by I. J. Smith
“Who is this?” Abigail asked.
“Kate! We are headed for the Control room. Abi, there are Pure-Bloods in the building too!”
So far all they had seen were the Half-Breeds, the fact Pure-Bloods were inside made Abigail more scared than ever.
∞
The bullets flew through the air, as Kate, Emily and Rico rushed towards the direction of the Control room. As they turned a corner into another hallway, Kate stopped to glance back as Tate and Damian battled the army of Half-Breeds.
“Kate, come on!” Rico said and grabbed her arm.
They ran at speed, knowing every second they waited put Tate and Damian in more danger. They could see the door to the control room when from a tall slender woman appeared in front of them. Her lips were covered in blood, fangs extruding from her mouth.
“Hello!” Aviana said sexily.
Rico marched forward, “Fuck you bitch!”
Rico began to shoot at her but, Aviana moved with incredible speed. She was dashing from side to side, avoiding the bullets. Kate and Emily joined in and began shooting at Aviana. Aviana stopped in front of Rico, smashing him across the face, sending him flying against the wall.
Before his body hit the floor, Aviana had Emily around the throat. “Aren’t you precious!” Aviana muttered before head butting her. Emily flew back, several feet.
Looking at Kate, Aviana smiled. “Just you and me left.”
Kate began firing directly at her, but Aviana avoided the bullets. She raced for Kate, but stopped just in front of her. Aviana felt a pain in her stomach, looking down she could see a Dead-Cutter piercing her skin.
“Bitch!” Aviana yelled as she slapped Kate, knocking her to the floor.
While Kate was on the floor, Aviana rushed away. Rico had gotten back to his feet; he came to the aid of Emily. Holding her up, he looked over to Kate.
“You OK?” Rico asked.
“We need to warn the others!” Kate replied while standing up.
Together they entered the control room, before anything; she grabbed her walkie talkie. “Tate, come in.” With only hearing static, she tried again, “Damian, come in.” Still nothing.
Rico could see the concern on her face. “You know them, they are probably too busy killing.”
“We need to warn them.” Kate replied.
Emily roused, saying, “Abigail! Try Abigail!”
∞
“I’m out!” Damian shouted out.
Tate threw him another magazine of ammunition. The sound of the Half-Breeds, screeching in pain as the silver burned them from the inside; was becoming deafening.
“We need to start killing these fuckers!” Tate shouted.
Tate threw the remaining two magazines to Damian and emptied his gun into the body of the first Half-Breed that approached. He pulled his Dead-Cutter and pressed the red button. The 3-foot, silver blade extended and Tate went to work.
Slicing the blade through the necks of the screeching vampires, Tate wasted no time in ending their lives. Crushing their heads into floor, destroying the brains was messy. Blood, flesh, brain matter soon covered the floor.
With Damian shooting and injuring the Half-Breeds, Tate was slicing their heads off and stamping them into mush. The army of vampires began to dwindle down.
As the bodies began to pile up, Tate was alarmed when the shooting stop. He turned to see Damian being thrown across the hall. The large Maddox stood ahead of him.
They stared each other down, neither of them speaking a word. Gripping his Dead-Cutter, Tate rushed forward. Maddox laughed out loud and kicked out, hitting Tate in the stomach, sending him flying across the floor. Covered in the blood and flesh from the remains of the Half-Bloods he had killed, Tate struggled to get up. Managing to stand, he was only up for a few seconds before Maddox punched him in the jaw, knocking him down again.
Beginning to spit blood, Tate could not move. He tried to raise his weapon, but felt Maddox kneeling on him and holding his arms down.
Still no words were spoken.
Maddox just held him down. Looking him in the eyes, he opened his mouth revealing his bloodied fangs. Just as he was about to sink them into Tate, a loud clicking noise sounded out.
Looking up, Maddox was hit with the sun as the window shutters rose. Tate watched as large blisters began to form on Maddox’s face. Maddox screeched in pain and backed off. Tate dropped his head back to the floor.
Damian forced himself to his feet.
“TATE!” Damian yelled.
He saw a raised hand waving at him. Walking over, he watched as the injured Half-Breeds developed large blisters. Seeing the blisters burst; made him sick to his stomach.
“You OK?” He asked as he reached Tate.
Tate looking up at Damian, asked, “Is this a regular thing?”
Damian laughed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LOSSES
Four days had passed since the attack on the Order. Abigail had spent almost every second of it in seclusion, unable to face anyone. Unable to keep answering the same question over and over again. ‘How are you?’ Those once caring words had now turned into a torture of their own.
Laying on her bed in the dark, Abigail rested on her side staring at the wall. Her eyes were red, raw from the tears for her father. A gentle knock on the door did nothing to rouse her. Even a second knock was ignored; as she continued to stare into space. Without any further warning; the door opened, a bright light lit up the room through the open door.
“Shut the door!” she said sternly.
The door shut, but Abigail made no move to see who her guest was. She felt the warmth of another body sitting next to her on the bed.
“Just leave me alone.” She says.
A male voice replied, “No! We already left you alone and it didn’t help!”
Abigail recognized the voice, she lifted her head and looked behind her. “Tate,” she muttered as she turned around and cuddled into him.
“There are a lot of people out there who care about you.” Tate told her softly.
“They don’t understand!” she replied.
Tate placed his hand on her arm. “You’re right, they don’t. But I do!” He paused for a moment. “Your grief is driving you. The pain of losing your father is so much; that you just want to hide from the world!”
Breathing heavily Abigail said, “I just need time.”
“Abigail, we don’t have time. The Order needs…” Tate stopped. “No, the Pack needs you!”
Growing angry, she pulled away from Tate and climbed off the bed. She paced over to the light switch. “Look, I don’t care! I’m done!” She opened the door, gesturing him to leave.
Tate slowly stood and walked towards the door. Abigail avoided eye contact with him. He stopped to look at her, still ignoring him. He grabbed the door and slammed it shut.
“Get out!” She screamed at Tate.
“Make me.” He replied.
Abigail began bashing her fists against his chest. “Get out!” She continued to scream.
Allowing her to release the anger, which she had kept deep down, Tate took the pain of her punches. As her punches slowed, emotion took over and tears streamed down her face. Falling into his arms, he held her tight, whispering in her ear. “Let it out!”
∞
Insides Frank’s office, the rug on which he bled out, still remained. Casey sat at the desk of the man he had betrayed. Damian sat opposite, detailing their losses.
“We have thirty-seven confirmed dead, and twelve injured. All the passaged have been sealed, to prevent further attacks. The houses of the Order around the world are sending personnel to help while we rebuild.”
Casey looked across the table, “I want them all awarded the ‘Star of the Order’!”
Damian nodded. He knew the ‘Star’ was the highest award to be given. Usually it was only ever handed out to those that died in battle. “I will make sure of it!” He replied.
Standing up, Casey walke
d around the table and sat in the vacant chair next to Damian. “I never wanted this job. Frank was the one, he was strong, I fear I cannot do him justice!”
“Sir! The other houses voted for you to take command. It’s not only they who support you, it’s us too.”
Casey smiled, “You humble me. I hope to prove myself worthy.”
Damian stood up and began to walk towards the door; when Casey asked one more thing. “How is Abigail?”
Stopping, Damian glanced back. “She keeps to herself. I do not think she is ready!” He walked out of the office leaving Casey alone. Sitting there, a smile flowered on Casey’s face.
∞
Abigail still embraced Tate, her tears now stopped.
“I don’t know what to do Tate.” Abigail says.
He placed his hands on her face, “Come here.” He led her to take a seat on the bed.
As they sat together, Tate tells her, “A few hours before the attack; your father came to me.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “The last words I had with him gave me hope. He unlocked a truth from my past; that proved to me I am in the right place.”
Abigail began to tear up again.
“I doubted that I belonged here. Many times, over the last month, I wanted to run.” He smiled. “But the night I did, I had nowhere to run to. You found me and at that moment, I knew no one would miss me. My family’s death would forever go answered, unless ‘I’ found it.”
She took his hand, and told him, “You have a place here, but my connection to this place is too painful!”
“Use the pain. We need you!” Tate replied.
“The Pack or you?” She asked.
After a moment of silence, he looked at her. “Both! I, we need you. Also, you need us!”
Tate stood up and walked towards the door. “The Vampires who killed your father, and devastated the Order are still out there.” He opened the door. “Now get up and let’s go kill those fuckers!”
∞
In the communal room, Kate, Emily, Rico, and Ambrose stood around a table full of papers and weapons.
“Guys, I’m really not sure about this,” Emily told the others.
“Come on beautiful, what’s the worst that could happen?” Rico replied.
Kate gave out a sarcastic laugh, and said, “We all die!”
As they all stopped to look at Kate, as she looked up, she simply asked, “What?”
Only the knock on the door, broke the awkward silence.
Ambrose unlocked the door, and peeped out as he opened it. He gave a sigh of relief as Damian walked in.
“So, we have everything?” Damian asked.
Kate smiled, and reported, “Weapons, maps and a bottle of Whiskey!”
“Good, all we need now is the rest of the team.” Damian answered.
A second knock on the door made them all go silent again. Damian approached the door, “Who is it?”
“Tate!” A voice answered.
They all waited, as Damian opened the door, seeing Tate walk in they held their breaths. Abigail appeared behind him, she looked at the team. “Hi guys!” She said.
Emily rushed to throw her arms around her, nearly taking Abigail off her feet. In shock, Abigail saw the looks of love on everyone’s faces. Trying to avoid crying again she asked, “So when did you start locking the door?”
Walking over to the table, Damian whispered to Tate, “Nice work!”
“Ambrose, go ahead an answer the lady,” Damian told him.
“Me?!” He replied.
Rico walked over and placed his arm around Ambrose’s shoulder, “Brother, you did all the work!”
Feeling the eyes of everyone on him, deep down Ambrose began to panic.
“Deep breaths, you got this!” Tate reassured him.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “Well, I found something strange after the attack.”
Abigail frowned, “Strange?”
Glancing at everyone, Ambrose continued. “Tate asked me to keep looking into the security system, after the attack. Well, I found the passage ways were alarmed when they were decommissioned.”
Looking confused, Abigail just shrugged.
“Sorry, I’m not very good at this,” Ambrose looked at Tate, with a look of helplessness in his eyes.
Giving a nod, Tate took over. “We thought the alarm was triggered when the vampires entered the Order, from the tunnels. We were wrong.”
“No, I heard the alarm,” Abigail replied.
“You did! Abigail, your father and many others were already dead when the alarm sounded.” Tate told her.
As her breathing grew heavier she asked, “What?”
Tate continued, “We checked the timing of the alarm, there is no doubt. We had Ambrose look into the security logs. Someone turned off the alarms for the passages. And we found they were switched off; while we were at the nightclub on our first mission.”
With her mind swimming she muttered, “It was a diversion!”
Kate looked over, “That’s what we think, too.”
Giving Abigail a moment to digest the information, Kate continued. “For the last two nights, Tate and Damian have searched the tunnels that the passageways lead to. Last night they found where they begin.”
“Where?” Abigail asked.
“It’s an old farmhouse about three miles from here. Looks like the Vampires used an old mineshaft to connect to the tunnels underneath the Order,” Kate answered.
“You found the nest?” Abigail asked.
“No, looks like it was just being used for the purpose of gaining entry.” Kate replied.
Abigail slumped down into a chair.
Surprisingly, Rico placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ambrose had the idea that they must have been close by, the area around the farmhouse is all countryside. But, then we found something.”
She looked up.
“We found a church, it was hidden behind a growth of trees and bushes. From the road, you would never see it. Ambrose checked the land records, according to them it doesn’t exist. Someone wiped it clean from every record.” Tate told her.
“But…someone must have known of it,” Abigail replied.
“Turns out the entire land for a five-mile radius is privately owned, there is nothing on record about the church.”
Damian walked round and crouched down beside her, “It might be nothing or it could be everything. We’re going in tonight.”
“Casey authorized a mission?” She asked.
“He doesn’t know. U until we find out who disabled the alarms, we don’t trust anyone outside this room,” Damian replied.
Abigail leaned in close, “Are they ready?” she whispered.
Damian looked around at every member of the Pack. “They’re better than ready.”
∞
Two hours before sunset and the Pack were preparing for their journey into the Devil’s lair. As Damian prepared the truck, the others remained in the communal room. They had all changed into tight, black combat clothing.
“This thing is riding into my ass!” Rico moaned.
“Quit moaning, imagine being a woman. It’s not your ass it rides into,” Emily replied.
As Emily, Abigail and Rico grabbed their rucksacks; they walked towards the door. “Meet you guys in the truck.” Abigail told Kate, Tate and Ambrose.
Tate had two 9mm handguns strapped to his waist. As he grabbed two Dead-Cutters from the table Ambrose stopped him.
“Wait, I made you something.” Ambrose told him.
Ambrose handed Tate two Dead-Cutters; that were mounted onto silver knuckledusters, sporting an inch-long spike on the grip.
“Damn! Where did you get them?” Tate asked.
Ambrose smiled, “I made them! During the test, I noticed you like to use your hands.” He joked.
As Tate tested them he smiled, “Thank you, and I mean that!”
“A leader needs a good weapon.” Ambrose replied.
Tate frowned and said, “Leader? Not sure
about that yet.”
Ambrose chuckled, “I don’t know if you realize, you don’t have a choice.” Smiling as he left the room.
Kate placed her backpack on and looked on, as Tate looked like a kid a Christmas. “They suit you!” she says.
He strapped them into his belt, “You ready?” He asked Kate.
She walked over to him, “Actually there is one thing.” She said indicating the number one with her finger.
Before Tate could ask, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before she pulled away.
“For luck!” she muttered.
Beginning to turn, Tate grabbed her and pulled her close. This time a passionate kiss erupted. For a moment, they forgot their deadly mission and lost themselves in each other’s arms. As the kiss came to an end, their heads stayed connected. Breathing heavily over each other, their eyes opened.
“Don’t die!” she told him.
“After a kiss like that? No chance!” Tate replied.
They stood for a moment, lost in each other’s eyes.
“Guys, we need to go,” a female voice says.
Both turned to see Abagail standing in the doorway. Lowering her head, she left.
“Ooops,” Kate muttered.
Tate grabbed his backpack, “Come on,” he said taking her hand.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WHITING
The sun was setting, as the grey truck drove along a small country lane. The overhanging trees and overgrown bushes scraped along the roof and side of the vehicle. As they approached the small hidden path that lead to the church, Damian pulled the truck over and parked.
“OK, we are close enough.”
Handing out the ear pieces, Abigail spoke. “I will monitor everything from here. You must keep me updated of everything that happens.”
Damian opened the back doors and climbed inside, asking, “Before we go anywhere. Tate, if something happens to you, who takes command?”
Looking around Tate paused, “Ambrose!”
“What! No!” Ambrose replied looking scared.
Emily grabbed Ambrose’s hand with a smile.
“You have no choice!” Tate told him as he winked.