Blood Reign

by Harvey W. McCarthy

  "I was wondering when you guys were going to join the party?" Rowlett joked.

  "You ready?" Jackson asked.

  "Yes," Rowlett said as he nodded to his team. "Let's go."

  The Russian groaned as he took a step. He clutched his ribs. He slumped against the wall. Slowly, he sat down. Larry ran to his side.

  "What is it?" Larry asked.

  "Something just poked me," he replied.

  "Are they broken?"

  "Yes," The Russian admitted, "But…"

  "Stay here," Jackson ordered as he tossed his pistol grip crossbow to his team member.

  The Russian tried to get up, but he winced in pain. "I can…"

  "You can cover our escape route," Jackson ordered. "You came through the garage correct?"

  "Yes," Rowlett said, "And there are several vans in there. A quick hotwire and we are on the road out of here."

  "Cover us," Jackson told The Russian before he turned into the room.

  The Russian nodded. "Good luck," he said.

  The team continued to work their way through the castle. Vampires were becoming scarcer. David hoped that his plan had worked and that most of her minions had been drawn away by his ruse. Also, he knew that they had killed many vampires during their initial siege and that many others had ventured outside only to die from a hail of crossbow bolts. There were several skirmishes, but the vampires seemed to be either hiding or retreating. David, however, didn't feel a sigh of relief. Actually, the lack of vampires worried him but not as much as not being able to locate Chris.

  As they continued to search rooms, they entered a large dining room with a beautiful ornate table. It was a historian's dream. The architecture and furnishings were centuries old. Furthermore, they were immaculate. As they encircled the table, they could see their reflections in the flawless table surface. Before they could truly admire the décor, two vampires leapt from an archway. They were quickly beaten down. Larry and Jackson lifted stakes to strike.

  "STOP!" David screamed.

  Both men gave a puzzled look.

  "Why?" Jackson asked.

  "Bring them to the table and hold them down," he said. "The rest of you guard the doors. Lock them if you can."

  The team scurried away. Jackson, The Difference, Larry, and a burly warrior, named Hoaglund, dragged the battered and barely conscious vampires to the table. David used a knife to cut some silk table coverings into strips. He realized that he was probably destroying priceless artifacts which would fetch him a nice retirement fund at an auction, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He ran back to the table with his strips of fabric. He bound the vampires, who were being restrained side-by-side, by their arms and legs to the numerous table legs.

  He climbed onto the table and kicked the thinner of the two vampires in the face. Blood splattered across the table. He jumped off the table and stared the vampire in his battered face.

  "Where is your queen?" he demanded.

  "Fuck you," the vampire replied and he spat in David's face.

  David punched him repeatedly. He grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head onto the table. Blood leaked from the vampire's head. He grabbed the vampire by the hair and pulled his head upward.

  "Where is she?" he asked angrily.

  The vampire chuckled. "You don't scare me, human."

  "Holy water!" he demanded.

  Jackson opened a compartment on his belt. He removed a small vial. He handed the clear container with the rubber stopper to David. The vampire's eyes widened. He tried not to show fear, but the prospect of being burned by the holy liquid sent shivers down his spine. David spied a bottle of wine on a nearby table. He smiled and he dashed over to the table. He picked up a wooden handled corkscrew.

  "This should work perfectly," he said as he removed the stopper.

  He dipped the corkscrew into the holy water. He held it up to the light. Slowly, the water dripped down the spiral, gold colored metal. He walked over to the battered vampire.

  "Larry, come here," he ordered as he extended the vial of holy water to him, "Hold this."

  Dutifully, Larry ran to his side. He held onto the vial. David dipped the corkscrew into the water. He held the corkscrew over the vampire's head. Slowly, the water encircled the spiral metal. The vampire was terrified. His eyes widened.

  "The choice is yours," David encouraged. "I can slowly burn you to death or you can tell me where we can find the queen."

  "I c…" the vampire began to say.

  However, he couldn't speak. When he had opened his mouth, David had quickly grabbed his tongue. He pulled on it. When the tongue was pulled taunt, he slowly began to twist the corkscrew into the vampire's tongue. The tongue sizzled as the holy water covered metal burned through the skin. The vampire gave a muted scream.

  "WHERE IS SHE?" David screamed.

  The vampire mumbled and David twisted harder. Blood oozed and mixed with the holy water. The vampire's tongue continued to sizzle. The vampire thrashed his head. The pain had rendered him mute.

  "WHERE IS SHE?" David screamed again.

  "He…He…He can't talk," the other vampire stammered.

  David snapped his head to face the other vampire. "I'm fucking talking to you or you're next," he said as he continued to twist.

  "Through the archway!" the vampire exclaimed. "Go through the third door on the left. There is a spiral stairwell. It leads to the tunnels under the castle!"

  "Good answer," David said and he nodded to Rowlett.

  The vampire screamed as Rowlett's sword headed towards his throat. A second later, the vampire's head tumbled off of the table and bounced along the floor. The beheaded body began to rapidly decay. David nodded to Rowlett who cleaned his blade on the other vampire. David smirked before Larry poured the vial of holy water into the vampire's mouth. The vampire died painfully.

  "Let's go," he said.

  The team didn't stop to question his tactics. They grabbed their weapons and headed to the archway. Jackson was the first warrior to reach the door. He nearly ripped the door from its hinges and jumped out of the way. Hoaglund sent a volley of mini crossbow bolts into the hallway. Two vampires screamed as the pointed bolts hit their bodies. The team ran to the third door on the left. Jackson kicked it in and they repeated their previous attack. Two more vampires died. As the vampire had stated, there was a spiral stairwell in the middle of the room.

  Jackson led the way. He descended the stairwell slowly. It was dark and dimly lit. He leapt off of the stairwell and formed a defensive stance. He held a stake in his right hand. He reached to the back of his belt and removed a headlamp. He had ordered that his team all have lights. Being the elite team leader allowed him access to certain files which detailed that many warriors had died on previous underground missions because they could not see. He turned on his headlamp and grimaced as he remembered the gruesome details that had been told by the survivors of those missions. He wasn't going to repeat history.

  "Clear," he said.

  The rest of the team quickly descended the stairs. When they saw Jackson's headlamp, the team also put on their headlamps. David also grimaced when he saw what Jackson was seeing. There wasn't just one tunnel, there were two. If they went in the wrong direction, the queen could flee and Chris with her. The two paths could twist and turn and they could also become lost. It was a decision that he didn't think that he was qualified to make. He looked at Jackson.

  "There is only one solution," Jackson said. "I will take Hoaglund and Davis and we'll take the left. The rest of you head down the right tunnel. The Difference will cover your rear while Rowlett will take the point. If you find anything, call immediately. Stealth isn't a priority."

  "Agreed," Rowlett said. "Let's go."

  The teams split up and headed down their respective tunnels. Rowlett led the group as Larry and David slowly walked behind him. The Difference silently crept several paces behind him. The tunnel was musty and damp. Larry trembled. David tried to remain calm but he w
as overcome with a sense of death. They continued to creep along until they discovered a doorway on the right side of the tunnel.

  Rowlett silently signaled for them to stay put. He turned off his headlamp. He hunched over and crept to the door. He listened. For several moments he heard nothing through the ancient wooden door. He was about to move onward until he heard what sounded like whispering. He slid his hand along the door until he found the handle. Slowly, he pulled on the handle and he discovered that it was not locked. He pulled the door open quickly. He rolled into the room with his swords drawn. Someone screamed. He turned on his headlamp.

  What he saw had truly surprised him.

  * * *

  Step by cautious step the sense of death intensified. Jackson and his team moved slowly through the poorly lit tunnels. Rats scurried under their feet. The damp, cold cave was musty but also had the smell of dried blood and decaying flesh. With each step, the stench increased. The ground was soft and muddy. Moisture dripped from the ceiling. The mud stuck to their black combat boots. The mud hampered their ability to be quiet. A soft sucking sound followed each slow step.

  More rats scurried between their feet. Jackson noticed that the rats never ran away from them. Instead every rat did not fear them and ran directly towards the three large men. Apparently, they are more afraid of whatever or whoever lies ahead than they are of us, Jackson thought. As the number of rats increased, he knew that they were about to find the source of their fear.

  They rounded a corner and the stench of rotting flesh overwhelmed them. Hoaglund covered his mouth. Bile raced up his throat. He forced his stomach contents to return to their point of origin. He coughed as the stomach acid burned his throat. Jackson and Davis scanned the area with their headlamps. Brutalized corpses lined the walls. Row after row of heads on spikes stood next to the bodies. Faces, which were permanently twisted in horror, expressed their last moments on Earth. Various limbs and other various body parts were piled in a corner. Rats scurried away from their feast as the beams of light fell on them. Hoaglund shook his head in disgust.

  "Beautiful, isn't it?" Mikhaeli asked.

  All three warriors rapidly scanned the room. She laughed. Her voice echoed off of the walls. The beams of light streaked across the decaying bodies. Eerie shadows were cast along the walls. Her laughter grew louder and louder. Hoaglund and Davis readied their crosses and stakes. Their hands trembled. Jackson reached into a compartment on his belt. The laughter suddenly stopped. It was replaced by Davis' agonizing scream.

  Jackson spun in the direction of the new sound. He had heard Davis fall. His headlamp created an illuminated path to the fallen warrior. The black clad warrior was flat on his back. His cross protruded from his left eye. The beam of light made an elongated shadow of the cross along the tunnel floor. The shadow extended across the floor and stopped at the feet of the vampire queen. She giggled playfully.

  Both beams of light rose across her body. Hoaglund uttered a curse. Her period attire was perfectly suited for the ancient structure above them. She reminded him of a Broadway actress portraying a member of the aristocracy in a Shakespearean play. She was radiant and breathtakingly beautiful. He had expected a gruesome, horrid creature. Instead he was staring at the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He swallowed hard. She giggled again.

  "Not what you expected?" she teased.

  "Don't answer that," Jackson ordered.

  "Hrumpf," she squeaked angrily. "You're no fun."

  She pouted as she paced across the room. Their beams followed her every step. She extended her arm as both men readied themselves. They took defensive stances. She shook her head. She reached for an ancient circuit breaker. She lifted the heavy handle and the circuit sparked. The cavernous room illuminated. The horrors of the room were beyond comprehension. The room was larger than they had realized. Human corpses lined the walls. Hoaglund turned pale. The purpose of the room had become abundantly clear: It was her true trophy room.

  "Impressive isn't it?" she asked.

  Jackson scoffed. "An homage to evil is more like it," he said.

  She mockingly scoffed him. "I've heard that you were good, but I would never have expected that you would be so bold or foolish enough to attack me here in my own castle. Cristof has taught you well," she said.

  Jackson paused. Hoaglund glanced at him for answers. Jackson did not acknowledge his glance. His eyes did not deviate from the dangerous vampire queen. She licked her lips and winked at him. She giggled again.

  "You are the infamous 'Blackhearts,' are you not?" she asked. "The scourge of the undead? The elite, and thusly most feared, warrior unit personally trained over centuries by the mythical vampire hunter Cristof Blutherz or as I prefer to call him Christopher because it sounds so much sexier when I'm screaming it."

  Jackson glared at Mikhaeli. "You've done your homework. I'm impressed," he said.

  She began to gracefully pace around the cavernous room. "Oh yes, I've studied those warriors who present the greatest threat to my empire and my existence," she said as she licked her lips again. "Especially your leader…"

  "What about our leader?" Hoaglund demanded.

  She giggled and licked her lips again. "Let's say that I've studied him…intimately."

  Hoaglund took a step forward, but Jackson restrained him by extending his right arm. His eyes still did not waver from the queen.

  "Release him and…" Jackson said.

  She threw her head back and laughed again. Jackson glared at her which she returned with an icy stare.

  "And you'll do what?" she demanded as she giggled.

  "We'll leave without killing you," Hoaglund said.

  She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "No, no, no, that will not do. See, your beloved leader, who I am assuming that you have risked your life to rescue, is not going anywhere with you. Quite the contrary because before you fools showed up, I was about to join him at our union ceremony."

  "Union ceremony?" Jackson asked.

  She smiled sweetly. "Yes darling, every great queen needs a strong and powerful prince at her side," she said as she winked.

  "You fucking bitch!" Hoaglund screamed as he charged at Mikhaeli.

  She smiled evilly. She extended her left hand. Hoaglund froze in place as if she had just caught him. She raised her hand and the warrior lifted off of the cavern floor. His eyes were filled with fright. She blew him a kiss. She snapped her arm to her left. Hoaglund flew through the air. His head slammed into the stone wall. It shattered on impact. Blood and bone splattered on the wall. His corpse joined the pile of discarded limbs and body parts that had been left for the rats.

  She turned her attention back to Jackson and smiled. "I hope, as their team leader, that you are much wiser than him," she taunted. "I certainly hope that you will provide me with some form of entertainment."

  Jackson slowly encircled the vampire queen. She giggled as she watched the focused warrior. He was wary. His eyes watched her. He noted every tiny movement as she mirrored his every step. She stopped pacing and stood completely still. He walked around her. She giggled again as the skilled warrior continued to look for any weaknesses. His breath was calm. She heard his heartbeat. Its rhythm was steady. She was impressed. He wasn't nervous. The regal queen waited.

  The warrior took slow crossover steps until he was face-to-face with the beautiful queen. He reached for his belt. His hands remained at his sides as he stared at her. He removed his cross and held it out. She smiled and licked her lips slowly.

  "Teasing me, are we?" she asked. "I so love it when you guys play hard to get."

  Jackson smirked. He realized what the cross protruding from Davis' eye had told him: She did not fear the cross. He tossed it aside. It clicked against the hard cavern walls. He removed his backpack and he dropped it to the damp cavern floor. He slipped a stake from his belt. He flipped it end over end and caught it with his right hand. He took a defensive stance.

  "Time to die," he said.

  She smile
d evilly.

  He rushed at her.

  "Stop!" she commanded.

  Jackson froze. His right foot was raised. He had stopped as he rushed forward. He couldn't blink, but he could see and he was aware of his surroundings. He felt as if his body had been suddenly frozen. The most frightening part of his predicament was that he could not breathe. His heart thumped in his chest as his body screamed for oxygen. He willed his body to breathe but it did not respond. Fear quickly overwhelmed his soul, but his frozen body remained calm.

  The queen slowly stepped towards her trapped foe. She giggled as she traced the muscular warrior's body with her fingers. She stood on the tips of her toes as she licked his cheek.