by Art DeForest
“So is that amulet the cause of the personal attacks?” Lori asked, her face becoming serious once more.
“That’s what Siobhan thinks,” I said in agreement. “She thinks we probably woke something up in that tomb in addition to the ghoul that killed my squad and it’s just now coming around to get its necklace back.”
Looks of bemusement clouded the faces around the room as everyone considered the situation. “One more thing,” I said with some hesitation. “Apparently some of the amulet’s mojo has rubbed off on me. I seem to have some power over the undead even without it on. At least that’s what Siobhan says.” I concluded.
Again with the snickers. “All undead? Or just a pretty Irish undead in particular?” Tommy said with a guffaw. “Lust ain’t a superpower boss.” He continued as the room started laughing uproariously at my expense.
I let the laughter continue for a moment or two before raising my hands for quiet. “Alright, now that you have that all out of your systems, back to business,” I said with a stern glance around the room. “Everyone needs to be on guard at all times. It wouldn’t surprise me if this thing tries to use one of you as bait, so be careful and try not to be alone. Just in case.”
“Let ‘em try,” growled Tommy. He hurt two of our own. It’s time for some payback.”
A rumble of agreement sounded around the room. I nodded in agreement at the sentiment. “No lone wolf bullshit” I commanded as my boys and girls started to meander towards the exit. “Remember, we survive these supernatural fucks because we’re the best damn hunter team on the planet, so get back up if you see anything suspicious.” Another rumble of agreement sounded as the Dreadnoughts left the room.
“I’ll look deeper into any mysterious deaths that occurred recently. Maybe I can spot a pattern,” said Alex as he prepared to leave.
“Suspicious deaths in Chicago? Good luck with that.” I said with a snort.
Alex just shrugged his shoulders. “It’s worth a shot.” He said before waving a hand over his shoulder and walking out of the room.
Once the crew went their separate ways, I went and sat in the room where John and Money lay unconscious. I sat quietly watching them breathe peacefully as I beat myself up inside. I couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that crept over me. If I’d been just a little better, maybe if I had taken some time to experiment with this ability...My phone rang.
“Frost,” quietly I said when I raised it to my ear.
“Stop beating yourself up.” Said a soft feminine voice on the other end.
“What, you can read my mind now?” I asked Siobhan as I tiptoed out of the room.
“Let’s just call it woman’s intuition.” I could almost see her ruby lips part in a smile
“Well, it’s creepy. Knock it off.” I said, but a small smile was forcing its way onto my expression.
“Never,” she said with a throaty chuckle. I felt her become more serious as she continued. “I felt the magic on the air tonight. It was...bad” she sighed uncertainly.
“It could have been me,” I said. “I had to use this new mojo to put down a couple of wights a little while ago.
“I heard the story,” she said. She continued on quickly before I had the chance to ask just who in the hell had blabbed. “This was not from you. It was dark on a level I have seldom felt before.”
“Could you tell what the magic was used for?” I asked, focusing back on the matter before us.
“It felt like a vampire creation, but...different.” She said in a troubled voice. “It felt almost transformative. Like someone had created one of my kind from some other version of undead.”
“Is that even possible?” I scoffed at the thought.
“Not that I know of..” She said a bit haughtily. Like I’d offended her a little by questioning her insight. “If this being that is after you is as old as we fear, however, he may have knowledge that’s been long lost to the ages.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to second guess you. Just on edge, I guess. Can you pinpoint where this magic happened or where this new vampire is?”
“No, I couldn’t..” She said with a sigh of frustration. “My people and I will endeavor to find what became of the creations, however.”
“Thanks, Siobhan, I appreciate it,” I said gratefully. “Keep me informed okay?”
“Of course.” She replied. “Get some rest.”
I clicked off and sat in the ready room thinking for awhile. Could this be the next volley in this creep’s war against me? How can you transform one type of undead into another? How tough would it be to destroy such a creation?
My head started swirling around in circles with all the questions. I finally decided to take Siobhan’s advice and get some rest. I hit the lobby on my way to the parking garage to find Lori and Jake sitting in a couple chairs in the waiting area. “Headed out boss?” Asked Lori as they stood up.
“Yeah,” I said, looking at them quizzically. “What are you two still doing here?” I asked.
“You’re the one who said not to be alone.” Piped up Jake. “We figure that goes double for you since you’re the one with the big bullseye on his chest.” He said, nodding at the spot on my chest where the amulet lay hidden once more.
“I’ll be fine,” I said gruffly. “I’m the one with the magic mojo, remember?”
“Just the same, anything that can raise and control two wights and a dozen zombies, may be more than you can handle by yourself.” Said Lori. “So like it or not, you get an escort home.”
Seeing the stubborn looks on their faces, I knew there would be no dissuading them. They also happened to be right. I couldn’t go all lone wolf after telling my people just the opposite. “Fine” I sighed. “But if we’re going to do this, we may as well do it right. Let’s suit up, so we can sweep the house when we get there. You guys can follow along in one of the suburbans, just in case we get hit enroute.”
Twenty minutes later, My mustang led the armored suburban out of the parking garage and headed home.
The drive was blessedly uneventful. Clearing the house was also. It was good kill house practice, though. “See, I told you there was nothing to worry about.” I said as we stood in the living room after the sweep. “Now, would you two please go home?”
“No way boss man.” Said Jake “We got your back for the duration.” Lori nodded her agreement.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “Come on guys. I’ll be fine. I have the magic mojo and a Saiga.” I said, hoisting the shotgun to prove my point.” I’m plenty protected.”
“So you’re going to throw us out into the pitch black night without your protection?” Lori asked, putting on her best helpless little girl face. The face was somewhat marred by the impish smile she was trying to conceal, however. She knew she had me.
Shaking my head, I threw my hands in the air in defeat. “Fine, be that way. You know where the spare bedrooms are.” I said as I turned and headed for my bedroom.
“Night boss” came twin voices, overflowing with satisfaction. My hand raised of its own volition as I strode down the hall, giving the middle finger salute. Laughter chased behind me as I closed the door.
++++
Sam ran her hand up and down my hairy forearm as I spooned her in close. The feeling of her wiggling against me as she found a comfortable spot was doing interesting things to me. She moaned softly as my hand moves up her torso to cup her breast while placing a soft kiss onto the nape of her neck. It was times like this when I felt the most contentment. The most beautiful woman in the world was snuggled next to me, and our daughter lay quietly in the next room, dreaming of unicorns and My Little Pony.
Rolling in my arms, Sam turned to place a soft kiss on my lips as she ran her hand through the hair on my chest. I ran my hand down the cool skin of her back as I returned the kiss with interest. My breathing became ragged as our passion is increased. I felt her lips pull into a smile as we continued to kiss, knowing the effect she was having on me. My ha
nd reached the curve of her luscious posterior, and I grabbed it firmly and drew her in tight to me, my quickly hardening manhood rubbing against the cold skin of her pelvic mound. “Cold skin. Wait. What?” My subconscious mind knew this was all a dream and I sighed internally as I steeled myself for the nightmare to come.
Sam ground against me enthusiastically as her hand continued to explore my chest. Her trailing fingertips came in contact with the amulet where it was hanging down towards the bed. An instant sensation of heat and a flash of light brought me instantly awake. I held Sam tight as I looked around trying to detect the threat that I instinctively knew threatened my family. Seeing no immediate danger, I looked down at the taut form in my arms.
Sam, but...not, looked up into my eyes with a wicked grin on blood red lips. “Hey, lover.” She said in a sultry voice.
It all came crashing down. My brain began to grind into motion as I stared muzzily into my dead wife’s blood red gaze. Adrenalin surged through my body, and I pushed her violently away and rolled off the bed and onto my feet. “What the fuck?” I said in a hoarse gasp as I stared at the nude form of my wife still laying on our bed. “This must still be the nightmare,” I muttered to myself.
“It’s not a nightmare baby. I’m back.” Said Samantha. “Ahriman freed me, so we could be a family again.” Her eyes were slowly fading from red to their normal blue luster.
My brain was overwhelmed. The husband in me rejoiced to see my beautiful wife laying in our bed. The father in me immediately wondered if Emily was here too. The monster hunter knew what I truly faced, and the soldier in me reacted.
Taking a step back, I snatched the .45 off the bedside table and pointed it at the vampire on my bed. The sound of the safety clicking off was loud in the silence of our bedroom. “Who the hell are you? My wife is dead. Who’s Ahriman?” I asked as my brain continued to try to get a grasp of the situation.
“It’s me, baby. It’s really me.” The Sam vamp said. “Ahriman...he rescued us from the ghouls. He brought us back to life.”
“Whoever you are, you are most definitely not alive,” I said, staring at her over the sights of my gun.
“W...We were already gone when Ahriman found us. He did what he could.” She said with a pleading quality to her voice. “He just wants us to be a family again.”
“Oh really?” I snorted in derision. “What’s he get out of this deal? Or are you telling me this necromancer of yours is all about altruism and the good of mankind.”
Sam stared at me for a minute, as if trying to decide what would be safe to say. “You have something that he needs.” She said, waving at the amulet laying on my chest. “He needs it to become his old self again. He’s willing to trade.” She said with a smile full of promise for the future.
The different sides of my character continued to war with each other. The husband continued to see his gorgeous wife and begged to return to her arms. Conversely, the monster hunter said Oh hell no. There’s no way we help a powerful necromancer get even more powerful. She’s already dead. The father simply shouted over and over, Emily!
“Where’s Emily,” I said, the father temporarily gaining control of my mouth.
“Ahriman brought her back too, baby,” She said with a smile. “She’s with him right now. W...We didn’t know how you would react…” she trailed off.
“So basically, she’s a hostage, and you’re just the ransom note,” I said, the monster hunter reasserting dominance.
“Don’t be that way, baby” Sam pleaded. “He just wants his property back; then things will be just like they were.”
“They’ll never be like they were Sam.” I interrupted. “You’re dead. Emily is dead, and I bet the bastard you’re trying to canonize, is the one who sent the monsters that killed you.” I said, the volume of my voice growing as the reality of the situation and the pain in my heart grew. Samantha’s face grew still, then angry as I continued. “You don’t even have your own will; you’re controlled by that bastard.”
Her face transformed then. It took on a haughty, sinister demeanor. “Give me the amulet, you pathetic human.” Her voice was that of someone else. Whatever part of my wife that remained in her body was shoved aside and a rasping male voice was issuing the commands.
“Fuck you,” I said. The barrel of my pistol, that had been sagging slowly towards the ground rose once more to center between my dead wife’s breasts. “You’ll get the amulet over my dead body.” In retrospect, that may not have been the best choice of words.
Sam’s eyes turned blood red, and her fangs popped down with an audible click. “As you wish.” Came the harsh reply as the creature that used to be my wife lunged.
God help me, I hesitated. It was a fraction of a second, but it was long enough. Before I could refocus, she was on me. A sweeping hand knocked my .45 to the side a split second before her body crashed into mine and sent us both to the floor.
I was toast. I knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. No human has the strength to resist a vampire in unarmed combat. It's like wrestling a silverback gorilla on steroids. A hand like steel clamped down on my throat . Her other hand was casually pinning my gun hand to the floor. It may as well have been super glued there for all the movement I could achieve from it.
“Stupid human, no mortal can stand against me.” She hissed with venom. “I’m going to bring you back as a zombie, so you can watch me torture and use your wife and daughter for all eternity.” Samantha’s fanged mouth started down to rip out my throat, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it.
There came a huge crash from my bedroom window and suddenly the weight of the vampire on my chest was removed. The hand that had been clenching my throat was torn away, leaving deep scratches from my throat and down my chest. I lay, half-stunned on the floor trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
The first thing I saw a pair of shapely female legs, snugly encased in what appeared to be black leather, standing between me and the crumpled form of my wife, lying against the far wall of my bedroom. There was a dent in the drywall from her impact. My eyes continued traveling up the form in front of me to take in a black silk top. Flowing waves of auburn hair flowed over it down between my savior’s shoulder blades. Siobhan.
The being wearing the Samantha suit hissed loudly as it regained its feet. “Do not seek to thwart me, vampire! All your kind are mine to control. Kneel before your master!”
Siobhan just smirked “Please, I’ve felt more compelled by prepubescent girls.” she sneered. “I think you’ve lost your mojo.”
Sam’s face transformed into a cunning expression. “Perhaps.” She said with a sinister smile. “But when my creature returns this to me.” She said holding up my amulet triumphantly. “Everything will change.”
My eyes grew wide, and my hand flew to my chest, scrambling desperately to feel the amulet that was no longer there. A sound that I’d been hearing for a while now intruded on my consciousness. The pounding on my bedroom door was getting louder and louder.
“The next time we meet you will all kneel before me.” She cackled.
With a blurring fast move, she flew out of my bedroom window just as the reinforced door to the room, gave way.
Lori and Jake entered in a rush. Saiga shotguns, cleared the corners of the room before both the barrels of both guns locked onto Siobhan like the black eyes of death.
Siobhan held her hands out to the sides and froze. “Hold!” I had shouted before they had a chance to pull the trigger.
Both guns continued to point at Siobhan’s ample chest, but they held their fire. “Sitrep!” Barked Lori as she eyed the ancient Irish vampire coldly over the barrel of her Saiga.
“Clear,” I said. “Siobhan just saved my life. Stand down.”
Lori and Jake took a step back and lowered their shotguns to ready positions. I noticed Lori was only wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a thin pink t-shirt as she stood there with the big black shotgun grasped confidently in her hands. She looked like a mod
el from one of those “Stacked and Packed” calendars you see in some of the gun shops. It would have been hot if, you know, I didn’t think of her as a sister.
Jake had his uniform pants still on but was bare from the waist up. His chiseled six pack and bulging pecs seemed to get Siobhan’s attention as she stood there with a speculative expression on her face. A small, fanged feeling of jealousy started chewing on things in my core. “What the hell, Dale? Get your head back in the game.” I chastised myself, realizing that I was trying to take my mind off what had just happened in my bedroom.
“What the hell, Dale?” Said Jake, echoing my thoughts. Looking at the busted out window, he asked, “What happened?”
I took a deep breath and let it out with a loud sigh. “That fucking necromancer, Ahriman is his name, by the way, sent me a visitor.” I looked up and locked eyes with Lori. “It was Sam.”