Gentleman! The Bishop awaits you.”
They walked through into the building. A dozen people were passing through the lobby about important business, most quite flustered. It was clear that something major was going on.
“What’s going on around here?” asked Bill.
Judge of the Damned (Vampire Storm, Book 1) Page 2