Judge of the Damned (Vampire Storm, Book 1)

by Nick S. Thomas

  “Hey, Joe! How’s it going?”

  “Hey, Harriet, how’s life treating you?”

  “Great, busy tonight?”

  “As always, who’s this?”

  “This is Gary, guitarist in Bloodsnake, they’re playing tonight in the bar.”

  “Yeah I heard about that, you any good?”

  “I’ve been known to raise a few pulses,” said Bill.

  “Alright, go on through.”

  They opened the door, revealing a substantial sized elevator. They passed on through the two guards. Joe turned and stared as Harriet walked past. It was amazing how far good looks and a smile could get you. Bill smiled and Joe smiled back, only further entertaining Marshall. He was grinning at the misfortune that Joe’s employers were about to endure, it tickled him how oblivious the man was. The elevator door shut in front of them and Harriet hit the button to go up to the top floor where the lavish casino was located.

  “Alright, I got us this far, but once we get up there it’s a different matter. Rainer knows I have gone rogue, I have no idea how many people up there will know I am no longer part of his Coven, I can only get us so far.”

  “No worries, you do what you can. I’ll take over when it’s necessary.”

  It was a long way up to the top floor, but the lift was fast, even if it was a little utilitarian. The lift speaker pinged as it reached their floor and the doors slid open. A further two security guards stood before them.

  “Hey, boys,” said Harriet.

  “Evening, who’s your friend?”

  “This is Gary, he’s playing here tonight.”

  “What’s in the case?”

  “My guitar.”

  “Open it up.”

  “Come on, guys, I just said he’s playing tonight, you don’t want him to be late do you?”

  “Step aside, Harriet. Sir, open up the case!”

  Bill looked over to Harriet, giving a clear signal that he knew they had hit a barrier.

  “Sir, open the case!” shouted the guard.

  Bill looked up at the man who was just seconds from drawing his gun.

  “Ok, ok, man, I’m just here to play music.”

  He laid down the case on the ground and knelt down in front of it. He flicked the chrome catches up and slowly lifted the lid in front of the two guards. They crept ever closer, evidently suspicious. With their attention focused utterly on peering over the lid of the case, Bill’s right hand reached through his jacket and drew out his tranquiliser gun. Before the first man had even noticed he’d pulled the trigger, the dart hit the man in the neck, dropping him instantly.

  The second guard reached for his gun, but Harriet had already worked her way around him, not perceived as a threat by the guards. She struck down hard on the back of his head with the grip of her pistol, the guard immediately knocked unconscious. Bill threw the tranquiliser gun into the guitar case and quickly shut the lid. He looked across the hallways and could see a cloakroom.

  “Quickly, help me get them out of the way.”

  They each grabbed a guard and dragged them into the small dark storeroom. Marshall was surprised to see that Harriet manhandle the body with ease, she was stronger than she looked. She had also proven herself quite capable in a jam.

  “Listen to me, here is how this is going to play out. I want to cause the maximum disruption and damage as possible. We are not here to kill anyone. So, keep calm, give people the chance to get out, only fire if you are going to be fired on,” said Bill.

  “Alright.”

  Marshall grabbed his case and they carried on through the doorway. The building was truly astonishing in its sheer size, lavish upholstery and luxurious design. Reaching the end of the corridor, they got to a doorway that was shut, but not locked.

  “It’s a service door into the main gambling room,” said Harriet.

  He threw the case down to the ground and popped it open, ripping the machine gun out. He slammed in a box magazine, lifted up the feed tray and fed the belt through, slamming it back down and cocking the weapon. He picked up the second magazine and clipped it onto his belt with the clasp he had fitted to the body.

  “Alright, you ready?” asked Bill.

  “Yeah.”

  “Follow my lead.”

  Bill lowered the gun so that it hung by his side, largely obscured by his long coat. He opened the door and stepped through into the massive room. The carpets were a deep blood red and gambling tables ran for almost as far as he could see. Exuberant chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The casino was a decadent place, dripping with money leeched from the patrons’ purses, whether legitimately or not.

  Looking around, the men were in fine suits and the women in expensive dresses. He stood out the moment he walked through the door, but those that did turn their eyes from the tables, were so surprised by his rough image that they completely missed the gun hanging subtly by his side.

  “Watch my back at all times,” said Bill.

  He stormed towards the centre of the massive room, passing many tables. Towards the back of the room, he could see a large curtained off area. it was where the ghouls drank the blood of the humans they paid and housed like prostitutes in a brothel.

  Marshall knew that weapons were not permitted in the building, so he would only have to worry about guards and the few Vampires who may be allowed to forgo the rules. He lifted his weapon into both hands as he stopped, though few even noticed, too embroiled in the passion of the games.

  Holding the barrel up to the ceiling, he held the trigger. The machine gun rattled off with its distinctive and rapid rate of fire, echoing loudly around the room. Silence fell among the punters, all quickly turning their attention to Marshall.

  “Everyone out, now!” shouted Bill.

  Harriet stood at his back with her pistol drawn and clasped in both hands. She was undoubtedly competent in handling it. The crowd was silent for a few seconds, completely unsure of how to respond to such an intimidating entrance.

  “Get the fuck out!” Bill shouted.

  Several people jumped and flinched at the second command, starting to move. Panic erupted with screams as people ran in fear, not knowing whether Marshall meant them harm or not. Looking towards the main door, he could already see that two guards with handguns drawn were fighting their way through the crowd.

  He had no desire to hurt humans, but if they were standing in the way of justice, they would pay the price. Knowing he could not reason with the armed men in this situation, he shouldered the weapon and aimed carefully at the two guards. He fired two shots into the first who instantly dropped to the ground. Seeing his comrade fall, the other guards stopped and took aim firing a single shot, missing Bill, who immediately turned his weapon against him.

  Before the second guard’s body had fallen, Bill was already storming towards the blood bar. As he approached he could see a curtain twitch as someone, or something looked out at him, before quickly moving back. The blood bar was a private closed off area with thick curtains hiding the foul bloodletting which went on inside.

  Marshall pulled a flashbang from his belt, ripped the pin out from his teeth and threw it through a gap in one of the curtains. The grenade went off, the white flash breaking through the few visible gaps. He ripped back one of the curtains and lifted his weapon as he entered. There were four human blood slaves writhing about in a dazed fashion.

  There was only one Vampire, evident from the teeth protruding from his mouth, the natural response of being threatened. His hands were over his eyes, which were burning from the burst of light. There were other Vampires in there, but they had run along with the other patrons of the casino.

  “What do you want?” shouted the Vampire.

  Marshall pulled its arms down. He recognised the creature instantly, one of Rainer’s Coven from the night of the massacre. He was still blinded so could not make out the face of his attacker.

  “You’re going to deliver a message to Rainer for me!” shouted Bill.


  “Okay, okay, anything!”

  Marshall put the gun down to the floor and drew out his silver bladed knife. He thrust the long symmetrical and acutely tapered blade though the Vampire’s throat. The villain gasped from the wound, the lack of air and the pain which silver induced in him. Marshall took hold of his head, the man’s hands desperately trying to stop him. He twisted the knife around his head like clockwork, completely cutting his head from his body.

  Blood poured out from the severed head and down the shirt of the body it was removed from. Harriet’s face tightened at the sight of such raw butchery. She was strong-stomached, but came close to throwing up.

  “You can kill them that way?” she asked.

  “Decapitation kills anything, surely you know that?”

  She shrugged her shoulders, it had not occurred to her.

  The curtain behind them suddenly ripped back, a Vampire stood before them, his fangs wide and hissing. Harriet quickly lifted her pistol and fired three shots into his chest. He winched in pain and dropped to one knee, but quickly stood back up, fighting through the pain.

  Marshall drew his Mateba and fired a single shot directly at the skull, knocking the creature unconscious. He quickly ran up to the Vampire who was lying flat out on the floor. He drew out his wooden stake and drove it into its heart.

  “Silver bullets don’t kill them. I thought you would know this stuff?”

  “Why? Because I am a Vampire?

  “Yeah!”

  “Well they never taught me how to kill one!”

  “Silver is pure, it hurts them, and a silver bullet to the head can incapacitate them for a short while, but only decapitation, a wooden stake through the heart or fire will do the trick. And exposure to the sun, of course!”

  “Good to know, what now?”

  Marshall pulled out his Zippo lighter from his jacket and struck it alight. He held it up against the nearest curtain that quickly caught the flame. He walked around the room, lighting everything flammable in sight. In less than a minute, the flames had spread to the ceiling and walls and were leaping across the room.

  “You know this means war?” said Harriet.

  “They’ve already started a war. I’m just taking the fight to them!”

  “Alright, let’s get out of here!”

  Marshall grabbed the machine gun up from the floor and ran on towards the service elevator. The fire alarms were going and the sprinkler systems had kicked in, but it was too late, the flames were spreading wildly. As they ran down the corridor, the elevator they had come up in pinged as it reached their floor. The doors opened, revealing eight heavily armed guards.

  Before any of them could raise their weapons, Marshall opened fire on full auto, the lift was peppered with rounds. Marshall did not stop firing until all the bodies hit the ground, having expended over sixty rounds. The bodies slumped, all of the men lying dead, all were human.

  “I never wanted to fight my own people, but if they choose to work for murdering monsters, there is little I can do to save them,” said Bill.

  The two clambered into the lift, having to walk over the bodies and step into pools of blood. The sight of the fresh and warm blood, made Harriet’s fangs shoot out from her mouth, her instincts were overcoming her. She felt a shrill of excitement that she could not control. She covered her mouth from Bill, as she was ashamed. He looked at her, knowing exactly what she was going through.

  “Those feelings, you can learn to control them,” he said.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because they are impulses, like any human has, you can learn to control yourself.”

  She lowered her hands, revealing her fangs. She looked disappointed as Bill hit the elevator button to take them to the ground floor. She looked up to the ceiling, trying to ignore the sight of fresh blood. Eventually her fangs slipped back behind her lips. She leant against the wall of the elevator, adrenaline still flowing about her body, combined with the lust for blood that was slowly easing.

  “I hate that this happens to me, I never asked for it!” she shouted.

  Her eyes swelled, she was trying to cry, but no tears would come, it was not possible because of what she had become.

  “Why do I still feel human? Why do I hate what I have become? Why do no others get this way?”

  “I honestly don’t know. It is as if you have become a Vampire by nature, but maintained the heart of a human, it’s a good thing.”

  “I don’t want to keep living like this!”

  “You don’t want to see some revenge for what was done to you?”

  “Yes, of course I do!”

  “Then keep going, keep helping me, we will make those sons of bitches pay.”

  The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened before them. A number of the kitchen staff ran past trying to reach the door where they had first come into the building. They could already hear sirens in the distance, they would not have long to escape.

  Despite being right morally, they both knew that the law would have to do everything in its power to stop them. They ran for the door, the staff not fearing them, for they had no reason to think they were the cause of the emergency.

  Marshall was leading Harriet by her hand, still holding the M249 in his other. They stepped through into the night, the two guards being nowhere in sight, likely having gone into the hotel to do what they could. They walked down the alleyway and to the street where they had left their bikes, the last of the staff had already made it out onto the main street.

  A car siren got ever louder, until Marshall realised that it was a police cruiser pulling into the street. It turned slightly to block off the entrance. The loudhailer on the side of the vehicle suddenly bellowed.

  “You two! Stay where you are and drop your weapons!”

  Bill looked at Harriet, it was an uncomfortable situation to be in. He had never wanted to harm any law enforcement officers, as the majority were decent people. He lifted his machine gun to his shoulder and opened fire, carefully choosing his targets. He blew out their tyres and put several rounds through the radiator. He could see the cruiser’s suspension shake as the two men crept out the side doors on the opposing side. He kept firing, blowing out much of the glass.

  Throwing down the M249 they ran to their bikes. As quickly as they were on them the engines were started and their rear tyres squealing. As they tore off down the narrow street, several shots rang out from the officers’ handguns. Bill felt a sharp pain impact on his rear shoulder blade, he knew he had been hit, but the small pistol bullet had not penetrated his vest.

  “Damn it, they’re shooting the wrong people,” Bill shouted.

  “Well they don’t know that, you didn’t exactly give them a reason not to.”

  “Yeah I guess.”

  They hit the open road and opened up, getting a long way from the scene of destruction before any other services could get any kind of lead on them. Harriet stopped two miles down the road and looked back at the centre of the city towards the massive hotel building. A smoke plume arose into the sky as sirens echoed in the distance.

  “That what you had in mind?” asked Harriet.

  “It certainly made the right statement.”

  “They are going to be after blood when the dust settles.”

  “So am I. Come on, let’s hit Murphy’s.”

  The two riders headed on back towards the bar that was becoming ever more familiar to them. It had been a risky strategy that night, far from the well-organised plans Bill was usually accustomed to. However, perhaps that was the way, do not give the enemy time to think or plan, just hit them hard.

  They parked their bikes up at the bar and stepped inside, occupying the same corner table they had the night before.

  “You want a beer?” asked Bill.

  “Yeah sure.”

  Bill walked across to the bar. He was feeling pleasantly content with himself.

  “That’s a nice bike you’re riding,” said the barman.

&n
bsp; “Thanks, it was a gift.”

  “One hell of a gift.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “I’m Mitch, I own the place.”

  He offered out his hand and Bill took the friendly gesture.

  “Bill.”

  “What can I get you?”

  “Couple of beers.”

  The man got two glasses down from the rack and began pouring them.

  “Haven’t seen you round here before.”

  “I’m working in the area for a while.”

  “What do you do?”

  “This and that.”

  “How’s that going for you?”

  Bill looked up at the man, he had a wide grin on his face, he could already tell that he was a decent guy.

  “It has its ups and downs, today’s been a good day.”

  “I should think so, and with a lady friend like that, you’re a lucky man.”

  Bill looked over to his newfound colleague. She was staring at him as he looked over to her. She was utterly trusting and at his whim. He could still not understand why she was so, human. She smiled at him as he looked at her. Bill turned back and put a note down on the bar, picking up his beers.

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, no problem.” said Mitch.

  Bill walked over to the table where Harriet sat, he gave her one of the glasses and they clashed them together.

  “It’s a good first day,” said Harriet.

  “Yes, it will have hurt Rainer hard. He will look like an idiot for having let this happen, he will want retribution, and quickly. We just used up our element of surprise.”

  “I guess, what’s our next move?”

  “Keep hunting Rainer’s Coven, eventually we’ll find him and deal with him, or he’ll find us first.”

  “When he’s dead, what then? What will you do?” she asked.

  “Honestly, it’s enough of a mountain to climb for now. I’ll worry about that if I survive it.”

  The two sat back in their chairs and drunk their beers quietly for a while, until Bill finally looked up at her as she drank.

  “So you can drink beer, huh?” he asked.