by Leo Romero
“Yep,” Felix retorted, his focus back on the snake’s innards. “Crazy, huh?”
“Just a little.”
“And they’re all over town biting people,” Felix added matter-of-factly.
Eddie recoiled. “My God!”
Felix went and grabbed a sharp knife. “I’m gonna take a sample of the venom ducts and see if it matches any of the venom profiles we got on file here,” he said as he cut off the head in one firm chop as if dissecting a chicken for the barbeque.
“Yeah, you do that,” Eddie said with a sure nod. “I’ll tell Vincent what we think we’ve found here.”
“Good job. Now, there’s one final test to perform,” Felix then said, plopping the snake head back inside the trash bag.
“What’s that?” asked Eddie.
Without saying a word, Felix went and snatched up the headless snake and stepped backward toward the door, ushering Eddie to follow him. He turned and darted out into the corridor. Eddie followed up, intrigue now rising inside him. By the time he left the room, Felix was already down the corridor.
“Hey, wait up!” Eddie called, jogging along after him. He found Felix standing by the fire escape. On reaching him, Felix popped the door open. A flood of daylight filled the corridor. Felix glanced at Eddie, then flung the snake onto the concrete outside. The snake erupted into flames. Eddie flinched. An astringent stench of cooked, rotten flesh filled the air. The snake’s skin blistered and popped under the pressure of the midday sun, small wisps of smoke rising into the air and evaporating. Soon, there were just hundreds of tiny bones left that melted and disintegrated like candles over an open fire.
Felix turned back to Eddie, a big grin on his neat-shaven face. “Experiment complete,” he declared rubbing his hands together. “Conclusion: it’s vamp.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A rooster’s intense wake-up call split the morning air in half.
Dom’s eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. For a second or two, he had no idea where he was. He looked around him in a stupor; his eyes fell on Trixie, who was stirring.
He laid eyes on the fan blowing cold air over them both and his memory began to tick over. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He’d had that dream again. The one about the merc he killed. The sight of his dead body falling from that building wouldn’t stop plaguing him. Over and over. Not my fault, he told himself and rubbed his head. Not my—
That rooster holler went off again and he started. Then he remembered they were in a farming village on the outskirts of Tijuana, and so a rooster at dawn was nothing out of the ordinary.
He yawned, got up gingerly from his bedding, and stepped over to the window. On pulling the curtain aside, the blazing sun stung his retinas. He squinted his eyes against the intense glare before rolling them down to spot the culprit in question as he ambled by, chest puffed out, head bobbing.
“Haven’t you got any hens that need seeing to?” Dom asked him.
The rooster’s response was to spin its tiny head his way then release another ear-piercing cock-a-doodle-doo.
“How about cock-a-doodle-don’t?” Dom mumbled under his breath and threw the curtain back closed. He turned away from the window.
“What time is it?” Trixie asked with a yawn, stretching her arms.
“Time to get up according to Foghorn Leghorn out there.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Like a log. You?”
“Not bad. Could do with an extra blanket, floor’s a bit hard.”
“Good for your back.”
“Really now?”
“That’s what they say.” Dom went and pulled on his pants. “I wonder what they serve for breakfast around here,” he said, rubbing his belly. “I could go for some bacon, pancakes, and maple syrup.”
“I doubt that’s what they eat, Dom.”
“Well, I can always hope.” He threw on a tee, grabbed his toothbrush and then headed for the bathroom. On his way, he stopped and stared down at Trixie. “Hey, you getting up or are you gonna laze around in bed all day? We got a big one ahead of us.”
Trixie gave him a peeved look. “Actually, I was hoping for breakfast in bed,” she said with a smile.
“Ha, you’ll be lucky,” Dom said and left the room.
Alicia came by once they were dressed and ready.
Dom opened the door for her. “Hey, Alicia,” he said with a smile.
Alicia smiled back. “Hi, Dom. Sleep well?”
“Like babies,” Dom replied.
“Come and have something to eat.”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” Trixie said, placing a fresh magazine into her dart gun.
“When you’re ready,” Alicia said. “We’ll leave in half an hour. Gives us time to eat first.”
“Sounds great,” said Dom. “What’s on the menu?”
“Bacon, waffles, and maple syrup.”
Dom’s eyes widened. “Serious?”
“Only joking. I know you Americans love things like that. Here we eat huevos rancheros.”
Dom’s face pinched. “What’s that?”
“Eggs with chili-tomato sauce. You’ll like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
Alicia turned to leave. She glanced over her shoulder. Dom grinned at her. She smiled back, before turning and leaving the scene.
“When the day’s over,” Trixie said, putting her dart gun in her belt, “you two should get a room.”
Dom slowly turned to face her, his tongue jammed into his cheek. “Maybe, I’ll do that. Wanna join in?”
Trixie briskly shook her head. “Ugh! Let’s go.”
They ate light, some of the guys not eating at all. They were edgy, biting their nails, checking their guns over and over. Dom on the contrary, didn’t have any nerves at all. Once the realization set in, he found it strange. They were about to go and storm the barracks of the local cartel, who were headed by a vamp, but he wasn’t nervous. Instead, he was hungry; his stomach growled. The huevos rancheros Alicia served helped, but it was too tasty. His mouth buzzed with heat from the chili. The eggs were the freshest he’d ever had. He wanted more. He was realizing just how much he liked authentic Mexican food; it kicked pizza and burgers to the sidewalk.
He looked around him at the other guys and how pumped up on anxiety they were. He glanced at Trixie to see how calm and placid she was in comparison, then into his own soul to witness a similar condition. Maybe they were just getting used to shootouts, vampire hunting, and generally being in danger? Maybe the I-Sore building episode had hardened them to the point where they were unable to experience nerves of any kind? He pondered the notion in wonderment. Was it real? He hoped it was. He wanted to be a cool customer in the face of adversity, to be calm whenever his life was threatened. That way he stood a better chance of survival. And in his new line of work, it was an invaluable asset.
But, on the other hand, it made him nothing more than a machine, where battle was routine like a hardened soldier. Just like a Blacklake member. Was he losing his humanity as a result? He didn’t like that notion at all.
Coupled with that, recklessness could also rear its ugly head. Nerves were there for a reason. Nervous energy kept the senses lubricated. Without it, a lack of sufficient caution could arise, resulting in, yes, death.
He wanted more time to consider the notion, but with breakfast done and morning drawing on, they needed to set off on their mission.
“Are you two ready?” Alicia asked them, hitching the strap of her submachine gun over her shoulder as she spoke. Her face was riddled with worry; her hands were trembling and her voice was wavering.
Dom glanced at Trixie; in contrast, he saw an eerie calm in her face as if she’d been dosed up on Prozac. In a weird way, her composure helped keep himself even cooler. He nodded at Alicia. “Yeah, we’re ready.”
“You want some guns?” Alicia asked.
Dom glanced over at Rafa, who was carrying an AK in each hand like he was on a Hollywood movie set. �
�Er, we’ll pass,” Dom retorted.
“You sure, amigo?” Rafa asked. “These guys don’t play games.”
“Neither do we,” Dom stated.
“We don’t kill people,” Trixie said. “We see them as victims. It’s the vamps we take out.”
“Your choice,” Rafa said with a shrug. “But, I know Los Verdugos. They’re ruthless punks. They’ll fill you with bullets first chance they get.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure we don’t get shot,” Dom said.
“You better take one of those,” Alicia suggested, pointing at the pile of bullet-proof vests on the ground.
Dom looked from them to Trixie.
“All right,” said Trixie. “They might come in useful.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Everyone assembled in the center of Valle del Paraíso, the heat around them searing even though it was barely past dawn. They loaded up the Humvees with ammo and guns, before the guys jumped on board, assault rifles at the ready.
Dom watched on in bemusement. It was broad daylight and they were openly loading armory and ammo without any caution. “Aren’t you afraid of cops?” he asked. “If this was Chicago, you’d be rounded on in a heartbeat.”
“Cops?” Rafa echoed with a cackle. “Amigo, the cops are more scared than the people.”
“The police are either too afraid to come around here, or they work for the cartels,” Alicia informed him with a bitter sigh. “The Government won’t do anything about the cartels, and so we have to take things into our own hands. In the absence of authority, justice must prevail. My father realized this and set up the autodefensa. We must honor his soul.” She kissed the crucifix hanging around her neck.
“No cops will bother us, amigo, don’t worry,” Rafa said with haughty irony, an AK-47 in each hand. He went and sat up on the nearest Humvee. “Vamos!” he shouted, raising both his AK’s to the sky.
Dom glanced at Trixie. “You ready?”
Trixie gave him a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah. You?”
Dom nodded. “Yeah.” He frowned. “It’s weird. I’m not at all nervous, even though I should be shitting bricks.”
Trixie smiled. “Welcome to the land of the cynical. That’s what this life does to you.”
Dom shook his head. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing though.”
“It is what it is, Dom,” Trixie told him. “Now roll with it, and let’s go.”
She walked past him toward the nearest Humvee, where Rafa put down his gun and offered her his hand. She took it and hoisted herself up.
Dom glanced up at the sun. It blazed back down at him. “We’re riding in the back?” he asked Trixie.
“I’m used to it now,” she said, getting comfy and putting on her cap.
Dom sighed and put on his Yankees cap. “Yeah, I know the feeling,” he said to himself without any feelings whatsoever.
He grabbed Rafa’s giant hand; Rafa pulled him up onto the back of the Humvee like he was a child. Dom took his seat and they were all set. Four Humvees full of autodefensa soldiers armed to the teeth.
Alicia stood up and raised her gun. “Para Lionel!” she screamed.
She was answered with a loud cheer.
“Vamos!” Rafa shouted again and fired off his gun. It exploded into life for a brief moment. The others cheered like wild hyenas as all the vehicles set off for Castillo Serpiente.
Dom checked his watch. 6:52. This Víbora cat would surely be fast asleep (unless he was an insomniac), and the venom would most likely still be running around the veins of his brood. It was the best time to attack, when they were at their most vulnerable. Without a fully attentive brood and no escape route because of the sun, the vamp was cornered.
“How many guys will be protecting Víbora?” Dom asked Alicia and Rafa.
“A lot,” Rafa answered.
“All the cartel top guys are always well protected,” Alicia added. “But, we’ve now got numbers. More than we’ve ever had. We can match them. Some of us might not return.” She glanced at Rafa, who gave her an uneasy look. “But, we have to fight. Have to. There’s no other choice.”
Dom nodded in understanding. “All right. Just clear the way for us and we’ll take Víbora out.”
“I was hoping to have the pleasure of ending his life myself,” Alicia said, stroking the crossbow in her lap. “Revenge for my father.”
Dom blew his cheeks. “Look. We gotta be professional. Whoever gets the first shot at him needs to take it. We can’t let sentimentality get in the way of business.”
Alicia gave him a hard stare. Dom met that stare head on. After a brief bout, Alicia melted. “All right,” she said. “You’re right. The important thing is to dismantle Los Verdugos. Whatever it takes to free the people.”
Dom nodded. “And that’s what we’re gonna do.” He looked back over the convoy. There must have been between twenty and thirty men and women; a local militia taking the law into their own hands after being pushed too far. A sense of pride rose up inside Dom’s chest; he liked nothing more than to see people rising up against the darkness and corruption the vampire issue had created. He remembered when he first woke up to the problem himself, stuck in that basement with his brother and his poor dad who had succumbed to the vamps. He recalled how alone he felt, how hopeless. Since that time, he’d realized that he wasn’t alone. He’d seen his people grow, and now they were an army, albeit a small one. But small armies metastasize into big ones. As he gazed up at the blistering sun, he promised one day the vamps would be no more, and it would be because of people like those he shared the bumpy ride in the searing heat with.
They moved up the hillside in silence. Dom watched the world go by; the arid landscape bright blue meeting golden yellow, the horizon a shimmering line, dancing to its own tune. The grasshoppers were in full voice all around them; frisky and alive. Huge lizards, like mini-dinosaurs—the type of which he’d only ever seen on the TV or at the zoo—stalked the dusty landscape, seeking the scant shade offered by exotic cacti, their huge tongues darting out on the air. Dom watched them in awe, realizing just how far from home he was. The blazing sun was constantly reminding him; he wafted his hand in front of his face, attempting to cool himself off.
Alicia spotted him. She handed him her bottle of water. “Here, Dom. You need this.”
Dom gratefully took the bottle, had a deep drink, then handed it to Trixie, who took it with equal gratitude. Dom craned his neck left and right. He spotted something hanging from an approaching bridge. He squinted his eyes, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. They were bodies; naked bodies strung upside down and hanging from the underside of the bridge, left there to rot in the roasting sun. They’d been decapitated, their heads nowhere to be seen.
“Christ...” Dom gasped.
Trixie spun her head his way, the neck of the water bottle still up to her lips.
As they drew closer, Dom noticed the pieces of card attached to each body. Scrawled across each were the word,‘traidor’.
Trixie winced as she stared at them. “Just like Meatpack Food Solutions,” she said to herself.
“Huh?” asked Dom.
Trixie shivered. “Nothing.”
Dom’s eyes never left the bodies as they passed under the bridge. The Mexicans seemed unaffected, as if it was just an everyday occurrence.
“That’s what happens to you if you don’t pay your bills,” Alicia said. She kissed her crucifix and crossed herself as they passed beneath the bridge.
“Who were they?” asked Dom.
“Farmers. Locals. Normal people who probably had no extortion money to give to Los Verdugos because they already took it all. They came back for more and when they couldn’t get what they wanted, they killed them. Either that or they refused to join the cartel.”
“Puta Los Verdugos,” Rafa sneered before he turned his head and spat on the road.
“This is why we fight,” Alicia said. “Why my father created the autodefensa. To protect the innocent from these
monsters.” Her face pinched in disgust. “Drugs, hitmen. Just so dumb Americans can get high!” she scorned.
Dom and Trixie gave one another nervous glances.
Alicia tutted and shook her head. “Ach, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. I just get angry whenever I see things like that.”
“It’s no biggie, Alicia,” Dom said. “We understand. We don’t like the cartels either. Or what they do to you.”
“At least in your country you are kept in line with entertainments, pills, and fast food,” said Alicia. “Down here, us Latinos are controlled with violence, fear, and chaos. Structured, organized chaos.”
“They do the same thing to all of us in different ways,” Trixie countered. “Have you seen the effects of these drugs that the cartels import to the States? That’s what we have to deal with. You have to put up with the cartels manufacturing and distributing, we have to put up with the addicts and gangs and the crime they create. And at the end of it all, the same entities control all sides. We’re all victims, which is why we all have to fight.”
“One day this world will be free,” Alicia said and kissed her crucifix.
“Our time will come,” Trixie said with a steely determination. She stared down at her bandaged hands. “It might be painful, but we’ll get there.”
She glanced at Dom, who gave her a warm smile.
She returned the smile as best she could.
They left the grim bridge behind; Dom watched it all the way, his stare not leaving those dangling bodies as they attracted flies. These cartel people were brutal, vicious thugs, worse than anything he’d seen in Chicago.
The bodies were left behind to rot while they continued on their march.
“We’re entering Los Verdugos territory,” Alicia said as they approached another small town.
Dom looked around; the squat buildings were run down. One or two of them were peppered with bullet holes. Barricades made of sandbags had been set up in the road, which they had to swerve around. Dom guessed there must have already been a battle or two here between the autodefensa and the cartel. Now, it was literally a ghost town, with only their Humvees on the road.