Blood Reign

by Harvey W. McCarthy

  "Now is the time," he said and he hung up the phone.

  They charged forward.

  * * *

  Jackson, who had led his group closer to the castle, stared through his binoculars. He had discovered a gazebo surrounded by a large garden as he scanned the open field. On the opposite side of the garden was a large tool shed. As he saw the two relatively large structures, he contacted all of his warriors and told them to rendezvous with his team. Once gathered, he ordered everyone to move forward in groups of two. Slowly and painfully, the warriors crept through the snow covered field. They would take several steps and then drop to the ground. They would allow the heavy snow to cover their bodies before they continued onward. Cold and wet, they shimmied through the snow to the rendezvous point.

  After twenty minutes, the team, which had been divided into three groups, had arrived at the gazebo. Tired, cold, and drenched, the archers waited only briefly to get the signal from Jackson. He gave the leader of the archers, a woman named Beech, a nod. She returned the nod and she waved to her archers. The group broke into partners and the archers quietly moved to their positions. Some archers remained at the gazebo, but the rest moved to the other three sides of the castle. Some archers found some cover, but for most of them, they were forced to lay flat in the snow. Unfazed, they trained their crossbows on the castle windows and doors and waited.

  Jackson lowered his binoculars. He scooped the snow from the lenses with his black gloved hands and he shook his head. Over the last thirty minutes, the weather continued to deteriorate. Jackson had several concerns about their mission. He knew that they were seriously outnumbered, but their skills gave them an advantage. However, the weather made for a wet, cold and tired warrior. He knew from experience that they were not as effective as a rested and warm warrior. His biggest concern was communication. If the weather knocked out their cellular service, he was worried that they would not get the signal from Rowlett that he had infiltrated the building. He placed the binoculars back to his eyes and prayed silently.

  David, who had been crouching nearby, crept towards the kneeling tall warrior. Jackson did not take his eyes off of the castle. He continued to focus his binoculars on the castle. He wasn't concerned about seeing vampires as much as he wanted a sign that Rowlett had been successful.

  "Anything?" David asked.

  "No," Jackson replied.

  An engine could be heard revving. A moment later, a large splash was heard. Jackson turned his attention towards the sound. He tried to focus the binoculars on the area from where he thought the sound had emanated. Nothing could be seen or heard. Jackson continued to glance left and right looking for answers. Several warriors shifted nervously.

  "That sounded like someth…" David said as his phone began to vibrate.

  He removed the phone from his belt and lifted it to his cold ear as all eyes turned to him.

  "Now is the time," Rowlett said.

  The phone went silent. David returned it to his belt. He turned to Jackson.

  "It was Rowlett. He said…"

  Jackson had already removed his phone and he was sending a text message. The phones attached to the hips of his warriors vibrated. They all rose and broke into a run across the open snow covered field. David was reminded of the great military veterans who served had during World War I who charged from their trenches across 'NoMan's Land' to their enemy's trenches. There was no protection. However, he hoped that this time, the vampires would not be poking out of windows and shooting machine guns in their direction.

  "Come on," Jackson urged as he stood.

  David shook himself out of his daze. Larry, who had run to his side when his phone had buzzed, pulled him by his right arm towards the castle.

  "Time to go," Larry said as he held onto David with one hand and his kippah with the other.

  "How the hell are we going to get in?" David yelled over the howling wind.

  "Counting on vampire blood lust," Larry said as they charged.

  David cringed, but he followed the charge.

  * * *

  A vampire peered out of a window that overlooked the moat. He squinted. He rubbed the window with the palm of his hand as he tried to clear the fog. His fellow sentry shook his head. He shaded his eyes to cut the glare from the overhead lights. He peered again. He opened his eyes wide and then he squinted again.

  "You're an idiot," the vampire said as he leaned against the wall.

  "I swear that I see something moving out there," the squinting vampire protested.

  "The only thing that is out there is snow and wind," said the leaning vampire as folded his arms across his chest.

  "No, there is something moving out there," he said as he continued to rub the palm of his hand on the window.

  The leaning vampire shook his head again. "That only works, you moron, if you are warmer than the window."

  A faint thump was heard. Both vampires glanced at each other.

  "What was that?" the leaning vampire asked.

  An alarm sounded.

  "Nothing huh?" the inquisitive vampire asked as he stood.

  Glass shattered. The vampire at the window flew backwards. A crossbow bolt protruded from his chest. As he reached for it, he froze. Green lines traced his skin. He shuddered. His partner moved towards him as he fell. Glass shattered again and a second bolt struck the second vampire in the head. His head immediately started to dissolve as he fell.

  Alarms blared louder. Vampires began to fill the hallways as they charged towards the main gate. They had grabbed anything that they could find as a weapon, but they preferred their bared fangs. They stood impatiently at the large wooden door. The inner gate squeaked as it rose. When it had reached the top of the ancient stone archway, the large wooden drawbridge lowered. A blast of wintery wind assaulted the group. The impatient vampires, who could sense fresh blood, stirred. The drawbridge landed with a loud thud and the vampires screamed as they charged.

  The first four vampires onto the bridge were hit by crossbow bolts. They stumbled and fell. Their fellow undead minions tripped over their dying bodies. Several vampires tumbled from the large drawbridge into the frigid bile colored waters below. Several screams were heard as they were pulled under the water by some unseen creature. Soon the pile of confused vampires was hit by a hail of mini crossbow bolts, their bodies were quickly overcome with the poisonous affects of Mongolian oak. They screamed and died.

  "IN HIS NAME!" Jackson screamed as the black clad council warriors charged across the drawbridge and into the castle.

  The battle had begun.

  * * *

  Blood sprayed. A vampire head rolled down the hallway. The headless torso remained standing until Rowlett kicked it to the floor. It began decaying. Blood dripped from his blades and his clothes. It was his tenth kill since they had passed from the garage into the castle. Vampires were everywhere. The Difference and The Russian continued to battle alongside their skilled leader. Mini crossbow bolts whistled through the air. Some hit their targets. Others struck the walls or fell harmlessly to the floor. Vampires screamed as bolts struck their hearts. The three men battled furiously. Their lives depended on it.

  They pressed forward. A vampire leapt at The Russian as he loaded another clip of mini crossbow bolts into his hand-held crossbow. It was a weapon that he had designed. The pistol grip weapon had been modified to automatically draw the bowstring as the crossbow bolt loaded. Instead of having to pause to ready the weapon, it was ready to fire a split-second after the first bolt was fired. The vampire bared its fangs. The Russian snapped the clip in place and aimed his weapon. He pulled the trigger and a bolt flew into the vampire's gaping mouth. She grabbed her throat as the poisoned dart began to dissolve her body. The Russian had shoved the dying vampire aside and fired again. He didn't have time to celebrate his kills.

  The Difference locked onto a large vampire. The vampire hissed. A second later, he screamed as a crossbow bolt hit his right eye. His eye exploded. He fell to the castl
e floor and writhed in agony. As he kicked his feet in pain, he knocked over two vampires who were preparing to rush Rowlett. They stumbled and fell. As they rose to their knees, Rowlett beheaded them. The remaining vampires ran. The Difference stood as his phone buzzed.

  He removed the phone from his belt as he watched both doors. His teammates covered him. He pressed the send button.

  "Yeah," he panted.

  "Location?" David demanded.

  "In a hallway east of the garage headed somewhere," he responded.

  "Not very helpful," David retorted.

  "This place doesn't come with a tour guide," the Asian man quipped.

  "Where is Rowlett? He hasn't answered any calls," David inquired.

  "He's had his hands full," The Difference quipped again.

  There was a loud crash in the background. For the team of three, it was a soft crash to their left.

  "What was that?" The Difference asked.

  David, who had to plug his other ear to hear, said, "Jackson just threw a vampire through an ancient china hutch. We are somewhere near the kitchen."

  Rowlett nodded at The Difference who nodded back. "Tell him to throw another one through something. We'll follow the sound."

  "Understood. We could use the help. We've lost four already."

  The call ended. The Difference returned the phone to his belt. Both he and The Russian removed their partially used clips of bolts from their pistol grip crossbows and placed them back into their belts. They reloaded and nodded. Rowlett nodded. He kicked the door at the end of the hallway open. A vampire grunted as the door hit him in the face. It was the last sound that he uttered as Rowlett's blades removed his head. Two more vampires fell as bolts hit them in the heart. The team panted, kicked, punched, and shot their way through the room.

  Another crash, much louder than before, emanated from beyond a closed door. The Russian ran to the door. He tried the handle but it was locked. He kicked the door, but the solid door would not budge. He stepped back to kick it again, but it splintered as a council warrior flew through it. The Russian narrowly avoided the flying warrior. The Difference ran to his side. Blood leaked from his eyes and mouth before his last breath escaped him. He had no time to grieve for his fellow warrior. A gigantic bearded vampire, well over seven feet tall and easily over four hundred muscular pounds, lumbered through the doorway.

  "Oh shit," The Russian said.

  Alerted to his presence, the vampire backhanded The Russian into a stone wall. The Russian slammed back first into the wall. His crossbow flew from his grasp. He heard a crack followed quickly by a sharp pain in his ribs. He groaned but he refused to acknowledge the pain. He slid down the wall. He rose to a knee and he cringed in pain. He clutched his ribs. The damage was worse than he had realized.

  The vampire ignored him. He charged The Difference who raised his crossbow. He pulled the trigger and the bow clicked. The loading mechanism had jammed.

  "Damn, not now!" he exclaimed as he cocked the bow.

  The clip released. He turned the bow upside down and shook the jammed bolt onto the floor. He reloaded the clip and aimed again. The vampire batted the crossbow from his hand. The Difference's face filled with fright as large fist was cocked. Rowlett's blade slashed across the vampire's back. The vampire screamed.

  Slowly, the large vampire turned around. The Difference was shocked that Rowlett's strike had barely broken his skin. The vampire's shirt was ripped and a trail of blood dripped down his back. The vampire, however, showed no ill effects from Rowlett's attack. The Difference believed that it only served to anger him. He leapt to his feet and scrambled to find his crossbow.

  The vampire cracked his knuckles. "That tickled," he said.

  Rowlett chuckled as he formed a defensive stance. His steely gaze peered through his twin blades. "Really? I'm glad you liked it. I got more if you want it."

  "Bring it. I like it rough," the vampire taunted.

  Rowlett didn't respond. He twirled his blades and attacked. He struck with his left hand and then his right. The vampire blocked them with his meaty forearms. Blood flew from his damaged arms, but the vampire chuckled. Rowlett twirled his wrists and blood flew from his bloody blades. He gave a battle cry and attacked with a double arm thrust. The vampire stepped into the attack and the blades passed his hips. He grabbed Rowlett's wrists and twisted. The blades tumbled from his grasp. They clanged on the floor. The vampire laughed.

  "Hope you like it rough too, little man," he said.

  "Fuck you," Rowlett responded.

  The vampire didn't respond. He turned and threw Rowlett over his shoulder. Rowlett slammed onto the floor and bounced like a rubber ball. He flew into a bookshelf. He had dislocated his right shoulder when he crashed into the bookshelf. The Difference cringed as Rowlett smirked as he stood. He reached into a compartment on his belt and he removed a toothpick. He twirled it between his fingers before he placed it in the corner of his mouth. His right arm hung limp at his side.

  "Not yet, you ugly fucker," he taunted. "I'm not done dancing with you so don't go looking for another partner."

  The vampire hissed and stomped across the room. Rowlett took a defensive stance. The Difference quickly loaded his crossbow. The weapon reloaded and he aimed at the big vampire. He pulled the trigger and the bowstring snapped. He sighed and placed the bow between his knees. He searched the compartments on his belt for a replacement. Replacing the bowstring would take thirty seconds. The vampire was near Rowlett. The Difference knew that Rowlett probably didn't have thirty seconds.

  The vampire loomed over Rowlett. He clinched his fits. He threw his right hand at the jaw of the vampire. The vampire caught his wrist and lifted him off the floor by his damaged arm. Rowlett screamed as a sickening pop sounded from his shoulder. He clinched the toothpick between his teeth. The vampire lifted him so he could look into his eyes. The vampire's face transformed. His fangs appeared. He hissed.

  "I've killed quite a few humans, but you've been the most fun," he said.

  "Fuck you meathead," Rowlett said as he cringed in pain.

  The vampire chuckled. He lifted Rowlett higher. He hissed and prepared to bite. Rowlett spat his toothpick into the vampire's gaping maw. The vampire chewed it and swallowed.

  "Scary," he said. "What is your next trick?"

  "Ducking for cover," Rowlett replied.

  The vampire gave him a puzzled look before an intense pain filled his stomach. He dropped Rowlett as the abdominal pain magnified. The Difference, who had restrung his bow, raised it to fire. He caught Rowlett out of the corner of his eye. Rowlett shook his head and ducked behind a chair. Despite his confusion, The Difference dove behind an upended coffee table. The Russian, who had finally made it to his feet, rolled into the next room. The vampire hissed as the pain intensified. The vampire clutched his stomach. He staggered several steps. He dropped to his knees. His body began swell. His arms opened wide and he wailed.

  The vampire exploded in a mass of thick green liquid. The foul-smelling liquid sprayed across the entire room. The giant fell backwards and continued to dissolve. The corpse rapidly formed a large green puddle in the middle of the room. Rivers of green decayed flesh filled the cracks in the ancient stone floor. Slowly, the remnants of the vampire disappeared into a thick bubbling pool of foul smelling gore.

  Slowly, the team emerged from their hiding spots. Rowlett clutched his right arm. He walked to his swords. He lifted the swords out of the puddle and he wiped the blades on the nearest piece of furniture. He twirled both of them and nodded.

  "Good as new," he muttered.

  "That was fucking gross, Comrade," The Russian said as he returned to the room.

  "Exactly," Rowlett responded.

  "Gross, but effective," The Difference said as he emerged from behind the coffee table. "However, now I know why you chew on the toothpicks. That trick comes in handy."

  "Actually, that was the first time that I've tried it. I chew on them because it relaxes me. I figured why
not chew on Mongolian oak just in case this situation ever came up," Rowlett admitted.

  "How did you know that it would work?" the Russian asked.

  "I didn't."

  Both men blinked several times.

  "But I was counting on you shooting him a lot earlier," Rowlett said.

  "Why did you lead with your right arm?" The Difference asked.

  Rowlett flexed his shoulder. "I was hoping that he'd do exactly what he did. He grabbed it and yanked. It hurt like hell, but he put it back in place."

  "Are you three ready to move on?" Jackson asked from the doorway.

  The team turned to face their fellow warrior. He was flanked by David and Larry. Two other warriors guarded their backs. All of them looked tired and battered, but their faces showed that their resolve had not changed.