by Phil Tucker
"Do we follow the road?" Selah caught Lee's eye. He looked unsure.
"If it's the base road, we might be stopped. Taken in." Gordon shook his head. "Then again, we'll make faster time heading down."
Selah tried to remember the drive up with McKnight. "Wasn't there a town below? Didn't we drive through someplace on the way up?"
"Yes." Dominique had her eyes closed, was gulping for air. "McCance. Seven miles from the base."
Lee stared at McKnight. She was swaying where she stood. Dominique was in rough shape. Even Gordon was pale, his face drawn with pain. "We follow the road." He took a deep breath and gestured with his chin. "Come on."
Selah placed her arm around Dominique's waist. The woman seemed dazed, running on fumes, constantly blinking as if she was having trouble focusing. Gordon stepped up next to McKnight, but she waved him away. They began to follow the narrow road, moving at a fast march, Lee bringing up the rear.
"Where's Tom?" asked Dominique, her voice slightly slurred. "I don't see him."
Selah felt her breath catch as if it had snagged on a hook. "He didn't make the crash."
It took sometime for Dominique to process this. Her mouth drew into a tight line, and she stumbled, leaning heavily on Selah. "Oh no," she said. "Oh, Tom."
Selah felt anger grow bright within her. This didn't have to have happened. None of this. It was too easy to imagine Tom, sitting up in the chopper, staring sightlessly at a tangle of branches spearing into the cockpit, broken glass around him. None of this was necessary. If only the President hadn't decided to cut the program.
They staggered on, trying to keep up their speed. The road was interminable. Ever descending, curving back and forth, a smooth, hard ribbon beneath their feet. The mountain peaks rose high about them, their ragged sides catching the moonlight where the snow lay thick and pearlescent.
The road curved around a shoulder of dead trees. Lee had taken the lead, but he stopped walking as he rounded the bend. Selah nearly strode right into him. Blinking, confused, she stepped aside and saw Theo standing in the center of the road. He was looking out over the small valley that opened up before him, the land to the right of the road dropping away sharply to a small stream below.
Silence.
Everybody stared at The Dragon. He seemed preoccupied, eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed out over the valley. No breath misted before his face. He didn't shiver. He might as well have been carved from stone. Finally, he turned and stared at her. Right at her. His features were so familiar, but the spirit behind his face was alien, cold, hungry. There was nothing there that she recognized. No hint of the warmth, compassion, or even love that had once animated him and sparked deep within those black eyes when he looked at her.
"Selah."
Lee pulled out the serum case.
"Theo." She let go of Dominique, slipped free, and stepped forward to stand next to Lee. So many emotions where churning within her. Resignation. Pity. Exhaustion. Fear. It was hard to hold onto anger, to hope. Not when faced by his quiet power. She knew what he was capable of. What their chances of defeating him were. She tried to think of how important her blood was, the potential vaccine it promised, what it meant for hundreds of millions of people. Yet here, beneath the light of the moon, faced with certain death, it all seemed so distant and abstract. She should have died that night in LA. Should have killed herself. Instead, she had borrowed time by consuming his heart. What life she had was due to him; if he wished to reclaim it, on some level, that was only fair.
Lee opened the case and drew forth the serum. Inserted the ampule in the last syringe and sank the needle into his shoulder.
"Lee, no," said Dominique, but she was too exhausted, too dazed to inject any emotion into her command.
Theo watched this, face inscrutable.
Lee took a deep, shuddering breath, part ecstasy, part pain. He raised his right hand, stared at his fingers. They were trembling. Slowly, he curled them into a fist. A second breath, as sharp as the first, and it seemed as if his whole body was trembling, shaking, vibrating from within.
Theo watched him with callous indifference. The syringe and ampule fell from Lee's hand and shattered on the asphalt.
"Step aside," said Theo. His voice low and toneless as if the very night spoke through him.
"I don't think so," said Lee.
"So be it." Theo began to walk forward.
Chapter 15
"No," said Selah. Something in her voice gave Lee pause. He looked back at her and Theo stopped his advance. "I'm not going to let anybody else die for me. No more."
Theo's voice was little more than a frozen whisper. "Leave now and I'll not hunt you down. My business is with her alone."
Selah looked at Theo. Stepped forward and raised her chin. Borrowed time. That's all she had ever had ever since the first vampire had bitten her in Miami. Running as fast as she could to avoid the truth. Using others to keep herself going--first Cloud, then Theo, and now Lee. She thought of Tom, of Armando, and took a deep breath. No more.
"OK," said Lee. "Good luck?" He nodded at her and turned to walk away.
Selah blinked, taken aback. That had been easy. She turned back to Theo. He was staring at her, a craving in the depths of his black eyes. He walked forward, each step an exercise in restraint, Lee giving him wide berth as they passed each other.
"Lee!" Gordon's voice was hoarse with disbelief. Selah heard movement behind her, but nobody stepped forward. She was transfixed by Theo's eyes. Their dolorous need, the hunger that was contorting his face, stripping it of whatever pretense of humanity it might have had. She had seen this before. When Arachne had lost all control at the last, shrieking and trying to claw Theo apart. When she had reverted to her most bestial and base self. Her true vampiric nature.
The air was shattered by gunfire. Theo shivered. Stopped, and turned around. Selah saw that four bloody flowers had erupted in his back. Lee snapped into a run, coming right at him, and with an overhand arc lobbed his now empty pistol right at Theo's head as he leaped upon The Dragon.
She watched, stunned, as Theo and Lee exchanged blows. She could barely anticipate each punch, each kick as it lashed out, blocks and landed strikes. With a cry, she threw herself forward and rammed her shoulder with all her strength into Theo's bloodied back. The faint vestiges of the Serum yet burned within her and the Blood Thrall's power was but a ghost of its initial strength, but she summoned every ounce of anger she had and careened at full tilt into Theo.
Only to bounce off, pain blossoming in her shoulder and crash to the ground. She might as well have rushed a cement wall. McKnight and Gordon ran past her and the three engaged Theo. Selah forced herself to stand. Two Hybrids, the most elite fighters in the US military. McKnight was still under the effects of the Serum, and Selah knew how dangerous she was. Three of the most lethal fighters she had ever met, augmented by vampire Serum and against only one opponent.
Who was having no trouble blocking their blows, weaving aside, face flat and unperturbed. Theo seemed not to feel the bullets in his back. It was as if the three were fighting a shadow that wove about them with impossible grace.
McKnight went down hard. Selah never saw what hit her. She simply spun out, pirouetting on the tips of both feet and then crashed to the asphalt, insensate before she hit the ground. Gordon moved in, and for a brief moment he and Lee seemed on the verge of pinning Theo between them, but Selah knew it was no good. This was The Dragon. The direct son of Sawiskera himself. As talented and dangerous as both men were, they didn't stand a chance.
Gordon took a blow on his shoulder that sent him slamming down onto one knee, the sound of a bone snapping clear in the frigid air. Selah again failed to see the strike that caught him under the chin, snapping his head back and lifting him off the ground, to fall and tumble to a stop.
Lee dropped back, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. He was gasping for air, his hair matted across his brow, while Theo seemed completely at ease. They faced each other.
One moment they were standing three yards apart, and then Theo was right before Lee without seeming to have crossed the space between them, hand wrapped around the Hybrid's throat, lifting him off the ground.
Lee let out a strangled cry and kicked out once, twice, three times, burying the toe of his boot in Theo's sternum. It had no effect. His face started to darken and he fought to break Theo's grip, driving his elbow over and over again into the vampire's arm. He swung back and somehow kicked high, scything his foot up and around to impact with the side of Theo's head, but the vampire casually raised his forearm and blocked the blow.
"Enough!" Selah fought her way to her feet. "Enough. Theo. Drop him. I'm here. Finish this."
Theo opened his hand and Lee dropped to the road. The vampire turned to her. His face showed no sign of effort. He stepped forward. Selah forced herself to stand still. Death, then, here on this mountain road. Death at last. She fought to hold his gaze. No vaccine. She thought of Mama B. Her father. Thought briefly of Cloud and then again of the vaccine. She had tried. She had done her best.
Theo stopped before her and reached out with one hand to trace the curve of her cheek. His skin was ice cold. She shivered beneath its touch. He looked down at her and it seemed a trace of sadness entered his expression.
"I know I loved you once." His voice was almost a whisper. "I know that. But there is nothing. Nothing but hunger. Not even thirst. I will tear out your heart and consume it raw. Perhaps then I will find the strength to kill myself and end this wretched existence. In your death, I will find my freedom. An end to this nightmare."
His touch was so gentle. She fought the urge to cup his hand. To reach for him. To try and find some spark, some ember of the man she had known. To coax him forth. But there was nothing there. She knew it. She had deprived him of what small fragment of humanity he had managed to conserve over the course of all his lonely centuries.
She heard movement behind her. Tried to ignore it. Somebody came running toward them, and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dominique rushing in, a knife in her hand.
Selah opened her mouth to yell at her, to try to stop her, but there was no time. Theo didn't even glance at Dominique. At the last moment, he simply brushed her away, the gesture casual, but the force behind the blow sent her flying. It was as if she had been clocked in the head by a baseball bat. She dropped, fell to the ground, and in that moment, the night air was rent by a hideous, inhuman shriek that came from the trees.
That got Theo's attention. For the first time, he frowned. He half turned to gaze over Dominique's still body at the darkness between the trees. Selah turned in time to see something from a nightmare burst out from the shadows, gray and furred and racing on all fours, a loping sprint faster than she could comprehend. In the moonlight, she caught a glimpse of an inhuman face with huge fangs and then it leaped, soared up into the air from ten yards away to come crashing down on Theo and into his outstretched arms.
The impact bent Theo back. It was as if a Mack truck had run into a massive steel girder. Before Selah could process the attack, the creature had dropped to the ground, snatched Theo up with its overlong arms, and lifted him clean off the road. The vampire let out a roar of his own, but the creature brought him down onto the road with all its strength, once, twice, and then hurled Theo away with such strength that the vampire tumbled through the air to crash into the woods, shattering a tree trunk and falling out of sight.
Selah stood frozen. This had all taken place in less than two seconds. The creature stood facing the woods where Theo had disappeared, and then it smacked the road with both palms and shrieked again.
Suddenly Selah knew, understood. She whispered one word. "Jojo."
The chimp moved over to where Dominique lay, its shrieks dying down to murmurs and whimpers. It stood hunched over the fallen scientist, swaying back and forth, and with one careful hand, it reached out to touch her hair. Dominique lay still. Jojo whimpered again and looked up. Theo was clawing his way out of the bushes.
"What," he said, "the fuck." His voice was heavy, clotted, as if his throat were choked with liquid. Something must have broken in his chest.
Jojo let out another howl, leaped up into the air, and brought both fists down hard on the asphalt. The old blacktop cracked.
Theo stepped onto the road's shoulder and slowly turned his head. Vertebrae popped. He stared malevolently at the ape, assessing the situation. Jojo moved to stand protectively before Dominique, the fur on his body standing up, making him seem even larger. Theo spat blood to the ground, bared his own fangs in a silent snarl, and hurled himself forward.
The two met with tremendous impact. Selah couldn't follow the fight. They were simply moving too fast. For a moment, they strained at the edge of the road, Jojo howling and shrieking, and then the ape buried its fangs in Theo's shoulder and they dropped and began to roll.
Selah came to herself. No time. No time to stand gawking. She hurried to Lee, who was breathing in a hoarse, whistling manner. She gripped his jacket and hauled him up so that he was sitting. His eyelids fluttered and he reached up to clasp the back of his head. Blinked, and looked at her.
"What's...? Where is he?"
Selah didn't know what to say. She turned and looked at the fight. The two combatants were mauling each other, shredding flesh with fangs and hitting with such strength that Selah could almost feel the power of each impact from where she crouched. She had to do something. Help them get away. But McKnight and Dominique were out cold. Gordon was groaning and trying to push himself up. Lee was still dazed. She could run. She could leave them. Force Theo to come after her. Half resolute, she stood, but felt Lee clutch her jacket. She looked down at him, and he shook his head.
"You're not running," he croaked.
Another shriek jerked her gaze to the fight. Theo had wrenched Jojo's arm back, shattering his elbow. The ape spasmed, cast the vampire off him and clutched his broken arm to his chest. Then he was on Theo once more, who sidestepped, but not quickly enough. They fell to the ground and rolled right off the road so quickly that Selah had to search for them for a second before catching sight of them once more.
"I have to." She tried to pry Lee's fingers loose. "Let go, please, let go."
"No," he said. "You aren't running. Stay." Somehow he began to climb to his feet.
Selah felt tears burn her eyes. "He'll kill you. He'll kill all of you. Let me go. Let me go!"
"No," said Lee again. "Vaccine." He used her to pull himself up and finally stood, swaying. Took a deep breath and grimaced. "Too important. Behind me."
Selah stared at him in disbelief. He could barely stand. He took a step forward, nearly slipped, and then rolled his shoulders with obvious pain.
She had to do something. In the rain gulley beyond the road, Theo reared up, Jojo pinned down under one knee. By the light of the moon, Selah saw that half of Theo's face was clawed clear off, bone and flayed muscle exposed to the air, his left eye missing. With both hands, he raised a great rock and brought it down with jarring speed. Again. And a third time.
Panic was a great bubble rising up within her, threatening to burst and sweep her away. She looked around. Find something. Do something. She glanced up in time to see Lee build up enough speed to throw himself into a football tackle, launching himself off the road to collide with Theo and knock him back to the ground.
Selah rushed to Gordon's side. The sound of the fight continued from just beyond the edge of her peripheral vision. He was on all fours, teeth gritted, trying to rise to his feet. Wanting to help, to talk to him, Selah forced herself instead to search his belt, his pockets for a weapon, a gun. Hadn't he had a gun before? Nothing. He grunted out a question, but she didn't listen. Instead, she rose to her feet, feeling impotent, useless.
Lee lay on his back. He'd been knocked onto the road and was struggling to gather his wits, shaking his head slowly as he forced himself up onto his elbows. Theo was reeling past him toward her. He was in horrific condition. His left foo
t was dragging sideways across the asphalt and his right shoulder was a good inch and a half lower than his left. His ribs looked stoved in and his face was gruesomely flayed and savaged. Both hands were mangled and yet, still he came on, lips pulled back from his fangs, fighting through his agony to reach her.
No time left to think, Selah ran to where Lee's pistol lay on the road, gleaming mercurially in the moonlight. She snatched it up and aimed it at Theo. He kept coming. She hesitated and then pressed the gun's muzzle to her temple.
Theo paused.
"There's one bullet left," said Selah. "I'll kill myself before I let you eat my heart. And something tells me you want me alive." She fought to keep her voice steady. "You're too slow to get to me in time. Too slow. I'll be dead. My heart will have stopped. Everything will be ruined." Theo stood still, shivering. Not with cold. With hunger. But he was too badly hurt.
Carefully, she steadied the gun. "I don't want to die. Not yet. So I'll give you this chance. Run, heal, and then find me when I'm not ready for you. Take my heart while it still beats. But not now, not tonight." She wished there was a way to cock the hammer, but the revolver didn't have one. "Go."
With a grunt, Gordon rose to his feet. It took him a moment to orient himself, but then he swung around to face Theo. Behind the vampire, Selah heard the low growl of Jojo coming from the bushes. Lee spat, rolled onto his side, and began to rise as well.
Theo pulled back, and for a moment, it looked like he would fall. Then he staggered forward, passing three yards to her left, and almost fell into the darkness beyond the road, past the bushes and into the trees that rapidly dropped away down the steep slope to the small valley below.
Selah watched for ten seconds, counting slowly, expecting at any time for the vampire to emerge once more, miraculously healed, but he didn't. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped and spun around, but Lee caught the pistol by the barrel. She let out a cry of relief and sagged, all the tension and energy draining from her.
Lee turned to the others. "Gordon. You all right?"