Lillian answered him. “Silver is deadly to anything spawned by the aeon strain.”
“So why not napalm the bridge with silver, you know, like the aeriated silver in that mace you can buy?”
Lillian shrugged. “In theory, yes, however, ghouls don’t feel pain, unless it's silver inflicted. You start bombing them with it, and they will end up falling into the river. Right now, they are clustered. Ghouls won't cross water, it interrupts their bioelectrical currents allowing for their muscle stimulation to work. It's why they don't try and cross it. But soon, far too many ghouls will on that bridge.”
Rhymes felt a bit of remorse in acting so hasty with the crimson comet. Had he listened to Trevor Graves, he was starting to wonder if this entire situation could have been avoided. He decided to listen and take to heart what the Immortium were offering. “I am open to suggestions?”
Lillian looked at him. She could tell he was softening. “We get droids on the other side of that bridge and set up a second holoemmiter to block entry. Then we send in droid teams, accompanied by Immortium to help rescue what survivors are willing to come with us. Also, we’re going to have to educate the scavs. First and foremost, I need a team to retrieve the vampire I am looking for. If not, I need access to one of the vamps that joined your military operations. “She looked at her tablet, and pulled up the listing for other vampires that had red eyes. IF Xairin couldn’t be found, then she needed another bitten by the same bat, she pulled up the file to one of the vampires Xairin shared quarantine with, Parker Roark. “Parker Roark, enlisted with the GA’s own Immortium division after his release. It says in his profile he too had the red eyes. I need him brought here Grand General.”
Rhymes nodded. “I will make it happen.”
_____
5th Avenue
Xairin was surrounded by skyscrapers in this part of town. He wondered what it must have looked like when the city had power, and was up to living standards. Despite the state of things, he could still make out this part of the city, being a wealthier populace that once inhabited it.
Anna had decided to travel with Xairin, along with Tommy. Though it repulsed her, Xairin had found an injured deer, and finished it off, offering Tommy a chance to have a full stomach. So far, they hadn’t seen any additional ghouls yet.
Now that Tommy was well fed, the kid was acting like a normal kid for his age. He was curious, looking about, and walking about ten feet ahead of Anna and Xairin.
“You knew him before he was changed?” Xairin asked.
Anna looked over to reply. “Yeah, I knew his entire family. They were good people.”
She looked forward while recalling. “His older brother was a bit of an ass, but his parents were good.”
“What happened to them?”
Anna sighed. “After that thing flew off with Tommy, more of them, attacked the camp. His parents didn’t make it, I never saw Thomas, his brother after that.”
Xairin showed remorse while he looked downward. “I lost my family too.” He looked at Tommy. “I hate that for him.”
Anna shrugged. “Most of us survived those things, we held him in one of the buildings nearby. I think it was a garage or something. It was those other things that destroyed my camp. Those, ghouls, I think you called them.”
Xairin looked over at her. “I’m sorry for your losses.”
“So, you say a comet did this?”
“Yes. They called it the R-9, but most people nicknamed it the crimson comet since it was blood red. They blew it up, and, well, you see what happened afterwards. Any animal infected, developed the ability to make humanized versions when they got bit. Even the dead could come back, regenerate. It's this other dead, that's the problem. They can’t control who they infect like the rest of us can.”
Anna was silent. She was looking around for anything familiar. She noticed Xairin was carrying a flame thrower over his shoulder, and had a machete on his hip in a holster. This gave her an idea. She noticed a building a few feet away. She knew it had to have weapons. “Over there, that store, it might have guns. Probably not many, but it might.”
Xairin looked at Anna. He could tell she didn’t mean him harm, she simply needed to be armed. “We need to get you armed up, if those things come back, I might not be able to get you both to safety.” He sighed while they walked. “I got cocky earlier, and didn’t pay attention to my surroundings. One of those things bit me. Thankfully being a vampire, it couldn't turn me into one of them, but I almost died from it.”
“These things, their bite is what spreads it?”
“Yes. Anyone bitten by a ghoul, becomes one. Apparently Immortium don't. It just hurts like a bitch.”
“Immortium?”
“That's what they call anyone that’s a vampire, a werewolf, a mermaid, and some lizard monsters. I’ve also heard that some infected cattle made some minotaurs. When the outbreak started, they locked all of us up until they could figure out what to do with us, and make sure most of us were safe to return home. I’m not sure how many types there are, but yeah, Immortium. The others, humans that were exposed to the red clouds from the comet’s fall out, are called Aeonians. Anyhow, the comet’s been here before. Immortium that had been in hiding came out of the woodwork, and helped the GA establish rules for us. That's it in a nutshell.”
Xairin decided to tell her something else. Hoping it might help. “Silver can kill Immortium, and I think it can kill those ghouls. I’m not sure. But, they were using colloidal silver to help treat early Immortium infection. Most cases if you caught it early enough after someone was bitten, you could cure them. Unfortunately, if they were too far gone, giving them silver would kill them instead. You see, these cells, it's not a virus, but alien cells that, bond genetically with the hosts, attack the heart first. Converting it into being able to release more of the cells that make you, an immortal.”
“This whole thing, it's really from space? Not some experiment or bioweapon?”
Xairin shrugged as they reached the storefront of an old super center. “It's from space, but rumors in quarantine, had it as possibly something some other alien species might have cooked up. Anyhow, either way, vampires, werewolves, these ghouls, the Aeonians that thought themselves to be Olympic gods, all of it came from space.”
The building in front of them, didn’t have a name on the front any longer. That had given way years ago. What was clear to Xairin was that it was a large store, with several floors.
He called to Tommy. “Tommy, stay close!”
The boy rushed over as Xairin knelt down. “Your red eyes, i need you to make them come out. They can help you see in the dark. If you see anything that glows blue, it's probably one of those dead things. Let us know as soon as possible. Okay?”
Tommy nodded.
“You can see in pitch darkness?”
Xairin’s red eyes asserted as he looked inside the broken glass that had been busted out, making an easy entry. He didn’t look back, he simply answered Anna. “Yep, and I have echolocation, sonar like the bats do. Just don't freak out when you see my eyes ok?”
Tommy tugged on Xairin’s shirt. “The bats are close. I can feel her.”
Xairin looked at the boy, and then into the darkness as his eyes surveyed the area. Nothing was moving other than a few rats and a possum. “Then we need to hurry.”
Xairin and Anna led Tommy up two sets of broken down escalators. Using his biosonar, he found a shop that would come in handy. It was a dicks sporting goods. Xairin’s sonar picked up a few guns in the back.
The vampire wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice by not paying attention to what could be lurking behind closed doors. He chattered his teeth together, sending out another wave aimed directly at the isles and the doors nearby. The place was empty.
Xairin traded his machete in for a better one still in the package. He gave it a few swings so that his muscles could anticipate the weight. Anna found a few handguns and clips to go with it that had been tossed around by
the last looters. As for Tommy, he was goofing off after finding a basketball that hadn’t rotted yet.
“Do I shoot them in the head? These ghouls?” Anna asked.
“Yep, unless you can find some silver but I highly doubt we’re going to find silver bullets.”
Anna nodded. “No, but there is likely a pharmacy in this complex. You said colloidal silver worked?”
“Yeah. we should try and find you some in case you get bitten. It may help you from being turned.”
Anna had other ideas. “I was thinking about soaking my bullets in it.”
Xairin shrugged. “Might work.”
Xairin wondered if it actually would. If it did, that might make killing the bats a hell of a lot easier. He began looking around for any handguns as well. His biosonar gave him an edge. He found three more guns, and a box of clips. He took off down one of the isles and found a backpack that suited him, and filled it full of anything that might be useful.
“Wish I would have paid attention to my dad when he tried to teach me how to shoot.” Xairin said. “Better late than never I guess.”
Xairin looked at Tommy. Watching him play around, made Xairin wish more than anything that his parents were still around. “Mom, dad, I miss you both so much.” He got a little teary eyed. He was standing there in the backpack isle watching the kid play. He had to wipe away the tears starting to stream down his face.
Xairin never once questioned if his parents loved him. He did question if they were proud of what he had chosen to do with his life. His father would have loved to see Xairin show more interest in detective work, while his mother was thrilled he wanted to do healthcare. Both of them wanted him to at least pursue the nurse practitioner route, but since Xairin left that degree on the back burner, he wondered now, more than ever, what they would think of him now. “I wish you both were here.”
Anna saw the red eyed vampire wipe away a tear. Seeing emotion like that, solidified her belief that Xairin couldn’t be bad and that everything he had been saying had to be true. “Are you ok?”
He turned around and smiled while trying to regain his composure. “Yeah, I’m fine. Well, let's find that pharmacy shall we?”
_____
Bastion City, The Border Bridge.
Rhymes had arranged for a troupe of HKC droids to be dropped on the other side of the bridge. They were currently attempting to erect a second holoemmiter to help produce a holowall. The 13 droids were surrounded by various ghouls that were flocking to the bridge. They moved around the droids like rocks in water. They had no interest in something that didn’t have a heartbeat pumping human DNA.
Two of the droids were on combat detail. Thinning the herd of ghouls was a priority. One ghoul had taken down one side of the street, while another went the opposite way. Both of them were firing laser blasts, short and controlled, aimed for the head.
On the opposite side, Ezra and Marine were taking a group of Interpol agents down the street, making sure that nothing had already ended up downstream. Surveillance drones, orb shaped were also being deployed to help scan for ghoul activity.
Ezra was looking at his tablet. The surveillance drones were uploading anything of interest. They were using heat scanning technology since ghouls had no body heat. Much like a vampire, they were using infrared to scan. To Ezra’s dismay, a blue blip was discovered near the shore line. “OH NO!”
The detective spoke into his commlink. “Surveillance drone 54 just confirmed a G-11S. On my location!”
In the command tent, Lillian, Rhymes and Fentrose were governing the operation. They heard Ezra’s announcement. Fentrose picked up the comm. “Dispatch the threat detective Huxley. Report asap.
Lillian was quick to add. “Remember, head shots, or take out the legs if you must. Set your laser pistols to vaporize.”
They were near the docks. Ezra could see a few boats still docked. He had two HKC droids with him, while Marine took went down further to run a perimeter check.
Ezra didn’t see the ghouls yet.
He noticed a boat that had blood stains on the sides of it. A small charter boat. Someone had clearly tried to climb over the side. Ezra walked closer, he was right up against the hull. He saw scratches in the paint, fingernail scratches. “Someone tried to climb up.”
Ezra had his gun ready. He was listening. Ghouls often moaned. Marine called it the song of the dead. They used sound to hunt their prey, and by moaning, they attracted other ghouls. Most were telepathically linked, if they shared the same creator, but for those that didn’t the moaning helped them hunt in packs.
Ezra boarded the boat. The droids were using their internal motion detectors, scanning for motion. Nothing in front of the droids was being detected in the way of a humanoid moving.
For Ezra, he used the flashlight built into the top of his hand gun. He was cautious, moving slowly.
He went down below in the small cabin. He opened a door. Inside it, was a small bedroom, with blood wall to wall. Ezra stepped around the bed, and came to the side of it. Lying on the wooden floor was an old man dressed in a white polo shirt and shorts to match. His clothing was stained in his blood. He was covered in numerous bitemarks. It looked as if a rabid dog had been eating the extremities. “Oh my god.”
He knelt down slowly. He could see black veins slowly sprouting at the bite marks. Every low enforcer had to take a class on ghouls, it was mandated. He knew this body, was in the reanimation stages.
Ezra knew he had to shoot at the head. This body was in nearing the final stages. He spoke into his commlink. “On my location, a human body, 187, clear signs of gnawing. This ghoul had to have been…”
Ezra felt something grab his ankle. The ghoul had been hiding under the bed. It had reached out with its hand and grabbed him, causing the detective to fall to the floor.
The ghoul’s red eyes blinked as it pulled its way forward, using Ezra’s leg as a means to pull itself out from under the bed. Ezra saw it's yellow jagged teeth. It was a man, a young man, in homeless robes, soaking wet. Ezra tried to reach for his gun, but it was out of reach. By the time he tried to reach again, the ghoul was on top of him, it was targeting his throat. Ezra reached his hands upward fast, he tried to push the ghoul back. It's teeth chattered as it let out grunts and human like growls. Ezra’s eyes widened. “I NEED HELP!”
_____
5th avenue shopping center.
Xairin and Anna had found a pharmacy on the sixth floor. It was a Healthwise. The front of the glass still had a remnant of the name still stained into it. Xairin smiled as this chain was still around. He knew it would have what they were looking for. “Come on!”
Xairin used his biosonar to detect anything out of the ordinary. There was a ghoul inside. “Stop! There’s one of those things in here.” He said in a whisper after pressing Anna’s shoulder.
“Ok, what kind of thing? You've told me about a bunch of different things.” Anna remarked.
“A ghoul. I can see it's blue aura.”
Anna got behind Xairin, while Tommy stayed beside her. Xairin pulled out his machete and slowly crept inside. The ghoul was wondering around, slowly. There was no stimulus to agitate it, so it's movements were calm.
The ghoul was a milz, Xairin noticed the green kevlar uniform. The man had to have been part of a team sent to inspect the city ruins. Xairin saw the man was missing a good sized chunk out of his arm. He could tell the man had tried to wrap a bandage around the wound. It's likely why he was in here. He had died here, and came back in this very store.
Tommy was a kid in every way aside from being a vampire. He was curious and got ahead of Anna. “TOMMY!” She said, unfortunately she spoke too loud.
The ghoul heard her. It turned around, locking eyes with Xairin. It's red eyes seemed to stare right into his soul. It then let out a loud moan. It's arms reached out to grab Xairin and began running at him while hissing and growling.
Xairin paid attention to its movements. It was fifty feet away, and closing fast. Xairin
posed himself like a baseball player up to bat When the ghoul was in range, he swung the blade upward twice, to cut off the arms, then a third swing to sever the head.
The moan however, had been heard by others. Six additional ghouls stood up. Each one, was wearing the same attire. “WHAT, THE WHOLE ENTIRE TEAM!?” Xairin yelled. There was no point in being quiet.
Each of them had clearly made their way here, suffering injuries. They had tried to patch themselves up, until likely, one of them turned and finished them off in their weakened state. At least that's how Xairin figured it went down.
Xairin wasn't about to test being bitten again. He used a shelf, to push it forward when a hand reached through the spaces of over the counter meds. Xairin chopped it off. Another was coming at him. He lunged the blade forward, it came out the back of the ghouls head. Once it fell, Xairin paid attention to where the others were. They were on their way to Anna and Tommy.
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