Reign of Blood (8 page)

I was about to pull on some new shorts when I noticed the alarm flashing on the console and the low beeping noise of the warning light. I froze, staring at the monitors, waiting to see what had set off a motion sensor outside. My heart wasn’t cooperating anymore and continued to jump in my chest as I watched the screens.

Quickly, I grabbed a pair of jeans instead and pulled them on, yanking back my soaked black hair into a messy, low ponytail. Slipping on one of my hoodies for warmth, I sat at the monitoring desk and waited, hoping it was a false alarm and that an animal had found its way across the property. As the camera flashed to the driveway, I realized what had tripped the sensor. Two figures stood at the van, seemingly searching its windows and circling it round and round. I gulped. They were so close–I prayed that the soundproofing of my sanctuary was working its magic at that moment.

Staring at the figures, they reminded me of the lone vampire girl from the other day, the helpless one I had killed without hesitation. Pressing my lips together, I felt an urge to gear up and slaughter these two, just like the girl. That is, until I saw another two figures walk across the screen.

My heart jumped again. Am I surrounded? I sucked in a breath as I realized I had been holding it for a bit too long. How many are out there? What if they find me?

The questions poured through my head as I stared wide-eyed at the scene before me. I couldn’t believe that they had come up so far into the mountains. Why would they do that? Was the lack of food bringing them to me? I frowned as I realized that my mother’s blood was still smeared across the van’s door and the light sprinkle of rain that fell on and off in the fall here had probably wet it enough earlier to bring out the blood-tainted stink all around the van. I suddenly regretted not washing the damn thing when I could’ve. It would have saved me this headache for sure.

I decided to get ready, just in case they barged through into my hideaway. I doubted they would, this place was fortified. Pulling on my socks and boots, I laced them tight and added some daggers to a bandoleer I strapped across my chest. My machetes sat cleaned and gleaming on the rack across from the desk. I pulled only one down, not feeling too hot on my left arm, and a hatchet to swing if need be. I was still tired but I was hoping I wouldn’t be doing any fighting tonight.

The monitor’s glow burned my eyes as I spent the next couple hours staring at the figures shuffling around. They had my curiosity up. Some glanced around the property and searched about for whatever they were looking for. Others were up in the cabin, checking it out, but none headed into the cellar for some reason or another. My hide out was safe. But the confused look on some of their faces made me suspicious. They were not the crazy ferals from the city who pounced without remorse and tore at a person with fangs. Like the girl from the other night, these ones walked more smoothly and did not snarl or look around crazed. I almost could mistake them for humans except for the glimpse of a fang every now and then flashing in the screen from their partially opened mouths. No, these were not feral, and this scared me most of all.

I thought I knew what was out there, but these mutants made me want to hide in my hole even more. I watched them for a good while until they disappeared from the cameras. I knew I couldn’t leave without risking discovery during the night. I didn’t think I could use the van anymore. I would have to find another car to use until they moved on but who knew how long that would be?

I groaned at my grave mistake, taking it for granted when I parked my van outside every day. It had been my only connection to our old life. Now I would have to let it sit for a while to make sure they suspected nothing was out of place. More out of place than the blood on the door? I huffed out a breath, shaking my head. I hoped they would just move on. This was so not a good thing; my little universe was crashing down, splintering into severed shards made to cut at every step. I wasn’t sure there would be anything I could do if they discovered my hideout. Sighing, I was not sure what to do about anything anymore.

I sat at the monitors for what seemed like an eternity. My legs were kicked up on another chair while I leaned back, arms crossed on my chest while my exhaustion fought me to close my eyes. The hum of the equipment was lulling me to sleep, even though I had drank all the energy drinks I could without enduring any severe side-effects of overuse. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 4:15am, four hours since I had seen the strange hybrid vampires outside. I figured they had left by now, with sunrise nearing. I bet they didn’t want to be around to enjoy that.

I sighed, slipping my weapon belts off to rest in the middle of the concrete floor. I went and slumped onto my bed, fully clothed. It seemed my will to be neat and tidy was waning as more time went by without my family. I shook the depression off me as the darkness embraced my weariness. I was going to need some rest, knowing that unfortunately, the game had now changed.

Chapter Ten

I waited until the sun had fully risen to emerge from my hideaway as carefully and as quietly as I could. I left prepared for a fight, no longer sure if the hybrid vampires were day walkers or not. Anything was possible. I was not about to walk out like a cow to slaughter. If it came down to it, I would die fighting.

As I crept out the metal doorway, I quietly clicked it closed behind me, hatchet in hand just in case I was jumped at close range. With my eyes constantly scanning the area, I waited minutes upon minutes, listening for any unusual noises. When nothing happened, I let out the breath I had been holding. My relief flooded me as I punched in the key code to lock the door and walked down the driveway, heading to the neighboring houses. I knew of several cars that had been left abandoned with the nice cabins that lined the roads in the Mt. Charleston community. I had spent many a youth church camp weekend up in these mountains. Some of the adult members had had cabins up here. It may not have been Aspen, but these houses were not cheap. Most had the log cabin feel to them and sat buried in snow in the winters. Right now, I wanted to get a new ride and hopefully someone had stowed a car in a nearby garage. But first, I would have to make sure no ferals were lurking about in the dark garages and houses.

The nearest cabin I came across looked like it might house something. I took the steps two at a time and tried the handle. It didn’t turn in my grasp. Cursing under my breath, I ran around, checking doors and windows to find a vulnerable spot. Groaning when I found none, I took out the hatchet and positioned it to slam against the window next to the door. The impact sounded like an avalanche of massive chimes clinking onto the ground in a shower of glass, making me hold my breath. I scanned around the trees and the land, waiting for anyone to appear. Luckily no one came from outside or inside the cabin.

Reaching into the shattered remains of the window and avoiding the shards of sharpened glass, I turned the bolt that kept me from getting in. Rushing inside, I clicked the door behind me, surveying the cabin. It also seemed abandoned and untouched for what could’ve been eons. I quickly made my way to the garage door, pulling my flashlight out; it would be dark as night inside there. I swung the door open and flashed the beam of light across the space. It was empty except for some storage containers and shelves of old sledding equipment and bicycles. I had wished it would’ve been that easy but up here in the mountains most people hadn’t made it back. I doubted they would leave a car in an unwatched house.

I moved onto three more houses before finding one that had been occupied more than most of the others, but no one had been there in at least half a year. There was the foul smell of old garbage sitting in the trash can. I wrinkled my nose, knowing I had to work fast. It smelled like whoever had lived here might be rotting upstairs. I held my breath after quickly scanning the rooms before me. Making my way to the garage, I flipped the lock open and turned the door handle. My beam of my flashlight showed me an older model Toyota. I wondered where the keys would be. Closing the door, I made my way around the kitchen and front door, hoping to find the keys somewhere common, on the counter or a hook somewhere. I found them on a hook on the kitchen cabinet catch all area, like a mini desk in the middle of all the action.

As I scooped up the keys, I heard a thump. I stopped in my tracks as I waited to see if it would sound off again, attempting to listen over the drum of my own heartbeat. The moments ticked by forever, but I never heard it again and chalked it up to a tree branch thumping the side of the house. I rolled my eyes, muttering to myself; I couldn’t believe how paranoid I had become. I walked back over to the garage, opening the door to find myself immediately thrown onto my back, holding back a feral vampire who had slammed me onto the wooden floor.

I shoved back up at him, keeping his drooling fangs off my skin. He was incredibly strong, probably starving if he had been stuck in that garage for a while. I grunted as I tried to hold him up, jamming my forearm in his throat with my right arm, I reached down to my chest to the dagger bandoleer that I had crisscrossed there, quickly yanking out a thin sharp dagger. I jammed it as hard as I could into the side of his head, where the temple bone was thinnest, closing my eyes and mouth as the cold wetness of his fluids poured down onto my face.

Pressing up his weight, it was just enough for me to bring one of my legs up to thrust him off me and into the dark of the garage as he writhed and convulsed on the cement floor. I wiped at my face as best I could and ran ahead of him, unlatching the garage door lock and heaving it up. It rolled on squeaky rails and let in the late morning sun. The feral squealed in pain as it caught the sun’s rays and sizzled into a blacken pile of ash. I dropped to my knees, breathing heavily as I recovered from the unexpected surprise attack.

I groaned, wiping at the stickiness that drenched my face. The black-red blood clung to my hair, face, neck and arms like a thick, rancid muck. Sighing, I frowned at the still-smoldering, smoky pile next to the car that I had wanted to take. I made my way back inside, finding the small hallway half bath where I grabbed the hand towel off the rack and wiped away what I could of the thick, disgusting ichor. Satisfied but knowing I now needed another shower, I turned to find the keys I had dropped by the door.

The car took a few turnovers before it started, showing a full tank of gas. Smiling, I shifted it into reverse, stopping in the driveway to slam the garage door back down to ward off any suspicion of disturbance. Jumping back into the driver’s side of the car, I pulled out the rest of the way and headed back home to change.

Once inside, the sweet feel of the shower made me want to stand under the water forever. Remembering to conserve the heated water, I proceeded to scrub the nastiness of the feral vampire’s blood off my body. The water swirled black and pink down the drain, like clouds of death, spinning as it fell into the holes of the pipe drain. Finished, I changed into fresh clothes and proceeded to cleaning my weapons, which were now caked in the clotted muck of blood. It would take me most of the afternoon to get them cleaned up. I figured my day was wasted. I hated not heading to town to search for my mother and brother but what good would I be in this anxious and spooked state? Unfortunately, it was time to lay low for a bit and this was the day to do it, especially with those hybrid vampires lurking about.

I dropped the belt of weapons and cleaned my hands again, knowing I had to stuff the little car into the garage before nightfall. I didn’t want anyone seeing anything changed on the outside of my cabin. Walking out, I moved the car into the garage and closed the garage door down, locking it with the key lock. Luckily the owners of the place had left the keys to the garage hanging nicely by the door.

As I turned, my eyes landed on a sight that arrested my heart. Staring right back at me from across the road, in the shade of the trees, was a woman. Her chestnut brown hair floated about her in the breeze as she stared me down. I froze, mentally cursing myself for coming outside without a weapon.

So stupid!

I contemplated my options as we continued to look at each other, her eyes and face never wavering away from mine. Her skin was pale and her eyes did not shine red but a tiger eye color swirled in grey. I had never seen eyes like that. They shone like cat’s eyes as she stood as still as a statue. I wondered if I should speak. Why hadn’t she attacked me yet? I searched her silhouette for weapons and possible hiding spots that she could carry on her person. Finding none, I waited for her to make a move, wondering if she would.

“Hey! Who are you?” I called out to this stranger. She angled her head to the side, seemingly interested in my speaking. Her face sat still and frozen. “Um, do you talk? I asked you who you are!” My frustration leaked into my voice and she seemed to catch on to it. Her head snapped back up straight and glared at me–her eyes narrowing into thin little slits.

She seems a bit perturbed, I thought.

I chewed on my tongue as I held my ground, not wanting her to see any fear spilling into my face. I glared right back, daring her to make the first move. Her lips moved into a half smirk as she gave me a nod. She then moved faster than I could ever hope to, turning to run, and disappearing in a blur. I gasped; scanning the direction I had seen her run, squinting my eyes to try to catch sight of her.

“Ah!” I groaned, cursing at losing her in the forest. What if she came back with more vampires? This day was starting to look really bad for me. I felt my panic surge up into my chest as I spun around, glancing in every direction for the lone woman. No way was she human; and there was definitely no way she seemed friendly, either. This was starting to turn into a very dangerous place for me. My sanctuary in the mountains had turned into an island surrounded by beasts. I made my way back into the compound, locking the door behind me, ensuring that each bolt and lock was firmly in place. I felt small, like a rat in a maze. They must have been toying with me. How did they find me so far away from the city? I was going to have to leave, run farther away to find a safer place.