by Paul Cave
“It’ll have to do,” Jacob commented, splitting them two ways as best he could.
“What now?” the vampire asked.
“Follow me,” Jacob ordered for a second time.
With the leader of the vampires in tow, Jacob headed towards the first line of attackers, heading deeper into battle, rushing headlong towards the line of enemy soldiers. The dark mass of a tank filled the night with its threatening bulk. Smaller pieces of darkness split away from the main body as vampire soldiers broke from cover. Jacob picked off the one at the front with a headshot. The dark phantom dropped instantly to the earth.
Ezekiel halted the rest with a spray of bullets. He swept the machinegun in a tight arc and cut the legs from beneath those that threatened.
“Hurry!” Jacob called.
Ezekiel looked towards the tank as flames burst from its snout. The shell cut its way through the darkness, scorching the air as it went, before tearing its way into the rear of a transport. The impact took the transport from existence. Now, just a twisted heap of metal remained, as flames with a white-hot centre rose towards the sky. The flash of fire reflected brightly off the dark belly of the low clouds.
In desperation, Jacob fired a shot at the giant metal beast. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly off its armour-plating with a pathetic ping. In the next second, an entire platoon of soldiers materialised before them, as if pieces of darkness had been formed into substance and the night had given them hatred and purpose. They appeared from behind the tank, swarming around it in a rush to reach them.
“There’s too many,” Jacob shouted, squeezing off the last of his ammo. He heard a cry of agony and the sound bent his lips into a macabre grin.
Ezekiel dropped to his knee and pulled the machinegun into his shoulder. The weapon kicked up dirt in front of the ensuing horde. Readjusting the barrel, he brought down the front line.
And then the weapon fell silent.
“Christ, I’m out!” he cursed.
“Me too!” Jacob said.
The dark forms began to close in all around them. Jacob searched around desperately for a fallen weapon. He found none. Behind him, he heard a sputter. He turned and saw thick white smoke escaping from the vampire’s hand. Ezekiel threw the smoke grenade at the rush of bodies. A large cloud of mist pumped out and blew towards the right flank of soldiers, offering Jacob and Ezekiel a veil of cover. However, the left rank kept coming and the tank rumbled ever closer, the earth trembling under it.
“We’re trapped,” Jacob moaned, understanding there was no escape. But then, just before the soldiers had them in their sights, a sudden line of tracer-fire cut through the darkness. In their droves, the soldiers fell, clutching at shattered limbs or holding in exposed innards.
Jacob and Ezekiel ducked for cover. Jacob chanced a look over his shoulder, and in the distance he saw the flash of gunfire as Ezekiel’s men launched a full onslaught on the advancing army. Seizing their chance, they half-ran, half-crawled towards the tank, becoming instantly lost in the chaos of battle.
“THIS WAY,” the vampire called. He changed direction and headed deeper into the white, drifting cloud. As he took a few steps closer, Jacob felt the earth beneath his feet quake. The tank emerged from the haze like an iron nightmare breaking through the fog of sleep.
“Jacob – DOWN!” he heard. He dropped to the mud as series of bullets whistled over his head. A soldier burst through the curtain of mist and homed in. A second shape appeared, but this one moved to intercept the first.
Ezekiel raced forwards, leaping over the tracker. He slammed his fist into the soldier’s face. Its jaw bent into a comical grin and, with legs buckling, it fell backwards and out of sight. Ezekiel helped Jacob to his feet. They turned. The wide snout of a cannon protruded through the smoke. The tank’s tracks shuddered to a halt. The cannon swung towards their heads.
“Oh … no. We’re in deep shit now,” Jacob groaned.
Fear rooted them both to the spot. The stench of diesel fumes hung heavily in the air. Something clunked noisily, deep down at the base of the cannon, and Jacob and Ezekiel listened with sickening dread. The tank appeared to shudder. In the next instant, Jacob became a blur of motion. Ezekiel had a second to see a grenade clutched between the tracker’s fingers. A short rattle of noise followed as the grenade worked its way to the base of the cannon.
Ezekiel understood instantly. He jumped forwards, throwing both himself and the tracker to the ground. The darkness behind them lit up in a blinding flash of fire. An incredible wave of heat washed over them.
Jacob turned his attention to the tank. The cannon had been ripped apart right down to its base and the turret looked bent and misshapen. A small hatch opened on top of the distorted turret. Two charred hands appeared. They grew into arms, then something blackened and hideous climbed free. The tank commander wavered before toppling over, his legs burnt beyond recognition. Jacob watched with sickened wonder as the charred remains continued to pull themselves clear. The vampire’s misery ended quickly. It lay twisted and motionless, surrounded by a black sward of scorched earth.
“Let’s go,” Jacob said, quickly moving away from the smouldering remains.
Ezekiel followed.
They crisscrossed the battlefield, now having to avoid Raphael’s soldiers, the constant threat of gunfire from the remaining humans who were trapped above them on the tight trail, and the onslaught of Ezekiel’s own army. Somehow, amazingly, they reached the rear of the next tank unscathed.
“You ready?” Jacob asked, crouching behind the heavy armour-plating, taking cover from the bullets that whizzed by. He chanced a look over the side. The humans above fired towards the approaching army with everything they had. Hang on, he thought to himself. He ducked back and then scanned the skies above. Where the hell was Black Bird?
“What are you looking for?” Ezekiel asked over the cacophony of battle.
“Nothing,” Jacob replied. “But don’t leave my side. No matter what.”
Ezekiel’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why?”
Jacob grinned. “Trust me.”
They waited for the gunfire to break before quickly scooting around the side of the tank. The entire vehicle jumped back and another missile tore through the night, heading for the trapped convoy. The noise was deafening. Jacob threw his hands to his ears. He shook his head, but the world around him had become confusing and distorted. He felt himself pulled along, around to the front of the tank. A second later, a barrage of bullets zipped off the side of the tank, directly where he’d just been. The moment of disorientation passed and he heard Ezekiel speaking into his ear.
“What?” Jacob asked.
“Over there,” Ezekiel repeated. His finger drew the tracker’s attention to a third tank, its tracks cutting up the earth as it lumbered towards the line of refugees. A gout of fire leapt from its snout. A second later one of the transports was reduced to a twisted heap of molten metal. Mercifully, the truck’s occupants had seen the tank coming and fled before the missile hit. Still, the humans’ plight was rapidly becoming desperate.
Jacob took a fleeting look upwards.
“What are you looking for?” Ezekiel demanded.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I see it.”
The tank beside them sprang to life again. The right tracks rolled backwards, tearing a deep rut into the earth, and the cannon cut to the right, homing in on the human convoy. They heard the now familiar clunk of a shell being loaded.
“I’ll take care of this one, you that one.” The vampire gestured quickly to another tank. Jacob took a long look upwards. “Hurry!” Ezekiel warned, as the tank furthest away climbed towards the line of refugees.
“We should stick together,” Jacob said.
“There’s no time. Go!”
Jacob took one last look upwards before darting away from the vampire. He zigzagged his way to the rear of the next tank, slid to a stop, and found himself sharing his cover with three other cowering vampires.
“Hey, no sweat,” Jacob responded.
His hand moved like lightning and, suddenly, the vampire found himself with a hard growth protruding from under the collar of his uniform. The smoke grenade bulged underneath the vampire’s jacket, giving the soldier a large hunchback. In the next second the unwanted growth began to release a thick cloud of caustic smoke.
Choking, the vampire cried, “HELP ME! HELP ME!”
Jacob did just that. He spun the vampire around and then fixed the toe of his boot up into the seam of the soldier’s rear. With arms flailing, the vampire fell away from the tank and directly into a barrage of bullets. He spun full circle, like a ballet dancer, and then toppled to the ground. The remainder of the smoke continued to billow out. In a stroke of good luck the thick cloud blew back towards the tank, obscuring the battlefield from those inside.
One of the remaining vampires took a swing at Jacob. The tracker blocked the attack and then landed a punch squarely on the other’s chin. The soldier dropped instantly to the floor. The other soldier disappeared into the darkness, screaming for help as he did so.
Under the cover of the smoke, Jacob moved around to the front of the tank. It wasn’t long before the cover began to thin. He looked up and saw the scattered line of refugees trapped on the trail above. The Major’s army was desperately trying to hold ground. More and more soldiers climbed towards them, weapons blazing.
The tank growled maliciously. The tracks at his side turned into a dangerous blur. Jacob felt the earth at his feet shift as a wave of soil threatened to bowl him over. Somehow, he kept to his feet and managed to stay clear of the mass of metal. The tank shuddered to a stop, the centre of the human convoy in its sights.
Thinking quickly, he pulled the pin from the last smoke grenade and held it out at arm’s length. The cylinder sputtered, threatening to fail. Then, with a cough and splutter, it began to release a thick plume of white gas. The wind caught the smoke and it began to spread thickly, blinding all those around. As if caught in indecision, the tank jerked from left to right, unable to pinpoint its intended target. Jacob seized his chance. Jamming his free hand into his jacket, he retrieved the last frag grenade. The pin sprung free with a metallic ping. He climbed up onto the turret then yanked the access panel open. Two crimson eyes looked up, full of surprise.
“Hi there,” Jacob said. He grinned, and the tank driver’s surprise turned to irritation.
“What the hell are you doing?” the vampire asked, thinking Jacob was one of his own.
“Delivering this,” answered the tracker, raising his hand.
“What’s that?”
“Your doom… ” Jacob dropped the grenade.
With surprisingly quick reflexes, the vampire caught the small cylinder and then looked at the letters stencilled along its side. Fear replaced irritation in a heartbeat. The vampire looked up, his arm tensing, ready to launch the grenade to safety. A clang of metal sounded as the grinning face above disappeared from view.
Jacob jammed his boot over the access panel, counted to five, picked the softest spot he could find, and then launched himself clear. He hit the earth and rolled onto his feet. Like an oversized pressure cooker, the turret popped open and a wisp of thick smoke wafted quickly upwards.
For a second, Jacob watched as the dark tendril climbed towards the sky. Then, he caught sight of a deeper darkness cutting its way towards him. His heart skipped a beat. The discharge of weapons broke for a moment and the sudden clatter of rotor-blades drifted towards him.
Black Bird!
Chapter Fifty-Two
The woods swelled in all around Elliot. He stared open-eyed, trying to draw in as much light as possible. He shivered, the injury to his left side drawing the cold to it like an elemental magnet.
Isaac watched as the human struggled to remain conscious. The boy that was clutched in his hand twitched and thrashed. Isaac stepped back as Elliot crumpled to the floor. Seeing the human’s rage was spent, Isaac turned his attention back to the boy. Flint-grey eyes, threaded with green and brimming with terror, stared back at him. The vampire’s mouth twisted itself into a frightful smile, cold-bloodied and dreadful.
“Fear not, child. I will be quick,” Isaac promised.
The boy jerked back in an attempt to escape.
Feebly, Elliot kicked his leg out, but the limb felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds.
“Let… him… go… ” Elliot managed to say.
The vampire shook his head. “Too valuable a prize. I have spent too long dining on the pitiful scraps that Ezekiel has thrown my way. Now, I will taste blood that is unadulterated.”
“Bastard,” Elliot cursed.
Isaac laughed.
The darkness pushed heavily against Elliot. He felt the last threads of strength snap and, unable to keep his eyelids open, he succumbed to the deep abyss of unconsciousness.
Isaac’s attention returned instantly to the boy. Effortlessly, he drew the child closer, young flesh inches away from cruel fangs.
A sudden noise, deep within the woods, halted the vampire’s fangs. They stayed pressed dangerously against the boy’s throat. Isaac’s eyes shifted to the left, where something dark and fleeting had moved just within his field of vision. The snap of a twig brought his head up. He squinted and the darkness retreated, drawing back into the tangle of trees. More movement. From both the left and right.
“Show yourself,” the vampire demanded. His free hand rose and the pistol appeared as an extension to his arm.
A willowy figure broke through the trees. Fire from nearby explosions reflected brightly off its head.
Pet cleared the line of trees and stopped abruptly. The helmet on his head continued to flicker with red and orange phantoms, leaping and dancing as the night continued to burn. Pet offered Isaac a crooked smile, his lips still held fast by the tight chinstrap.
“What are you doing here?” Isaac asked. His lust for blood and this unexpected intrusion had turned him sly and defensive.
Pet stood rigid, and the crooked grin continued to play across his face.
Anger and irritation formed Isaac’s features into a ghastly, stretched mask. “Be gone with you,” he snapped.
Pet just stood there, grinning foolishly. Isaac squeezed off a shot but it missed by a mile, cutting a branch in two, somewhere high above Pet’s head.
It was then when Isaac sensed something circling around him, drawing up silently from behind. A low rumble sounded and its resonance reminded Isaac of something untamed. He spun around and was confronted by a large, muscular body. The shadows shifted slightly and the peppered wolf materialised. Open jaws dripped with saliva. More shapes appeared, all around him, some slipping out of darkness from around Pet. They ignored him and instead closed in around Isaac.
“Wait… ” Isaac said foolishly. Their intentions were apparent. Three wolves took up position to his left and a dark mass swelled in on his right.
Teeth snapped together.
Isaac trained the pistol on the dark bulk to his right. His finger tightened around the trigger. A searing pain sent a shiver of agony through his body. His finger sprang away from the trigger and he turned to find jaws clamped around the wrist of his other arm. Like the teeth of a saw, the wolf’s jaws hacked through flesh and bone. The appendage came away. A bright jet of blood turned the night red. The rest of the pack became intoxicated by the rich stench as they darted in. Pulled under by a tide of fur and razor-sharp fangs, Isaac began to drown under a sea of writhing bodies. A cry for mercy struggled to surface, but the plea was washed away by the sickening sound of tearing flesh.
Within seconds the vampire lieutenant had been reduced to scraps of tattered material and splintered bones. The large peppered wolf tilted its head back and a chunk of red flesh disappeared inside its powerful jaws. Taking two bites only, the wolf devoured the vampire’s heart.
Pet took a
few anxious steps forwards, fear and trepidation making his legs move slowly and with caution. A bright red muzzle turned towards him and he spun, ready to bolt back the way he had come. For although the pack had been willingly led to this place, Pet was now fearful that they would turn upon him and reduce him to little more than a plate of scraps. Hoping to go unnoticed, he took a few wary steps away. A snap of jaws halted his escape. The large peppered wolf drew away from the feasting horde. It took a couple of steps towards Pet and then dropped its bloodied muzzle into the undergrowth. With surprising gentleness the wolf nudged at the young boy’s shoulder. Small eyelids fluttered and the boy awakened. He reached out with one hand and caressed the beast’s head. The wolf released a woof of acceptance. Pet moved closer, surprised by the show of affection.
An unexpected noise forced the wolf to spin around, its hackles raised high.
“Get away from him,” Elliot managed to say. A weak plume of breath bled from between grey lips. He reached out and his hand found the rough edges of a rock. He pulled the lump of granite onto his blood-soaked chest. Then, using the last of his strength, he raised the rock above his head. As if it weighed fifty or more pounds, it wavered for a second before falling back to earth with a slight thump. Exhausted now, Elliot slipped back towards unconsciousness.
The wolf moved to intercept.
“No! No!” the boy cried, springing to his feet. He jumped between Elliot and the wolf. “No,” he repeated, wagging his finger in front of the beast’s nose. The wolf dropped its head and looked back submissively. “Stay,” he instructed. Then turning he fixed his attention onto the mortally wounded man.
Pet stepped closer. “No hope,” he commented, with a mournful shake of his head.
“No,” the boy said.
At first, the vampire thought the boy had voiced a concurrence, but then, seeing his small brow furrow, he realised he had actually spoken in disagreement. “No,” the boy repeated, this time with an additional shake of his head. He dropped to his knees and leaned closer to the injured tracker.