Guardian Angel (7 page)

And though it took nearly thirty minutes, the entire Ancient Division headed out, most on foot while a few of the higher ranking demons did so by way of armored vehicles.

“Thought those bastards would never leave.” G said, turning to rejoin the rest of his group.

“Not all of them left,” Austin said as he entered the rear of the Sheriff's Office. “They left four behind.”

“Four? That's it?” G asked.

“Yea, but they are Butchers from the look of 'em.” Calypso replied.

With his words, everyone stood to their feet, each knowing the dangers associated with such a powerful unit. Certes slowly removed his hood, no longer needing to remain hidden. The town had made its choice from the lips of Sheriff Austin Garrett; for better or for worse.

“I overheard the Templar say they picked up radio traffic requesting a Resistance air strike.” Austin said.

“You bitch.” Nadia said, quickly pulling her sidearm.

Though it would do no good, her draw just a bit slower than that of Alicia, who held a weapon of her own in Nadia's direction.

“Don't worry, I didn't have time to call it in. Remember?” Alicia said, her pistol hand steadily waiting. “Now I'm going to give you just a moment to compute that, at which time you either back down, bitch, or I'll bury you.”

Nadia wanted to pin it all on Alicia, she honestly did. Sexual desires aside, they had gotten off on the wrong foot in their first meeting, and hated one another with passion since. But Alicia was right, she had to be, Nadia had been in the same room with her for hours. It wasn't possible for any of them to have called in and requested an air strike. They had all been together.

“Who then?” Nadia asked, slowly moving her hand away from the weapon which remained holstered onto her hip.

“I'm not sure,” Alicia replied, nodding a bit to accept the fact that Nadia had indeed backed down from confrontation. “Someone in this town or nearby. Has to be.”

“More importantly, what the hell are we going to do about the Butchers?” Preacher asked.

“I'd say that's a mighty fine question,” Austin said, turning to the rest of the Resistance soldiers. “How much experience have you all had against these big fuckers?”

“None, other than what I've read in textbooks and reports.” Nadia replied, Austin quickly turning as if to give her a look of shame.

“We've had our fair share.” Alicia said, her words gaining the attention of the Sheriff as well as members of Nadia's group.

“You have?” Austin asked, though his question was universal among them.

Alicia nodded, then turning to Calypso, who raised his shirt to reveal a scar. It began at the inner of his shoulder blade and ran down below his navel.

“Had a Butcher lay me wide open during an early battle for Washington City,” Calypso said. “Next thing I knew, Alicia was there with guns blazing and before I had time to blink, the Butcher was dead and I was on an operating table. She saved my life.”

Though the compliment of battle hit her ears, Alicia remained focused on a small portion of the window, her back turned to the group.

“Wait,” Alicia said abruptly. “Wait, what is that?”

As the group rushed to the window, she saw it once more. A glimmer of light flashing, almost in code fashion to them.

“Not sure, but whoever it is,” G said. “They're wearing a United States Naval patch.” he added as his eye pressed firmly to the scope of his weapon.

G watched through the magnified glass as the stranger reflected the small glimmer of light into their direction.

“Austin, the Butchers are doing a sweep of the town. Go out and make an appearance, otherwise they will begin to suspect you.” Alicia said.

He wanted to refuse. Even as the sworn law of New Kinneston, he wanted to be as far away from the sight of Butchers as he possibly could. But the fact that Alicia had indeed killed the bastards before established her as the true leader of this group. At least in his eyes.

And he trusted her instinct, simply nodding and reluctantly walking back outside to appear normal to both the townspeople and the monsters left behind with orders to slaughter on sight.

“G, you're with me. The rest of you ease out to see if you can find the Ancient supply cache. They must have left one for their warriors.” Alicia said.

“Good idea.” Certes admitted, knowing Nadia would never admit it for herself.

It was well known among Resistance soldiers that any town or location the Ancients frequented, a supply cache could be found. It usually was hidden well, but contained everything they considered vital for their own survival. Weapons, mobile shelter and a communications device, among other things.

“Remember, ease out. The only thing we have on them right now is surprise, so let's keep it that way.” Alicia said, the group acknowledging her words as they turned to leave the building under a shroud of dark.

As Nadia made her way out, she turned for a moment to exchange glances with Alicia.

Their relationship had been complicated from the start, each having pulled a weapon on the other. Alicia had no desire for Germans in general, and certainly there was no love lost for a person who refused to air strike in such an obvious situation. Alicia had began to question how good of a solider Nadia was. While she respected Nadia's value of Human life, Alicia would have gladly sacrificed her own life for the chance to take out thousands of Ancients. She had known soldiers who had sacrificed theirs for much less.

Still, no matter how much she disliked Nadia as a person, her body longed for the touch of the German woman's lips. She didn't want to work beside her as a soldier, she just wanted to lay beside her as a lover. Just once.

Perhaps share their story of souls through the passion of lovemaking. But that was to be decided another day as Nadia left to locate the Ancient supply cache, her perfectly-sculpted ass only adding to the sexual desires of Alicia Lucard.

“Anything else?” she asked.

“Nothing. Nothing for the past couple of minutes now.” G replied, continuing his stare of concerned study through the scope of his weapon.

“Well, keep on it. Someone obviously knows we are here.” Alicia replied as the door creaked open once more.

“I thought I told you...” she said, her words cut short by the sight of a Butcher filling the opening of the doorway. Alicia went for her sidearm, though even she wasn't fast enough to complete the motion before the massive Butcher slapped her down through the face, his powerful hand immediately breaking her will as she fell back into a corner of the small room.

In the time it took G to turn from his scope, the demonic beast born of the sky had pulled its sword, thrusting it toward the sniper. G's only option was to lean to his left, forcing his rifle to become a non-factor. The sniper did manage to bring it front a center moments later, the stock of the weapon barely deflecting a glancing shot from the demon's massive blade.

G had recovered, quickly pulling his silhouette blade to the ready.

“Well come on,” G said in a low voice. “You shirtless fuck.”

As the Ancient warrior cleaved its way down, the large blade chopping forward, G dashed to his right, momentarily, then thrusting forward he managed to plunge nearly a foot of the silhouette into the monster.

The plan was to push forward and bury the blade deeper into the demon in the process. Instead, as G moved in, the Butcher wrapped his large hand around the sniper's neck. Its commanding grip made G pay for his mistake, squeezing until inner bones and flesh popped under the pressure.

Loosening his blade in order to tend to the wounds of his throat, G immediately felt the cut of steel, stabbing deeply into the side of his thigh and bringing with it tremendous pain.

It was a second plunge of the blade into G's torso, however, that not only ended the sniper's life, but made the rest of the town aware of the battle; G screaming at the top of his lungs as his soul departed.

Alicia's eyes still watered heavily from the stiff backhand that had disoriented her, but even with a blur of tears, she could make out the massive figure standing over her.

Her instinct was to roll to her side, and the very instinct indeed saved her life. Alicia heard the massive blade clang onto the floor as she reached for her own weaponry. Still the monster came at her, so fast that she had no choice but to roll a second time, and escaping death this time came with a price, in the form of a small slice into her side. It wasn't deep enough to allow the blade's teeth to penetrate, thankfully, but the instantaneous pain served as a reminder of the severity at hand.

Alicia was a good enough fighter to parry the sword away with a swift kick, using a second foot to thrust her body into a standing position. Great tactics when fighting against another opponent, but the Ancient Butcher was a special case, hovering above her by nearly two feet and outmatching her in weight by at least three hundred pounds.

And at the very moment that Alicia had realized she overstepped in the fight, the Butcher buried a flush elbow into her face, this time bringing both tears and blood as the defenseless woman fell to the floor limply.

She was alert to what was happening, though her body seemed too sluggish to respond. Glancing up as if to admit defeat, Alicia watched through a veil of reddened-blur as the Butcher stood over her, smiling wide. A single gunshot ended all of that, the massive body of the Ancient warrior falling dead less than a foot beside her.

“Come, we need to go.” a strange figure said, extending his arm down to help Alicia to her feet. Though she had no idea who the person was, she was sure of two things. It was a man, obvious by the tone of his voice, and he had saved her.

“Wait...my friend.” she said faintly, concerned for G.

“I'm afraid your friend is dead,” the mysterious man said. “We'll come back for him when this is finished. I promise.”

Alicia was still unable to fully make out the man's face, but her judgment told her to trust him. She responded with a nod, trying her best to stand back to her feet.

When the man realized Alicia's inability to help herself up, he hoisted her onto his shoulders and fled the Sheriff's Office, knowing well enough that the other Butchers would return soon.

Chapter 3

As Alicia came to, her first reaction was to quickly rise to her feet and reach for a weapon. When she found no weapons, she slowly fell back to a knee, compliments of an excruciating headache.

“Relax, I'm a friend.” the man said softly.

“My weapons, where are...” Alicia began to reply.

“They're right here. Just didn't want you to come to and start shooting, that's all.” the man replied, slowly returning them.

“Who are you? My friends...” Alicia muttered, her hand wrapped around her forehead as the blinding headache continued to hinder her.

“Your friends are fine, they're down there close to the Sheriff's Office hold up, watching the Butchers try to figure out what happened to one of their own,” he said. “And the name is Jackson Ayers. Lieutenant Jackson Ayers.”

“Lieutenant?” Alicia asked, looking into his direction, though her hand rested on the brow above her eyes.

“Unites States Navy, at least what's left of it. Stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. At least what's left of it,” he said with a chuckle. “Here, this should help your headache.” Jackson added, handing Alicia a cloth moistened with cold water.

He was a medium sized man, his body wrapped in military issue green pants and a thick bomber jacket; its polished leather a definitive signature of an aviator of the sky.

And he looked trustworthy enough to her, his face both innocent and experienced. As he smiled a bit, the slight stubble on his face reinforced the fact that he was indeed a friend.

“Long way from home.” Alicia remarked.

“Sure enough. Bastards shot me down about two clicks West of here a little over a week ago.” he said with truth. “Sorry about your friend down there.” Jackson added.

“He was a good man. A good warrior,” Alicia replied, not daring cry for G at the moment and add to an already overpowering headache. “But I guess this war has claimed many good men.”

“Claimed my RIO when we crashed, though the verdict on him was decent at best,” Jackson responded, chuckling at the light joke which even brought a smile to Alicia's face. “And you?” he asked.

Alicia paused for a moment. She had no suspicions about Jackson when it came to his position within the military. And she knew they were on the same side. Her worry was that the information inside of her head, particularly that of her current mission, was of a private nature.

“It's classified.” Alicia responded.

“I've got level five clearance,” Jackson said, stopping for a moment to find his identification card and lightly toss it into her direction. “Try me.”

As she scanned the card, Alicia couldn't help but to raise her eyes to him a few times. Not because she questioned his identity, it wasn't for that reason at all. Instead, she found herself intrigued by the man who had swooped in to save her in the last moments of what should have capped her mortal life.