"You're not used to being out in the country much are you?"
"Hell no. It scares the shit out of me."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I feel right at home out here. It's the city that scares the shit out of me."
"Good then you can take the wheel when Michael Myers steps out in front of the truck." They both laughed then.
The paved road transitioned harshly into gravel as they passed several barren corn fields. A red moon hung just over the horizon behind the skeletal branches of many dead trees, resembling a large bloody wound in the woods. The truck bounced along as a white cloud of dust rose around them.
"Why is it so quiet out here? Shouldn't there be like some dogs out here barking at us or some shit like that?"
Jonathan looked up from his map at the fields and the farm houses coming up along the right side of the road.
Dustin followed his gaze. "I haven't seen any lights since that truck stop right off the exit. Should we maybe turn around?"
"No, we're fine. It's probably just a bunch of abandoned land or something."
Chicken Pike Road looked exactly like Dustin expected it to when they found it. A small green road sign barely visible in the dark save for the reflective glow of their headlights. The road itself was more dirt than gravel and was surrounded by barren fields closed in by rusty old dilapidated fences made of chicken wire. It was also especially bumpy and filled with pot holes. But still aside from the gravelly road and the loud crashes the tires made when the truck drove over a big dip and slammed back up onto the road, the place was eerily quiet.
It was then that Dustin noticed a small yellow glow in the distance out Jonathan's window.
"Hey, what's that?" Dustin fought hard to keep his hands tight on the steering wheel even though they were sweating badly enough to slip right off. Jonathan looked for a long time, shielding his eyes up against the glass for a better view, but didn't speak.
"Dude, what the hell is that thing?" The time for hiding fear was over now. Toby started to wake and began rubbing his eyes.
"I don't know. Maybe a plane or somethin'?"
The yellow glow was growing quickly. At first it had looked like a tiny firefly far off in the distance, but now it was becoming steadily bigger and couldn't possibly be just a tiny insect. A dark outline, darker than the night sky followed underneath the eerie amber glow. A moment later the yellow light became clearer as it split into two. Before Dustin could put together the fact that they were eyes, the thing slammed into the Truck causing the tires to swerve against the metal of its frame and the next thing Dustin knew the vehicle was careening off the road and out into a field.
He fought hard to keep control of it, but whatever was out there was still ramming into the side of the truck, almost knocking it on its side. Jonathan was scrambling to get his crossbow out from his jacket and load it and Toby was holding onto the dash and breathing heavily.
"Hold on, man. I'm almost loaded up and ready to go. When I yell 'now' slam on the brakes and I'll take a shot at this fucker."
"Okay." Dustin gripped the steering wheel tightly and kept the gas steady. He hoped that whatever Jonathan had planned would work and they could get out of there safely. But there was no way to know for sure. Jonathan locked the stake into place on the base of the crossbow and rolled down his window in a rush.
"Now!"
Dustin slammed on the brakes and the three of them jolted forward with the force of inertia and then Jonathan lunged his head and shoulders out the window. A moment later he fired the stake and then something fell from the sky with the most horrendous scream Dustin had ever heard. Whatever it was fell with a slap onto the ground.
There was a moment of complete and utter silence. Dustin reached for the shifter to put the truck in reverse when something hit them from the other side sending the truck spinning on its wheels until it faced the road again. Dustin didn't wait to find out if it was safe. The sight of the road was enough for him. He slammed on the gas and headed for the road.
The truck nearly ramped as it skidded up onto the dirt and gravel rocking side to side the whole way. As soon as all four tires were on the road, Dustin slammed the gas all the way to the floor. The truck roared to life blasting forward and sending a huge white cloud of gravel up behind them.
"That ought to give us some time," Dustin said.
Something collided with the top of the truck's cab denting the ceiling in several inches. Toby screamed. The truck began to swerve. Whatever it was was still up there and scratching at the metal that separated it from them. They came up on a sharp curve. It was too late to slow down. Dustin swerved the truck in order to stay on the road.
The truck leaned upward on its right side as he took the curve. A pale yellowish hand with long sharp claws shattered through the glass of Dustin's window and grabbed him by the chest. Toby tried to hammer at the vise-like hand with his fists but it did not let go.
"Watch out," Jonathan yelled as he pulled something from his jacket. Toby leaned back and Jonathan came up with a handgun and fired one shot into the creature's arm. A hole blew through the arm sending blood everywhere and the hand let go of Dustin.
He pulled the steering wheel all the way right causing the car to spin abruptly and the creature to fall off the side as they went. Its fierce hungry yellow eyes caught Dustin's attention as it flew away from the truck. The vampire that had been after them outside the truck stop had scared him. But not like this. That thing was at least partially human, but this one… this fucker wasn't human at all. It was pure monster.
The smell of mildew and old blood stained the inside of the truck. Dustin decided to leave his window open for a while. In the rearview mirror he could see that yellow glow again. Only this time it was getting farther and farther away. He sighed, wondering just how close they had been to dying.
A few minutes later they passed a sign that said DYERSBURG 20 MILES.
Jonathan wooped with excitement. "Yeah, buddy, you did it. We're in Tennessee now."
Toby let out a good howl of his own.
"Sweet Jesus. It's good to be in Tennessee," Dustin said and sighed with relief. His hands shook the more he tried to hold onto the steering wheel. He couldn't wait to stop and let Jonathan take the next driving shift. Dyersburg couldn't come soon enough.
Chapter 22
Know When to Run
The screams from the back of the truck had finally stopped. It had taken quite a while. Hank had turned up the radio, twangy country music blaring from the speakers—the only station that would come in—in order to block out the sobbing and howling that came all too obviously from the back of the man’s throat. But try as he might, even blocking out the noise that his human ears could hear, that other sense of his could graphically see the shape of what was happening. He hadn’t been able to shut it out this time. Probably because of just how loud the man’s cries had been.
But Hank knew sooner or later he’d have to stop and let them get rid of the body somehow. Otherwise, it would just stink up the trailer and draw attention from the other vampires. It was all over the radio now in between the belting southern moans and the trebly clicking of plastic picks against metal strings, the gentle vibrato of the steel guitar. The vampires of Necropolis were being hunted by the vampires of the Empire. The name going around the stations for them was “The Guardians.” It had made Hank laugh at first, but the more he thought about it they were guarding something all right. The Emperor’s lies. The Emperor’s rule over the people.
He’d also heard the news about the truck down in Mississippi and the vampires it had carried. Locked inside and burned alive. Each passing second the thought of Toby and Dustin out there made Hank shift in his seat, uneasy, and ready to take back all the fight in him if only things could go back to the way they were. But even if Hank could have turned back time, he knew that he could only redo his own choices. There were too many factors involved and they all pointed to this outcome.
Mesas stretched ou
t in the distance in the moonlight on both sides of the highway as the truck barreled on. Red tail lights randomly dotted the road ahead in between. The constant movement of Hank’s cargo was becoming more and more prominent in his sonar-like vision. They were hungry. He could almost feel it in his own gut. If he waited much longer they would start knocking on the back wall of the trailer. He surveyed the wasteland of open desert surrounding the long stretch of road beyond and decided to stop off at the next exit. Here was as good a place as any. Far enough from any city to stay underneath Imperial radar, and inhabited enough to have them head off for dinner and be back before anyone noticed a strange semi-truck sitting off the exit with its lights off and apparently nobody home.
A small exit popped up ahead, barely noticeable at first. Just another dirt road leading to a dozen or so weathered-all-to-hell old houses that seemed to have been painted generic desert-toned colors in an attempt to camouflage them against the giant backdrop of sand. Hank veered over, rolling up onto the dirt exit. Dust clouds floated along the road like filthy ghosts rushing to depart for the nearest place to haunt.
Hank sat in the cab of the truck for several minutes just trying to decide what to do. He sure as hell wasn't about to open the trailer door himself. Even as fast as Hank was with the blood flowing inside him, even if he could put up a good fight, the feral bastards would rush him and drain him before he could even welcome them to nowhereland. He looked around the dash. This had to be something they’d prepared for. He stood more of a chance against the truck's cargo than the original driver had.
There was nothing on the dash to give any indication of some kind of button or way to remotely unlatch the trailer doors. Hank began feeling around underneath and then remembered the vile of blood in the glove compartment. Ishan had known that Hank would likely end up in the cab of the truck whether as a driver or as a passenger, it didn't matter. Maybe the ancient vampire had put some form of directions in there for situations like this as well.
Hank popped open the glove box and began fumbling through the papers inside. There it was. Had to be. Maybe. He looked over a crude yellow-stained piece of paper with several diagrams on it. There were no discernible words to explain the points within the cab that were marked, only symbols that Hank didn't recognize. Maybe the Foederati understood this symbol writing, but Hank Evans sure as hell didn't.
Hank bent down to the point of straining and reached under the dash right above where the gas pedal came out from a small hole within the plastic shell. There was a sort of trigger there. Hank's finger slid along it nervously. What if this button caused the truck to explode or detached the trailer, Hank had no idea how to attach the damn thing back.
He looked at the symbol that was associated with this button again. Tried to concentrate on it hard. As he stared at it he could see that it had a sort of visual illusion to it, much like an image you stare at in order to see something else within. Only this one wasn't that simple. As that image became clear to him, he realized it was drawn in such a way as to further elude those who would get this far. It was almost as if it were the inverted outline of something. Hank let his eyes relax as he looked at it, tried to picture the outline filled in and then almost like magic the image appeared.
It was a bird in flight.
This was all Hank needed to know. He locked both cab doors then reached down and pushed the button. There was a loud click from the back of the trailer and then a moment later the sound of many feet pounding against the floor from within. The doors squealed open and then many rushes of air shook the truck and through the huge rearview mirror, Hank saw the swift blurs of vampire movement.
He wondered how long they would be gone. The sooner he got to the hive, the sooner he would see Toby. He wouldn't be calm until he knew the boy was safe. He knew Dustin would protect the boy with his life, but that thought only worried Hank more.
What if they were both dead. His best friend and his son. What reason would he have then to go on? He'd been in that place before. Its dark space holding him at bay. He couldn't imagine going back there. The thought scared him so much he felt a burst of panic and set himself to thinking about something else. But no matter what he thought about that picture of Toby in Jack's hands kept flashing in Hank's mind. The boy was smiling. Without even a trace of realization that such a monster was watching his every move.
* * *
A pale man in a long dark cloak was slowly making his way toward the car as Jack put the vehicle in park. It didn't take much of an upward glance for the two vampires to recognize each other for what they were. The very second the cloaked man's fist shattered the glass of the driver side window, Jack's hand blasted up and grabbed the vampire's wrist and broke it all in one swift fluid movement.
Having learned it the hard way from the Emperor, Jack held the man's arm in that broken position, gaining power over him. "Eh, bloke. Whattaya say instead we just let me old chap, Pain, do the trick?" The vampire screamed out in agony. Several others appeared from the darkness walking toward the car in crouched postures ready to pounce.
Jack had heard all about these vampires. The Emperor had apparently hidden a whole hive of the bastards away. And now that he'd gone several days without answering the Emperor's calls, it was safe to say he wasn't on the man's friendly list anymore. Not that Jack cared. He only had one goal now. It centered him more than anything had in years. The hunt was always first. But the idea of hunting this boy at such odds, with so much protection, and within the confines of a coming war made Jack want him exponentially more.
It had taken him a couple of days to regain his strength, he'd even had to resort to some full grown human blood in order to do so this quickly, but he kept in mind throughout that the prize would be so worth it in the end. Even the hunt itself was already making it worth it. The planning, the research, the obstacles that would come along the way, even these vampires he would have to get past only sweetened what was already one of the best hunts of Jack's 500 plus years.
Jack smiled at the approaching vampires. "Come on, fuckers, let's see what you've got." And then he snapped the arm he was holding broken the other way and ripped it clean off. Blood splattered the windshield and Jack's face and his grin grew as he belted out a chilling dose of wild laughter.
The next second he was out through the window, behind the one-armed vampire, holding the poor bastard's chin up and tearing his fangs into the man's juggular.
The others crept up ripe with hesitation. It was almost as if they'd never expected this kind of a fight from their own kind. Jack could almost smell their fear over the thick scent of human vampire blood as he sucked the last of what was left from his captive.
He dropped the drained body at his feet and looked at the remaining vampires with wildfire eyes. "Which one of you lot want to join the darkness next?" Whatever vibration Jack could sense of their fear rose then like the pitch of a violin. This would almost be too easy. Enough so that Jack would normally simply run and let them live as they weren't worthy to die by his hand, but he needed the extra strength that would come from draining them. With this in mind, Jack thought of sweet young Toby and what it would be like to rip his throat out and savor every single innocent drop.
Part Three
The Hive
Chapter 23
Keep on Truckin’
After hours upon hours of bumpy curvy road, the double doors of the trailer finally opened to reveal a cool starry night. Finally, Jackie thought. She'd had to watch as the vampires closer to the back of the truck tore apart the man who had been shoved inside. But now they were free to go and hunt. She waited her turn as dozens of vampires of all shapes and sizes scrambled to get out of the truck like fast-moving cattle.
When it was her turn and she came to the open air, she took one deep breath and then shot out into the night. They were still in the desert, although it was obviously a much different desert. Far-reaching mesas stretched across sections of the horizon for miles. A dozen or so beat up trailers sat
in rows barely withstanding the strong winds blowing sand and rocks against their weathered siding.
In that next moment all the vampires seemed to disappear. She had to give them credit. They knew what they were doing. Whereas she had never really hunted. Not in the wild. Those words almost made her laugh. The wild. She reprimanded herself. It was time to focus. So she did.
She targeted one particular trailer away from where most of the vampires had been before they went poof. Stalking toward it, she could smell the blood from within its walls. Within the solitary beating heart inside. She could hear the human's labored breathing. Masculine. Older but not yet elderly.
When she found herself standing just behind the man's silhouette in the window, the blue and purple flashes of television light alternating from inside the room, she jumped up and landed softly—cat-like—on the roof of the weak structure. She waited a moment just standing there on all fours. No rise in heartbeat or rate of breath. She'd managed not to draw his attention then. Good.
Jackie crawled along the roof toward the skylight sending a wide beam of light up into the sky ahead. When she reached it she peeked down into the light. Her reflection stared back, her eyes black with bloodlust. The room below was a bathroom, its light left on and its toilet all too obviously—from the smell and the sight of it—left unflushed. The latch was tight, but not too tight for her newly strong vampire hands. Once it was undone, she pulled the window open, making no sound at all in the process.
With the sunroof removed, she stood up and at the edge of the square opening left in its wake. She took one last look down steadied herself and then stepped forward into the sunroof. She landed softly only making the floor creak slightly. Rising up, she then edged her way to the door which led out to a narrow hallway.
Empire of Blood (Book 2): Fading In Darkness Page 14