Fall Prey: The Hunt
Page 25
The hounds bounded out of the back door, their handlers after them. The soldiers nearly fell on their faces due to the door’s distance from the ground as they struggled to keep up with their designated canine wards. It was strange to see the hounds on leashes. Their large size made them capable of easily dragging their handlers through the woods if they wanted. It almost seemed more appropriate for the soldiers to ride them like horses.
“I’ll be right behind you, Blackthorn, as soon as we get all personnel off the bus,” said Ito. She stood beside the bus’s front tire while a few more soldiers passed around her.
“Thanks for keeping the captain from feeding me to the wolves, Sergeant,” Asher told her. “I appreciate it.”
“I’m sure you would do the same for me.” Her helmet concealed her smile.
Asher looked past her as she turned to leave, finding standing Aaron near the fence giving him a thumb’s up, a gesture he immediately returned.
“Hey, Blackthorn,” said Driscoll. He approached Asher from behind as he made his way across the drive and onto the grass, lightly punching him on the shoulder. “Guess I’ll be the one behind you down the hall after the sergeant moves to the side.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it sounded like, sir.” Asher tried not to sound too sarcastic, annoyed by the physical interaction with Driscoll. “Don’t goof up and shoot me.”
“Ha!” Driscoll was genuinely amused. “With my aim, that is a possibility!”
Asher rolled his eyes behind his helmet’s visor, regretting what he said.
The two started walking once more, closing the ground between the road and the fence, finding Milo waiting for them there. They returned his salute without a word. The time for talk was over now.
Asher took his position behind the fence with Driscoll and Milo on either side. Ito approached him from behind. Asher turned his attention toward the quickly darkening woods.
The brush and trees were thickly packed, and an abundance of dead leaves lay on the ground, making it impossible to pass through without making considerable noise.
Asher took his shotgun in hand and looked down the sights as he took on a shooting stance. He waited for Tarango's orders to proceed, Driscoll, Milo, Ito, and the rest of his fellows doing the same. A cold sweat formed on his palms as he waited for the order, and a frightful dread filled the air. Asher gazed through the dense wood, periodically believing he saw movement under the shadows.
“Proceed,” said Tarango, half-yelling, half-whispering into their helmets’ speakers. “Try not to take too long passing under that fence.”
Their platoon would hear only Tarango’s voice until they surrounded the house. They could speak only if they encountered an escaping assailant.
Asher grabbed the fence’s bottom wire with a gloved hand, pulling it up. He felt it more appropriate to apply a wire-cutter to the fence, but they wished to leave no evidence of the company ever being there. He waited for Ito to take the wire from him and then passed under it.
“Form the line!” Tarango ordered, seeing the platoon had passed the fence. He took up his position somewhere in the middle of the line.
The rest of the soldiers quickly fell in beside him, remaining approximately ten feet away from each other, ready to make the sweep. The line of black-clad soldiers stood in place, their chests heaving up and down rapidly.
“Make the sweep!” Lieutenant Tarango commanded at last.
The line moved in unison, quickly but stealthily pushing their way through the woods, careful to watch their footing. Asher’s concentration was mainly on the terrain in front of him, though he occasionally glanced to either side. He maintained a visual on both Ito and Driscoll, careful to keep a similar pace. The captain had been sure to point out how important it was to keep each other in sight.
Asher crushed the leaves under his boots, the sound continuously repeated by both him and his comrades, the noise impossible to prevent. He frowned, finding it strange that the soldiers made the most noise. Not a single howl or cry came from the hounds still on the other side of the fence. Regardless, Asher was sure they would make their presence known once they closed in on the house. As soon as they smelled their first whiff of living vampiric flesh, a frenzied hellhound attack was certain.
The soldiers under Tarango’s command continued through the woods, the walk taking an eternity. Dried, discarded foliage crackled underneath their boots with each step. The line of soldiers approached the fence, the second platoon behind them now preparing to make a second sweep of the area as a precaution against escaping assailants.
Asher had forgotten just how loud dry leaves could be, and each step seemed to reverberate through the woods, threatening to reveal their position. He frequently encountered obstacles in his way, stepping over branches and the occasional bush. He knew there were more straightforward means to access the house. They had forsaken these for the woods and its cover, the need for concealment outweighing all else.
Asher made another quick check of his three and nine before returning to what was straight in front of him. He could see the house through the densely packed trees now; its overly angular architecture and window-walls impossible to miss, all of it out of place there.
Asher grunted as he felt his foot suddenly catch on a tree root, causing him to stumble. The sound of crushed leaves echoed throughout the woods. He might as well have set off a car alarm.
“Blackthorn!” Tarango hissed through his helmet. He instinctually singled out Asher, as he was the tallest of the recruits.
Ito, Driscoll, and all of the other platoon personnel briefly glanced over at him, trying not to notice his error. Kilgore had ordered them to keep moving at this point, the captain telling the soldiers to ignore such a misstep.
Asher kept a firm grip on his weapon and quickly regained his footing. He continued through the brush, careful to watch his feet more closely. He kept his eyes on his peripherals and what lay ahead of him as he proceeded forward. The soldiers soon passed the tree line and stepped onto browned grass, leaving their cover. Several, mostly evergreen, trees were here, though not as compacted as what now lay at their backs.
“Hold!” called Lieutenant Tarango.
Their line stopped some fifty feet from the house. Asher took several more steps to regain his position. His stumble over the root had left him behind the others.
Back in line, he gazed upon the house once more, his hands firmly on his weapon. An extremely modern and open structure, it normally would look non-threatening, even comical, if it wasn’t for the aura of foreboding stemming from the inhabitants who resided within. Captain Kilgore was confident it was a soft target, as much as a house filled with vampires could be.
Asher remained unconvinced. The sky darkened ever so quickly, and all those windows would give any enemy waiting inside an excellent view of their position. The platoon stood near the tree line waiting for further orders.
“First sweep of the west side complete!” Tarango announced through their helmets.
Asher wasn’t sure if he would ever become accustomed to hearing the lieutenant’s voice inside his head.
“First sweep of the east side complete!” a male voice unfamiliar to Asher came over the speaker. It was the second platoon’s lieutenant. He thought the captain had said his name was Roth.
“Proceed on to the house!” commanded Kilgore, his disembodied voice sounding strange in their helmets. He had positioned himself somewhere behind the target point, watching their movements through a pair of binoculars. A circling drone provided him a complete visual.
On Kilgore’s word, Asher and his comrades continued toward the front of the house. The line quickly became a V before it broke into two horizontal lines. The soldiers’ dark helmets and armor made them look like a flock of giant ravens, intent on their next feast of carrion.
Ahead, Asher saw the personnel who had approached from the east side. They remained distant from them, arranging themselves in a loose circle around the house. They w
ould guard it while Asher and his comrades cleared the interior. Whatever assailants made it through the outside platoon’s line of fire would be met by the merciless hellhounds. The beasts and their handlers had formed an even wider circle around the house.
Asher gazed up at the structure once more, finding it more and more intimidating by the moment. Its abnormally square angles and straight lines cut a sharp edge across the darkening sky. He shuddered, imagining the bloody, wretched horrors they would find inside.
“Hounds are now in position on the west side!” said another voice, female this time. Asher had no idea what the woman’s name or rank was. She was in charge of half of the force of hounds and their handlers.
“Hounds in position on the east side, sir!” sounded another unfamiliar voice.
“Confirmation by all units!” Captain Kilgore roared into their headsets. “Proceed into the house, Tarango! Stack up and bring down those vamps!” An icy chill filled the air as he spoke, and the dreadful anticipation of the raid weighed down on Asher.
“Yes, sir!” replied the lieutenant. His personnel moved into position, stacking up against the side of the house. “Enter!” commanded Tarango.
The first man approached the door and found it unlocked, saving them the hassle of a breach. The man immediately behind him pulled a flash-bang from his comrade’s pack, launching it through the open door. The front man charged through the open door just as the light dissipated, a loud BANG! from the non-lethal explosive punctuating his entry. His helmet and visor protected him from the device’s effects. If there were any vampires on the first floor, they were now wide-awake and left momentarily blind and deaf. All of it happened in milliseconds, giving Asher little time to comprehend the series of events.
The rest of the soldiers rushed in, one after the other, a relentless force of speed and aggression, intent on total elimination. Though he couldn’t see them from where he stood, Asher heard the sound of multiple booted feet striking wood and concrete as the house flooded with soldiers.
“Going in, sir!” Tarango called out to the captain, following after the last assault group assigned to the first floor. He neared the house behind the last man.
Tarango needed confirmation from each of the assault groups before they went on to the next floor. A better strategy might have been to flood all the floors at once, as was the usual practice, but this time the circumstances were different. The goal here was to flush their quarry from the house so the hounds could perform most of the heavy-hitting.
Asher could hear the sound of the lieutenant’s boots on wood as he ran back toward the door.
“First floor cleared!” yelled Tarango. He was visible through the only slightly tinted window, motioning the soldiers to continue to the second floor.
No shots fired, no vamps.
The personnel assigned to the second floor rushed through the doorway, a swift, efficient black line of destruction headed straight up the first flight of stairs.
Asher quickly moved into position to the side of the house behind the last man assigned to the second floor. Ito, Driscoll, and then Milo filed along behind him. Asher’s grip tightened around his weapon as he braced himself for the second all clear. The sounds of yet more booted feet echoed out of the house, still only footsteps and no shots. Asher began to sweat from his forehead, his dread nearly at its apex as he took up his position by the open door.
“Second floor clear!” Tarango bellowed.
Two floors cleared and nothing. No shots and no fleeing vamps. It all but guaranteed Asher an encounter with a whole coven of bloodsuckers. He remained motionless in his shooting stance, paralyzed by the intensity of the task before him.
“Time to get to the top of those stairs, Blackthorn!” Tarango shouted, anticipating his hesitation.
Asher took a deep breath and entered the house. Sergeant Ito and the others followed close behind him. He made his way around the open door, continuing in a straight line toward the west side of the house, his gait swift yet steady. Asher stopped at the corner leading to the first flight of stairs and took yet another deep breath, readying himself for the onslaught. He shuffled his feet as he made his way around, careful to search every angle before he proceeded further.
Corner cleared, they continued up the stairs, moving sideways, careful to place the soles of their boots on the studs to prevent any unnecessary noise. The personnel kept the muzzles of their guns pointed toward the ceiling, keeping a close watch on all angles in between.
Just as Asher turned the second corner, he heard the sound of footsteps swiftly approaching. The muscles in his arms drew tight as a pale, dark-haired man lunged for him.
BOOM!
Asher instinctively pulled the trigger of his weapon, dealing the man a blast straight to the gut. He fired from the middle of the torso up to the head, his shots reinforced by those of Sergeant Ito, their repeated fire deafening. Their fragmentation rounds tore through the vampire’s body, shredding the walls, the blood spraying them dark crimson. Pieces of the bullets even made it past the stairs, shattering some windows on the third floor.
The first vampire had only begun to slump and fall when another assailant followed him around the corner. Their shots tore into him, quickly grinding his body to a bloody pulp. He fell onto the stairs, half his face gone, blood, brains, and bone fragments splattered over both the ceiling and what remained of the windows.
Asher breathed deeply. What he was told about the speed and near unnatural durability of their foe barely prepared him for the reality. The vampires withstood blast after blast, taking up to ten or more rounds right to their unarmored bodies before finally going to the ground, falling in front of them only a couple yards away. Only the power of his shots and the enemy’s irrationality saved him from death. The vamps were fools to attack them on the stairs. Few things survived a close-range cascade of shotgun blasts, no matter their athletic prowess.
“Proceed!” Ito yelled for him to continue up the stairs.
Asher obeyed her, taking considerable care while stepping over the bodies. Sweat now poured from his forehead as the stress of the situation continued to rise. He stopped when he reached the end of the stairs, catching his breath.
Asher continued to search around the corner of the stairs when he heard a third assailant charge down the hallway from the nearest room. The vampire moved so fast that Asher saw little more than a flash of his blonde hair. He was slightly more intelligent than the other two, knowing it was better to wait for his prey to come to him.
Asher and Ito sprayed him down, round after round piercing his body, shredding his intestines into a filthy pulp.
Smart though he might be, the vamp had made a mistake coming around the corner at all. His patience did him little good as he underestimated his speed and neglected to account for the destructive power of a fully automatic shotgun. His body tumbled backward and collapsed on the stairs, blown to pieces, the same as his more reckless comrades.
Shaken by the onslaught of assailants, Asher refused to lose his nerve. He was already dead the second it was gone, possibly even bringing a few of his comrades down with him. He completed his search of the final corner and entered the third-floor hallway.
Asher took a few steps down the wood floor before a fourth vampire came out of the room directly in front of him, a redheaded female this time. He felt the inner workings of his shotgun catch as he pulled the trigger, stifling the intended barrage of bullets.
“Jam!” Asher screamed at the top of his lungs. He dropped to his knees to allow Driscoll a clear shot, his desperate cries answered by the deafening blasts from both Ito and the corporal’s X-12s.
Still undeterred, two more assailants rushed from the room at the end of the hall after the first, the vampires realizing it was better to attack in unison.
With the introduction of the new threat, Ito slumped down on the floor to give Milo a clean shot, obeying the unwritten rule that there must be at least one gun on every assailant at all times. It was t
he only way to guarantee all personnel survived.
All patience with his weapon lost, Asher abandoned the half-spent double-drum on the floor. He snapped a fresh one into his shotgun as the redheaded vampire finally fell, her blood slowly soaking into the wood floor.
“Got it!” Asher shouted, taking aim at the two remaining assailants. He remained squatting down beside the wall, careful to stay below Driscoll.
With three shotguns on him, the third dark-haired male stood no chance. Asher had no time to regain his sites before the vampire’s pulverized body fell to the floor, the wood slickened with blood.
The last assailant, a young, blonde female, sped past the male’s body, a defiant, rage-fueled bloodlust in her ghostly eyes. Asher dealt her several rounds to the gut, his comrades ceasing to fire as they watched her stumble backward and land against the wall near the far room.
Asher let out an audible sigh as he rose to his feet. There were still at least two more assailants unaccounted for, and he still hadn’t entered the room he was to help clear. He took a brief, ill-advised glance at the blonde female on his way to the room, finding her body relatively whole compared to how a human assailant would have looked. All she sustained was an, albeit devastating, wound to the gut.
Asher continued further down the hallway, halting at the door of the first room, once again searching all angles of the entryway before proceeding. He burst through the open door and moved to the right. Sergeant Ito followed and went left. He could hear the sound of booted feet behind him as Driscoll, Milo, and then the rest of the personnel assigned to the third floor moved onto the other rooms.
Asher stopped in front of the bed before taking a wide step around to inspect it, jumping even though he found nothing. He leaned down to look under the bed, sweat pouring from his forehead as he did so, nearly expecting a clawed hand to lash at his face.
Asher raised a hand and gave Ito a thumb’s up, indicating he had found nothing.