Crimson Thirst (The Huntress Bane Book 2)

by Derek Shupert

  The vampire looms over her as she tries to back away, but she’s pinned by the building. She kicks her legs at the demon as it grabs her ankle.

  I dart across the street, and close in on the undead creature.

  The kukri lifts into the air as I approach from behind. The demon turns around, but it’s too late. A drawn-out hiss slithers from the pale creature’s mouth and reveals a pair of fangs. It releases the woman’s ankle and slashes at me with razor sharp claws.

  My blade sweeps at an angle and slices through the creature’s porcelain neck with ease before its claws can connect. I come to a grinding halt and spin about, ready to strike again. It’s head wobbles about loosely before tilting to the side and tumbling to the cement.

  The woman screams in horror as she franticly continues to kick her legs to try and get away from the headless body. After a few seconds, the creature’s bulk crumbles to the ground in a heap of smirched rags that smell rancid. I step over the creature and extend my hand to the woman.

  “Have you been bitten?” I ask her the most important question that’s in the forefront of my mind.

  She’s breathing heavily, panting hard. She doesn’t take my hand right away. I think the shock of it all has her mind in a state of flux.

  I parrot my previous inquiry. “Have you been bitten?”

  She finally calms down enough to be able to respond. “No. I don’t think so.” She takes my hand, allowing me to lift her up from the unforgiving ground. Her hands move up to her neck, fingers gliding along her skin as she searches for any puncture marks. I do much the same just to make sure. She seems to be all right. Just in shock.

  I grab her arm and focus her wandering gaze on me. “Get inside and do not come out until you’re told to.”

  She simply nods.

  I release my grip, allowing her to flee away from the madness that has consumed this area of the city. I spin back around and discover more vampires on the street. I narrow my gaze and hone in on the creatures chasing after people.

  I take off in a mad dash. The kukri stays trained at the ground as my fingers grow taut over the handle. One by one, I strike the vampires down. Some go with little effort on my part while others put up a formidable fight.

  Heads roll.

  Limbs are severed from bodies.

  Copious amounts of blood spills all over the streets and buildings. Speckles of the warm fluid cover my face, but I ignore it and keep slaying.

  The humans that have been bitten stay where they are. They shake and look about with a lost gaze as adrenaline surges through their bodies. Confusion swells on their worried faces. I contemplate taking care of the damned, but move on. I hope that Preston may have something useful for us to try on them. That, and the change can take a while to finally happen. So, we do have some time.

  The next demon I encounter lands a lucky shot and knocks me flat on my ass. He’s a large brute with thick muscles that are even evident through the ratty jacket draped over him. He breathes hard through his lips as spit spews from his fanged mouth.

  He reaches down to grab me. I pull my leg away and strike the demon in the face with the sole of my boot. His head snaps back in a flash. He shakes his head as trails of blood sneak out from both nostrils. It does just enough to stun him, allowing me to get off the ground and to my feet. He shakes off the blow and twists to his left, then his right until my blade slashes across his throat.

  He gargles some blood and drops to his knees. The dark fluid rushes out and down the front of his chest like a waterfall. It wasn’t deep enough to remove his head.

  Staring up at me, his red eyes narrow in my direction.

  “Now that I have your attention, where is your master? Where is Remus?”

  He hisses and bares his fangs. He lifts his left arm in the air to strike me down in such a feeble attempt in his last fleeting moments. The kukri swings down at an angle, and lops the muscular appendage from his torso.

  The arm thumps against the unforgiving ground. The vampire continues hissing at me and bearing its fangs angrily.

  “Let’s try this again. Where the fuck is Remus?”

  He tries to strike me down with his remaining arm. I slice the arm off at the elbow. I bring the blade back toward him and lop his melon-sized head clean off his body. The brute falls forward, and lands at my feet.

  A hand grabs my shoulder from behind, causing me to spin around with the kukri raised in the air. The man releases my shoulder and takes a step back.

  “Woah, Amanda, it’s me.”

  Lucian, my ally in this war against the vampires, lifts his hands into the air. I stop when I see a portion of his face materialize from the shadows.

  “Christ, Lucian.” I lower the kukri down to my side and expel a deep-seated breath from my lungs.

  “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” he says.

  I pat him on the shoulder. “It’s ok. I’ve just been up to my neck in vampires, trying to find out where Remus is.”

  Lucian glances down at the headless and armless corpse behind me. “Any luck with that?”

  I shake my head, indicating that I’ve been given less than nothing from the fanged foes. “Not yet. These bastards are loyal to the end. I’ll give them that.”

  More dreadful screams fill our ears. We’re making headway on slaying the creatures, but there’s still more that needs to be done. I catch sight of a pair of red glowing eyes from across the street over Lucian’s right shoulder. The vampire’s gaze lingers in my direction. What little light there is nearby reveals a wicked smile that slits across his scarred, pale face. A little girl wiggles frantically under his arm, trying to escape from his clutches.

  “Mathesis has told me much about you, vampire slayer. I’m not overly impressed. Let’s see how good you really are. Come save this poor, defenseless meat sack before I partake of her sweet, innocent nectar.” He speaks to me through my thoughts.

  Remus.

  He offers me a devilish chuckle and takes off with the girl.

  I sprint past Lucian.

  “Amanda, where are you going?” Lucian calls out.

  I race across the street. I’m on the sidewalk and in tow of the fiend within a matter of seconds. We zip past guards who are tangling with the creatures and scared people who are trying to flee from the demons.

  Remus stops, then cuts to the left. He disappears into the blackness between two large structures. I follow. Although my eyesight isn’t as honed as the vampires’, I can still see better than most normal people.

  Where is he heading? There’s nothing over this way except for the city’s sewer system. Perhaps that’s how they gained access. It makes no difference, though. I’m going to hunt him down and take his head. He didn’t need to nab the young girl to draw me in. I was coming for him regardless.

  Her cries and sniffled pleas grab my ears, and keep me hot on his trail.

  "Mommy... help me!”

  Then, as if her young innocent life has been snuffed out, everything dies off. I stop and listen. I tilt my head to the side, and train my ear down the corridor that leads to the sewage outlet.

  This could be a trap with more vampires waiting for me. The creatures tend to work in packs, drawing their prey into a well-concealed ambush. I’m not as foolish as some brave souls might be. Though, I don’t stand by when the demons are threatening the life of another human, especially a child.

  Through the dimness, I don’t spot any movement or shadowy figures lurking within the doorway openings or large pipes that run out of the city.

  The kukri remains tightly grasped within my hands as I proceed on with caution. It stays up in front of me and at the ready to strike down any foolish demon who dares to test my patience and resolve.

  There’s an open space up ahead on the right that flows in the same direction as the massive sewer pipes. I push on, surveying the surroundings with a vigilant gaze. A noise captures my attention and causes me to stop. It sounds like a scuffle of some sort.

  Hissi
ng and grunts fill my ears, followed by the small, long-haired girl materializing from around the bend of the building. Her little legs move a mile a minute as she races toward me. I hold out my arms and scoop her up. She wheezes and continues to cry. Her arms wrap around my neck so tight that it feels like she’s going to choke me.

  “It’s ok, sweetie. I’ve got you. No one is going to hurt you now.”

  I can’t tell if she’s been bitten or not. We’ll deal with that soon.

  I calm her down as best I can. I contemplate sending her on her way out into the street, but fear another demon will snatch her up. She’d be easy pickings no doubt. She remains with me. I lower her down and rest her feet on the concrete. She stays glued to my side as I continue toward the edge of the building.

  The silhouette of a dark figure emerges from the shadows. Its body collides with the brick building to my left with a dense thud. It slides down the wall and drops to the ground like wet mud.

  The scuffle continues, and peaks my curiosity. As we draw closer, I obtain a visual on the dead body, and find that it’s a vampire. Interesting.

  One cautious foot in front of the other, I advance toward the strife that is going down with someone who is as strong as the creatures themselves. We pass the threshold of the building’s edge. I crane my neck and spot three figures fighting. Their bodies are intertwined, looking like an alien from a distant planet. A tangled mess of arms and legs, the creatures hiss and search for that finishing blow.

  Their red eyes hover in the bleakness of the deadly night. Their arms swing in the air, sharpened claws look to find their mark on the other’s pale flesh. One of the demons moves so fast that the other two find it difficult to land any sort of strike. The little girl remains glued to my leg, hampering me from advancing toward the intense battle.

  I glance down to her. A boisterous caterwauling brings my focus back up. One of the vampires has another down on his knees, facing the sewage pipes. His fingers are clasped around the demon’s throat. Remus stares him down from the large, steel sewage pipes.

  Is there a mutiny happening with the vampire horde? Descension among Mathesis’s faithful and devout minions?

  Remus cuts his narrow, red eyes over to me. There is no smile or wicked grin resting on his spent face. By the scowl he gives, it looks like he’s pissed. I imagine he is considering how he and his clan just got their asses handed to them.

  “You’re lucky, slayer, that this abomination had been here to save you, and that tiny meat sack from certain doom. You may have this victory today, but the war has only begun.”

  Remus looks back to the mysterious vampire and snarls.

  “Enjoy your victory, dhampir. You may have converted some of Mathesis’s legion, but you will not convert them all. Your end, as well as the humans, will soon be at hand.

  The vampire responds back in a language that I do not understand. From the aggressive tone, it sounds harsh. He pulls the vampire off the ground and bites the side of his neck. The demon thrashes in his arms, growling and fighting to break free.

  I try to shield the little girl from the grotesque scene. Although she can’t see it, the demon’s yowls and grunts fill the air.

  Remus clenches his teeth. He bares his large, elongated fangs at the vampire. He offers me one last look before he vanishes down the sewage pipes in a mad dash.

  The vampire removes his fangs from the demon’s throat. He takes a step back from the now subdued creature. Blood coats his chin as he stares at me.

  I pull the little girl behind me, and point the end of my kukri blade at the mysterious vampire.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  THREE

  He tilts his head to the side, and just stares at me. It makes me wonder if he even understands English. He was speaking in a foreign tongue.

  I ask again. “Who are you, and why were you attacking your own kind?”

  He brushes the sleeve of his coat across his mouth, wiping the blood free from his chin. The vampire he had bitten turns to him and offers a tilt of his head. He stands alongside him as they peer over to me.

  “These heathens are not of my clan. Not until they’ve been freed of Mathesis’s control.” His tone is void of any aggression.

  He stays planted in place. No subtle movements that I can pick up on that would indicate that he wants to engage me. Still, I remain on the defensive with my blade pointed at him. I’ve never met a vampire that I can trust, or that didn’t want to fight me, so I’m not sure if this is a first or a ruse.

  “Then who are you, and why have you tried to kill Remus?” I point the tip of the kukri to the vampire he just bit. “And what the fuck was that all about? What did you do to him?”

  He takes a single step toward me. I shift the kukri back to him, and crouch down into a defensive position.

  “I mean you no harm, Amanda.” He speaks. His words are smooth and calm. He doesn’t sound like the everyday vampires that I come across. Nothing compared to the demons that grunt and growl their speech when they talk. He reminds me of how Mathesis speaks—more refined and intelligent.

  “Funny, I don’t recall ever giving my name out, especially to vampires.”

  He lowers his arms to his sides. The long sleeves of the trench coat he’s wearing engulf most of his hands. “I know much about you, slayer. I’ve been looking forward to the day that we could meet.”

  The girl pokes her head out from behind me.

  He smiles and waves at her.

  I move her back with my arm. “You have me at a disadvantage here. You know more about me that I do of you.”

  He opens his mouth to speak, but stops. His crimson eyes look past me to the long stretch of alley. I pick up the sound of tromping feet heading this way. “If you want to know more, come to Devils Fork, and I’ll explain. Don’t delay. The fate of your species hangs in the balance, and you are the key to stopping it.”

  I glance over my shoulder, and find a multitude of UV beams bouncing up and down.

  “Amanda, are you down there,” Lucian calls out. He has a handful of Black Fields’ guards in tow with weapons at the ready.

  I glance back in the direction of the mysterious figure, and find that he and the other demon have vanished. I crane my neck and try to search for him within the ether of blackness inside the concrete piping that extends out through the grated wall.

  The little girl stays clutched to my legs until the guards swoop in. They scatter about and secure the area. The gleam of the intense light washes over my unclean face that is painted with spots of demon blood.

  “Are you ok?” Lucian inquires.

  I answer yes with a tilt of my head, wondering who that mysterious vampire was that tried to kill Remus.

  I cease looking for the vampire and turn back to him. I look down at the small child taking refuge behind me.

  “Give me a light, will ya?”

  Lucian shines the UV lamp he has clutched in his hands at the girl’s neck. I lower to one knee and inspect both sides for any visible puncture marks. I see none. Thank God. I brush the blonde hair away from her face, and offer a reassuring smile.

  “You’re going to be ok, sweetie.”

  She opens her arms wide and wraps them around my neck. She squeezes me hard and sobs. She offers a small peck on the side of my face to show her gratitude. That moment of tenderness and love reminds me why I hunt and slay the creatures. Although flawed, humans have so much to offer. For me, it helps mend my broken heart and tortured soul.

  One of the guards approaches us and holds out his gloved hand. “Here, I’ll take her to her family.”

  The girl takes the guard’s hand and gives me a wave of her tiny palm. I wave back as she’s led away.

  I stand up as Lucian shines the lamp over the ghastly scene. I imagine it’s not anything worse than what has happened out there in the streets of the city.

  “Man, you were on a killing spree tonight,” he says.

  “This wasn’t me.” I secure the kukri in the she
ath attached to my upper thigh.

  Lucian lifts his right brow in curiosity. “Oh really? Who else could’ve done so much damage to the vampires other than you?”

  “Another vampire,” I answer.

  Confusion swirls across Lucian’s face. He squints and diverts his gaze as though he’s trying to find a logical reason for a vampire killing other vampires. I imagine mine looked much the same when I first witnessed what was happening here.

  He holds up his hand. “Are you telling me that another bloodsucker did this to his own kind? Is that even possible?”

  I glance at the dead demon near us. “Looks like it. I’m not sure what’s going on either, but I intend to find out. I spoke with him before you arrived. Something else happened that was strange. Something I’ve never seen before.”

  “You did?” Lucian inquires. “What did he say? What happened?”

  “He didn’t say much. He did seem to know some about me. My name and all. He was letting on that there is more he wants to discuss with me. Something about me being the key to stopping Mathesis. To ending this somehow.”

  I take a moment, still reeling from watching the vampire bite another, and the transformation that happened.

  I step closer to Lucian. “He bit one of the vampires and somehow made it subdued. Almost as if it was now on his side. I don’t know how to explain it, but I watched it happen.”

  Lucian scoffs at my words and shakes his head. “Parlor tricks, I’d imagine. The vampires have been after you constantly. No doubt this is all Mathesis’s doing. I wouldn’t trust the demon. It’s probably a ploy to lure you into a trap.”

  I understand what Lucian is saying. I have many of the same reservations and concerns that he’s presenting, but still, there is something about the vampire and what he did to the other demon that is making my curiosity trump my gut intuition. Plus, before tonight, I was pretty sure vampires did not kill other vampires, or turn them.

  I agree. I cannot deny what he’s saying.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t say that I trust him. Not by a long shot. But he didn’t act like any other vampire I’ve ever met. That, and he also didn’t try to attack us. He seemed as though he was helping out in a way.”