Fall of the Mortals (Book 1) (7 page)

“Government broadcast on TV,” said Shaun.

“That’s great,” said Harold.

“No. There’s more,” said Shaun.

“Tell us,” said Betty.

“After the gathering, they’re nuking the major cities,” said Shaun. “You can bet L.A. will be first to go.”

Betty and Harold looked at each other, troubled. Harold got up from the table and looked out a window.  He was overwhelmed with stress but he tried to hide it. He stared at the downtown buildings of L.A. as if all hope was lost. He knew there was no way they would make it out of there in time to escape a nuclear explosion and evade the vampires at the same time. There was no vehicle that could transport everyone. There was no road they could take that wasn’t congested with stalled traffic. They needed an airplane and a pilot.

“Harold?” Betty asked.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Harold, turning around and looking at them sadly.

He sat back down. Betty began to feel worried. Her eyes were distressed. Her hands shook.

“What are you saying?” she asked, trying not to be frustrated.

“There ain’t no way we gonna make it outta here alive, woman,” said Harold.

“If I found a vehicle, would you come with us?” asked Shaun.

“And go where, Shaun? Vegas?” blared Harold. “They’ll be dropping bombs there too.”

“I know how you’re feeling,” said Shaun.

“Yeah? There ain’t nowhere to go but the damn ocean, son,” Harold blurted in defeat. “We’re a fallen race is what we are. Over and out.”

Shaun left the room. He was grieved having to tell Betty and Harold the horrible news. It was the first time he ever saw Harold shaken up about anything. Until then, it seemed like there was nothing that bothered Harold, he was always able to take it. It was first time he saw Harold grip a horrible reality and not be able to do anything about it. That was Harold. The caring Dad. The loving father. Now he was just another distraught survivor.

***

Shaun came out the exit doors of the tower, sat on his motorcycle and put on his helmet. He sat there, staring down Grande Avenue, pondering over their bleak situation and Harold being upset. He gently scratched the speedometer thinking about Sharon and his rendezvous with her that night. He was hoping she located a vehicle for them. He put his key in the ignition. He was just about to start it up but turned it off.
Screw it. I’ll go to Home Depot tomorrow
, he thought, heading back into the tower.

***

It was dark outside. Everyone was asleep. Shaun heard the usual howling of the vampires flying through the city. He carefully stepped up to the window and looked out. He saw hordes of vampires flying through the air yelling and screaming at one another. They were innumerable. They aimlessly searched for human blood that was terribly scarce. He watched one of them fly through a neighboring skyscraper window with great speed and come out a window on the other side. He began to feel afraid. He was worried the blinds weren’t going to be strong enough to hold them off much longer.

He looked out the window again. A horrible thought came over him. He forgot to lock up his motorcycle. He hoped they wouldn’t damage it like they did the other cars. He looked out the window again. A vampire was flying right towards him holding something metallic. Shaun squinted trying to figure out what the vampire was doing. Fear poured down his spine. His eyes widened in terror. His worst nightmare was becoming real.

Suddenly, his motorcycle flew through the air towards the window.

“Everybody move!” he screamed, jumping out of the way.

The motorcycle crashed through the window ripping down an entire set of of blinds. The shattering glass woke everybody. The motorcycle landed near Mr. Jones and collapsed on the floor with a loud noise of metal hitting the floor. 

 Shaun grabbed a sharpened crucifix and frantically held it up, shaking in fear. Damien flew into the room noticing the cross in his hand then shoved him. Shaun  sailed through the air to the other side of the room then tumbled to the floor. The crucifix slid out of his reach.

“Fresh blood!” Damien blared.

Yuri fired his gun emptying a magazine on him, walking toward him for closer shots. No good. Damien struck Yuri sending him to other side of the room then to the floor. Yuri was knocked out. Thai came at Damien, swinging his fists and yelling. Damien caught his fist, grabbed Thai by the throat with his other hand, lifted Thai off the floor and threw him across the room to the other side. Thai struck the wall hard, putting a crack in it, and dropped to the floor unconscious. Chris threw the TV remote at his head. Damien backhanded Chris in the face and sent him flying over the others to the floor. Damien stood over Betty and Harold who were petrified. Mr. Jones, Trang and Ni stayed under their blankets, quivering in fear. They didn’t dare make a move.

“What do you want?” Harold asked.

“Children’s blood is the sweetest,” answered Damien, sinisterly licking his upper lip.

Shaun grabbed the crucifix he dropped and rushed up behind Damien.

“You forgetting something?” asked Shaun.

Damien gnashed his teeth and turned. Shaun stabbed the sharp end of the crucifix into his right eye. Damien lashed out, screaming and swinging his sharp finger nails in all directions. He stumbled over the motorcycle and tripped towards the window. Harold stood with his shotgun, pumped a round and fired. The blast blew Damien out the broken window. He screamed, falling down, down, down to the pavement. He continued swinging his arms and roaring in frustration at having no control of his fall. The pavement rapidly grew closer. He attempted to pull the crucifix from his eye socket but it was no good. His head burst ons fire. He screamed louder. Some of the skin on his face began to flake off. Pieces of burning skin blew away as he fell.

A broken down, parked sedan was beneath him. Damien landed on top of the vehicle crushing in the roof of the car with a loud crash. The ceiling of the car sunk to the tops of the headrests of the seats. The glass from the windshield and the other windows exploded. Bits of glass flew outward. Damien lay on top of the car motionless. Part of his head was still aflame. The crucifix remained protruding from his eye socket. The rest of his head was turning to charred, flaky ash. His face became unrecognizable. It was disfigured. His mouth was gaping open. The burned skin around his eyes sagged towards the roof of the car. Part of his head which had turned to ash caved in on one side. The other side was still in flames. It was the end of Damien.

Dozens of vampires swarmed above him in the air. They cried out in anger. Kristof flew through the crowd and landed on top of the car. He knelt down at Damien’s side, shocked at his horrible death. He tried to take the crucifix from Damien’s eye socket but it burned his hand. Kristof gnashed his teeth in pain, gripped his burned hand and roared at the vampires that surrounded him. They hissed at him. Kristof glared up at the tower and flew to the windows of the seventy-second floor.

***

Yuri and Thai were just putting the set of blinds back on the window which was heavily damaged; some of the strings were cut and most of the blind’s strips were broken or cracked. Thai was just about to fasten it back into the wall mounts.

Suddenly, Kristof appeared at the window and roared loudly. Yuri stumbled back, terribly startled. Thai tripped and fell to the floor. Everyone stared at Kristof who glared at them through the window. Shaun grabbed another crucifix. Harold pumped another round in his shotgun. Mercedes and Tommy hid behind Betty. Chris pulled a blanket over him. Trang stepped in front of Ni to protect her. A legion of vampires floated behind Kristof watching Shaun and the others with cold eyes.

“Wh-what do you want?” asked Shaun, stammering.

“My fangs entrenched into your necks,” he growled.

“Who are you?” asked Harold.

“I am Kristof and the vampire you just murdered was close to me,” he said, snarling at them. “It shall not go unanswered. I promise you.”

“We don’t want any trouble with you,” said Harold.

“Trouble is already here, you fool. The time of mortals is over. This world belongs to us. You think you’re safe behind these pathetic windows?” asked Kristof.

“We do, monster,” stated Shaun confidently. “Why don’t you try to come in?”

“You dare challenge me!” Kristof hollered, his eyes flaring up in anger. A dark mist emitted from him. 

Shaun stepped back in fear, keeping his eyes on him. There was silence for a moment. Shaun knew he had offended a powerful vampire and that he wanted nothing more than vengeance.

Kristof ran his hand across the window slowly. He kept his hand at a safe distance from the fumes which radiated from the repellants. Kristof knew that, if he drew his hand any closer to the window, it would burn him. He pulled it away.

“Mark my words. The moment you slip, become absent-minded, forgetful, I will be there,” said Kristof threateningly. “And I will start with the eldest,” he added, glaring at Mr. Jones with an evil grin.

 Jones stood silently staring at Kristof. He too was awestruck at Kristof’s boldness. He looked vulnerable like everyone else in the room. There was no
tough-guy wannabe
about him at all. His bottom lip quivered at the vampire’s threat.

“If you’re going to threaten somebody, then threaten me,” said Shaun, rebuking Kristof.

“You killed Damien?” asked Kristof.

“It was I who killed that vampire. I will do the same to you,” answered Shaun in a firm tone.

“I will tear you limb from limb in front these that you love. And I will feast upon your blood when I am through,” Kristof threatened.

“Go away, devil,” demanded Shaun. “Take your demons with you.”

Kristof stared at Shaun coldly and licked his fangs, thirsting after him. He raised his arms and closed his eyes. There was a rumbling sound. Shaun looked at Harold with a frightened expression. The pictures on the wall began to shake. The books on shelves in the room shook and tumbled to the floor. Some of the pictures hanging on the wall fell… A few cups sitting on a card table flew across the room. Trang, Ni and Kim ducked from being hit by them. One of the sofas that sat against the wall slid to the center of the room towards Mr. Jones, Thai and Yuri. They put their hands out to stop it but it pushed them back against the wall. They pushed on the sofa with all their might. Tommy and Mercedes began to cry, they were scared to death.

“Whoa!” Thai hollered.

“I said go away!” Shaun shouted at Kristof, holding up a crucifix.

Kristof glared at Shaun. His eyes widened. His mouth gaped open as he stared at the crucifix in horror. He tried to resist the power that emitted from the cross but Shaun stood firm with it. The rumbling ceased. The sofa stopped moving. The objects in the room stopped shaking.

“We’ll finish this later,” said Kristof, staring at Shaun with hatred.

Shaun didn’t answer but stood holding the cross, breathing heavily. Kristof and the other vampires flew away.

Everyone was exhaling, catching their breath. Tommy and Mercedes were still crying. Thai and Yuri pushed the sofa back to its original place against the wall.

“This madness must end,” said Yuri.

“We got to do something,” Thai agreed.

Shaun thought about his rendezvous again. He would definitely be there on time.

“Vampires? Hah! I’ll kick all their asses!” Mr. Jones hollered.

“Just try to go to sleep, Mr. Jones,” said Shaun.

“I ain’t going to sleep for a week after that!” said Mr. Jones. “Are you freaking kidding’ me?”

Shaun wheeled the motorcycle out of the room and into the foyer on their level. He stewed over the disrupting vampire scaring everyone to the point they couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t risk trying to leave to see Sharon with everyone on edge. He hoped the incident didn’t set him back for days. They
needed
him to see her. Shaun was frustrated. Thai walked by the foyer doors, glancing at Shaun.

“Damn it!” said Shaun kicking the wall.

“Shaun? Something wrong?” asked Thai, curious at his outburst.

“No, no, no. I’m f-fine,” Shaun stuttered trying to think up a lie quickly to cover his actions. He wasn’t expecting anybody to hear him.

“How’s your bike?” asked Thai.

“This motorcycle means a lot to me. It was stupid of me to leave it outside. That’s all,” Shaun responded, relieved knowing that Thai would accept his answer.

Thai looked at him for a moment but nodded.

“Right. Well, I’m going to bed. Good night,” said Thai.

“Night,” Shaun responded.

***

It was eleven forty-five a.m. Shaun rode his motorcycle on the freeway. He maneuvered around some of the cars that were parked crookedly. He merged into the emergency lane on the right side and headed north towards Santa Barbara. He looked everywhere for a suitable pickup truck that wasn’t trapped in the congested mess of cars on the freeway. Sure enough, a Ford, Chevy and Dodge were seen but they were in the middle lanes of the I-101 surrounded by smaller sedans, minivans and sports cars.