by Zara Novak
Kat and Rubago had stopped listening to the conversation, and stared at each other, without breaking their gaze.
“Can you feel it?” Kat asked.
“Yes.” Rubago nodded. “Something bad is about to happen.”
The men seemed to catch wind that something was wrong. Ansel placed a hand on Kat’s leg. “Kat? What’s wrong?”
“Someone will attack the train—they’re white… dressed in white.”
“The White Order.” Will York said. “They’re the vampire hunters that attacked my castle. When?”
Suddenly, the piercing scream of metal filled the train, and the carriage slammed to a stop on the tracks. The train’s lurching threw everyone forward, plates went crashing, wails of commotion sang throughout the carriage. For a moment there was quiet, then there was the distant sound of yelling and gun fire. The surrounding travelers responded with screaming and panic, running up and down the packed walkways with little composure.
The group jumped to their feet.
“What do we do?” Edmund asked.
“Stay close.” Will said. “I’ve faced the White Order before, I know how they fight. We need to get off this train and run. They shoot first and ask questions later.”
Something heavy thudded and scraped across the roof above, they looked up quickly at the sound.
“Shifters.” Will added. “I told you they’re working together. Looks like this is your chance to learn. Run!”
Ansel grabbed Kat’s hand and pulled her after him as they moved down the carriage away from the sound of gunfire. As they reached the end, the door behind them burst open. Kat glanced back quickly and saw a group of men and women dressed in white, running forward with guns and crossbows in their hands. She caught the eye of a blond haired girl who must have been the same age as her.
“Get down!” The girl cried. With a sharp tug of his hand, Ansel pulled Kat off the train and she crashed onto the gravel boarding the train tracks. Muted gunfire and screaming came from the train behind them.
“Head for the trees!” Will cried. “We’ll find shelter in there!”
A huge mass of black soared through the air overhead, landing on the ground before them as a wall of snarling teeth and long black fur. A shifter.
“Jesus!” Edmund stuck his arms out and stopped the group from running right into the path of the giant beast. Kat had never seen a wolf so big in her life, the creature must have been the size of a grizzly bear at least. All around them the shouts of the other travelers echoed into the night.
“That’s far enough!” A sharp voice sang from behind them. “Take another step and Scarrow there will shred you alive.”
They turned to find themselves face to face with a group of armed soldiers in white. Wolves snarled behind them, vampire hunters stood in before them, trapping them on all sides.
“Don’t move until I say.” Will whispered to the group under his breath. “These guys kill vampires for fun, one false move and we're all dead.”
6
Anderson walked toward the group with a dark smile on his face while gravel crunched underfoot, the initial chaos of the attack was over, and a tense quiet filled the air. They’d secured the train and even killed a few vampires—but they hadn’t found what they were looking for yet. The vampires in front of him had bright red eyes, indicating that they were dangerous, and if that wasn’t enough, a York vampire accompanied them too. He kept his crossbow pointed at the group, stopping a few paces in front of them.
“Ellie!”
A moment later the blond girl was at his side, pointing her own crossbow at the group. “Yes, sir?”
“Report on the attack.”
“Along with our team, the pack have secured the train, we’re scanning for the target now.”
Nodding, he took a step forward, keeping his crossbow aimed on the men. “Will York, it’s a surprise to see you here.”
“Likewise. Do you forget the treaty the Belmont family has with your group? You stay away from the train lines, and we stay away from you.”
Anderson could only laugh. The balls on this motherfucker. A few months ago he would never have been able to face a vampire like Will York, but since then… he’d changed.
“Our former agreements no longer exist. We have the resources and permission to wipe your families off the earth.”
“What’s with the hold up then? You took my castle a month ago. Surely you could have taken the castle Belmont by now too?”
He narrowed his eyes at the vampire, half tempted to plunge a stake into the chest of the man. The White Order had grown in strength, but without both halves of the shifter pack, they wouldn’t do too well at the Castle Belmont. When Charo and Scarrow got their shit together, they could storm the Belmonts and finish the vampire families for good. A mysterious employer brought the Order and the pack together. Until the other half of the pack got their shit together, the Order would do their own thing. Hunting the feral.
“We have more pressing matters at hand.” Anderson said. “We’re looking for a feral vampire. He was last seen entering this train at a blood town a few days ago. Hand him over to us.”
One of Anderson’s men, Hayden, came over at his point, carrying Milo Prince by the scruff of his neck.
“Found the conductor hiding in the staff quarters.” Hayden said in his deep voice. “He said there’s no feral on the itinerary.”
“There are only three Supers on this train!” Prince pleaded on the ground. “And you’re looking at them!”
Anderson shot a quick glance to the vampires on his right before sinking his boot into Milo's face. Prince fell back, clutching his face and wailing in agony.
“Vampires are such terrible liars.” Anderson said, while lifting his bow and placing the tip of its arrow against Prince’s head. “Last chance. Where is the feral?”
“There is no feral on this train sir!” Prince cried. “I promi— AH!”
The bolt flew from the crossbow, and Prince went up in a ball of flame and ash. Anderson dropped his crossbow onto the ground and pulled a handgun from his waist and turned on the group. He had eleven silver bullets in his clip, plenty of equipment to interrogate.
“Mother fucker!” One vampire made a move to surge forward, but another held him back.
“Yes make sure you hold your friend back. What are your names?”
“Fuck off and die.”
“Why don’t I ask you this way?” Anderson moved his gun over to the girl stood next to the group, and he pulled the trigger. The gun fired with a bang, and the slug caught the girl in the shoulder, spinning her to the floor.
“Kat!” The vampire beside her cried and jumped down onto the floor to cradle her. “No!”
“Anderson what are you doing?!” Ellie cried out beside him. “She was human!”
Anderson shrugged, knowing full well that the girl was human. “Was she? Oh well, I guess that—”
Chaos erupted, and a wall of muscle and bone crashed into Anderson’s chest at full force, he tumbled back across the floor, his back smashing against the train behind him. Before he could stand up, hands were crashing down against his face. A few months ago such an assault would have killed him. Humans couldn’t fight vampires hand to hand, but Anderson wasn’t all human any more.
He flared the strength of the Nephilim spirit inside of him, his eyes growing cold as they glowed with blue fire. Strength coursed through his body and he struck back. With one blow the attacking vampire fell back, stunned by the hit. Anderson jumped up and pinned the vampire to the ground.
“You’re such a young vampire.” He said, sensing his enemy’s aura. The spirit inside of him searched out and found the man’s name. He saw his history, he saw his treachery. This vampire was a wanted man. Wanted by his employers no less. “Tut tut. Ansel Draco. You’re a wanted vampire. We should take you in and claim the bounty.”
He looked over at the rest of the group, whom he also knew from searching Ansel. “Edmund Volks… Kat Summers�
�� you’re all wanted. Sorry about the bullet Kat. Nothing personal you understand.”
Kat was on her knees, with Rubago at her side, clutching her shoulder with one hand. “Fuck off asshole.”
“This has gone far enough Anderson.” Will York said from somewhere in the background. “We already told you there is no feral here. What do you want?!”
Draco hissed as he attempted to pull himself from Anderson’s grasp. Anderson pushed the vampire back and released him, forcing him to tumble back onto the gravel.
“We want the feral. He has been traveling around these parts for some time now. He killed half my group, and we need revenge.”
Footsteps crunched from his left, and he looked to see that Hayden had returned. “We’ve searched everywhere, sir. There are no signs of him.”
Anderson clenched his fists, resisting the urge to rip the man in two. The feral had been on this train, so where was he now? Between fifteen wolves and thirty men, they should have found him no problem. He turned his eyes back on the small group of Supers in front of him. Five more of Anderson's men had the Nephilim power. Three Supers would be no match for them.
“That’s very disappointing. But at least we’ve disrupted their train line, anyway. Kill the rest of the vampires on board, line these idiots up and execute them too. Take any humans you find and turn them into soldiers. Don’t let her get away.” Anderson pointed at Kat.
Ansel was back on his feet again, looking as if he wanted to rip Anderson in half. Anderson couldn’t blame him. He’d killed many Supers in the last month. They didn’t like feeling weak and being overpowered by a human was maddening.
“Take charge of the rest of the team Ellie.” Anderson said. “Round up the vampires and execute them, we—”
“This is a train full of regulars, Anderson.” Ellie protested. “Killing them would be barbaric.”
Anderson shot her a murderous look. “They’re vampires aren’t they? And you’re a vampire hunter. Do it or face the repercussions. I don’t care if your father is the head of the Order.”
Ellie held his gaze in defiance, swallowed her pride and nodded.
Anderson put his eyes back on the vampires in front of him. “I tell you what, I’ll make things more fair. No weapons, just hands. Three verse two.”
He threw his gun onto the gravel behind him, removed his white jacket and summoned Hayden to do the same. Like Anderson, Hayden had the spirit of the Nephilim inside of him. When called upon, their strength exceeded that of even the most powerful vampires. The two men squared up, spreading their feet apart and lifting their fists.
“What’s the problem?” Anderson said with a cold smile. “Chicken?”
*
Murder. Murder. I’m going to fucking murder you.
Ansel’s mind was a torrent of hate and fury. He crouched on the floor with his arm around Kat. The bullet had only caught her shoulder, but if she didn’t get help fast, she’d bleed out.
“Wait for my signal.” Will said in an almost silent whisper as they watched the men drop their things onto the ground. “They’re stronger than we are, but they fatigue faster.”
“I’ll kill every last one of them.” Ansel roared under his breath.
“They’ll kill every last one of us, if we’re not careful.” Edmund said. “He made a fool of you. What was that Will?”
“They’re possessed. They’re strong. Heads up, they’re looking back at us.”
“Chicken?” Anderson said. “I’ll even call off my dog. Scarrow…”
The bear sized wolf behind them snarled in response.
“Fuck off.” Anderson said.
The wolf scampered off, leaving the group facing Anderson and his henchmen.
Kat breathed a gasp of pain on the floor beside Ansel.
“Kat! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, it's only pain. Kill them Ansel. Fight for me.”
“I’ll watch her.” Rubago said. “We can help her, providing you can get us out of here.”
Ansel nodded, stood up and made a line next to Edmund and Will.
“I’m finished waiting.” Anderson said, while rolling his head on his thick neck. “Make a move or—”
“Now!” Will roared.
In a flash York disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, only to appear a second later behind Anderson’s henchman. As his fist sank into the back of the man’s head, Edmund sprang forward and plunged his own fist into the man’s stomach.
Ansel’s eyes focused solely on Anderson. He leapt forward in the air, while Anderson stood there with a knowing smile on his face, not moving a single muscle. Ansel was seconds away from hitting him when the man countered the attack with impossible speed. In a swift movement, Anderson had grabbed Ansel, twisted and launched him against the train, hurtling his body through the glass and into the carriage.
Edmund and York made a formidable duo, but the sheer strength of the white soldiers surprised the bearded giant. “What the fuck are they!?” He roared while trying to dodge a punch. He failed, it caught him in the jaw and knocked him back into the dirt. The henchman was about to jump down through the air and stake Edmund when York materialized in a cloud of black once more, his foot positioned up into the man’s ribs.
Ansel was on his feet again in no time, his fury knowing no bounds. He jumped from the carriage through the hole his body had broken and surged at Anderson again. This time he had more success, and he caught Anderson with a hard blow from his right fist. The man laughed the attack off and countered with three more blows that hurt like hell.
Somewhere in the chaos, Ansel ended up fighting Anderson’s henchman, and Will and Edmund were against Anderson. The second man wasn’t as strong, but it was clear to Ansel that even with three against two, they were losing the fight. His enemy swung a leg out, taking Ansel’s from underneath him. He hit the ground breathless, and stuck his hand out in time to catch the man by the wrist, stopping the stake from his chest by an inch.
“Ansel!”
He heard Kat’s cries of worry somewhere to his right. Kat. He had to do this for her. That bastard Anderson had fucking shot her!
He clutched the soldier's wrist, and twisted it around, hearing the bone splinter.
"Stop!" The man gasped. "That's enough! Stop! Please!"
Not a chance.
He jumped up from the floor and pinned the man down onto the ground, without hesitating, he grabbed the free stake and plunged it down into the man’s chest. The henchman screamed and then the most curious thing happened, his body burst into a well of bright blue flame. A rush of something flowed through Ansel then, a power the likes of which he’d never felt before now.
The eruption was enough to disrupt the fighting, the blue well of flames surprised everyone. It was clear the Order weren’t mortal anymore. Just what in the hell were they?
“Stop right there.” A click sounded behind him, and he turned to see the rest of Anderson’s men and the wolf pack were circling the group, surrounding them on all sides. “This little fight has gone on long enough.” Anderson said as he walked forward. “You don't have the information we want, it's time to execute you and leave.”
“So much for no weapons.” Ansel said.
Anderson shrugged. “As if I’d give my word to a fucking vampire.”
Ansel locked eyes with Kat. To reach an end together and not be in each other’s arms. He couldn’t think of any worse fate. All he wanted to do was jump forward and rip Anderson’s throat out, but there were too many soldiers. At least this way, Kat would live. All he had to do was die.
A different voice broke out throughout the silence then, taking Anderson’s attention from Ansel and his group.
“Don't tell me you're leaving already Anderson.” The hoarse whisper sounded mad, but it also sounded powerful. Ansel’s hairs stood on end. Dark clouds moved over the moonlit night above, a quiet buzzing sound filling the air.
All eyes looked up to the roof of the stopped train. There stood the hooded vampire.
“But you were so close to catching me Anderson. Why stop now… when I’m just in your reach?”
Anderson could only shake his head, smiling. “You’ve breathed your last breath you son of a bitch. You made a mistake getting on this train. Men, women, take aim!”
Every man and woman in the group made a swift movement, training their guns toward the hooded figure on the roof. Ansel couldn’t help but notice that the wolves had gone, making a quick, yet silent retreat. With the Order distracted, Ansel crept back over to his group.
“You didn’t learn from last time did you?” The hooded vampire chuckled. He lifted his hands and pulled his hood back to reveal his face. He was a handsome man, but his ink black hair was long and matted. His blood red eyes sparkled like torches, and he looked up to the sky. Thunder rumbled overhead.
“It can’t be…” Rubago whispered beside them. “He’s dead…”
“Clearly not.” Will said, also seeming to recognize the stranger on the train roof. Ansel, Edmund and Kat had no idea who the man was, but he was clearly notorious. “We should get out of here now,” Will whispered under his breath. “While they’re still distracted. There are caves near here, we can hide there before the sun rises.”
Ansel scooped Kat up into his arms, and the group made a speedy descent down the gravel to the trees at the side.
“Stop right there!” A voice shouted behind them. They paused and looked back to see three Order members pointing guns in their direction. They couldn’t dodge bullets, not with Rubago and Kat traveling with them.
“No, no,” The hooded vampire said. “You don’t harm my friends. And you don’t harm me.”
“I’ve had enough of this!” Anderson said while rolling his eyes. “Kill the bastard!”
Ansel clutched Kat in his arms, watching in horror as the soldiers fired at the feral vampire on the train top. Their guns rattled into the night, but nothing seemed to happen.
Chambers clicked one by one as volumes of casings hit the floor, then everything was silent, save for the buzz of static and rumble of thunder overhead. The vampire on the train roof stood untouched, his bright red eyes glazed with madness. A wall of silver bullets twinkled in the air before him as they caught the blue moonlight, suspended in a perfect sheet. With a flick of his hand they dropped, pinging off the train roof and down into the gravel.