The Guard

by Harri Aburrow-Newman

  Chapter 13

  Michael

  Beth strolled in as we were gearing up, already dressed in her Kevlar vest and dripping with knives. As well as her short swords, she had a bandolier of throwing knives across her chest and several more looped onto the back of her belt. Two thigh sheaths held wicked looking daggers, and I was willing to bet she had still more tucked into her boots.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

  “With you, clearly.” She gave me a hard look, daring me to try and send her away.

  “Combat specialist,” she pointed at herself, “remember? I’m bored of just sitting around or going on tedious recon patrols.”

  “What? You’ve been coming with us when we clear the nests!”

  “Oh yay,” she drawled, rolling her eyes, “hanging back and watching while you lot charge in and kill daylight-disorientated vampires. Night time is much more interesting,” she concluded, “so I’m coming. Besides, it’s been suspiciously quiet lately. They’re up to something. More than usual, I mean.”

  I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as nerves weighed even heavier on me at her words.

  “Fine,” I ground out, “but stay in the middle of the group and don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. No heroics!”

  She grinned brightly at me and snapped a cocky, sarcastic salute, clicking her heels together as she did. I shook my head and went back to checking over my kit while she wandered off, no doubt to wind someone else up.

  We made our way steadily down the wide street, unnaturally quiet, as most places in the city were nowadays, without talking. Only the rhythmic tramp of feet and shifting of heavy kit. Today’s recon patrol had highlighted this area as having several buildings with the front doors and windows bashed in, and old blood marked the tarmac in places. Rusty, brown stains that loaned the street a haunting, morbid air. We kept to a fairly loose formation, so that if there were any surprises we wouldn’t foul up each other’s aiming, but everyone was wary, and I knew that the adrenaline was high. Beth trotted in the middle of the group, a throwing knife in each palm in lieu of a gun. I drew in a slow, deep breath, seeking to calm my jittery nerves. The forward scouts skidded to a sudden halt with a shout, and all of us jerked our guns to our shoulders as the two vampires who had dropped from a building in front of us crept closer. They stood straight, and silently. I heard Beth swear, and then her voice came from just behind my right shoulder,

  “We need to back up. Now. Those look like third gens to me, and vampires do not travel in just pairs.”

  Another shout came from the rear guard, heralding the arrival of two vampires behind us. Beth groaned,

  “too late.”

  We’d walked into an ambush.

  “Where are they, where are they, where are they?”

  Beth muttered behind me. She went to say something else, but was drowned out as windows crashed all around and vampires launched themselves towards us.

  “FIRE AT WILL!”

  I hollered, then everything descended into chaos. Only one of the vampires was brought down in the initial volley, then they slammed into us on all sides, quickly fracturing our group and making it impossible to fire our weapons without risking hitting each other. I spun in a tight circle, doing a rapid count. Eight, now seven, vampires. A man screamed to my left and I flinched, swinging my gun towards the vampire dragging a handful of guts from the belly of one of my men, and drilled it with bullets. It staggered backwards, dropping the soldiers limp form and trying to throw itself towards me. It made it two steps before one of my bullets found its mark and it slumped to the ground, falling across the legs of the man it had eviscerated. The gun fire had mostly ceased now, soldiers discarding their guns and drawing swords, the vampires shrieking and spitting as they attacked. I ran forward to help a soldier fighting on his own, reaching him just as the vampire yanked his sword away and tore into his throat with its fangs. I let out a strangled yell as I engaged it, my comrade’s blood dripping down its chin. It threw the body to one side and advanced on me slowly, its head tilted to one side and it’s clawed fingers twitching. It hissed, baring razor-sharp, yellowing fangs and dived for me. I darted to one side, swinging my sword around as it did, feeling it judder in my hands as it dragged across the scales protecting the vampire’s torso.

  “Michael, watch your back!”

  Beth’s yell, heavy with warning, snapped my head around automatically. I glimpsed a vampire headed my way before being forced to face front again to deal with the one in front of me. It slashed its talons towards my face, and I lunged back, swiping at them with my sword. The vampire shrieked as two of its fingers hit the ground, and I risked another glance over my shoulder as it backed off a little, looking warily at me. Beth launched two throwing knives at the vampire coming towards me, a look of fierce concentration on her face. The vampire skidded to a halt and swung around, charging back towards Beth, who now stood her ground, drawing her short swords smoothly from their sheaths. Abruptly, I was snapped back to the task at hand as my own adversary rushed me again, this time managing to sweep my feet out from under me using one of its ragged wings. I hit the ground hard, my breath whooshing out of me in a grunt, and rolled to the side. The vampire’s talons struck the ground right where my head had just been, throwing dust into my face as its talons gouged the concrete. I rolled again and flipped myself back onto my feet, feeling my stomach muscles tear at the abuse. I winced and yanked my sword back up just in time to parry yet another swipe from the vampire. It continued flailing at me with its filthy, cracked talons and the one wing that wasn’t dragging uselessly on the ground behind it. I grasped my sword in my right hand and groped for my pistol, struggling to get it out left handed, while still wielding my sword well enough to avoid losing my head. A sickening crunch announced Beth’s arrival to help, as one of her throwing knives embedded itself into the vampire’s temple. It staggered sideways, shaking its head with a furious roar, then Beth was on it. It became immediately obvious that she had been holding back in training sessions – her dual wielding style created a flashing, deadly shield between her and the vampire, the blades moving like extensions of her arms. The vampires right hand hit the floor, the wet thud of its impact drowned out by the cacophony of the battle raging around us. In a flash, Beth reversed her grip on her left sword and shouldered the vampire against the wall, jamming the hilt of her left sword into its mouth to neutralise its fangs, then drove the other upwards at a sharp angle, sliding it neatly beneath the scales and into its chest. The vampire stiffened, and Beth jumped back, dragging her sword out of its chest in a fount of blood, to avoid the now dead weight of it falling onto her. She whipped her swords out to either wide of her, shaking off a spray of blood and gore, and curled her lip in disgust as she glanced at the wrecked, drool-covered leather of her left hilt. She sheathed it and yanked her throwing knife from the vampire’s head, gesturing with it towards where my men still fought the remaining three leeches.

  “Shall we?” she smirked, “or would you still rather I hang back?”

  I looked back to where the vampire she had been fighting lay, its head someway apart from the rest of it. I didn’t bother responding out loud, but muttered under my breath as I headed back into the fray; smart arse. She chuckled as she followed me, as if she knew what I’d said.

  I blew out a long breath as I surveyed the scene. The last of the vampires had been dispatched, and their stinking, rag-dressed corpses were now being dragged into a heap for burning. The bodies of our own men were laid out in a row away from the pyre, with jackets and shemaghs covering their faces and wounds. Still more men lay groaning or unconscious, the medic buzzing around them, trying to keep them as comfortable as possible until the transports arrived to get them back to base. My radio crackled,

  “How’s it going? Transport ETA is five minutes.”

  Glen’s voice was distorted and scratchy, but I could still hear the concern in it, both for the men and for me.


  “Five dead now, six injured. Two seriously. Are the medics at the hospital ready for incoming?”

  “Of course. Don’t worry about what’s going on here. I got it.”

  “Cheers, Glen. Keep me updated when they get back, those of us who are unhurt will be a little longer getting this cleaned up.”

  “Right. Take care of yourselves, over and out.”

  I released my radio, letting it thump back to rest against my chest, and went back to surveying the carnage, feeling my face take on a grimmer and grimmer expression. Beth noticed me scowling and sloped over, toying with the loose wrapping on her sword’s hilt.

  “Are you OK?” she asked quietly, looking up at me with a worried look.

  A hollow laugh escaped me, scraping my throat.

  “No.” I said shortly, “why on earth would I be?”

  Beth grimaced,

  “Sorry. That was… a stupid question. I just meant…” she faltered and pulled a face again.

  I sighed, “it’s alright. I know what you meant, and I’ll be fine, thanks.”

  She nodded slowly, not looking at all convinced, and opened her mouth to say something else, just as the transports peeled around the corner and raved towards us. I cut off Beth before she had a chance to say whatever words were on her tongue,

  “transport’s here. I need to go and help get the injured on them. Can you keep helping get the vampires’ corpses neutralised?”

  “Yes, sir.” She replied quietly, with a very uncharacteristic lack of sarcasm.

  We finally got back to base nearly two hours later, after ensuring that every part of every vampire’s corpse was burned or burning. We were all exhausted and grimy, and the trip back was a silent, mournful one. I dismissed everyone as soon as all the gear had been safely stowed and made my slow way back to my flat. Glen was already there, and handed me what looked like a triple measure of whiskey without a word. I flopped onto the sofa and downed it, wincing as it scorched its way down my already raw throat.

  “Shower and food or shower and bed?” Glen asked.

  “Shower and bed. Not sure I can stomach food just yet.”

  “Alright,” Glen squinted at me, “you gonna be OK?”

  I huffed at him,

  “Of course I bloody will. This isn’t my first rodeo, you know.”

  “Well no shit,” he responded drily, “but seeing your men getting torn to ribbons by vampires is no normal rodeo.”

  I stared at incredulously.

  “That’s real nice, man.”

  “Just saying it how it is. I’m going to go and open the pub and check on the other folks. You call me if you need anything.”

  “Sure. Thanks, Glen.”

  He headed out of the door without further stalling, going to make sure that everyone else who was out tonight was settled and dealing with the deaths in their own way. It had always been his unofficial role when under my command, and it was one he took on gladly. I dragged myself off of the sofa, my stomach muscles sharply protesting at the movement, and sauntered towards the shower, taking a detour via the kitchen to get another triple measure of whiskey. The deaths of my soldiers had rattled me more than I had let on to Glen, sending me flashing back to when almost my entire unit had been butchered. War was bloody and inhumane. Horrendous. Always. But this one was on another level entirely. No modern warfare could ever prepare you for seeing comrades torn limb-from-limb, or eviscerated or beheaded by venom-spitting vampires. It was straight out of a horror film or a nightmare, and I found myself shocked, again and again, at the level of primal, instinctive fear that rose like bile in my throat whenever I was faced with it. I knew that it wasn’t just me, that it was just a natural response that every one of us was feeling, but I also thought that I should be above it. To command this unit properly, and to weather more deaths without succumbing to madness, I was going to have to find a way to squash the fear. I just wasn’t sure how.

  Chapter 14

  Beth

  Black coffee. With lots of sugar and whiskey. I sunk into an armchair in one corner of the base’s tiny excuse for a pub, which Glen had let myself and several other soldiers into before disappearing to check on those who had gone home, and let the powerful-tasting liquid overwhelm the foul taste and smell still lingering on my senses. The few soldiers who had come in with me had immediately done several shots of what I assumed was the strongest spirit they could find, giving their hissing and hacking response to it, and were now gathered around a low table with pints of beer, talking quietly or staring into space. I closed my eyes, inhaling the alcohol-tainted steam from my coffee, and let my guard drop slightly. A stab of pain, stronger than ever, pierced my temples, but I ignored it, letting the surface feelings and thoughts of the men drift over me. Shock, grief, anger… but also a business-like acceptance. So far, so expected. And nothing like what I had gleaned from Michael, who had been broadcasting his feelings so loudly that I had picked up on them even with my mental shields firmly in place. The men in here felt like I imagined soldiers should. There was fear, certainly, but no human, no matter how well trained, could face the ferals without fear. But Michael’s fear and guilt had almost overwhelmed him on the ride home. None of it showed on his face, but he clearly wasn’t fully recovered from what happened to his unit before I met him, and the deaths today, the first in his new command, had clearly brought it raging back home just how fragile his men were. I scowled and snapped my shields back into place. Fragile, I scoffed to myself. Let’s not use that word out loud to any of the soldiers, and especially not to Michael or Glen. Another, sharper jolt of pain stabbed into my head, making the room dance around me, followed by a wave of nausea, the coffee I’d drunk churning in my stomach. I swallowed a groan, closing my eyes again to wait for it to pass. I would have to hunt soon; I was getting through blood faster than usual as my body frantically tried to heal the constantly occurring damage being done by the overstretched bond trying to tear me apart from the inside. I almost sagged with relief as the jarring pain eased slowly, taking another swig of coffee before opening my eyes again. I jerked back in my chair at the sight of Glen sat in the chair opposite me, my heart rate kicking up a notch.

  “Jeez, Glen! Did you have to creep up on me like that?”

  He smiled slightly, a quick tilt of his lips,

  “Sorry, I actually didn’t mean to creep. Just didn’t want to disturb you when you seemed to be miles away.”

  “Hm,” I huffed, “well. How is everyone anyway? How’s Michael?”

  Glen shrugged noncommittally,

  “Everyone’s as well as can be expected. This is war and soldiers die. It’s hellish, but it happens.”

  “Michael seemed… more troubled than that though…”

  I trailed off, watching him carefully for a reaction. He grimaced slightly, but didn’t try to hide it,

  “He’ll be fine, really. It always hits him hard when people under his command die. He’ll drink himself to sleep tonight and be back to business tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

  I nodded slowly, although remained unconvinced. Glen saw what Michael wanted him to see… and because I didn’t know what Michael had been like before, I didn’t know if the amount of fear in him really was normal. I shrugged it off and drained my coffee, setting the mug down on the table next to me and stretching my arms up above my head. Glen was still watching me carefully.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “Well, are you OK?”

  I cocked an eyebrow at him,

  “I’m fine. I was hanging around here to ask you about Michael, and now I’m going home to get properly clean and sleep.”

  “You’re welcome to use my place for a shower if you’d rather not be alone. A bit of company usually doesn’t go amiss after nights like tonight.”

  I sighed inwardly, having forgotten that I was supposed to be acting like an 18 year old girl.

  “I’ll be fine, Glen. Really. It’s actually not the first time I’ve seen shit like that. I think I’d ra
ther take Michael’s path; drink and sleep, than talk it out or sit in morbid silence with company.”

  He pulled a face,

  “Fair enough. Sorry, I forget that you’ve been doing this for a while too.”

  “I know. It’s because I’m so sweet and angelic isn’t it?” I smirked at him.

  “Yes,” his voice was heavily laced with sarcasm, “that is exactly it.”

  I smiled and got up to leave, squeezing his shoulder as I passed him,

  “Good night, Glen.”

  “Night, Beth.”

  I dragged myself back onto base the next day feeling spectacularly awful. I had drained the last of my store of blood and managed a few hours of sleep, but every muscle ached viciously and my head throbbed in time with my heart beat. The dead blood just wasn’t cutting it anymore. I swore to myself as I lit up a cigarette, heading towards the gym. Glen and Michael intercepted me before I could get there, looking sweaty and muscly in their tank tops.

  “Fuck me, Miller. You look a bit rough… late night?”

  Glen crowed at me and I glared back at him, not deigning to reply.

  “I wondered why you didn’t show up for our workout.”

  “Hm. I just wasn’t sure if I could stomach the sight of you without many clothes on, but alas, I didn’t even avoid that.”

  “Pff. Rude.”

  Michael sighed quietly, but didn’t bother with any of his usual mild rebukes. Glen gave a brief look, his eyes cautious, but addressed me again,

  “We’re going to get showered and changed. Meet us for breakfast in 20 minutes?”

  “Sure, sure.” I waved them off and continued on my way.

  I whiled away the twenty minutes on a bench outside the mess, nursing a mug of coffee and smoking too much. The guys arrived dead on time, as per usual, and we sauntered inside to claim a table. They tore into their full English breakfasts while I picked at a slightly anaemic-looking omelette, content to eat in silence for a while.