Fanghunters (Book 4): The Claw Order

by Leo Romero

  Some of the guys cleared the way, exposing the prisoners lined up on their knees in rows. There must have been around twenty to thirty of them. Rufus scanned them; there was a mix of men and women. They all looked scared, their heads bowed. He looked them over one by one, hoping to find—

  One of them lifted her head up. Trixie’s green eyes stared out into the desert. Rufus’ heart skipped a beat. Trixie! And next to her was Dom. Rufus’ heart sunk. Angst squirmed around in his stomach. He so badly wanted to run in there and help them, to get them out of danger. But, he knew that would be suicide. There were too many bad guys, too heavily armed. The only weapons Rufus had were designed to defeat vamps, not humans.

  He kept his head bowed and watched. The bad guys were loitering around, like they were waiting for instructions. Rufus stared at Trixie again. Her hands were clasped ahead of her. Even from where he was, Rufus could see they were trembling.

  Hold on, Trixie. I’ll get you out of there. Somehow.

  Rufus then noticed the cameras that had been set up to film the event like it was a movie set. People were filming the scene, while someone else was operating a collection of laptops. Were they were streaming the event live?

  Rufus’ face twisted in disgust. These people are sick!

  They were actually that bold to give their location away by streaming live. Why weren’t the army helping?

  Rufus remembered what Vincent said about the grounding of the flights after the terrorist attacks and how they couldn’t risk bombing the area in case they killed the hostages as well as the bad guys. Bad PR, Vincent said, whatever that meant. So, they sent in the little guy instead.

  And I can do this!

  Some movement made him focus on the scene ahead of him. One of the bad guys, who had the air of leader about him, was now on his phone. He was speaking and nodding for a while before ending the call. He pointed at the prisoners with his machete. The moment he did, another bad guy went and grabbed the nearest one, a guy with white hair. His body convulsed with fear as he was dragged to a spot ahead of the cameras.

  He was thrown down to his knees and the leader began barking more orders. Rufus watched on in dread. He knew this wasn’t going to be good. From the bunch of loitering bad guys stepped a big brute, holding something by his side. He stepped up to the guy with white hair, whose head was slumped down by his shoulders. He was resigned to his fate. He had no strength to give, nothing left. Rufus watched his trembling body with pity in his heart. He wished he could do something. Anything. The masked brute stopped behind him while the leader guy spoke in an angry tone into the camera, gesticulating with his machete. When he was done, he stepped away, allowing the camera full view of the white-haired guy and the brute.

  Everything went silent for a moment. Rufus gulped. Dread wormed into his stomach as the seconds ticked by. The brute raised what he was holding into the air. Rufus gasped. The mighty blade glinted under the harsh sun. It was the biggest sword Rufus had ever seen. And he knew what it was intended for.

  The brute gripped the handle with both hands and steadied himself. The white-haired guy just remained as he was, his body quivering in fear. Rufus’ eyes widened, his jaw dropped. He waved his hands on the air, wanting what was about to happen to stop.

  No, no, no!

  But, it happened regardless. The brute shouted something and swung the blade down.

  Rufus shot a hand up to his open mouth.

  The blade cut through the white-haired guy’s neck in one clean chop. Rufus threw his own head the other way, his chest juddering in shock.

  I can’t believe what I just saw! I can’t believe it!

  He dared to take a glance back. He caught a glimpse of the white-haired guy’s headless body slumping to the ground, just as a cheer erupted. Rufus whipped his head away and covered his eyes. But, even behind his closed eyelids, the horrific image played over in his mind. Nausea rose in his stomach, his whole body shuddered as he watched that guy’s head leave his body once more.

  And then another thought bombed into his mind. That’s what they’re gonna do to Trixie!

  His eyes snapped open. With a shuddering breath, he looked back at the scene. He laid eyes on Trixie, on her knees.

  Unless I stop them!

  The white-haired guy’s body was dragged away, leaving a bloodstain across the sand. Two guys lugged it to the pyramid and disappeared inside. The leader got back on his phone. And it hit Rufus like a sledgehammer. He gazed back up at that pyramid. The vampires were in there. And they were directing the bad guys on the ground outside. He had to get in there and kill the vampires before they ordered the bad guys to kill Trixie and Dom.

  He glanced back at the scene ahead of him. The leader ended his call and barked orders. Another prisoner was dragged out in front of the camera.

  I’ve got to stop these people!

  Rufus looked left and right. He was alone. Using the vehicles as cover, he scampered along crouched over, heading away from the slaughter scene outside the pyramid and toward the pyramid itself. The entrance came into view; an open doorway at the top of a small flight of ancient stone steps.

  He went to head for the pyramid, and stopped. He didn’t want to leave Trixie.

  If you don’t go now, then Trixie will die! And so will Dom!

  He knew it was right. He had a final look back at Trixie. His heart twisted in anguish. She looked so vulnerable, so alone, like he’d never seen her.

  Stay there, Trixie. I’ll be back for you as well!

  Crouched over, he scampered across the sand around to the other side of the armored vehicle. He checked the coast was clear. The bad guys were focused on what they were doing. Rufus glanced up at that pyramid one last time. It stood like a giant. Imposing. Scary. He stared at it in awe. A shiver raced up and down his spine. But, he had to go in there and shut down the vampires.

  He sucked in a big breath. I’m coming for you, vamp scum!

  And with that, he set off. Still bent down, he scurried across the sand like a scarab beetle, as he headed for the entrance to the mighty Pyramid of Osiris.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Dom looked around him with a despondent stare. Eyes brimming with fear stared back at him. The air fizzed with dread. Watching them throw down that guy with white hair and behead him like it was nothing, like his life meant nothing, did the trick in ramping up the terror. The same fate awaited them all.

  Dom watched them drag the body away like it was a piece of garbage in disgust. That guy’s life meant something to someone somewhere, Dom knew that much. All their lives did.

  He gazed up at the brainwashed guys with masked faces, assault rifles ready to take out anyone who tried to make a break for it. Dom weighed it up in his mind. Better to go out in a blaze of glory, or a quick, clean chop? What a choice!

  He looked down at his hands. They were trembling. If he made a dash for it, it was certain death. At least waiting around gave them a chance to maybe be saved. He gazed at the sky for hope. Hoping a plane or even Superman himself would fly down and save them. The sky was clear; perfectly blue. The sun blasted them. He stared at it as much as he could till his retinas burned; it would be the last time he ever got to gaze on that beautiful burning ball in the sky. From downtown Chicago, to Tijuana, the Amazon, Baghdad, and now an Egyptian pyramid, his fanghunting journey ended here. He’d had a good run, given it his best shot, taken down a lotta vamps, and one or two big guns in the vampire world. Hey, hopefully someone else would take up the reins and finally end this crap once and for all.

  He let out an erratic breath, hope escaping alongside it. He’d resigned himself to his fate. Faisal and Nixon were over to his left. Nixon’s face was contorted in a snarl. Dom knew he was just itching to jump up and go to work on the jihadis, but they were outnumbered. Frustration burned in his eyes. Faisal meanwhile had his eye closed. He was muttering something to himself, Dom guessed a prayer.

  Trixie was next to Dom. He didn’t want to look at her too often. She was trembli
ng, but putting on a brave face. Dom knew she wouldn’t want these assholes to see fear on her. But, it was there. Dom knew her too well by now. He felt worse for her than he did for himself. He hoped they took him out before her. He didn’t think he could handle watching her die like this. Then again, did he want her to go through the trauma of watching him beheaded? They were losers either way.

  The leader of the pack, a stocky guy in camouflage pants and a black tee that hugged his taut muscles got back on his smartphone. Dom knew it was bad news whenever he did that. The leader turned and faced the pyramid. Dom flicked his eyes from him to that monument. He knew that’s where those Claw Order vamps were hiding out. They were instructing them out here from in there. Like little Caesars, they were giving them the thumbs down one-by-one.

  The leader lowered his smartphone and gave an order to his subordinates. They went and grabbed a woman by the hair and dragged her to the spot ahead of the cameras. Her screams split the air in two. Dom’s mouth scrunched up in rage. He was so close to saying to hell with it, jumping up and going for the assholes. But, he knew that was instant death. As long as he was breathing, a chance of survival remained. Instead, he closed his eyes and did his best to blank out the screeches.

  But, it was impossible. Behind his eyes, all he could see was Trixie, and it was her who was screaming. He snapped open his eyes and looked to the perfect sky. Please don’t let us die, he prayed. Please.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Rufus scampered up the steps leading up to the entrance to the pyramid, trepidation flooding his veins. He stopped just ahead of the cavernous entrance for a moment and gazed up at the monument ahead of him. Thousands of huge sandstone blocks piled atop one another stared back at him.

  His mind urged him to run in there, but his body reacted as if his veins had been filled with cement. He was awestruck. He took a deep breath, then trod lightly into the pyramid, the entrance swallowing him whole. As he stepped through, a shiver rocked his body. Ancient knowledge and mystery suddenly surrounded him. Rufus pulled down his headdress and looked around him in stunned bewilderment.

  The lobby was a thin corridor. Lined up either side were huge statues of men, standing to attention like sentries. Each one gripped an ankh across its chest. Their faces were pockmarked with age, chips and small chunks missing at the arms and shoulders. With his mouth agape, Rufus gazed at them as he staggered drunkenly through the lobby, his head rolling left and right.

  This is so cool.

  The scratch of his sneakers on the gritty sandstone floor echoed all around him. A long-aged aroma of dust and sand hung on the air. The ancient faces of the statues glared down at him like he was an intruder, their aged stares boring into him. Rufus gulped.

  The ceiling just above the ten foot tall statues was painted with rows and rows of phoenixes. Rufus moved gingerly through the lobby, something at the back of his mind fearful the statues were about to come to life and stomp him. The ultimate defense against looters and grave robbers. As he made his way past, they continued to watch him, injecting their brand of fear into him. His heart started to hammer, sweat formed on his forehead.

  Rufus decided to just focus on the exit up ahead. He upped his pace, the sensation the statues were gonna come to life not leaving him alone the whole time. He thankfully made it through that corridor alive. He stepped through the new doorway, leaving the sentries behind. He found himself in a chamber illuminated by man-made lights dotted around on the walls and floor. The whole room was held up by square columns etched with ancient hieroglyphs, the kind of thing he’d only ever seen in action movies and documentaries. The walls were adorned with similar images; phoenixes, Egyptian gods, cats. They’d been worn, chipped, scuffed over the centuries since whatever hand carved and painted them. As Rufus gazed upon them, an ancient scent of death intertwined with vanilla and musky spices filled the air. This was a place of burial, of death. It was all around, seeping into the sandstone. And somewhere there were vampires.

  Rufus got into gear. He needed to find out where the vampires were at. There were multiple exits from the chamber, leading off in different directions. He didn’t know which way to go. He didn’t have time to go one way, then come back and—

  A sound made him start. His ears pricked. He spun to be faced with a set of steps leading up. A pair of legs came into view, then a torso. Someone was heading down into the chamber. Rufus darted behind a column and made himself as thin as possible. He took a peek around the corner. A masked guy with a red headdress was in the chamber with him. In his hand was a machete. Rufus guessed he was a guard, scouting the pyramid for intruders. He knew what to do. He grabbed his tranq dart gun from his belt and held it up by his face. Trixie said the tranq was super strong and worked in seconds. A special formula that only Sun Enterprise knew. Rufus hoped they were right.

  The guard headed his way. Rufus tuned his ears into the guard’s footsteps, his back pressed against the hieroglyphs on the column. The guard drew closer; his footfalls echoed through both the chamber and Rufus’ mind. His heart began to beat hard, his palms started to sweat. He held his breath, not wanting to make even the slightest sound and alert the guard to his presence. He waited. And waited, just for the right moment.

  The guard drew closer and Rufus thought about jumping out and confronting him. He held his ground, half out of fear as well as judgment. The guard reached the column and Rufus shrunk, making himself as thin and insignificant as possible. Like an ant. His face began to redden the longer he held his breath. He didn’t know how much more he could take. His cheeks went into a tremble. The guard was virtually next to him and now his whole body trembled with fear. If he messed this up...

  He gripped the handle of his dart gun tighter.

  The guard moved past the column. Rufus watched him go in bemusement. If the guy turned…

  Rufus aimed his dart gun right at the guard’s back.

  Please work, please work.

  He steadied himself, and pulled the trigger.

  There was a small phut! And the guard stopped dead, his back straightening. He tried to reach his free hand to the middle of his back where the dart hit him. Rufus gulped. He watched the guard in anticipation, willing him to fall.

  Come on, come on, drop. Drop!

  The guard whirled around, his hot eyes focusing in on Rufus. Rufus’ own eyes widened in shock. The guard went to raise his machete when the life seemed to leave his limbs. Both his arms flopped, just as his eyes fell closed. He dropped to the floor in a neat heap.

  Rufus almost collapsed with relief. A smile broke out on his face. He stared at the dart gun in glee. It worked! What Trixie said was true; this was strong stuff. He gave himself a positive nod. Good job. He felt much better knowing the tranqs did the business. Now he had to find the vampires and hope the holy water darts were just as effective.

  He looked from the unconscious body by his feet to the steps from where he came. If he came from up there, Rufus guessed that’s where the vampires were. He set off, his sneakers scratching on the sandstone floor, those depictions of Egyptian gods and bizarre hybrid animals watching him go by. He made it to the steps. They went up and around. Rufus craned his neck, hoping to get a peek around the corner, wary of any more guards. The coast was clear. He started up the steps, tight against the wall, his gaze upward, his grip on his dart gun tight. Fluorescent lights had been strung up on all the walls, illuminating the way in orange light. He made it up the steps and peeked around the corner. The next floor corridor came into view. It was an orange cavern with openings left and right. Standing to attention by an opening was another guard. Rufus ducked back. He needed to take that guy out before he went fully out into the corridor. He licked his lips.

  Okay, Rufus, you can do this.

  He ducked down as low as he could go and poked his head around the corner. The guard was standing there idly. He began scratching his butt. Rufus knew his attention wasn’t whole. He stuck out his dart gun as far along the corridor as it would go a
nd took aim. He closed an eye.

  Make sure you get him!

  His hand began to tremble. He knew he had to fire quick or his aim would go off. He sucked in a breath and pulled the trigger. Phut! He watched on with anxious eyes. The guard grabbed hold of his thigh and whirled toward Rufus. Rufus stared back in fear. Before the guard could move, his legs buckled. He dropped to the ground and stayed there.

  Rufus let out a relieved breath. Another one down. He hopped into the corridor, looking around him as he walked through it. He felt like a spy, like James Bond on a secret mission. Excitement juddered through him. He was getting the job done, succeeding in his mission. He made it to the unconscious guard. He jabbed him with his toe, just to make sure. The guy was out for the count. Rufus took in his surroundings. More hieroglyphics, more sandstone. Through the openings were more chambers. He spotted a stone sarcophagus etched with more symbols. He shivered.

  He looked further ahead. Where are you vampires?

  He moved deeper into the corridor. Here, the echo was greater. His footfalls and his breathing reverberated in his mind. It was like being stuck in a catacomb, a long forgotten cavern, the stomach of a gargoyle. He eased past more openings, taking quick peeks inside before going past. No vampires.

  He huffed in frustration. Were where they? He knew they were in there somewhere, but where?

  He eventually reached another set of stairs. With a frown of anger, he started to go up them when an echo hit his ears. He froze, his gaze going toward the top of the stairs. It was voices. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they were bickering. Excitement jolted his chest. He guessed they were the vampires he was looking for. He eased up the steps, those reverberating voices ongoing. He glimpsed out into the corridor on the next floor up. A couple of guards stood to attention. But, there was something else.

  Cats.

  They littered the floor, some sleeping, some on their haunches. Black, white, golden. Rufus frowned. Cats? Why? Whatever the reason, he didn’t like them. Cats were bad luck. Bad news. He preferred dogs. He always wished Vincent would buy him one, but Vincent didn’t like pets. Whatever, he needed to deal with the guards before he worried about cats. He couldn’t just run in there and take out two, it was too dangerous and the owners of the echoing voices might hear. He needed to do something else. He needed a distraction, something to lure them over.