“What’s wrong, Janice?” Mr. FreeCut asked.
I snapped out of my trance. “The blood comes from humans,” I said. “Do you know who or what humans are?”
The senator shook his head. “I have no idea.”
I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't bring myself to. “And are you absolutely certain about the portal?” I pressed. “Because if you’re lying, I’m going to find out from my secret messenger eventually.”
Before Mr. FreeCut had a chance to correct me, there was a knock at the door. I peered through the peep hole and caught my breath. Five threatening vampires wielding machete blades were bunched by the door, all of them with the haunting emblem of TriFang engraved on their foreheads. I recognized a few of the dicks who'd butchered Brett back at the park.
Shaking, I turned around. “Get the weapons,” I whispered. “TriFang is here!”
AMBUSH
I remained by the door as Brett and Mr. FreeCut dug into the kitchen cupboard that was stacked with weapons from the cache. They didn’t ask questions. Meanwhile, Senator Bloodhunt seemed confused as he took hold of a couple of stakes handed to him by Brett.
Clutching two of the stakes from my belt, I looked out through the peep hole again.
“They’re gone,” I whispered.
Brett was holding a stake gun in one hand and a silver blade in the other. Mr. FreeCut was also wielding a knife, together with a bottle of holy water.
“Where did they go?” Brett asked.
The strained silence was shattered by a loud bang coming from the rear of the house. A zinging sound followed. It was a sound I'd become very familiar with recently.
“Duck!” I screamed.
A stake fired down the hallway and rammed into the kitchen wall, barely missing Mr. FreeCut’s head.
Two vampires rushed into the kitchen, the first wielding two long blades, the second armed with a stake gun. The first invader swung a blade at Senator BloodHunt, cutting him on the arm. He was about to chop the arm right off when Mr. FreeCut chucked the bottle of holy water at him. This broke on impact, and the water burned through his chest like acid. I attempted to stab the invader in the heart with a stake, just in case the holy water didn’t finish him off completely, but I was violently smacked down onto the floor by the second vampire.
Grinning, he aimed his gun tight against my neck, puncturing the skin. Just as he was about to fire, I saw the glint of a steel blade swinging in Brett's hand. In one sweet movement he lopped the enemy's arm clean off just above the elbow. The limb and the gun both thumped onto the floor. Blood instantly gushed out of my attacker's ravaged stump. I mean REALLY gushed. No vampire could survive that much loss of blood. With time only for one horrified glance at his severed limb, he fell down dead beside it.
Shaking, I looked over at the other vampire; he was nothing but a gory mess. The holy water had burned right through his mid-section, effectively cutting him into two pieces.
We anticipated more invaders rushing in. But for now, all was quiet. Taking advantage of this, I tended to the senator's bleeding arm. Fortunately, the wound was superficial and the Bloodstop ointment sealed it up in no time at all.
“Are you sure you’re telling me everything?” I grilled him.
He was too traumatized to answer. Not that there was time to worry about that. The action restarted with the sound of glass shattering in one of the back rooms. This was followed by footfalls and whispering voices.
“Oh hell,” Mr. FreeCut griped.
With a stake gun in my hand, I charged down the hallway with Brett and Mr. FreeCut close behind. The voices stopped. Then we heard a peculiar spraying noise.
All of a sudden I couldn’t move any further. The smell of whatever they were spraying hit me like a bomb. A yellow mist, like a death gas, filtered out from my bedroom into the hallway. My skin began to turn green, a ghastly burning sensation invaded my mouth, and I could barely breathe.
I caught a glimpse of what was happening in my bedroom. Two vampires wearing gas masks were spraying garlic all over the room from a machine on wheels with a hose attached. They were contaminating everything.
Mr. FreeCut gagged. His skin was also turning a menacing green color. With all the energy he could muster, he pointed to the front door. “We….got….to….get….out!” he moaned.
Oh, Ernie! I quickly picked up the lovable skinless creature. He was heavier than I thought and his horn gouged painfully into my chest. I didn’t care. I had to save him!
We frantically dashed back down the hallway in the direction of the front door. Heavy footsteps followed us.
“SPRAY THEM!” a vampire shouted as we neared the living room.
I glanced back and saw the angry vamps coming after us, aiming their hoses. If they sprayed us, we were doomed. And if I died now, I guess it was my time to go. But I didn’t want to go.
Gasping, we reached the open front door. Brett, Senator BloodHunt, Mr. FreeCut and I all plowed through into the open air.
Outside, four masked vampires were standing in the front garden aiming stake guns directly at us. “Duck!” one of them hollered.
We all hit the grass, anticipating either a flying stake or a suffocating cloud of garlic at any moment. But neither happened. Instead, I heard the swish of stakes whizzing over our heads.
Looking behind me, I was astonished to see the stakes had scored direct hits on the evil hearts of our pursuers. I breathed a sigh of relief. They now lay lifeless on the porch, their deathly green skin encased in a coating of garlic that had leaked from the hoses draped over their decaying bodies.
I focused on the group of masked vampires that had rescued me yet again.
“Martin!” I yelled, releasing my hold on a flustered but fine Ernie. “Tell them who you are. Tell them what you know about TriFang.”
He didn’t answer, which infuriated me. I'd had enough. Enough lies. Enough confusion. Enough bull crap.
“Take off your mask,” I demanded. But he didn’t. He turned the other way.
“MARTIN!”
Losing control I ran forward, determined to yank his mask off. But his friends pulled me away and I stumbled over. With the help of a smoke bomb, all four of them then instantly vanished.
Tired and exasperated, I pulled up a chunk of grass and threw it in the air. “Why do they play this game with me?” I yelled at Mr. FreeCut and Brett who were helping me up. I noticed their faces were already returning to a more normal color.
“You could always sit this game out,” Senator BloodHunt suggested.
This only pissed me off even more. “No, I won’t,” I snapped.
“He’s just concerned for your safety, Janice,” Mr FreeCut chipped in. “And so am I.”
I was silenced with guilt. But that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“Now you know what you’re dealing with,” the senator said. “TriFang has been around for a long time, and its members are chosen most of all on their ability to keep the secrets they learn. Everything is based around the special blood you spoke of, which only TriFangers are allowed to drink. Their members are everywhere, secretly infecting almost every organization, club or group, whether they be good or bad, and regardless of what they contribute to society.”
He took a deep breath. “In fact, several members of our government are TriFangers.”
“Well, that’s another good reason not to back down then,” I said. “I ain’t gonna be taken advantage of.”
“In that case, you’re going to need all the help you can get,” the senator sniped.
Mr. FreeCut gazed sadly at his house. He took a few steps forward, but his skin suddenly started turning green and flaky again. He looked like he was close to fainting. We rushed over to help him and it hit us too - gut-wrenching garlic fumes, like bitter poison to the soul.
Brett and Senator BloodHunt pulled Mr. FreeCut back before it was too late. He coughed and gagged, but eventually his skin returned to normal.
It was then that Sena
tor BloodHunt delivered the bad news. “This house needs to be condemned. There is just too much garlic inside.”
Both Mr. FreeCut and I tried to argue with him. But when a strong breeze began to spread the garlic smell, it became clear that no vampire would be capable of cleaning and restoring our precious home.
A single tear fell from Mr. FreeCut’s right eye. All the memories...gone. The relaxing, enjoyable moments of sitting on a couch and watching a violent vampire flick...gone. In fact, everything that had been good was now gone, replaced only by the fear of homelessness.
Great! Just freakin great! It was all my fault. If I hadn't gotten involved with my stupid messenger and tangled with TriFang, Mr. FreeCut would never have lost his home. I'd brought the evil into his house. I was such a bitch.
The guilt continued to pile up on me as we sat on an uncomfortable bed in a gloomy and cold hotel room. Though not really alone, I felt totally isolated, even when Brett put his arm around me and Ernie licked my face with his cold tongue.
Trying to be optimistic, Mr. FreeCut told me it was not my fault. He could sense the dread inside of me. “Look,” he said. “Sometimes when bad things happen, you just need to get your mind off of them. You know the fireball tournament is tomorrow night, right? I'd love to see you competing in that.”
Oh, my gosh, he was right. How could I forget? The tournament! Yes! I was going to win and use the money to build Mr. FreeCut a mansion. Yes!
Brett noticed my sudden perkiness. “I’ve got to go practice, like now,” I said, smiling.
I called Kate. She said she’d be glad to meet up at the practice facility. I also tried to call Marsha and April, but got no answer. I hadn’t heard from them in days, which gave me a bad feeling.
“Let’s all go together,” Mr. FreeCut said. “It’s safer to travel in a group. Anyway, there's nothing I’d rather be doing than spending time with the people I love and watching my baby girl kick some bloody ass.”
We made it to the practice facility and practiced our hearts out, forgetting all about the damn trouble for a short while.
FIREBALL TOURNAMENT
The night I'd been waiting for was finally here.
Mr. FreeCut, Brett and I arrived at the sprawling fireball tournament parking lot. Bustling with cars of all types, it seemed like the whole of Vampire World was turning out for the occasion. I'd anticipated an incredible stadium rising above me, yet there was nothing - a sharp reminder that all the action would be taking place underground.
I gazed around, my excitement growing as I saw crowds of vampires descending.
“Looks like this is where we'll have to split up,” Mr. FreeCut said after arriving at an exceptionally wide and busy escalator. “Spectators enter on this one. Competitors go down on that one over there.”
He pointed to a smaller escalator not too far away that was far less busy.
I gave him one last hug before the games began. My attempt to win the tournament was no longer about me, money or prestige. It was about Mr. FreeCut. If I won, I’d be able to buy him a mansion. And the leftovers? Well, that could proudly go to me.
Brett and I went down the players' escalator. As we dropped, our eyes adjusted to the dramatic darkness.
The ride down felt like it was going to last forever. In some ways I was reminded of the descent into TriFang’s underground party. But this was so much better than being locked inside a car with Rob. I squeezed Brett’s hand, my mind flashing back to the awful things Rob had done to him. I hoped I’d get to play Rob and defeat his sour ass in front of the entire country.
We finally arrived and set off down a narrow hallway with a low ceiling. Soon, cheers from thousands of vampire spectators could be heard. I knew we must be getting near, though I was yet to catch a glimpse of what I anticipated was going to be a spectacular playing field.
Brett and I pulled out our vampire training cards and waited in a long line of players eager to begin pounding the ball. There was no official uniform. However, most of the contestants, including Brett and myself, wore comfortable scarlet tennis shoes, jeans and loose shirts. Some of the girls flaunted scantily tight clothing, I guess to show off their goods in front of the world.
After a long wait we met a vampire referee dressed in black. He carefully scanned our cards to make sure we were official players. Once he was satisfied, he handed Brett a blinking 3-D emerald skull pin. I was given a red one.
We were instructed to place the pins on our shirts to show which qualifying group we'd been placed in. I learned that the four qualifying champions then duked it out in the final showdown to win the ten thousand Carns.
We came to a long, black tunnel.
“This is it,” Brett said. “Let’s go.”
We dashed through the tunnel and emerged into....
The incredible view took my breath away. No matter what I might have been expecting, this surpassed it. The square-shaped, dungeon-like arena was absolutely massive, rising up perhaps fifty stories. Way, way above me, the blood-red ceiling was shrouded in a deep mist. Giant stalactite-like spikes hung down, while attached to a long chain was a colossal skull, probably the ugliest and at the same time coolest thing I’d ever seen in Vampire World. Illuminated scoreboards were attached to this.
The massive roar generated by tens of thousands of passionate vampires reverberated hard against my ears, scrambling my brain a little. And the amazing thing was, half the seats were still empty. It was hard to imagine what the full fury of the sound would be like when all of the thirsty vampires eventually left the blood concessions and returned to their seats.
Spread out before us were perhaps fifteen squares, all occupied with players fighting for their fireball tournament lives. They were smacking the ball around at lightning speed.
Amidst the player’s screams of triumph and heartbreak, I asked an official where Brett and I should report to. He checked our twinkling badges and directed us over to different playing areas. We gave each other a kiss for luck before parting.
Before I headed to my area, I spotted something quite impressive - the champion square. The glow-in-the-dark granite block sat high in the air thanks to a telescopic pole that jutted up from the floor. I gazed up at it, but couldn’t see its top. I assumed it was going to be pretty damn wild up there. That is, if I made it. And I must. I freaking must.
I stepped onto my first fireball square knowing I was going to kick ass. I could tell that these novice players were badly unprepared and no match for all the degrees of sweat and practice I'd put into preparing for this tournament. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about the square moving or freaky holographic images attacking me. Those challenges would come later.
As predicted, I kicked butt on the first round. The rapidly increasing crowd got behind me and began cheering me on as I took each player out. I smiled and waved confidently back to them, wanting to make a name for myself. The rows and rows of vertically stacked, screaming vampires were intimidating, but also vitalizing.
I got psyched up for one more round of this before moving on to the more daunting second level of competition.
In my next game I was forced to battle against someone very familiar - April. Dressed to impress, her beautiful hair and sparkling tats almost made me want to let her beat me. Obviously I couldn’t do that, but as a ref prepared to throw the fireball onto the main square I waved to her and she waved back. I knew she didn’t hate me any more, if she ever did. But I still had to beat her. I had to win.
The ball was pitched into the air and thrown in my direction. I slammed it across into the square of the girl on my right and got her out with ease. Then a burly young man knocked it over the bright flames back into my space. He hit it too slowly though, allowing me plenty of time to counter. I hammered it back at him with such speed that he didn't even see it coming and missed entirely.
Now it was just April and I knocking the ball back and forth over the flames. I didn’t want to get her out, but I was getting tired and very hot, so it was time
to release my full fury. After the tenth time of hitting it to her, I spiked it with extra force over the flames and into her square. She was too slow getting to the ball and only managed to nudge it with her hand. It rolled into the flames and burned to a crisp. The crowd roared.
“Good job,” April said.
Then, out of nowhere, she hit me with a dirty look that shocked the crap out of me. “How dare you go against TriFang?” she snapped. “How stupid of you.”
All I could do was smile. I didn’t know how else to react. Then I turned away and ran into Kate and Brett.
“I’m done,” Brett said. He hugged me. “Looks like it’s up to you, babe.”
Poor Kate wasn’t taking her elimination as easy as Brett and was crying. I tried to comfort her; I knew she had worked her ass off at practicing. I thought of April and realized I had one less friend thanks to TriFang. But I couldn’t let it get me down.
Kate eventually calmed down. At least she was still loyal.
“You go kick some ass,” she said. “And I’m sure you’ll share some of the prize money with me, right?”
I laughed. Of course I would. She was like my best friend. How could I not?
I was now prepared to move onto the rotating squares. But before I took flight, I had the misfortune to bump into Rob. He was dressed in a tight sleeveless leather vest designed to show off his muscles and hideous tats. He reeked of human blood.
“You’re doing better than I thought you would,” he said, smirking. “Enjoy it while you can, 'cos pretty soon I’m gonna be the one to ruin your little bloodsucking fantasy of winning.”
I slapped him with a dirty look, but he only laughed crazily. His special blood may have given him extra energy and a physical advantage, but I knew I was now a far more skillful player than that worm would ever be.
I did very well with the rising and falling platforms. My long hours of practice had made me used to their motions, unlike the other players who regularly tumbled off their squares whenever I pounded the ball into their space. Not only was I victorious in the first round, but the second as well. I had played myself right into the final.
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