Dominant Species (23 page)

Father Matthew look
ed up into the contorted face of the new Overlord as she opened her mouth, her teeth closed. Behind her the others closed in like a pack of dogs, slowly blotting out the lights above.

‘
Let the power of the Lord cleanse your souls.’ Whispered Father Matthew as the teeth bit down. Keermit roared. Blood spattered in an arc covering the others as they closed and attacked in a feeding frenzy. In the middle of the pack a hand rose once into the air as if trying to pull free.

Excited,
the Queen watched as her new Council began to feed on the Priest

‘
It has begun.’ She looked across to Drameer. ‘This is the only new beginning you’ll see, Drameer.’

She
motioned for the guard to allow him through, then grabbed the goblet lifting it high above her head and dripped the last few drops onto her tongue. She licked her lips as Drameer attacked. Casually tossing the goblet away, she easily avoids his clumsy onslaught.

Drameer hit
the ground hard, tried to roll away but the Queen’s personal Guard were on him. Overpowered, Drameer was dragged to his feet by the female Guard.

‘Looks like you lose, after a
ll,’ the Queen said with a smile.

Drameer look
ed up at her and returned the smile. As if on cue, behind the Queen her Council began to choke. The Queen span, a flash of fear coursed across her face. Her eyes widened as her new Council began to convulse, coughing up blood.

She whirl
ed on Drameer. All around an eerie silence spread its tentacles throughout the auditorium. Behind her, in agony, Keermit crashed to the floor, her eyes unseeing; dead.

‘No…’ moaned
the Queen as one after the other of her beloved vampires convulsed and crashed to the ground; dead.

‘What have you done? She asked in bewilderment, confusion
filling her voice. The guard holding Drameer stared in shock. It was a look they would die with as Drameer slipped the long blade from his boot and slid it under their ribcage and into their heart. Suddenly turning to the humans, Drameer yelled at the top of his voice, ‘In the name of your God and your humanity, finish this NOW!’

On
his cue Jake moved. He caught the distracted vampire off guard and wrenching the knife that Drameer had given him the night before from his boot he drove it under his captor’s armpit and into the side of her chest with every ounce of strength he had, just as Drameer had shown him. The vampire, shock covering her face, grabbed at the blade once before falling to the ground.

Taking his chance, Jake ran to the table and wrenched at the heavy velvet cloth, tearing it away. His heart soared in his chest as there beneath the cloth, just as Drameer had promised, were their weapons
. He didn’t know how the vampire had managed it, but gave praise that he had. Without hesitation he grabbed a sawn-off shotgun, span and emptied both barrels into the face of the vampire that had closed on him. She screamed. It was a scream cut short by the knife that Jake plunged into her side.

After that c
onfusion filled the air as the rest of the resistance followed Jake’s lead. With the weapons that Drameer had secreted away they attacked with a focused and controlled anger, their knives slicing into the surprised vampires, their guns blazing; acrid smoke filling the auditorium.

The Queen’s c
onfusion turned to rage as she fixed Drameer with an icy stare.

‘What have you
done?’

Kathryn watched Drameer with nothing but
love and pride on her face. It was a look that would turn to pain as the Queen grabbed a short sword from a Guard and drove the steel blade through Drameer’s heart with an insane roar.

He sag
ged to his knees. Still smiling he looked across to Kathryn and mouthed the words ‘I love you’, before finally crumpling to the floor.

Jake c
rashed forward, through vampires and humans alike, towards the fallen body of Father Matthew. He stopped as the fallen figure twitched, once, twice, and then unbelievably began to move.

Around him the vampires
fought hard, but the resistance had made the most of their advantage and were fighting as only those whose lives and futures depend on it, truly can. They fought to the death. They showed no fear. Women, children all fought for their lives and for the sake of humanity itself.

Slightly to one side and almost forgotten about, Karick and Rodan w
atched the madness unfold before them. The bulk of the Queen’s Guard had stormed forward leaving them now guarded by only the Captain.

Rodan
turned to the Captain, ‘looks like the food has a mind of its own.’

The Captain tur
ned, unhappy with Rodan’s tone; she leant forward and was caught off-guard by his attack. Rodan’s teeth were already deep into the Captain’s throat before she could react. She died with her face still covered in shock.

Rodan
calmly stood, blood dripping from his mouth. A quick rummage in the Captain’s pockets revealed the key to his chains, which he used. Then standing, he took out his handkerchief, carefully unfolding it he wiped his lips. Then he looked at Karick.

‘Here.’
He tossed him the key. ‘Now we’re even.’

             
Karick caught the key in one easy motion and quickly unlocked his own chains. But by the time he looked up Rodan had already disappeared into the crowd.

The Queen was rocked back to reality as a single gunshot, followed by a volley of shots slammed into her side. In a fury she screamed instructions to her guard. A movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention. She stared at the figure now approaching and realization finally dawned.

It
was Father Matthew, his eyes bloodshot, saliva dripping from his mouth, his teeth and jaw enlarged, the transformation into half-ling almost complete. He crouched, sniffed the air.

The Queen’s head
span in the confusion to look at her beloved new council, lying dead, having drunk the poisonous blood of a half-ling, as the beast half stood she could see its blood stained, torn clothes, covered in the bite marks that had been the kiss of death to the vampires.

Rage
drove her as she attacked, her power was immense; she grabbed the short sword and drove it through his chest. What remained of Father Matthew fell to his knees, then backwards, the sword sticking upright from his chest, like a crucifix. Standing over him, the Queen roared, a sound that filled the auditorium with pure evil.

H
er roar was cut short. She lurched, once, twice, as she was hit by gunfire. Another round hit her square in her back. Slowly she turned to face Jake, the sawn-off shotgun still smoking in his hand.

Around them the sounds of the
other humans fighting, killing and being killed softened as they focused on each other.

‘
What chance do you think you have in facing me?’

They circle
d one another slowly as Jake reloaded the double barrelled, sawn off shotgun and snapped the truncated barrel shut with a click.

‘
Who knows? But then, the day doesn’t seem to be turning out quite like you expected. Does it?’

The Queen
became incandescent with rage, her face contorted as she changed. Fangs already tainted with blood grew longer. Then she lunged, Jake twisted, both barrels blaring, hitting the Queen square in her face.

The
force of the impact coming from the solid shot-shells span her head, leaving her momentarily stunned. Then as Jake broke the barrel, grabbed two more shot-shells to reload, her arm lashed out; her fist catching him a glancing blow to the side of his head, the force enough to send him spinning across the podium and onto the floor. The new shells dancing away out of reach.

He
shook his head to clear his mind, tried to focus. Ten feet away the Queen touched her face, the charred skin already beginning to heal over the exposed bone. Through the pain she drew a breath.

Coming to his senses,
Jake rummaged for more ammo, but his pockets were empty. He looked round in desperation, saw the shells and began to scrabble across the floor toward them. But just as his fingers touched them, he was wrenched backwards and launched across the floor again, crashing into the front row of seats. The Queen closed on him quickly, the skin still hanging from her face.

Winded and despite of the pain,
Jake laughed out loud, coughing blood onto the floor. As The Queen loomed over him, her fangs revealed, her breath hot on his face, he brought the empty shotgun up hard into her stomach with all the force he could muster. She didn’t even flinch.

Jake
was hurled by his hair across the arena, skidding into the row of dead vampires, his breath leaving his body in a gush. Yet still he managed to laugh, almost uncontrollably, fuelling the Queens rage further.

‘Stop it!’ She screamed insanely.
‘Stop it.’

She leap
t the gap between them landed by his side and pulled his head back sharply, exposing his throat. Her teeth bit down – BANG - the shot-shell ripped into her side, smoke billowing.

Her head turn
ed. Standing by Drameer’s lifeless body, her red eyes wet, was Kathryn. The Queen snarled as Kathryn fired again. The round impacting on the exposed side of her face, skin and bone fragments splintered into the air, she squealed in pain as the smoke cleared.

The Queen st
ood, her left eye now partially closed. She lifted Jake easily with one hand and with a roar threw him back across the auditorium, into the first row of vacated seats.

‘You bitch! I loved him.’

The Queen spat blood from her bleeding mouth. ‘But he could not have loved you. He was one of us. We are better, superior.’

Jake watche
d as Kathryn, having reloaded, approached slowly, she pulled the pump action shotgun tight into her shoulder.

‘Really, are you sure?
Take a look around.’

The Queen glance
d about with her one good eye. Bodies littered the floor, both vampire and human. But she could not conceal her shock at the sight of the survivors; they were all human.

‘No
,’ she said in disbelief.

All around the figures
slowly close in; Megan and Trent in the lead, guns were cocked, barrels snapped shut.

‘So, who’s superior now?’ asked
Kathryn and then she opened fire. One round after the other found their target. As she fired, Kathryn walked slowly forward, firing deliberately. Before her the Queen folded in two, as each shot ripped into her, finally dropping her to the ground.

BAM.

Behind her Megan helped Jake to his feet. He limped towards Kathryn with Megan’s help.

BAM.

The shells smashed into the fallen vampire one after the other.

CLICK.

Even though the gun was empty, Kathryn continued to rack the pump and pull the trigger.

CLICK.

Gently, Jake rested his hand on Kathryn’s; lowered the gun and took it from her, dropping it to the floor. Her shoulders lurched as she burst into tears. Jake threw an arm around her and guided her away.

The voice, although weak when it came, still sent a ri
ver of ice through their veins.

‘
Fools… do you think your ancient weapons can kill me?’

Jake pull
ed Kathryn behind him as the Queen slowly stood. The damage she had sustained was immense.

‘
Do you not understand? I have lived for centuries. Even if you were to win here today it will never be over. I will create others and start again. You can never win.’

‘
Wrong. It ends today, once and for all.’

Jake pull
ed the shotgun up, grabbing new shells from Kathryn as the Queen moved toward them in a blur. She jumped at them. Jake pushed both Megan and Kathryn to one side and caught the full impact.

He
crashed to the floor, alongside Father Matthew, wincing at the pain, the vampire on top of him. Her face, bone clearly visible now, pushed closer. She opened her mouth, her teeth bared.

He
could feel her hot breath as she hissed at him. He turned his head to the side as he pushed against her with both hands and all of his strength, trying to keep her away.

The face of Father Matthew look
ed back, the sword still protruding from his chest. Jake’s hand reached out for it, but it was just too far away.

‘Now die
,’ she hissed.

‘Not today, bitch’
it was Megan.

Jake watched t
he vampire’s face change; burning pain seared into it. Standing above her, Megan staggered back as the vampire twisted round trying to reach the sword that had been driven deep into her back. A weapon covered with father Matthew’s tainted blood.

At the wound, her
skin bubbled as if acid were eating it away. The Queen whirled round wildly, screaming in pain, grabbing at the sword, but it remained just out of reach.