Fanghunters (Book 4): The Claw Order

by Leo Romero

  He threw the tab back down on the sideboard and headed for the door. On his way, a small tinkle sounded out behind him. His ears pricked and he stopped in his tracks. He whirled back the way he came, his now wide eyes glued to the tablet. Its screen was flicked on, a small halo of light emanating from it. Vincent knew what that tinkle indicated. He raced over to the sideboard and snatched up the tablet. With his heart beating hard, he scanned the screen. A box indicating an incoming call wanted his response. With a trembling finger, Vincent tapped ‘answer’.

  The cam link opened up. Vincent opened it full screen. At first, the image was black, then it went way too bright, causing Vincent to squint. Things toned down until an image emerged like a water blotting. Now Vincent found himself staring at a face he hadn’t seen in decades, yet was still horribly familiar. The eyes in that face burned dark, the expression one of grotesque arrogance.

  “Ah, Slayer!” it hissed, its eyes flashing with delight. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Ram,” Vincent retorted in a neutral tone, addressing the eldest son of Rah. “We meet again.”

  “Indeed we do. How long has it been since you last tried to have us killed?”

  Vincent’s top lip curled. “Too long,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ve grown since I saw you last, yet you haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Neither have you... Clement.”

  Vincent’s back straightened. “And to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, his legs beginning to tremble. He knew this was bad news. If Ram knew the weblink address with which to contact him as well as having the confidence to show himself, it couldn’t be good.

  He tried to get a peek beyond Ram’s ugly face to get a glimpse of any landmarks. There was nothing but darkness.

  “The pleasure is all ours, Slayer,” Ram countered, that self-serving smile still on his face.

  Vincent’s teeth clenched. He had nothing but contempt for the spawn of Rah; spoiled, petulant children given the keys to his kingdom.

  “And how are your brothers and sister?” Vincent asked.

  “Ask them yourself.” Ram turned the camera around. Lounging in chairs like child emperors on their thrones were the others. Annit, Karim. Seth gave him the peace sign.

  Hate pranged at Vincent’s heart. He so wished he could’ve slaughtered these creatures in their cribs before puncturing their father’s black heart.

  Annit waved at him. “Greetings, Clement. Where have you been?”

  “Working on destroying you,” Vincent answered.

  They all laughed. The sound was like talons scraping down glass in Vincent’s mind.

  They quietened down and Ram’s face dominated the screen once more. “We have something to show you, Slayer,” he said with a nasty grin.

  Vincent gave him a skeptical stare.

  Ram turned his head to the side. “Come here!” he snapped at someone off screen.

  Vincent watched on in anticipation, while the rain continued to hit the windows.

  A soft yelp came through the tablet speakers and Vincent gasped.

  “I said come here!” Ram sneered in a nasty growl. The camera shook briefly as Ram grappled with someone they were attempting to pull into the screenshot.

  “Get off me!” the person yelled, and Vincent’s heart sank. He recognized that voice.

  And then recognized her face.

  Ram gripped Trixie’s jaw to hold her face steady for the camera.

  Tears streaked clean down her dirty cheeks, her wide eyes glittered in the low light; they were brimming with fear and anger in equal measure.

  Vincent threw a hand up to his trembling lips.

  “Say hello to Daddy!” Ram said, his voice jovial.

  “Go to hell!” Trixie responded in typical fashion.

  “She’s a feisty one, Slayer!” Annit shouted from the background.

  “A real beauty too,” Ram added. He popped out his tongue and ran it down Trixie’s cheek, hot gasps of pleasure escaping him.

  Trixie’s face twisted in revulsion. She tried to pull away, but Ram’s grip was too strong for her. She had no choice but to endure that grotesque tongue as it slithered all the way down her face. Ram reached her chin and pulled back. His eyes rolled into his head as he licked his lips. “Hmm, her tears are salty, Slayer. So nice of you to send in some fresh meat.”

  “Don’t you dare hurt her!” Vincent blurted; he didn’t know what else to say.

  Ram cackled. “Since when have you cared about the wellbeing of your apprentices, Slayer? Hmm?”

  “He must’ve grown a conscience,” Annit noted.

  “And pigs will fly,” said Karim.

  Ram turned back to face his siblings. “Maybe he has a heart after all.” He turned back and gripped Trixie’s jaw tighter. She gasped. “Maybe we’ve found his... weakness.”

  Annit giggled. “Maybe. She is so pretty after all.”

  Ram let out a contemptuous chuckle. “And tasty.” He gave her another lick.

  “And he hasn’t even asked about the other one yet,” said Karim. “Maybe she is the only thing he cares about in this world.”

  “Where is Dom?” Vincent asked, understanding their insinuations. “What have you fiends done with him?”

  Ram rolled his head back and released an almighty cackle that was like the diseased caw of rabid crows.

  A shiver crawled up Vincent’s spine.

  Ram faced the screen once more. “Only now you ask, Slayer? How many more times will you send children to their deaths in your futile attempts to destroy us? Hmm?”

  Vincent’s top lip curled up in anger. “As many as it takes,” he answered in a steely voice.

  Ram nodded. “Then you are nothing more than a murderer.”

  Vincent’s back straightened. “I am what I am. What the Lord made me.” He glared into the camera on his tablet with hateful eyes. “Now, end this unnecessary torture of an innocent immediately. Tell me where Dom is, and then let them both go.”

  “Your apprentice is safe, Slayer,” Ram told him.

  “We like him,” Karim added.

  “We like them both,” said Seth.

  “They killed uncle Leviah. That makes them A-Okay in our books,” Annit said with a chortle.

  “We’ve wanted him dead for decades,” Ram sneered, “and your little workers did the job for us.”

  “How did you kill him?” Karim asked Trixie. “Hmm?”

  Trixie pursed her lips.

  “A stake through the heart?” Ram asked with delight, staring at Trixie out of the corners of his eyes.

  “Force-fed him garlic?” Seth asked. “That would be bad enough to finish me off!”

  They all laughed.

  “Or did you pull back the blinds and expose him to that horrible ball of fire in the sky?” asked Annit with a titter.

  “Ah yes,” said Ram. “That’s it isn’t it?”

  “You burned him alive,” stated Karim with a wicked grin.

  “How delightfully cruel,” said Annit, clasping her hands with joy.

  “Did you watch it?” Seth asked.

  Karim raised his eyebrows. “Enjoy it?”

  “Watching him die an agonizing death,” Ram added, giving Trixie’s head a brisk shake.

  “Did it feel... good?” Annit ventured.

  “I bet it did, sister,” Ram said over his shoulder. “Tell us, what did his face look like as it melted in the sun?”

  Karim gazed off into the distance. “I bet it was a picture.”

  “If only you’d filmed it, I’d watch it over and over,” said Annit, waving her smartphone on the air.

  “We could’ve posted it on the net so everyone could watch him wilt like an old plant,” said Seth.

  “I’d have the image branded on my brain,” said Annit.

  “Me too, sister,” agreed Seth. “Me too.”

  “So, tell us, pretty girl, what was it like?” Karim asked.

  “Why don’t you all just die?” Trixie said through clenched
teeth.

  Ram burst into chaotic laughter. He came to an abrupt stop, clutching her face harder. “You first!”

  All the vampires erupted into laughter. The din rocked Vincent to the core. He could do nothing, but watch on in agonized torture. He was helpless, suddenly hating himself for sending Trixie and Dom to their doom. The hatred for the vampires on the screen ahead of him spread in his heart like a tumor, usurping his self-hatred. The wail of their laughter cut through him like ice-cold daggers. He rubbed his eyes, all the while those cackles ringing around his mind, punctuated by the occasional fearful whimper from Trixie.

  He shook his head in lament. Ah, Trixie, I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.

  He rubbed his eyes harder, the sorrow swiftly evolving into anger as that laughter continued to reverberate in his mind. The noise swelled as the seconds ticked by. He clenched his fist, just as the volume ramped up to a crescendo. “Enough!” he scowled, punching the air.

  Ram’s laughter cut off. The others fell silent.

  Vincent glared at the screen with bulbous eyes, his chest heaving. Outside, a low rumble of thunder echoed through the sky.

  “Temper temper,” said Annit.

  “What is it you want?” Vincent asked in a toneless voice.

  “We want the relics, Slayer,” Ram answered. “You will hand over the Eye and the Fangs. And only then will we release your daughter and your apprentice.”

  “Say no, Dad!” Trixie snapped.

  “You shut your rotten mouth!” Ram spat with venom, shoving her head to the side.

  The sight cut into Vincent’s heart. “Who says I have them?” he asked, attempting to play their bluff.

  “Don’t try and fool us, Slayer,” Annit sneered.

  “We know you have them,” Karim added.

  “Why else have you been hunting our family down?” asked Seth.

  “And sending yours to the sand to hunt us?” said Annit.

  Ram nodded. “We know why, Slayer.”

  “You are going around collecting the remnants of our granddaddy so you can vanquish him once and for all.” Annit spoke with a knowing smile on her face.

  “But, you need all the pieces to the jigsaw, don’t you?” Ram stated.

  “And so you are attempting to acquire them. Stealing them from our aunties and uncles.” Annit tutted. “Very naughty, old man.”

  Ram nodded. “Yes. We know, Slayer.”

  “We know,” Karim echoed.

  “We know that you want this!” Ram threw up his hand. Clutched in it was what looked like a lump of charcoal. A black, glitterless gem.

  Vincent’s eyes widened. The Heart of Moroz.

  Even through the screen, Vincent swore it was pulsating in his hand. And on top of that, Vincent could sense the icy evil emanating from it; a halo of black malevolence. Vincent’s blood ran cold. He licked his lips while staring at that tumor-like lump as if it were a nugget of the purest gold. It repulsed him, yet desire blossomed in his heart the more he stared at it.

  “Yes, Slayer,” began Ram with a sly grin. “I see the way you look at Granddaddy’s heart.”

  “You long for it, don’t you, Clement?” Annit said in a delicate voice that sent shivers crawling up and down Vincent’s spine.

  “But, it’s mine!” Ram sneered, closing his hand over the relic.

  “Ours!” Karim snapped.

  Ram closed his eyes and gave his head a brisk shake. “Yes, ours! All ours! You won’t get your dirty hands on it! Daddy told us what these things are. What they’re for. Their importance.”

  “Granddaddy will come back,” said Annit, “and it will be our order that he bonds with. The world will be ours to play with as we see fit.”

  Vincent nodded his head slow and deliberate. “Just like your other aunties and uncles, and indeed your grandfather himself, nothing changes.” He kept his stare fixed on the pulsating, putrid lump in Ram’s grip. “Your arrogance will be your undoing,” he finished, flicking his eyes up to meet Ram’s.

  “Really, Clement? You don’t believe us? Switch on your TV and we’ll show you who is truly arrogant.”

  Vincent frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Your TV, Clement. The square thing on your wall that shows pictures. We know you’re old, but you must’ve heard of a TV,” Annit snickered.

  “Maybe he still uses a gramophone,” Seth quipped. They all laughed.

  Ram cut his fist down through the air. “Turn on your TV!” he barked.

  Vincent looked up. The TV on the far wall stared back at him. A black rectangle. He took slow steps toward it, his tablet still in hand. With his free hand, he grabbed up the remote from a nearby desk. On reaching the TV, he gulped. He wondered what these foul beasts were talking about, but at the same time, trepidation was worming its way into his system. He inhaled a deep breath and flicked the standby button.

  Sniggers emanated from the tablet in his other hand. They were like pecks from crows in Vincent’s mind. The TV flicked on. It was already tuned into CTNN. It was immediate chaos. Images of burning cars and buildings. Yellow tape going crazy all over the screen. Car bombs in Baghdad, Tripoli, Tehran. Suicide bombers in Frankfurt, Stockholm, London. The Arc de Triomphe had been cordoned off. Johannesburg was on fire. Buenos Aires in chaos. Mass shootings in Manhattan, Sydney, Vancouver. People were running scared, terrified for their lives. Police swarmed the streets in various countries attempting to maintain order.

  An airplane had been blown out of the sky over the Atlantic. Others were currently hijacked while still in the sky. States of emergency had been declared seemingly planet-wide. And it was happening fast. Co-ordinated attacks across the globe. Vincent gazed at the TV in a drunken daze, his mouth agape.

  “And there is much more to come,” came Ram’s haughty voice from the tab in Vincent’s hand. “We’ve had sleeper cells ready and waiting for decades.”

  “And they’ve now been activated,” Annit added. They all began laughing again.

  Vincent glared at the TV with sullen eyes; flames burned in his irises, bodies lined streets. These creatures felt nothing of the carnage. Their blood was ice-cold. It was all a joke to them. The explosions, the dismembered bodies, the children crying next to their slain families. His legs began to tremble in both fear and anger.

  “If you want it all to end, you’ll bring the relics to us,” said Karim.

  “This is your final chance, Slayer,” said Ram. “Agree to hand over the relics you’ve stolen and we let you all live.”

  “Disagree, and...” spoke Annit.

  “What you see on your TV will be just the beginning,” finished Seth.

  Vincent looked back at the senseless carnage on the TV. A girl was screaming in tears, her mother’s bloodied corpse on the ground next to her.

  “And your daughter and apprentice will be executed,” added Karim.

  “Do we have a deal, Slayer?” asked Ram

  Vincent met Trixie’s eyes and his heart slipped down his chest. Even though her wet eyes were flooded with fear and apprehension, she still managed to remain resolute in the face of such adversity. She shook her head. “No, Dad, no!”

  “Slayer?” Ram growled impatiently.

  “We don’t have all night,” said Annit.

  Vincent grabbed his throbbing head. They had him; had him cornered. They knew it, he knew it. Finally, he’d managed after many decades to get hold of two of the relics, they were on their way to victory against the beasts, things were slotting into place, the sun was starting to rise against them. And now this. Being forced to choose between a terrorist apocalypse and that very victory he’d been convinced was coming. And the latter meant sacrificing Trixie and Dom.

  But, sacrifices have to be made, the rational part of him reasoned. You’ve always known this. And you’ve always made it clear: once you join the fight, you might well lose your life. That is the ultimate price you pay for your freedom. You knew this, they knew it. It’s the way of life, of this life. Sacrificing Dom and Trixi
e will be for the greater good. Billions will be saved and future billions. You cannot risk their collective futures for the sake of a couple of souls, no matter how much they mean to you.

  He closed his eyes and groaned under the pressure. Deep down, he knew that voice was right. The House of Rah wouldn’t just end the carnage if they were handed the relics. They’d most likely increase it in their pursuit of the remaining orders. And in terms of Dom and Trixie, well, there was no way they’d let them live. No matter how much that fact might hurt, it was the cold truth.

  He nodded his head. Resigned. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions jeopardize the future of mankind.

  But, if Trixie and Dom die, then the remaining orders will never be stopped, another voice rang out inside him. A conflicting voice. His fight. His warrior voice. They’ve proven themselves the only two capable of dismantling them. Killing them will doom those billions anyway. You cannot give in to vamps. Ever. You know this. You’ve always known it. You cannot bargain with them. Ever.

  “But, I’m old,” he whispered to himself in response to his inner warrior.

  Then. Die.

  “Slayer!”

  Ram’s rasping voice cut through Vincent’s temporary fugue. His head snapped up to meet the horrible images on the screen. Trixie’s beautiful, yet tormented eyes next to the bottomless pits for eyes embedded in Ram’s head, full of malice, hate, and infinite torture.

  “Our patience is wearing out, Clement!” Annit stated.

  “Give us an answer,” growled Seth.

  “Either comply...” began Karim.

  “Or die,” Annit finished.

  Ram clenched Trixie’s chin harder. Her tongue popped from her mouth.

  “Enough!” Vincent snapped, thumping the air ahead of him.