Black Heart: Wild On

by TW Gallier

  "I don’t want anyone knowing she was Changed," he said. "Besides, once she rises up, she is irrevocably cursed and dammed."

  I was afraid he’d say that. A chill rolled up my spine. To avoid damnation, she had to be killed the rest of the way before she Changed.

  "I’ll do it. You can’t be in the room," I said. "It’ll be too painful."

  Timmy nodded and walked over to Charlotte’s body. He stared down at her a long moment, heart racing, tears flowing. Then he leaned over and kissed her.

  "It’s all my fault," he whispered. "I’m so sorry."

  He lay Trey down next to Charlotte, turned, and walked out of the room without meeting my eyes. Rage was burning deep within him. I wasn’t sure I could talk him down. But first I had a task to perform.

  Fetching a sharp knife from the kitchen, I made an incision just below her sternum. Thrusting my right hand into that incision, I pushed up to her heart, seized it, and ripped it out. Charlotte felt nothing. I groaned miserably.

  "Rest in peace, Charlotte," I whispered. The baby was just dead. Babies could be Changed, but Ben hadn’t been that cruel.

  I took Charlotte’s heart into the bathroom. Timmy had his back to me, breathing heavily. I’m sure he could still hear everything I was doing. He knew, and it had to be pure torture.

  In the bathroom, I cut the heart up into smaller pieces, and flushed them. Charlotte would not rise again. Her soul was safe, and within the embrace of the Lord’s Sweet Love. I was a tiny bit jealous.

  "It is done."

  "Thank you." He could barely speak. Timmy was more than half wolfman, the first indications of a snout beginning to push out. He’d stripped while I was in the bathroom, his body thick with fur. Not hair, but fur. "Who is Ben? And where can I find him?"

  "If I knew, he’d already be dead," I said. "Me and my associates have been hunting him about a week."

  He fell to his knees, morphing a bit more into wolfman. I wasn’t sure he even had control of it anymore. His fingers extended, thickened and his nails turned into thick black claws. His hands raked the carpet, shredding it as he half growled, half wailed.

  "He has to pay!" Timmy said, turning vicious, feral eyes on me.

  "Without a doubt," I said. "Go to my father’s church. They’ve created a little fortress against vampires there. People are gathering to defend it. They need your help."

  "What about Ben?"

  I smiled grimly. "I think he is working for the vampire that wants to kill our parents. If I’m right, then Ben will go to that church. Tonight. Tomorrow, I don’t know. But he will go there soon."

  "And I will kill him!"

  Timmy howled, then leapt through the front window. The rat-a-tat-tat of small arms fire filled the air for a brief moment. I watched Timmy wend through the parking lot and police at breakneck speed. I don't think a single bullet found him. Besides, only silver would harm him.

  I took the time to wash my hands and arms. Going down among the police with bloody hands wouldn't help matters any. The police are funny about things like that. In fact, my leaving would be rather complicated. There were too many of them to mesmerize, and Sergeant Cox and Officer Peterson were probably already recovered.

  "Heidi," I said.

  "Yes?"

  It was good to be a vampire sometimes. Damned good.

  "I don't think they're going to be too conducive to me just walking out and us driving off. Quietly get into the car and leave. I'll catch up," I said in a normal voice.

  "You're the boss," she said.

  I stepped in front of the window and watched Heidi back out of the parking lot. The second one of the cops noticed she was leaving, I shouted out to them.

  "Sergeant Cox! Are you down there?"

  "Yes," he called back.

  "The werewolf that just left did not kill the mother and child. It was his job to protect her, since he was a member of her husband's pack. He failed, and you heard his anguish and rage," I said. Hey, I was going to Hell anyway, so why not lie for a good reason? "The woman and child, Charlotte and Timothy Saxon, were murdered by a vampire, sent to kill them because her father-in-law is one of the churchmen leading people in protests of vampires, and who might have burned down some vampire businesses today."

  "They are dead?" he said.

  "I'm afraid so," I said. I kinda choked up a second. Odd, vampires are supposed to be devoid of such useless emotions as guilt and despair. "It appears the vampire started to Change her into a vampire, then changed his mind. She is completely dead, but the coroner will discover all that without me."

  "Ms Hart, why don't you come on down here now, hands where we can see them," another voice said, using a bullhorn.

  "And you are?"

  "I am Captain Tisdale," he said.

  "Well, Captain Tisdale, I am a vampire. The vampires call me Black Heart, because I hunt rogue vampires," I said. "I will kill the vampire that did this. I've been hunting Ben Rothschild for a week now. I will find him, and then I will kill him the rest of the way to Hell."

  "We know who and what you are, Ms Hart," he said. "Now, if you'd just come down nice and easy."

  I laughed. Come on, that was funny. We all know what they do to vampires. Despite the good I was doing, all they wanted to do was stake me.

  "I don't think so, Captain," I said. "I'm not prepared to greet the rising sun just yet."

  With that, I whirled around and took off running straight at the back wall. As expected, the air was filled with bullets before I took two steps. I lowered my head and smashed through the wall and into the apartment behind it. Not slowing, I raced to the living room window and dived through it.

  My wings erupted, and I beat a hard course away into the night. The gunfire ended within seconds of my escape. I smiled, mostly because I figured a way to escape without my outfit becoming riddled with holes. Heidi was right, I hated it when that happened.

  I found Heidi within a few minutes, and flew ahead. When I spotted her coming, I held out a thumb and grinned at her. She pulled over and I got in.

  "Ass, grass, or gas, no one rides with me for free," Heidi said, waggling her brows lecherously at me.

  "Ass?"

  "Good choice," she said, and laughed.

  "That was a question, not an answer."

  "Shame," she said. "Now where? The church?"

  "Valerie's house," I said. "She'll know where I can find Jeff Howell. I hope."

  "Is she his fang whore?"

  "Looks that way," I said. "This might be dicey. Are you sure you want to go?"

  "Might as well," she said. "So, are we going to find Jeff to beg forgiveness? Or stake him?"

  "Stake him," I said. "I'm pretty sure he sent Ben to kill Charlotte and her baby. I will not suffer his existence any longer."

  There was a major traffic jam on Loop 635 at the High Fives. That held us up for forty-five minutes. Then once we got through the High Fives and southbound on Central, we ran head on into an even worse traffic jam.

  It wasn’t all wasted time. I spoke with Dane, and he'd taken over defense of the church. He was confident they could hold their own. Gabe really came through in the arsenal department. Again. It was his forte. Then I spoke with Desiree, and Boney was sure Antoinette wasn't going to move on the people responsible for attacking her business. It wasn't her way. I wasn't sure what was her way, but I decided to be satisfied with what we had.

  "Besides, Antoinette has a new toy to play with," Desiree said, sounding disgusted.

  "Oh?"

  "Vanessa Mancera," she said.

  "Damn."

  I should've warned her against playing with Boney. Antoinette used him to get to me once. Antoinette used her pet pimp to bone Vanessa until she owned the vivacious vampire.

  "Yes. Vanessa is now under Antoinette's power," Desiree said. "It makes me sick."

  "Me, too. Vanessa seemed like one of the more rational, fair minded council members," I said.

  Then I spent thirty-minutes on the phone with my fath
er and mother. Mostly I tried to keep them in line so we could save them. Momma was upset about Dane being there, since she blamed him for my death and undead state. She was even angrier to learn that Sabrina was helping me.

  Timmy showed up while I was speaking to my father, and I had to give him assurances that Timmy was safe to let in. Most clerics thought werewolves fine, but needed extra attention because the temptations for evil were greater for them. Daddy didn't like them, one bit.

  "Looks like all we have to worry about is Jeff," I said once I got off the phone. Now that Antoinette owned Vanessa, body and soul, I doubted the beautiful Latina vamp would attack. Not without Antoinette's permission. "Can you get off Central? We can take side roads."

  It was a stupid question. Another sixty-five minutes passed before we even moved an inch. I mean, Heidi turned off the engine to save gas and we switched out. I got behind the wheel, and discovered that seat held even more frustration. Twenty minutes later, I made it to an off ramp. Traffic was backed up on it, too.

  It was after one in the morning when we pulled up to Valerie's house. It was lit up like a Christmas tree. Literally. Christmas lights twinkled all around it. Breathtaking, really. All the interior lights were on as well.

  I felt numerous mortals inside, more than a dozen. I couldn't feel vampires, so no telling how many. But it sounded like they were having a party or something. The hard rock music was so loud I was surprised the neighbors weren't calling the police on them.

  "Ready?" I said.

  "Ready."

  We eased up the front sidewalk, weapons in hand. I carried a Glock 31 in my left, and a red-hilted katana in the right. Beheading was the quickest way to kill a vampire. We found the front door unlocked.

  "They're brave," Heidi said.

  "Idiots," I said.

  Creatures that prey on people should know better than leave doors and windows unsecured.

  We slipped inside. There were six couples in the living room. They were scattered about, paired off and doing what young men and women did when there was no one to stop them.

  "Mmmm, smells good," Heidi said. I felt her libido firing up. I was aroused, too, but I had more self-control. If Heidi lost it, she'd drag me down to. I couldn't handle Heidi's pheromones. So brought the barrel of my pistol down across her shoulder. "Ouch! Bitch! Why'd you do that?"

  "To cool you down," I said. "Focus! Or they will be focusing on torturing us to death."

  Everyone in the room heard us, and turned toward us. They just gawked at us. Mostly, they stared at our weapons. I recognized one of them. An old friend, of sorts.

  "Hello, Billy," I said. "Have a moment?"

  "Sable? Oh shit," he said, pulling out of the pretty little brunette on all fours before him. On the floor. Bet her parents would be proud. "There's no one here. They all left."

  "They?"

  "Jeff and Benny and Charlie Joe."

  "Who is Charlie Joe?" Heidi said. "I've never heard of him."

  "He's Jeff's main witch," Billy said.

  "Okay, where's Valerie?" I said.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Jeff hid the body, until the Change completes."

  I froze. Change? Jeff was Changing Valerie? I looked at Heidi, who stared back with big blue eyes. Neither one of us liked the sound of that. Valerie would make a great vampire. She was so full of attitude, and loved the whole idea of being a vampire. One day, she'd be leading council.

  "Jeff has decided to reward Dallas's premier vampire slut with eternal damnation and immortality. How special," I said.

  My stomach soured. I couldn't wipe the grimace off my face. Valerie would be so happy.

  "Well, he didn't have a choice," Billy said. "Not after you killed her."

  "What?" I didn't kill her. The last I saw her, she was up in the Ruby Necklace's dungeon. "I didn't kill her. She was perfectly fine when I left her...um...how did she die?"

  "Gunshot," Billy said, looking rather smug. "One of your wild shots, I guess by your surprise."

  "Oh, Jesus," I said.

  "What? You did kill her?" Heidi said.

  "Maybe."

  "You changed her, too?"

  "No, I might have shot her. Jeff is Changing her," I said. "I would never Change her." I shook my head woefully. "That sucks."

  Within twenty-four hours Valerie St. Clair would arise a vampire. She would be one of Jeff's family, trained and controlled by him. He would mold her into the kind of vampire he wanted her to be. I didn't like the thought of that.

  "Bad for you. Good for me," Billy said. Oh, he was pleased. I wanted to bite him, but with my luck that would Change him. Couldn't have that. "So, you are wasting your time. I won't fight you, so I know you won't kill me."

  "Want to bet?" I said.

  "Yes," he said.

  He was right. Damn him. Sometimes a reputation as one of the good guys isn't helpful, even if you are known for leaving a trail of death and destruction. So I caught his eyes, and owned him.

  "Where is Valerie's body?"

  "I don't know."

  "Does anyone know?"

  "Only Jeff."

  "Oh well, it was worth a try," I said. "Where did Jeff and Ben go?"

  "To make zombies," Billy said.

  Heidi and I looked at each other again. No one was making plans to fight zombies. And that made their use perfect.

  "Jeff can make zombies?" Heidi said.

  "Charlie Joe can," Billy said. "He's one of the best witches in Dallas at necromancy."

  "And you have absolutely no idea where they might have gone?" I said. Sometimes when they are mesmerized, you had to ask the question just right to get the information you wanted. "Any guesses?"

  "Yes," Billy said. "I think they went to a cemetery. I don't know where else to get zombies."

  "Oh, cemeteries close to the church," Heidi said.

  "Yes! That way they don't have to go too far," I said. "You're a genius!" I looked around. "Round them up, Heidi. We have to make sure they don't warn Jeff."

  Between the two of us, we mesmerized all of the fang whores and herded them down into the basement. Once there, we used the bondage gear at hand to secure them. They weren't going anywhere.

  "Let's go find Jeff and his witch," I said.

  Chapter 18

  We never found Jeff and the zombies. You never know how many cemeteries there are until you start looking for them. Not many in the West Plano area, though. That is a fairly newly developed area. But we drove all over West Plano, all for naught.

  Going home just before sunrise, I spent the day restlessly pacing in the light tight master bedroom with Heidi. Neither one of us could lay down and rest. We were too wound up. Phones were our lifeline, countless calls kept our minds occupied so the sun didn’t beat us down.

  While we talked with anyone and everyone that could and might help us, Dane and Gabe continued to supervise the ongoing fortifications of the church. With news of zombies, they had to rethink everything.

  Crosses and churches didn’t bother zombies. Nothing bothered zombies. But zombies could be hacked into pieces or blown up. Destroying their corporal bodies was the only thing that stopped a zombie.

  I actually spoke with Antoinette, Tara, and Vanessa during the day. All were extremely upset, but were more keen on calming tempers and getting out of the public notice than they were about revenge. Antoinette, though, said she was doing me a favor, and so expected a favor from me. I never agreed to it. She said it and hung up.

  Heidi thought I was committed to returning the favor. I disagreed, but it was troublesome. The Trudeau favor I owed and agreed to was weighing me down enough. I didn’t need to owe another powerful vampire.

  "Vamps are big on patronage and favors," Heidi said. "Didn't Boney tell you? He told me to be careful of accepting any favors from any vampires. For vampires, to accept a favor is to accept owing them a favor in return."

  "You're bullshitting me," I said.

  "Nope. That what he told me."

  "Damn, I�
�m so fucked."

  Tara actually demanded I resolve the issue posthaste. Yes, she used the term "posthaste.’" When I spoke to Vanessa she mentioned she was doing me a favor by not seeking vengeance, and expected a favor in return. I heard Antoinette in the background coaching her on what to say, which broke my heart. I just said thank you and hung up.

  Okay, I owed them favors. I couldn't refuse the favors, and chance pissing them off. Antoinette might seek vengeance at my family for the two burnt down businesses. So favors were owed, and I couldn't even image what Antoinette would demand without bile rising in my throat.

  The most exciting development was the arrival at the church of Piers and the whole Black Moon Pack. The best I could understand, the pack was humiliated by Charlotte’s murder, and they were there to redeem their honor. The people in the church were a bit freaked, but they grudgingly accepted the help of the werewolves. The vampire and zombie threats were even scarier than hobnobbing with werewolves.

  Come twilight, Heidi and I were racing towards the church. We arrived just in time, too. Other vampires began to assemble, encircling the church. We counted ten, eight men and two women. None of them were familiar.

  As vampires, neither of us could go past the forest of crosses standing all around the church. In fact, we really couldn’t look at the church. We had to keep our backs to it.

  Off in the distance, standing atop buildings, I spotted other vampires. Familiar vampires. Henri and his son André had the closest vantage point. Antoinette, accompanied by Vanessa, Angelique, Lorelei, and Lolita, was atop another building. I spotted Otis Green with Henry Moonwalker and Rod Huff. Other council members I saw including Yuan Kwang, Viktor Vasilevich, and Tara Voorhies. It wasn’t everyone on council, but enough.

  "What’s up with all the vamps on the roofs?" Heidi said, scowling at Antoinette’s group.

  Heidi only knew a few council members on sight.

  "Council members, with a few lackeys thrown in," I said. "I suspect they are here to watch. I hope all they do is watch, because I don’t see any of them fighting on our side."

  Two semi-tractor trailer rigs were headed for us, and started to slow down. There were a few similar trucks on the road, since it was a fairly busy thoroughfare. But I didn’t feel any living man driving them, and only one mortal within the second trailer.