Fall of the Mortals (Book 1) (34 page)

“A most excellent revenge,” growled Kristof. “I will tear out the hearts of those who have taken Miranda and Damien from us. We will bring down our final judgment on mankind and be the one and only true race which rules this Earth,” he added, clenching a fist.

“Then it will be over,” said Shaun, sounding like a loyal friend.

“We will celebrate with the feast of all feasts, Shaun,” said Kristof, becoming more excited. “Our wine will be the blood of those we destroy. And you will be ruler over any part of this world of your choice,” he added, placing his hand on Shaun’s shoulder.

Shaun put up a pretended smile.

***

Shaun flew over the city and headed to the museum. It was time to get his plan in motion. He approached the building and flew in through the roof. He continued to fly ten feet above the museum floor at a slower speed looking around for Hammond.

“Hammond?” Shaun called. “Are you there?”

No response. Shaun flew through the lobby which was dimly lit over the exhibits and statues looking everywhere for him. There was no sign of him. He began to worry fearing Hammond ran off or hid himself in a way so that nobody would find him. A feeling of anxiety came over Shaun that his plan to rescue the tower family would be sabotaged. He flew to the lower cellar area and opened the door.

“Hammond?” Shaun called out again but there was no answer.

Shaun, feeling more suspicious, walked through a narrow space which led into Hammond’s hide out, an open room. He was horrified to see Seth holding Hammond by the neck, accompanied by two female vampires. Hammond was scared to death, breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating through his nose.  His eyes were bugged watching Shaun enter the room.

Seth turned his head to Shaun with an evil grin as he walked in. Shaun knew by the look Seth was giving him he knew the truth. He quickly looked around the room for potential weapons before he said a word.

“I found your gopher,” said Seth in a cold voice.

“Shaun?” Hammond said, desperately calling for help, still scared as hell.

“This isn’t what you think, Seth,” said Shaun trying to stall him, knowing he was totally busted.

“Isn’t it?” asked Seth. “This whimpering mortal told me everything. Shaun of the tower mortals,” he added sternly.

“This guy is willing to say anything to save his own skin, Seth,” said Shaun, still trying to buy some time.

“According to him, I’d say you’re planning to double-cross my brothers and I,” Seth responded sternly. “After we’re dead, you wanted to skip town with your little mule here along with your mortal friends.”

“Look, I don’t know what this mortal has told you but I –”

“—Shut up! Don’t say another word,” Seth snapped. “It was you who killed Miranda wasn’t it?” he added sneeringly. “Tell me the truth or he dies!” He squeezed Hammond’s neck tightly.

Hammond gasped for air.

“Yes, I did,” Shaun responded.

“And Damien, my brother. It was you!” Seth hollered.

Shaun didn’t answer. He was too busy working an attack strategy at Seth and his two lady vamps.

“Tell me now!” Seth shouted.

“Yeah, I killed Damien, Seth,” Shaun answered.

“It explains why you’re the way you are. You’re neither one of us nor one of them. A freak in between. Shaun of the tower mortals.”

“I only did it because they were going to kill me, Seth,” Shaun pleaded.

“You think that matters?” asked Seth, chuckling. “Mortals are our food, you fool. You would have been better off dying at Miranda’s hand that night, because now you will die slowly, painfully, agonizingly.”

Shaun reached behind his back and gripped the handle of his wooden dagger, keeping his eyes on Seth.

“Kristof is going to love this, Shaun,” said Seth threateningly. “Instead of celebrating the final fall of the mortals, we’ll be drinking the blood of your friends rejoicing in destroying the greatest traitor we’ve ever encountered.”

Shaun was still quiet but kept his grip on the dagger behind his back. He knew he only had one chance to do it right. The two female vampires floated towards Shaun with chains in their hands gnashing their teeth at him.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, you’re going to allow these two fine ladies chain you up while we take you back to Kristof’s pl—”

Suddenly, Shaun vanished and reappeared behind Seth, stabbing him in the back with the dagger. The pointed end stuck out of his chest. Seth’s eyes widened in shock; he dropped Hammond to the floor and fell to his knees, screaming. Hammond rolled across the floor out of the way quickly. Seth, like the others before him, withered to a skeleton then to dust. The wooden dagger remained on the floor.

The two females flew at Shaun angrily, picking him up and carrying him through the air across the room, screaming in a rage.

“Traitor!” one of them cried.

Shaun was thrown against the wall, cracking the wall and knocking down several framed pictures that hung around him. The pictures fell to the floor, the glass coverings shattered. One of the females flew at him, scratched his face several times, picked him up by the neck and threw Shaun across the room where he struck the other wall violently and fell to the floor again. The other female vanished and reappeared next to Shaun, striking him with her chain. Shaun was thrown to the floor on his back. He tried to crawl away on his hands and knees to escape. The second female whipped him again on his back with the chain, sinking him to his stomach in pain. Shaun, with a bloodied face, looked up at Hammond who was hunkered in a corner afraid for his life watching Shaun get a savage beating. He covered his mouth in disgust.

Shaun stared at Hammond while the injuries on his face healed themselves. He took another whipping on the back by the lady vampire and yelled in pain while the two of them laughed uncaringly at Shaun. He looked at the painting of The Last Supper which still hung on the wall. It was as if the face of Jesus Christ was looking down at him in sympathy for being tortured. A tear of blood rolled down Shaun’s cheek as he was whipped again in the back. He vanished just as the chain came down again, missing his back. He reappeared at the portrait, ripped it off the wall and smashed it over the vampire’s head that held the chain causing her to burst into flames. Shaun was blown back from an explosion because of the contact between good and evil.

Shaun flew at the wooden dagger swiping it off the floor. He darted at the last lady vampire trying to stab her viciously. She evaded and dodged him well. He flew after her. They flew out of Hammond’s hideout, through the lobby of the museum knocking over statues and parts of exhibits. She flew to the ceiling but Shaun blocked the opening with his dagger. The two of them floated in the air glaring at each other. Shaun held the dagger ready to strike.

“As soon as Kristof gets the word, you’re dead,” the lady vampire said scornfully.

“What makes you think Kristof will ever hear about it?” asked Shaun as if he was challenging her.

“You can’t win,” she growled.

“Maybe not but you can bet I’ll end you before you leave this museum,” Shaun threatened.

She screamed and charged Shaun, kicking him in the chest. Shaun flew back and struck a post so hard he dropped the dagger. She flew at him again but he dove after the dagger, catching it before it hit the floor. She dove after Shaun reaching her hands out, her face full of rage. He turned, grabbed her by the neck, slammed her to the floor and stabbed her in the heart with the dagger. She lay on the floor, frozen in place with her arms extended. Her eyes were large as if she was in shock. Shaun stood up breathing heavily, looking down at her. He suddenly realized the dagger was pierced directly into her heart.

“Not again!” said Shaun trying to fly away but she exploded forcing him across the lobby. He caught himself against another wall.

***

Hammond crawled across the floor on the verge of going insane from the intense events that took place. He looked around affrighted, his lips quivering.

Shaun flew into the room and crashed on a table.  Once again, he looked like he was having a seizure. He lay on his side shaking, breaking into a cold sweat. He breathed heavily through his teeth. He felt nauseous. His hands were shaking.

“Please make it stop,” said Shaun, his voice rattling in agony.

Hammond stood over him. An idea of ending Shaun’s pain permanently entered his mind. He knew there was a way to escape Shaun and the other vampires forever. He glanced at a wooden spear that leaned against the wall. Shaun continued to shake on top of the table helpless. Hammond took up the spear and raised it over Shaun preparing to pierce him through the chest. Shaun’s eyes were closed.
He wouldn’t see it coming. I can put him out of his misery right now,
Hammond thought.

In the moment to strike, Hammond’s eyes were intense with the thought to kill. He was ready to do it but then something came over him. He lowered the spear finding empathy for Shaun. He hated watching him suffer. Hammond realized Shaun may be his only ticket out of his horrible situation, out of Los Angeles. He needed Shaun as much as Shaun needed him. He tossed the spear to the side of the room.

“Just take it easy, Shaun,” said Hammond, softly wiping sweat from Shaun’s forehead. “You’re just not all the way to the other side yet.”

Shaun’s breathing calmed down. He began to take deep breaths and exhaled.

“I c-cant’ do it a-anymore,” Shaun stammered, lying on his back, beginning to feel comfort.

“What?” asked Hammond.

“Kill my kind,” Shaun responded.

“They’re not your kind,” Hammond replied softly. “I’m your kind. The people in the tower who are counting on you are your kind. Everyone else is no more than monsters,” Hammond developed a serious tone. “They’re no different than a dog changed over and foaming at the mouth with rabies, needing to be put down.”

“I wish I could believe you,” said Shaun, sitting up, finally catching his breath. His shaking stopped. “We need to get you a different hiding spot, it’s not safe here anymore.”

“That’s good and well but what are you going to do when you have to face Kristof?” asked Hammond. “You’re going to have to kill him like an animal. You know that, right?”

“I know what I have to do,” Shaun responded.

“You think Kristof is just going to let you fly out of here now that you’ve killed two of his brothers and his wife?” asked Hammond.

“Flying out of here with you and the others was never part of the plan,” Shaun answered, looking down.

“What are you talking about?” asked Hammond.

“I’ve made choices, Hammond. Bad ones,” said Shaun. “I owe it to the tower family to help them escape even if it means I stay behind.”

“And what are you supposed to do?”

“Don’t know. My place isn’t with people anymore. It’s not with
the vampires
either,” Shaun answered.

“Your orange eyes and fangs don’t bother me,” Hammond replied.

“Trust me. I’m too dangerous,” said Shaun, still sounding down. “I have too many of the wrong instincts working on me.”

“Like the tiger out of a cage, huh?” asked Hammond.

“Pretty much,” Shaun answered. “I began to feel
thirsty
around my tower family before I left. It scared me.”

“What are you saying? You’re doomed to walk the Earth alone forever as a demi-vampire?” asked Hammond.

“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Shaun answered.

“Oh, I get it. You believe you were given a divine purpose,” Hammond stated.

“Maybe I’m the key to unlocking the vampire epidemic,” stated Shaun.

***

It was early next morning. Harold and the others stood around Thai while Yuri fastened a rope around his waist and upper thighs. Trang and Ni yelled at Thai in Vietnamese, cursing at him for attempting to do such a foolish thing. Thai hollered back at them. Trang threw his arms up in frustration. No one needed to speak their language to know how Trang felt. He stepped aside thinking,
Damn stupid kid! It’s bad enough we’ve been trapped here. Now he wants to be a hero and will probably die.
Ni continued to holler at Thai to change his mind. She turned to Trang, hollering at him to speak to Thai again, but Trang was done. He tried to quiet Ni down who left the room upset, hollering in Vietnamese. Harold and the others just stood by not saying a word.

“Well, now that the drama with the family is out of the way, let’s get started,” said Thai, still sounding confident.

“Come. We start here,” said Yuri directing Thai to a window. “Terry and the others will be on the other side of the tower.”

“All I need to do is to pull out their blinds on this side and they’re history,” said Thai. “I bet they won’t even notice it until it’s too late.”

“Just be careful, Thai,” said Harold in a worried tone. “They will notice an Asian guy climbing on the outside of the windows.”

“Moment of truth,” Thai responded with a clap of the hands and exhaling, sounding a little scared.

Yuri moved the blinds out of the way and smashed out the remaining broken glass around the window frame with his elbow. He and Thai watched the broken pieces of glass fall down the side of the tower. An intimidating chill shot through both of them.