by Alves, Carl
Alexei glared at him in defiance. “I won’t go down without a fight.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Magnus motioned with his fingertips for Alexei to come forward. “Let’s dance.”
Alexei lunged at Magnus and knocked the vampire off his feet. From the ground Magnus connected with the heel of his foot to Alexei’s jaw, causing him to fly back.
Magnus jumped high in the air and landed in front of Alexei. He lifted Alexei by his throat. Gasping for breath, Alexei smashed his right arm, breaking his grip. He then kicked Magnus in the chest.
The Goat watched in awe as the two vampires went back and forth. This wasn’t part of the plan. Magnus was supposed to hand the vampire over to Enzo, and they would finish him.
Magnus charged at Alexei, who met him with a barrage of punches to the face. Alexei picked him up and slammed him hard.
For a second, The Goat thought Magnus was done. He was about to attack Alexei when Enzo pulled him back. After a few seconds, Magnus got back to his feet. Didn’t these vampires feel any pain?
They continued to brawl. Alexei had the momentum, displaying amazing agility, always beating Magnus to the punch, until he charged at Magnus with his head down. Magnus landed a knee to Alexei’s face, and he fell to the floor with a thud. The Goat winced as Magnus pounded Alexei’s head on the floor.
Magnus dragged him across the room to the door that led outside. The Goat and the others followed.
“Finish him,” Magnus said.
Enzo opened the door, and Magnus tossed Alexei outside. The vampire howled, his face contorting from exposure to the sunlight. He flailed his arms and legs.
Magnus slumped to the floor and shut his eyes.
The Goat stepped outside and looked to the sky. There was not a cloud to be found.
Andrews pulled out his pistol with the ash bullets and shot Alexei in the chest.
Alexei wailed an inhuman shriek.
Enzo was about to move forward when The Goat grabbed his arm. “Let me do this.”
Enzo nodded.
Tony Scrambolgni stepped on Alexei’s thrashing body. The Goat felt a rush of adrenaline unlike anything he had ever experienced. He held the stake with both hands over his head. With full force, he brought it into Alexei’s chest.
The vampire squealed then whimpered. The thrashing slowed until he stopped altogether.
“Should I do it again?” The Goat asked.
“No,” Enzo said. “He’s dead.”
The Goat turned toward Magnus, who was still on the ground. The vampire was completely vulnerable. This was his chance to take him out as well. He advanced on him, his stake at the ready.
Enzo grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “No. Leave him be. A deal’s a deal.”
The Goat glared at Enzo. He was a fucking vampire. He didn’t deserve to live. He shouted at the vampire. “This ain’t over between us, Magnus. Your kind don’t belong in our world.”
Chapter Forty
The truck came to a stop, which meant they were back in Camden. A few seconds later, Senerchia opened the door. He climbed inside and pulled Magnus to his feet.
“You look like hell, boss.”
Magnus closed his eyes. He didn’t have enough strength to stand. “I feel worse.”
Senerchia whistled. “That was a brutal fight. Man oh man. You two beat the shit out of each other. I didn’t realize you hated him so much.”
“It’s not about hate. I had to do what was necessary.”
Senerchia helped Magnus out of the truck. He didn’t want to have to depend on a human to get around, but he had no other option.
“Hey, boss, I know Enzo Salerno said I can come back, but I ain’t buying it. They’ll put a bullet in my head before I blink.”
“You’re welcome to stay with us. You’ve proven your loyalty, and we owe you a debt of gratitude, although I’m sure your true motive lies with being near Magdalena.”
“Well, there is that. I ain’t sure I wanna become one of yous, but I can help you out, you know, being able to stay out in the daytime and all.”
“I’m sure we can find a use for you.”
Senerchia helped Magnus climb the stairs and led him to his room. Even with the escort, the exertion was almost too much to bear.
“If you need anything, I’ll be around.”
“Thank you,” Magnus said.
Magnus opened the door to his room and stepped back when he found Gabriella waiting for him. She looked pale and weak. This was the first time she had ever been up in the daytime, and it was clearly taking a toll on her body.
“You should be sleeping,” Magnus said, his voice harsher than he intended.
In a frail voice, she said, “I had to find out what happened.”
Magnus sat on his bed. “It’s done.”
Gabriella nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Why did this have to happen? Couldn’t we have avoided all of this death?” She leaned her head against Magnus’ chest.
Magnus kissed her softly. “It pains me as well. I didn’t want Alexei to die. But times have changed, and we must adapt to survive. We must live in shadows. Alexei wasn’t willing to do that. His time on this world was limited. You know that. This was for the good of the brood. Now, we both need rest.”
It was near midnight on the evening they killed Alexei. Enzo found himself in the odd position of having FBI special agent Mark Andrews in his living room. Barring a raid, he never thought that would happen.
“I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around this blood feud we’ve had with the vampires. It’s crazy. Real life vampires. I guess we won’t see any more around here,” Andrews said.
“If I never see one for the rest of my life, it will be too soon,” Enzo said.
Andrews rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “I wish we could eradicate them.”
“Unless you want to get law enforcement from around the world involved, it ain’t gonna happen. Forget about it. Move on with your life.”
Andrews grinned. “Now that our vampire problem is over, you’re top on my priority list.”
Enzo raised his hands. “I’m an honest citizen. I don’t know why you harass me. All I do is provide for my family and give people employment.”
Andrews rolled his eyes. “Spare me the bullshit.” He stood face to face with Enzo. “Make no mistake, I’m going to bring you down. You’ll slip, and I’ll be there to cast a net around you. We nailed your predecessors. You may be smarter and more elusive than them, but you’ll go down just the same.”
Enzo extended his hand. “Regardless, it was good working with you.”
Andrews shook his hand before leaving.
Enzo filled his glass with cognac. He had not slept much lately, but was too wired to sleep.
After entering his office, he shut down his computer. Maybe he would watch something mindless on the dish before joining Gina in bed. He turned and stopped suddenly, his cognac flying and landing on the carpet. Sophie Koch stood in front of him.
“Holy shit. How did you get inside?” Enzo pursed his lips.
She looked different. Her skin tone was lighter. She looked radiant. She looked like a…
Enzo gritted his teeth. “Sophie, how could you? Did Magnus make you do this? That son of a bitch.”
Sophie folded her arms across her chest. “He didn’t make me do anything. It was hard for me to come here. I feel so vibrant and alive, but weak all the same. It’s like that for us younglings. Despite that, I had to see you.”
“How could you?”
“I asked Magnus to turn me.”
Enzo buried his face in his palm. “Why would you want to become a fucking vampire? You have to drink people’s blood. It’s wrong. It’s evil.”
Sophie stared at him. “I was already leading a life of crime. I’ve ordered hits, robbed people blind, did all kinds of things I’m sure I will pay for. How is this any worse? You’ve hardly lived a wholesome life.”
Enzo touched her ice-cold arm. “Sophie,
it’s not the same, and you know it. That’s business. What you’re doing is unnatural. You’re begging for eternal damnation.”
Sophie shrugged. “That ship has sailed. I regret many things I’ve done in my life, but not this. Do you know what I regret the most?”
Enzo shook his head, trying not to stare. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked amazing. She might be a vampire, but that did not change the fact that she looked drop dead gorgeous.
“The thing I most regret is not telling you how I really feel about you.”
Enzo stared at her cold eyes.
“I have loved you for years. I never said anything because I didn’t want to ruin your marriage and our relationship. Those concerns are beyond me now. None of that matters when you have immortality on your side.
“I should have taken you up on your offer when you tried to pick me up the first time we met, but even in college, I knew you couldn’t live by society’s rules.” Sophie laughed. “I didn’t know then that I would follow in your path. It’s not too late to fix past mistakes.”
Enzo closed his eyes, the only way he could stop staring at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Join me, Enzo. It’s exhilarating. We can be together forever. You know you love me. We were meant to be together. Now is our opportunity. Forever.”
Enzo had never felt so claustrophobic. It seemed like he was trapped inside this room. Become a vampire? Sure, Sophie looked fantastic, but could he actually forge a life together with her, walking the night, feasting on blood?
She held his hands. “Let’s do it. This is the life we were meant to live. I love you. I always have. I can bring you back, and one of the others can turn you.”
“When did this happen?”
“Last night when Magnus visited me. Be with me. You won’t regret it.”
“You expect me to abandon Gina, my kids, the empire I’ve built. You expect me to throw that all away and become a fucking vampire.”
Sophie’s face was inches from his. “Yes.”
He turned away from her. He was many things, most of which weren’t good. Being a religious man, he knew what he did in pursuit of building his empire was wrong. But damn it, he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. The people he killed deserved it.
He faced Sophie for the last time. “I don’t want to see you ever again. And if we do, we won’t be friends.”
Sophie disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The Goat walked onto the cold damp earth toward the grave site of Johnny Gunns. Not normally the sentimental type, he had surprised himself by stopping at the floral shop earlier. Taking the flowers he had purchased, he laid them by Johnny’s plot.
“We did it, buddy,” The Goat said. “I got payback for you. Staked that vampire right through his black heart.” The Goat closed his eyes. “It’s not over yet. It would desecrate your memory to let those things live in our world. I won’t let your memory die. Enzo might have been satisfied, but I ain’t. I’m still going after those vampires, and I’m gonna kill every last one of them.”
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About the Author
Carl went to Boston University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Carl graduated with a BS degree, and has since worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. He later graduated from Lehigh University with an MBA degree. His debut novel Two For Eternity was originally released by Weaving Dreams Publishing. He describes his second novel Blood Street as True Blood meets The Sopranos set in the streets of Philadelphia. His novel Reconquest: Mother Earth was released in 2014 by Montag Press. His short fiction has appeared in various publications such as Blood Reign Lit, Alien Skin, and Dark Eclipse. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and has attended the Penn Writers Conference.
You can visit his website at:
http://www.carlalves.com
Or his Amazon Author page at:
https://www.amazon.com/Carl-Alves/e/B006DJZOW6/
Copyright
Blood Street
Written by Carl Alves
Executive Editor: Michael A. Wills
Editorial Assistant: Ivy M. Wills
This story is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, locations, and events portrayed in this story are either the product of the author’s imagination, fictitious, or used fictitiously. No claim to the trademark, copyright, or intellectual property of any identifiable company, organization, product, or public name is made. Any character resembling an actual person, living or dead, would be coincidental and quite remarkable.
Blood Street. Copyright © 2018 by Carl Alves. This story and all characters, settings, and other unique features or content are copyright Carl Alves. Published under exclusive license by Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. Cover Image Adobe Stock: Copyright © shadowvincent # 9194574. This version first published in print and electronically: December 2018 by Digital Fiction Publishing Corp., LaSalle, Ontario, Canada. Digital Fiction, Digital Horror Fiction and its logos, and Digital Fiction Publishing Corp and its logo, are Trademarks of Digital Fiction Publishing Corp. (Digital Fiction)
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