B00724AICC EBOK (33 page)

Sharpton looked to the trees but saw no bird. They sat on an old tree covered by moss that had fallen more than a year ago and they waited. They were quiet for a time as they listened to the sounds of the forest. The resonance of two Black-backed woodpeckers banging their beaks was heard in the distance; they were on adjacent trees to one another. Their cacophony had an almost musical quality to it. Then suddenly the raven appeared and landed at the end of the tree that they sat on and squawked. When they stood it flew north to a branch and waited, when they followed it continued to lead them.

In less than an hour they found themselves approaching the wigwam as Achak was in the process of doing something on the forest floor. It looked as though he was arranging something and in fact he was. Four trees that he had felled were set just so; they met in the middle with one facing east, one west, one north, one south. The raven flew onto the wigwam and observed. They entered the vicinity of the dwelling as Achak spat on each piece of wood where the points came together in the center. He took the deer carcass and placed it on top of the wood, making sure to adjust each point beneath the animal so that they were all touching one another. It wasn’t easy and it was necessary to make multiple adjustments. Achak held out his hands to indicate that they should halt their approach until he had completed the spell. Finally satisfied Achak slowly and deliberately brought both hands together as if pulling energy from the sky. He breathed long and nosily into his hands, then spreading them, seemingly throwing the contents over the dead deer. Achak repeated the gesture eleven times as Davis and Sharpton watched in silence.

Achak’s deep voice resonated through the woods. “Oooooo, ah stagotah!”

The deer started to smoke then abruptly burst into flames, reaching some two feet over the animal. The red flame combined with orange and yellow, and then morphed into the brightest red that they had ever seen in a fire. Achak held his hand out to Sharpton and he knew what he wanted; he placed a small plastic baggie containing some of Jenny’s hair into his hand. The hair was immediately tossed into the fire, where it forced the flames up to over ten feet into the air. They all backed up. The native appeared both surprised and dismayed and perhaps even a little frightened.

“
Well? Is she the one the Blood Book speaks of or not?” Sharpton took several more steps backward as the flame increased in intensity, then lowered to that of a campfire.

Achak stared at Sharpton and actually made him look away, not an easy feat to accomplish. “I would have to enter the fire for that. But that could actually put the child onto me. I won’t do it.”

Sharpton was both angry and frustrated. “Then you don’t get the three vampires skeletons in this bag!”

Achak crossed his arms and gave him a most serious look. “Make an attempt to leave with them and see what happens. Go on, just see what happens. I eat vampires like you for lunch.”

David shrugged at Sharpton. “I wouldn’t try it.”

Sharpton pulled his sword and decapitated David with such precision that it appeared to be one movement. He departed the area without the skeletons, knowing that it would take him awhile to get back to civilization without his guide.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

THE DARK GRAY SKY was heavy. Stephen, Luke and Noah arrived in Moncton on a rainy afternoon with the dagger secure in a black briefcase. Noah thought it was an appropriate gloomy atmosphere for Dracula to meet his end, although it might actually clear up before they got to him in a day or two. They would try to take their time to think it through. Stephen believed Moncton to be a small city prior to their arrival, but it appeared as if every house had two or more cars and they were all on the road. They rented a Toyota Corolla from Hertz on Mountain Road and headed for the Chateau Moncton Hotel near the city’s downtown. It was just after four when they finished checking in to their individual rooms.

Dracula’s presence was felt even from the hotel, as if they had sailed too close to the sun. There was an excitement deep down in their bones. They also had second and third thoughts about the endeavour, but such a thing was not to be discussed. Luke’s right hand had started to shake slightly but he concealed it from the others. Noah considered that the Master might show up any second and kill them all. Dressed in their best suits, they felt like children after church walking down the train tracks in search of an adventure. Would they be able to dodge the train?

They went in for drinks at the cocktail lounge at the hotel and discussed how they would approach the big guy. Since he was deemed suicidal, it was thought that he just might let Stephen walk right up to him and stick it in his chest. But that’s if he was TRULY suicidal, and his mind simply couldn’t be read, or so it was thought. A million rumors existed about Dracula, impossible to separate the facts from fiction. Now that the time was almost at hand, they were also filled with trepidation, but no one wanted to admit it. They knew that death at his hands might be quick, but there were tales of prolonged torture.

They went for a drive to clear their minds and ended up in the town of Shediac. Luke stared at the map as Stephen looked annoyed.

“
I thought you said that this was a small town?”

“
That’s what the map says. Supposed to be like six thousand people.”

“
Then what the hell is with all this traffic?”

Noah turned to his right and observed the giant crustacean that was over thirty feet long. “Hey, look at the size of that lobster! Now how did they catch something that big? How would you cook it?” Noah watched as several tourists stood near the lobster to get their photos taken.

Stephen took his eyes off the road for a second to stare at Noah and had to push hard on the breaks to avoid hitting the red Chevy Malibu in front of him. “That’s not real you idiot!”

“
I was just kidding.”

They ended up at the Shediac Marina where they hired a boat to take them out on the water to clear their heads, but their minds were full of horrific possibilities of the upcoming battle. When they returned they walked on the wharf silently for about an hour. Memories of times past flowed from one to another almost as if their lives were flashing by in anticipation of their impending deaths. Thoughts always went back to the possibility that if they killed Dracula, and if that act destroyed all vampires in existence, including themselves, what fools they would be. What would happen to the hybrids? Would only their vampire side perish? In a way they felt like dead men walking with the outcome inevitable. Nevertheless, there was no turning back. They would see it through whatever the consequence.

Stephen had another unpleasant thought as they headed back to the Toyota. If the unthinkable occurred and they did destroy all vampires, would they become heroes to the humans, with the mortals believing that they had sacrificed themselves for them? It was beyond unthinkable, it was revolting.

Luke broke the silence. “We should just get the damn thing over with.”

Twenty-four hours later they parked the Toyota across the street from the mill on the Mill Road. It was a short walk down the sidewalk and then a left onto the trail that led several kilometres into the woods. They passed a small bench near the beginning of the trail and paused there quietly for a minute or two. They followed Dracula down the forest trail as the rain continued to accumulate upon them, across small bridges wooden bridges and past an old dead tree riddled with holes. He was an indistinct speck in the distance from their vantage point; he knew of their presence but didn’t turn to acknowledge it. They all had the feeling that he was aware of them but not once did he stop to look back. The excitement combined with anxiety made them hyper aware of the situation. It was as if life itself had grabbed them by the throat and was deciding what to do with the three of them.

The rain turned into a heavy downpour. The sound of it was deafening to their sensitive ears as it increased in intensity. It was also frightening as it was the perfect opportunity for Dracula to kill them all. The deluge endured for less than five minutes but felt a hell of a lot longer. When the rain went back to its less intense state, they discovered that he had vanished during the heavy rain. They had been transfixed to their positions like three mice waiting for the cat to show up. They blurred to his last position but could see no sign of him. The fact that they continued to sense him in the immediate area was maddening. The crack of a tree branch would have made them jump out of their pants; the screech of a blue jay almost accomplished it. They made their way to the end of the trail, which ended at a street with moderate traffic.

Stephen scratched his head vigorously. “Let’s head back. We know where his house is. Let’s just go wait for him.”

They decided to walk back at a human’s pace. It enabled them to better observe their surroundings and to discuss whether to flee or not. The rain stopped. It was a break that would soon end, but that fact alone was somehow unsettling in their heightened minds. Noah considered fleeing the area, leaving the other two behind and never looking back, but he simply couldn’t do it. It was an uneventful walk until they spotted Dracula sitting on the bench on the trail. Stephen thought that ominous music should be playing in advance of death’s embrace. Not one of them had ever been more frightened. Stephen pulled the dagger as they all blurred up to the master. Dracula stood, looked at the dagger and smiled. No words were exchanged as the dagger was thrust into his heart. He fell to the ground with a thud.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

SOME STARS MANAGED TO TWINKLE in the night sky over New York City, and Jupiter was visible. Wei and Bao blurred to the front of the London Meat Company and looked confused as they scanned the area. They walked across the street to two skeletons of vanquished vampires that lay in front of the Brass Monkey Bar on Little West 12
^th
Street. Wei and Bao had finally found the time to search out the girl that had saved their lives. They stared down at the two skeletons near the barrel by the front window as a young couple passed them hand-in hand and entered the bar.

Bao shook his head at Wei. “Thought you said you could track the girl?”

Wei shrugged and made a bit of a face. His red badge glowed slightly on his trench coat. “Thought I could. I can sense her aura but it’s bouncing all over the place. I’ll never find her like this. I thought I could but I can’t, that’s it.”

Bao’s cell phone went off and he looked slightly annoyed as he answered it. Lately nothing but bad news came out of it. “Bao. Yes, I understand. Where is it?”

“
What is it now?” Out of habit Wei placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“
Terrorists. Sounds like a McVeigh and Nichols type of deal.” Bao didn’t look happy.

“
That’s not really our jurisdiction.” Wei observed a young man on his way into the bar and nodded to him.

“
Take those damn skeletons with you,” was the response to Wei’s gesture.

“
He said there’s a biter on scene but I get the feeling that he was lying. Must be something serious though.” Boa simply shook his head at the disrespect.”

“
Best go check it out before something blows up.”

They discovered the police surrounding an abandoned warehouse in Yonkers. The place was rundown with lots of broken windows. Lots of graffiti was on the bottom part of it, with the words DRACULA CAN BITE ME featured prominently. Sargent Brown was a short fellow with a white mustache and a little overweight with a beer belly. He ran to the red sheriffs as they blurred to the front of the warehouse. He was a little excited for a law enforcement officer.

“
Sargent Brown, what do you have here?” Wei had known the Sargent for a few years and liked him.

“
We’re coming in late on this thing,” said the Sargent. “Two teens overheard them talking about blowing up a building and doing a better job than that asshole McVeigh. They said they were also talking about gas as well.”

Boa looked around at the myriad of police officers. “You guys manage to get a look inside?”

Brown shook his head. “Yeah, no. You can peek in but you can’t see much. You can see lasers all over the damn place, and we’ve no idea what the hell they set off.”

“
They know we’re out here?”

“
Oh, they know all right.”

“
And what was their response to that?” Wei started to walk closer to the warehouse where a huge sliding door remained closed.

Sargent Brown almost tripped and fell. “Whatever they’re doing in there, they’re now doing it a lot faster.”

Bao looked at Wei. “Oh that’s not good. I’ll bet if you slide that door open some nasty happens.”

Wei shook his head at Brown. “No vampires in there.”

“
Are you going to help us or not?”

Wei took a grenade out of his left trench coat pocket. It was black with a small digital screen on its base. “We’re going right through the door. I’ll toss the grenade in and they should hit the ground. We are going to have to kill all of them fast to stop them from triggering a bomb or whatever else they have in there.”

“
We’d really like to question them.”

“
All right then, you go in.”