Let the other vampires see what it meant to mess with humans. Their remains would make for the perfect example of any other Clan Shaye that dared to venture too far into human territory.
Though the world was now dominated by the elite after a virus spread, those not infected lived in pockets throughout the lands. Most of us congregated and claimed the farthest western corner. I didn’t know how the other people made it on vampire territory or if they made it all. For all we knew, we were the last ones standing which further reiterated why we needed to make a defensive show of force.
We parked our vehicle a few miles out, not wanting to give our position away. The fallen leaves of autumn made way for softer footfalls as we continued to slowly walk in the darkness. The trees were tighter here, forcing us to weave around them individually instead of in pairs.
It came before we could see or hear it.
Rhett’s scream rented the air, stopping us in our tracks.
“Was that Rhett?” Amir asked, frantic.
“What the fuck just happened? Where is he?” Carson had his gun up, scanning our surroundings.
The sound of a wet thud landed a few feet away from us, rolling until Rhett’s lifeless eyes stared back at us, his mouth agape.
“Fuck!”
Carson let off a few shots in the direction the head was thrown from. The rest of us weaved behind the trees, keeping our weapons at the ready.
“You thought it was that easy? A simple explosion? Little did you know you made it a beacon, humans,” came a guttural feminine voice.
Did we miss one?
“Kudos for taking out the scum I was tasked with.” A tall, dark skinned female vampire appeared from behind the shadows with the eyes of a predator. “Less for me to do. Though now you’ve cleared my night. You owe me some entertainment, humans.”
She screeched before she jumped and landed against the tree right beside me. I leaped away and threw a dagger I had hidden in a breast pocket. She quickly dodged and came at me. With immediate action, my eyes scanned the ground and I grabbed a fallen log, pitching it upward.
It hit her in the shoulder and she growled before disappearing.
Carlos’ roar could be heard echoing in the woods but we couldn’t place his exact location.
“Where the fuck is he?”
He screamed again and we all moved in the direction of the sound. By the time I made it, Carson changed out his magazine and fired a few more rounds into the back of the vampire, landing her on top of Carlos. Amir jumped on top of her the moment the gun stopped, grabbed her hair and jerked her neck back, slamming his blade into her throat. She gurgles but laughed as she grabbed his head and threw him over her shoulder against a tree.
With the branch still in my grasp, I gripped it with both hands and swung at her head like a bat with a wet crunch, knocking her to her side.
Amir finished her off with a blade to the chest, right in the heart. Angel growled as she grasped onto the vampire’s arm, shaking her head in a frenzy. Amir cut off her head with his blade and we all stood there with heaving breaths.
Carlos coughed and gurgled, pulling our attention away from the dead vampire. I quickly make my way to his side and assess the damage, pulling out some medical supplies from my pack strapped to my thigh. His neck was practically ripped through to his muscles, I wasn’t sure if it was from fangs or from claws.
He placed a bloody hand on top of mine, stopping my movements.
“S-Save it, man. Save it for someone who needs it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I barked, refusing to believe what he was insinuating.
“G-Get back to Lydia. Tell my wife—”
“You fucking tell her when we drag your ass back home. Now shut up and save your energy,” I commanded.
Standing up, I signaled to the guys and they quickly bent down to grab him beneath his arms and legs.
“Just hang in there, man. The car isn’t that much farther.”
“Keep breathing Carlos. We were supposed to have drinks tonight, remember? We got a bottle of booze with our names on it back home.”
None of us spoke anymore as we quickly jogged through the woods with Carlos in tow. Gently placing him in the back passenger seat, we pulled our vehicle back onto the road to bring us home.
