Tainted Hunter (The Huntress Bane Book 1)

by Derek Shupert

  “Yeah. Me either.” I continue pressing down on the handle with all my might. “On the bright side, they wouldn’t feed on you.”

  “I’d rather not take that chance,” Lucian responds. “Besides, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t pull my arms and legs off like an insect just because.”

  The handle starts to move downward. Lucian motions with his hands for me to move faster. I press down harder until a loud popping noise rings out from the door.

  “What the hell was that?”

  I turn toward Lucian with the door handle loose in my hand.

  “Come on. Really?” he cries.

  The scurrying of the vampires beyond the walls of the office capture our attention. We stand still, motionless, as the demons’ baited breathing intensifies.

  I gently set the handle on top of a stack of boxes to my right.

  Lucian swipes his sleeve across his brow.

  “What’s our play here?”

  We’re left with no alternatives, or other options in trying to escape. There is only one thing left to do.

  “Be ready to haul ass out of here.”

  I turn toward the door and strike with my boot close to the lock. The door shudders within the frame, causing a clamor. I strike again, much harder than before, in the same place.

  The door cracks. Wood splinters, and the shards of the busted frame of the door’s exterior become visible.

  “Shit. They’re coming.”

  Lucian reaches behind him, and pulls free his pistol. They continue to strike the entrance of the door to the kitchen we’re in. Fists hammer the door’s battered exterior as it violently rattles in place.

  I take two steps back and strike the loosened door one last time. The latch pops free, allowing the door to swing open. The fading night greets us as I step outside to survey the area.

  The creatures are nowhere in sight at the moment, but that can change quickly.

  “Come on. Go!”

  The door to the space explodes open. The window shatters into a million tiny fragments. A handful of the creatures funnel inside the space wildly, climbing through the window and busted door.

  Lucian opens fire, chambering off round after round at the demons who are hissing and showing their sharp fangs.

  Fire spits from the end of the barrel. The brief flash from the pistol’s muzzle captures the demons’ wide mouths as the blessed bullets find their mark. Impacting their chests and foreheads, the tidal wave of fanged fiends drop instantly.

  The vociferous report from the repeated gunshots reverberates inside the enclosed space. My ears ring from the continual firing as Lucian backs toward me.

  More of the vampires flood toward the lower level of the bank. Their angered yowls and heavy, hammering footsteps grow to a fever pitch of rage and bloodlust as their beady, crimson eyes converge before us.

  I grab Lucian by the hood of his coat, and jerk him backward. He stumbles out of the structure and into the alleyway. He ejects the magazine, and changes it out for a fresh one.

  “Christ! They’re like fucking locusts.”

  The demons hiss and charge. Their bodies trample the boxes and table as they rush headlong at us. I grab the door and slam it shut. I place my back flush to the exterior of the door and brace myself. Each blow from the enraged creatures vibrates through the wood.

  It shudders, and pops open briefly before slamming shut.

  Lucian chambers a round in his pistol and brings it to bear.

  It’s hard to focus and concentrate with the clamoring of the demons punishing the door. My eyes cut to the right frantically, then to the left in search of anything to brace against the exit.

  At first, I spot nothing more than trash littering the ground and meager boxes that are falling apart from years of being out in the elements.

  “There!”

  I quickly point to my left at the large, rusted green waste container that is maybe a good ten feet or so from where we are.

  Lucian rushes over and sizes it up. He disappears on the opposite side as the barrage of heavy fists continue to hammer the door.

  “How’s it coming?”

  My voice is stressed, body taut as each blow rattles my frame.

  “The damn thing’s on wheels, but it’s heavy as crap,” Lucian responds through strained breath.

  He grunts. The rusted casters of the bulky waste container creak and pop as they move. It shifts slightly to the left, then the right. He continues pressing and pushing until it rolls toward me.

  “You got it going now,” I call out.

  He grunts again as the container shudders and shifts from side to side erratically.

  “How... much... farther,” he calls out.

  The edge of the grimy, rusted exterior closes in on me. I shift to the right, and slide down the door toward the wall, allowing the container to fall into position.

  “There!”

  It rolls a few more inches before grinding to a squeaking halt in front of the exit.

  The door flies open but an inch or two as the clamoring of the vampires inside meet our ears. Visibly winded, Lucian huffs then sighs in relief. He hunches over for a brief second before he steps out from the side of the dumpster and walks toward me.

  “You think that will hold them?”

  The dumpster shifts slightly, and rolls out from the wall some. Rapacious clawed fingers emerge from the narrow opening, and wrap around the door’s edge.

  “Hopefully, long enough.”

  TWELVE

  The frenzy of the vampires grows to a voracious cusp.

  The vibrating of the door ramps up ten-fold, repeatedly slamming against the weathered dumpster’s edge.

  Threadbare arms materialize from the structure, frantically waving in a chaotic motion as the demons continue their fight to get through.

  Glancing to his left, then right, Lucian rubs his chin in a distressed manner.

  “Where the fuck are we going to go?”

  Holding the kukri taut in my grasp, I try to form a plan of action beyond just running out into the alleyway with no clear heading. Within the fading darkness, the tall buildings surrounding us fall to nothing more than muddy, enormous square shapes that add to the already eerie environment.

  Crows squawk overhead, shouting their calls of death.

  The wind howls through the cavernous holes within the buildings around us.

  “Doesn’t matter at this point,” I finally retort. “We just need to get the hell out of here and find some place secure.”

  The door opens an inch more as the dumpster lunges forward.

  Fuck it.

  “Come on.”

  I take off running toward the street in the direction of the buggy. Lucian is fast on my tail, our feet moving with ample incentive. Both of our lights remain off. Hopefully, this will aid in us keeping our position low key till we can find a place to hide.

  The slamming of the door slowly fades to idle background noise. I come to a grinding halt as we hit the street, and survey the cluttered mess of abandoned, rusted vehicles in front of the bank.

  More clamoring from the demons clings to the air from all around us. I spin about in a circle, struggling to pinpoint exactly where they’re located. It’s hard to be certain though as the discordant wails from the ones trying to break free from the rear of the building is melding in with the others.

  I finally point toward the front of the building.

  “Sounds like there’s more up that way.”

  Lucian glances to his left, and taps me on my shoulder.

  “There.”

  He takes off hard and fast, recklessly sprinting across the congested street to the other side. His pack bounces uncontrollably as he navigates the rows of cars in a zigzag pattern.

  I go after him.

  The vampires finally bust through the rear of the bank. Their babble, although faint, tingles my ears, and sends my head twisting over my right shoulder.

  It’s difficult to discern if they’re track
ing us as we speak, but given their keen senses and exceptional hunting skills, I’m inclined to think so.

  Lucian cuts to the left and springs to the sidewalk. He maintains his brisk momentum as we barrel down the marred and busted concrete. Weeds sprout up through the narrow fissures.

  “Where are you going?” I call out.

  “Anywhere but here,” Lucian answers.

  The vehement cries of the vampires grow to a fever pitch as the unison of the creatures’ roars converge into the street.

  Up ahead, I catch a faint opening in the side of the building. The void of blackness conceals what might be lurking within its obscure interior.

  “Get inside the building!” I demand more than advise.

  Lucian keeps running as though his life depends on it.

  The demons’ angry, aggressive hisses hone in our direction. They must have spotted us. The overpowering wave of the creatures hammers against the pavement, pursuing us through the streets of Old City.

  Nothing but a wave of ghastly gray figures and illuminated red eyes fill my gaze. They trample over the rusted steel coffins, and their bulk punishes the earth as they come for us.

  We slip inside the building and into the ether of the unknown. We climb up and over the mound of busted rock, and continue our accelerated pace. Lucian crashes into something solid and tumbles to the ground.

  “Shit.”

  He groans from the flat of his back.

  I help him up.

  “You ok?”

  He grimaces in discomfort, but otherwise seems to be ok.

  “Lost my footing. Ran into something.”

  Lucian pats the dust away from his coat as I look around. The darkness of the night has cloaked the interior of the building in a shroud of mystery.

  On the far-left wall, the vague outline of a staircase comes into view. To where it leads, I do not know, but at this point, does it really matter? The demons are closing the gap with every second we idly stand here.

  I grab Lucian by his arm and whirl him about.

  “The stairs.”

  We get back on the move, and navigate the mélange space as rapidly as we can. Dodging busted furniture and more piles of rubble that have fallen from the ceiling above, we make a beeline for the stairs.

  Lucian hits the landing and starts his ascent up the steps. Taking two at a time, he springs from one to the other as rapidly as he can.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a dark figure moving swiftly along the building’s wall. Its arms and legs are sprawled out like a spider as it scurries toward us.

  I jump toward Lucian, and push him out of the way just as the creature leaps off the wall and lunges at him. He stumbles forward, losing his balance and crashing into the wall ahead of him.

  The vampire collides with me in an abrupt clash that sends us both tumbling down the stairs. Intertwined with the demon, we hit the landing hard. The kukri pops free of my grasp and bounces off the hard surface of the building’s floor.

  The creature hisses and bears its fangs. Its red eyes widen as it pushes its bulk down on top of me. My right hand switches positions and takes hold of its throat while my left feels for the kukri.

  “Amanda!”

  Lucian picks himself up. He darts back down the stairs. Another vampire materializes from the ether of darkness to his right and blindsides him. Lucian and the demon merge into one black blob as they grapple on the stairs.

  The creature slashes at me with its claws. I move my head to the left, then back to the right rapidly to avoid being cut by the demon’s sharp claws. I knee it in the side and strike it square in the chin with my forearm. Its head snaps to the left. It doesn’t hurt the creature, but stuns it enough for me to make my move.

  I toss it to the side, sending its bulk skidding over the floor and away from me. My hand continues searching for the kukri. My fingers nick the outer edge of the handle as the creature grinds to a halt.

  It quickly gathers itself, and twists back toward me. My hand wraps around the handle as I quickly get back to my feet. Twirling the blade end over end in my hand, I motion for the demon to attack.

  It hisses and lunges forward. Charging me in a dead sprint, a faint whisper fills my ears, followed by a dark object striking the creature in the side of its head.

  Knocked off balance, the vampire stumbles to the floor, and crashes into a mound of busted wood. Flopping on the ground wildly, my eyes divert from the creature, and up toward the stairs.

  Two figures, bathed in shadows, loom over Lucian and the vampire he’s tussling with. The one to the right kneels down while the other has a weapon trained in my direction. It appears to be a crossbow.

  I start toward them, fearing the worst. The figure to the left discharges their weapon once more. I sidestep the incoming bolt. It buzzes right past me, and strikes the wounded vampire in the heart. It manages a few more steps before crumbling to the ground dead.

  The dark silhouette of the figure, wielding a crossbow, waves its arm wildly as it starts to back pedal up the stairs.

  “Come with us, now, if you want to live.”

  THIRTEEN

  I remain planted in place as they race up the stairs.

  People can be just as bad as the demons, luring those that are in bad situations into another that can equally end their lives. I’ve seen it happen more than once. It’s a sad fact, really, but it is what it is.

  The growing clamor of vampires barreling in from the street trumps any doubts that I have about the mysterious duo. Humans are much more manageable than the demons are. If they’re looking to exploit our current situation, they’ll pay with their lives.

  More of the demons flood into the building through the gaping hole and down the slope of busted brick. The boisterous yowls fill the spacious interior. The figure to my right grabs the motionless vampire on top of Lucian, and discards the dead weight without care.

  The other takes aim, and fires at the flood of vampires rushing our way. Bolt after bolt ejects from the crossbow in rapid succession. Each slices through the air and meets their designated targets head on.

  One by one the creatures stumble and fall face first onto the floor. The wave of shadowy figures and pairs of red eyes still charge toward us.

  Scooping Lucian off the ground, they turn and bolt up the stairs. We chase after the duo, trying to put as much distance between us and the demons as possible.

  The multitude of vampire feet hammers the staircase behind us. The wood quakes. The walls tremor and shake. Particles of drywall flutter in the air around us.

  Lucian runs with a slight limp. I grab his arm and toss it over my shoulders as I aid him up the stairs. He grunts and grimaces with each step he takes, but he doesn’t faulter or slow his pace.

  Up the winding staircase we go to the next floor. The ether of blackness that has consumed the structure, slowly begins to fade away. Coated in dimness, the layout of the building materializes before me, as well as the displaced chairs and other furniture that has been ransacked. I can now at least see where we’re heading, and avoid any big obstacles that might be in our way.

  We hit the landing, and pound down the hallway. A shadowy figure motions for us to follow to our right. Half of their body is out in the hall, waving their hand frantically. Lucian removes his arm from around me and braces himself along the wall.

  The figure drifts out of the way as Lucian limps inside the dark space. I follow close behind as the figure slams the door. It grabs a dense board leaning against the wall to our right, and wedges it into a brace that is mounted on both sides of the door.

  “That should hold for a bit, but it won’t stop them,” the female sounding voice advises.

  I glance to Lucian who is panting and kneading his upper right thigh.

  “How bad is it?”

  He looks up at me from his bent over angle as his hand continues to attend to his leg.

  “It’ll be fine. Just sore is all.”

  I turn my attention to the figure stan
ding to our left. Their face is covered with a mask and what appears to be goggles of some sort that protrude from the face shield.

  “Who are you?” I demand. “Why did you help us?”

  “We need to keep moving,” a feminine voice simply answers.

  They brush past Lucian and me, and make their way up the stairs off to our right.

  The heavy cacophony rushes toward us like a tidal wave as the floor trembles. My heart pounds as I exhale a single deep breath.

  I glance to Lucian and go to help.

  His hand shoots up into the air.

  “I’m good. I can handle it. Let’s just move.”

  I’m not overly convinced he’s good, considering how he’s favoring that leg, but he starts to move regardless. He grumbles and winces in pain as he moves past me.

  We both turn, and head up after our so-called saviors as the horde of undead pound the door to the stairwell.

  Flight after flight we take as fast as we can. Although winded and spent, I stay alert, and keep pushing Lucian onward and up the stairs.

  A loud banging sound rattles the inside of the hollow stairwell just above us. I glance up as my fingers wrap around the kukri a hair tighter.

  A head pops out over the solid wall above us. “Up here. Come on. There isn’t much time,” the feminine voice pleads.

  The blockade from below gives way. The sound of wood splintering fills my ears. My head cuts back over my shoulder. The demons flood into the tight space in search of the fresh meat that has eluded them. A solid mass of bodies moves within the darkness on the landing.

  The redness of their eyes suddenly appears and fills the dark void below. They hiss and clamor about on the landing, screeching and grunting wildly.

  Fuck.

  The legion of the damned stampedes up the stairwell after us. Their thundering footsteps shake the steel stairs.

  We continue on, and make our turn, bolting up the next flight of stairs. The woman continues waving us on with her flailing arm. We near the opened door, and discover a body lying face down on the landing. Motionless and unresponsive to our presence, we sidestep the corpse and head for the gap.