Homeward Bound (Journeyman Book 1)

by Golden Czermak

  That's when the distant patter of footsteps echoed from the silence ahead.

  Without words the team split: Adrienne holding back in the break room while Joey slid into a supply closet midway down the hall. Gage, in typical fashion, stayed put with arms patiently folded across his chest.

  A man, outwardly in his early forties, walked around the corner. He was tall but thin and dressed in plain, everyday clothes that were dirtied from a distinct lack of washing. Groaning, he tried to light a cigarette with a stubborn lighter that was only delivering sparks. He took a few more steps down the hall before noticing Gage blocking the way ahead.

  His breathing labored as their eyes met. Those long arms fell to the side, protruding out as yellowed fingernails inched their way into sharp claws. His eyes narrowed as the cigarette fell from his mouth, now agape as if to scream. But no sound came. Instead, his teeth became razor-like and deadly.

  The two stood facing each other like a standoff in the Wild West.

  “Well, you gonna make a move?” Gage whispered impatiently. “Time’s wasting and we ain’t all undead.”

  The vampire charged down the hall, surging off the ground onto the walls. As he rushed by, the supply closet the door opened and Joey stepped out, Bolo in hand.

  The vamp’s charge was met with a power jab to the gut. Winded, he stumbled before engaging with Gage in a furor of fists and talons.

  Gage knocked the creature into the left wall, then to be fair sent him into the right, dislodging flecks of paint and debris that threatened to cause a sneeze. But there was no time to lose focus. The beatings continued, ending with a heavy boot to the chest that sent the biter flying back down the corridor on his back.

  Sliding to a stop, his large brown eyes locked in on a passing streak of silver.

  “Night night!” said Joey as he swung the bladed bat down like an axe. With a single strike, the vamp’s head was hewn.

  Gage finally let loose a sneeze. “Man, it’s fucking dusty in here!”

  Adrienne came chuckling from the break room and walked past the two of them to the end of the hall. She turned to say something sarcastic at them, but cold, dead hands yanked her around the corner before she could get a word out.

  Gage and Joey bolted down the passageway and rounded the corner. They met with the sight of …

  … Adrienne standing over the hunched body of a female vampire, middle aged with curly blonde hair. She was wiping blood off her silver dagger with her shirt, the vamp’s neck cut clean from side to side. The wound shimmered with a faint yellow light.

  They both gave her a startled look.

  “I guess you’re good then, no need for a dashing rescue from two handsome men?” asked Joey with half a smile on his lips.

  “Good for now, studs,” she said, pointing at the center sigil on the blade before twirling it in her fingers and sliding it back onto her belt. “Trusty number fourteen.”

  “No need for the extended warranty, Solomon guarantees product effectiveness will last three thousand years or more after one's death,” said Gage as he kicked the vamp’s limp legs. He gestured toward the next set of doors. “Badass ladies first.”

  Pushing through, she led them into the main factory area. It was a jumbled mess of machinery from ages past, cracked and entangled with vines which were likely the only thing still holding everything together. Mills and lathes sat beside things so degraded and unrecognizable that their original purpose was long lost to history.

  The ceiling above stood broken, pillars of cascading moonlight peppering the floor while dust motes danced in the coolness. Despite an abundance of flakes, the air in here was fresher and less rimmed with rot.

  To the left stood another set of double doors, a faded sign split in two overhead saying ‘Reception’. Straight on were the supervisory offices and conference rooms and to the right was the factory proper, complete with boilers, furnaces, and danger.

  “Well, this definitely checks the mark for a warm and welcoming post-apocalyptic vibe,” said Joey. “Remind me to get a postcard before we leave.”

  “We should look in the offices first,” said Adrienne, pointing to the shadowed hallway ahead of them. “See if any are holed up inside before hitting the main area.”

  Gage nodded.

  After few steps, their plans changed as a brawny female vampire strode in from the black and stood in the center of the entryway. Her fangs were bared, ready for attack. She was a big beast of a woman, probably extremely slow and ungainly and -

  She came at them with a quickness they had never seen before. In an instant she was upon them. Adrienne and Joey barely had time to dart out of the way as she rushed by, a near invisible streak.

  “What the hell!” exclaimed Adrienne, hitting the unwelcoming dirt. “This one’s been drinking some top shelf red. Everyone watch out!”

  She rushed by again and Gage swung his machete, slicing through nothing but air. He scowled as a claw grazed his back and tore into his jacket. A follow up punch sent him to one knee, then another scrape came across. Grimacing from the sharp heat now radiating across his back, his blade clanged on the ground.

  Adrienne looked up and saw another vampire running toward them from the factory floor, shifting deftly around and over the equipment. His features were as sharp as the teeth he bore.

  She stepped in front of Joey as the vamp leapt high and grabbed hold of her shirt, sending them both careening into a stack of wooden pallets. Several splintered under their weight and the rest scattered across the floor as the duo clamored for the upper hand. The monster made his way on top first, straddling her. As she was immobilized, he wasted no time moving in for the kill.

  Joey drew one of his knives and ran toward them, thrusting it deep into the vamp’s back.

  He recoiled in agony, knocking Joey away.

  The attacker loosened his grip on Adrienne’s arms and she used the opportunity to strike. Her fist connected with his jaw, sending several teeth flying. Shuffling to her feet, she flipped the blood sucker onto his injured back and in the same swift motion released a dagger from her belt. It pierced his undead skin, pinning his hand to the wooden boards.

  Meanwhile Gage unleashed another flurry, whipping the air to no avail. A flash surged by, bumping his shoulder hard.

  Frustrated, he tried again.

  “Will… you…”

  And again

  “Stay… still…”

  and -

  Thunk!

  The edge bit into something solid and a thin cloud of red floated by.

  “Gotcha at last, Helga,” said Gage through his gritted teeth, twisting the blade in place.

  She squirmed as it continued to hack and saw its way through the rest of her.

  Gage flicked the machete at the end of his volley, sending her head soaring from her body like some sick, deflated balloon.

  The other dagger came off Adrienne's ankle like a bolt, piercing her attacker’s remaining hand. The vamp was now secured to the pallet, contorting his back and legs in all manner of unnatural shapes, underscored with even more abnormal sounds. She took out her final blade and thrust it deep into his heart. A golden glow pulsed from the wound and a loud shrill escaped before the sounds of gurgling took over.

  The three of them took a moment to catch their breath, but if this mission was telling them anything, such time was fleeting. How true that was.

  In the ever-dark ahead of them a new shape emerged: smaller, younger, and more agile. He stepped forward, extending claws so far out they looked like kitchen knives attached to his fingertips. With a single unwavering swipe, he cut through nearby pipes as if they were putty.

  “The fuck kind of freak show is this?” asked Gage.

  These were not normal biters; so far from them.

  “You have got to be joking!” exclaimed Joey, fishing one of the grenades off his belt. It hummed through the air, landing close to the monster’s feet before exploding in a fountain of dazzling purple.

  The va
mp screeched as his skin peeled from the radiation and the corrosive light blinded him.

  Joey took the chance and grabbed Bolo off the floor, dashing forward to cleave.

  The vamp stopped and sniffed the air. He knew something was headed his way fast. Sure enough, as Joey swung he seized the bat by its handle, flinging both it and its owner down the length of the hall.

  Joey tumbled into a dingy restroom, crashing between the single sink and a lidless, sludge filled toilet. It smelled atrocious. The area was very small, with little space to swing and absolutely no places to hide. Even if he wanted to fight he was weaponless, the arsenal he was carrying scattered down the passageway.

  Hunching like a big cat, the vamp ran at him, scraping the floor with those massive talons and leaving deep lines in the concrete.

  “Light…” said Joey.

  The vampire jumped, landing atop his next meal, sending the air straight out of Joey’s lungs. He couldn’t get a deep enough breath to say anything more.

  The vamp reared those sickles back to strike but suddenly began to convulse, digging feverishly at his own chest. Unable to retract the claws in time, it began cutting into its skin while something undulated beneath the surface as if alive. From the writhing, bulge a shower of maroon gave birth to the tip of a machete blade.

  Gage withdrew the sharp end and with a powerful lunge, jabbing it into the vampire’s neck. Grabbing hold of the creature’s head, he started to pull while pressing down on the machete for leverage. The veins in the vamp’s temples threatened to explode from the pressure. Bones began to shatter like tinder and before long the beast’s body crumpled to the ground. His head followed a few moments later with a soft thud.

  Joey breathed hard as he filled his lungs, looking up to Gage towering above him – godlike with fists clenched in the faint light that spilled in from the doorway. It highlighted every striated detail as he looked down and extended a bloody hand to Joey, pulling him up onto wobbling feet.

  “Ya okay, big man?” asked Gage, pulling him closer for stability.

  Joey placed a hand on Gage’s large chest, feeling a little heat swell in his cheeks. A bit more ‘added balance’ was apparently needed so he moved in a touch closer. “Definitely am now.”

  Gage raised the corner of his mouth, turning to see Adrienne approaching. His smile widened as she arrived.

  “Are you both alright?” she asked through her huffs.

  They nodded, Gage taking a moment longer.

  “Good to hear,’ she said, noting all of their cuts and bruises. She rubbed her shoulder to calm the fiery pain before adjusting her gloves. “Glad you guys look as good as I feel. I don't know what the hell these things are on, but thank God that should be most of them if our count was right.”

  “Yeah, these fuckers are much more powerful than ones we’ve dealt with before.” Gage looked around cautiously. “There should be one more in here somewhere and they'll likely have answers. We gotta find ‘em.”

  “Well,” said Joey. “I can assure you of one thing.” He pointed behind as he reluctantly stepped back away from Gage. “This bathroom right here, is clear.”

  Adrienne handed him his fallen gear. “Let’s go.”

  They proceeded in step down the deserted hallway, checking out each decayed office. They were empty save the undusted furnishings and paperwork, caked with years’ old layers of filth and squalor.

  Then a lone cry pierced the silence.

  “What was that?” asked Joey.

  “It sounded like a child,” answered Adrienne. “It’s coming from the conference area.” She extended her dagger to indicate the way.

  “You know, wouldn't it be nice to fight something in the warm, midday sun one of these days?” Joey grumbled as they set off into the gloom.

  “Keep on dreamin’,” said Gage. “In fact, I'm laying out tomorrow and getting a tan.” He extended his arms ahead, inspecting each one in turn. “Could almost pass myself off as a ghost.”

  “Hate to disappoint you but it's going to rain, Casper,” Adrienne whispered.

  Gage replied with something indecipherable under his breath just as the cries grew louder. They continued the further down they went, peaking outside a set of three doors. The main conference room was ahead, two smaller ones at either side. All were shut and locked from the outside, but thin, rectangular panes allowed a look inside.

  They each took one and looked in.

  Joey slowly glanced through the murky glass. It was a standard conference room on the other side with a long mahogany table and cracked leather chairs around the outside. Bland and commonly corporate, nothing else was of interest.

  In Adrienne’s, the furniture had been removed and body parts were stacked in the middle of the room, a veritable vampiric buffet. She gagged a bit at the sight of the carnage; this part never got any easier. As she looked on, she was extremely thankful that she couldn’t smell it.

  Gage looked in his room. Most of the windows were blocked by several large conference tables that had been upended and hurled against the far wall. The accompanying chairs were haphazardly strewn about, yet a definite circular space was left clear in the middle. There, dead center, knelt a little girl dressed in pink. She was turned away from them, long blonde hair curled halfway down the back of the frayed dress.

  The cries continued.

  Joey got to work picking the lock and the door soon creaked open. The trio entered slowly and approached the girl with weapons in hand. She hadn’t budged despite the obvious sounds they were making.

  The cries were now much louder now, too.

  “I don’t like this at all,” said Joey. “Creepy supernatural children are the worst.” He and Adrienne inched around to the front, Gage hanging back with his gun drawn and pointed squarely at the back of her head.

  “Careful Ady,” said Gage as she stepped forward.

  The girl didn't move, despite tears streaming through the dirty fingers covering her tiny face.

  “What’s your name?” asked Adrienne, scanning for bite wounds. She couldn't see anything and there was no reply, so she asked again.

  The sobbing faded and the girl’s arms sank to her sides. “Why do you want to know?” she asked through dark and narrow lips. Her eyes were closed, still wet from the tears falling moments earlier and her skin had a porcelain glow.

  “Because we want to -”

  “Help?” she sneered, turning to the side. “Helping me… it’s far too late for that.”

  As her hair fell away, Adrienne noticed two distinct puncture marks on her neck. “So, you've already fed?” she asked.

  There was no reply.

  Gage was already growing tired of this exchange, shifting from one leg to the other and back again. To keep from having an aneurism, he sent his eyes to drift around the room: what a dump this place truly was. However, something caught his eye. In the corner he spotted a long length of rope amongst some fallen tiles and signaled to Joey.

  Adrienne was unfazed and continued her line of questioning. “What is your name? Have you already fed?”

  “Nancy,” she snapped. “But I don't see why that's important. My last name is Hardy too, in case you wanted to ask me that particularly stupid question.” She paused and took in a deep breath. “Mortals. Oh and yes, I have fed.”

  “On what?”

  There was a long stretch of silence before she leaned toward Adrienne.

  “Those missing persons,” she whispered, flinging her bloodshot eyes wide open. “All of them.” She lunged forward, grabbing Adrienne by the throat. Her timid mouth smirked as it split into two fleshy petals, each lined with rows of fangs. Adrienne was transfixed in horror.

  Finally, Gage thought, nodding to Joey. Like a whip, he threw a lash of holy water across her back, tossing the empty vial aside. She seized up as he reached around to empty more down her throat. She coughed as it sizzled its way into her stomach.

  Joey rushed in to bind her hands, avoiding her deadly bite. Before long the g
uys had secured her from above. While she stood with arms overhead, choking smoke continued to belch amidst her attempts to scream, which changed from childlike to monstrous with unsettling ease. However, as Gage approached all fell silent when he pressed the barrel of his gun to her forehead.

  “You done flapping those jaws?” he asked, not really looking for a reply. “You're on my time now princess, so let's chat.” He holstered the pistol, grabbing a nearby chair. Flipping it upright, he fell into the old leather and stared at the apparent eight-year-old ahead of him.

  “So lil’ miss Nancy,” he said. “You’ve done a pretty good job here with this coven of yours. Those seventeen deaths make a lot more sense now, your squad of roided up vamps tearing up the streets.”

  She shifted her arms, straining against the ropes before staring into him, sniffing the air. “You're so… intense,” she said, sniffing the air as if to pick up on a whiff of his manliness. “Here I am, at a disadvantage. A studly, tattooed man stands in front of me and knows my name, but sadly hasn’t even told me his before tying me up for a little bit of bloody fun. How rude.”

  He cringed hearing those words come out of her, although she was probably far older than she looked. “Gage,” he said, scowling.

  “Interesting,” she noted, eyeing him from head to toe. “You wouldn't happen to be THE Gage Crosse now, would you?”

  “The one and only.”

  She giggled, managing to make it sound malicious. “Well, Gage, your reputation precedes you. In all my years I’ve never sensed someone as… wild as you. It certainly doesn’t strike me as a quality the Journeymen would seek out for their ranks, at least the order of old. But then again, that may explain why they are now in such rapid decline.”

  “This ain't about me sister,” he said, pointing to her bound hands, “or the Journeymen.”

  “Oh but it is,” she countered, realizing they had no idea what was going on. She giggled again. “You and your fellows are so in the dark about what is happening right now in the world.”