Follow the Bloodshed (The Executioner Trilogy Book 3) (13 page)

“Guys,” I breathed as I pointed up at the sky, which was still barely visible past the shimmering light. “There it is.”

All three of them looked up and there was a collective gasp. It would be the only time as the large black circle finally settled over the sun with only a sliver of light around the edges. And there it was, our doom spelled out by the light of the moon and sun colliding.

Chapter 22:

Tripping the Dark

Within moments we were shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the shimmering barrier that we could tell would fall any moment. I felt the pull of whatever had taken over me release its hold, causing me to stumble back a few steps. Gordon’s hand never left my arm. His other hand shot to the small of my back to keep me from falling to the ground. My own arms even jutted out to the side like there was something to grab onto. I had no doubt I would’ve fallen on my butt if he wasn’t there to catch me. The feel of dizziness settled in, making me want to shake my head to rid myself of the feeling and thankfully it worked. Within seconds the whole world was on an even keel.

Screams and hungry growls erupted from the black beyond the iridescent dome, coming from no direction in particular. It sounded like they were coming from all around us, from every shadow and every dank alleyway. Shivers crept up my spine and reverberated back down and through my legs and feet, launching into the ground. Like the ground drew it down into itself and to its core to freeze it in place.

As we watched, frozen to the spot, a chill took hold of the air around us and the dome fell, opening from the top and shoving itself down into the Earth. The ground shuddered beneath us, sending us stumbling. The cries and howls of hunger grew louder and that was when I knew we had to act fast. If we didn’t we would be bombarded by a hungry mass of vampires and crawlers just waiting to tear us apart with their gnashing teeth. I was the first to bolt for the front door. Pure adrenaline was running through my veins and my child’s whispers ran through my mind. I had to keep telling myself that we would get out of this alive and that Lilith wouldn’t be terrorizing this world for much longer.

The water on the bottom of my shoes caused me to slide across the wooden floor as I made my way as quickly as I could to the chest in the living room, trying like hell to make it there without tripping over something in the dark. The fire was still going, throwing light in directions that were more of a hindrance then a help. I sunk to my knees and threw the heavy lid of the trunk open. I couldn’t see anything inside of the chest so I was rummaging around in darkness trying to feel what I was looking for. There was a small gun case, but I didn’t want that. I would use a gun, but I didn’t care for them.   My hand wrapped around my bow and the other found the quiver of arrows. Gordon, Beth and Chase were all around me now, Beth snapping a flashlight to life beside me. It nearly blinded me but my eyes adjusted quickly. I didn’t care how or where she found the flashlight. All I cared about was that I could see.

My silver machete’s handle would have blended in with the wood of the chest if it weren’t for the silver rim around the base of the handle. It was specially made so I got to ask for all kinds of extras. I grabbed it up put it over my shoulder so the strap went across my chest and put the quiver on the other shoulder crossing over the other strap. I felt hands fumbling around my waist and something heavy took residence there. I turned to find Gordon beside me, buckling a gun holster with extra ammo to my waist, a look of intensity and concentration in his eyes I had never seen before. The holster looked to be holding an FNX Tactical forty-five millimeter hand gun. I wasn’t sure what rounds were in it, but I didn’t care as long as they worked. Upon further inspection there was a small light attached to it, no doubt ultraviolet for maximum affect when having to change magazines.

I decided, I wasn’t going to use the gun unless absolutely necessary. Who would want to waste rounds when you didn’t really need to? Not me. So, the gun would stay holstered until that moment arose and I was hoping that wouldn’t be soon. I did have a nagging suspicion that I would be considering the level of noise coming from outside, working its way closer to us every second.  Time was going by too fast and I knew they’d be upon us before I had a chance to blink. Before I could rise to my feet to face the music there were crawlers and vampires in the front yard. More of them than I had ever seen, running to the front door by the slight sliver of sun provided, which wasn’t much at all. If I didn’t have the eyes of an Executioner, which were comparable to those of the vampire, I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face. Sam and I were the lucky ones. The rest of them weren’t and would give away our position with the flashlights they had to use to be able to see.

Beth’s flashlight was still pointed into the chest and she was still rummaging, throwing weapons that had a sheath or holster at Chase and Gordon; strapping a few to herself in the process. Sam was waiting as patiently for a weapon to be handed to her, leaning forward to inspect what was in the chest.

I had all the weapons I needed and even had a little extra. Then I heard loud footfalls on the porch and my heart began to race even faster than it already had been; adrenaline pumping and sweat rolling down my back. My breath was coming in shallow gasps as I turned back to them, knowing we had to get moving or we would all be dead.

“Hey, guys. We need to get going now,” I practically yelled the last word so I could be heard over the noise just outside. A string of profanities spewed from all three of them. I knew there was only one thing left to do to give them a little more time whether it bought us a few more minutes or a few more seconds. I stalked to the door, shutting it, and leaning my back against it; pushing to keep those on the outside from coming in. My back was greeted by growls, screams, and cries of hunger, their bloodlust permeating the door and crawling over my skin like tiny spiders.

Beth, Gordon, Sam and Chase came through the threshold and Beth’s eyes widened as she watched me hold the door shut while creatures of the night were pushing their way in. A vampires hand smashed through the stained glass and tried to reach for me, causing a scream to explode out of me unbidden.

“Go!” I bellowed, feeling the beast moving inside of me again and, this time, I would let it come. The apex of my chest was already beginning to glow and beat in that rhythmic way, flowing outward through my veins and I felt my eyes grow hot. That one word didn’t even sound like I had screamed it. Sam continued to turn back as they ran towards the back door, her eyes meeting mine more than once. “Don’t look back,” I said as the door bucked against my back.

Gordon placed a hand on the vampire’s hand, sending cold into it that I could feel emanating from his skin. The hand froze in place, turning to ice instantly. He took out his gun and said, “This is going to be loud.”

I turned my head in enough time to hear the gunshot ring out, my ears buzzing at the sound. The vampire’s hand shattered, throwing shards of ice and flesh in every direction. I could barely hear Gordon tell me that I couldn’t keep them back alone. I looked him in the eyes with all the power and sincerity I could muster.

“Oh honey, believe me,” I let the beast purr into my voice. “I’ve got this.”

He smiled that deliciously crooked smile and I could see in his eyes he believed me, but he still refused to back away. He would never leave me, even if I begged him to. Good thing I wasn’t the begging kind. He kissed me, soft and deep and when he pulled away I heard him say the words my inner beast was only hoping to hear with extreme clarity.

“Move away from the door. We’re going to blow them away.”

As soon as my back left the door, it flew open and the lock shattered, causing splinters of wood to go flying. Turning I removed an arrow, cocked it, and let it fly, taking a vampire square in the chest. The vampire crumbled to ash as soon as its heart was obliterated. The other vampires and crawlers didn’t care. They stomped inside, their feet treading through the embers of the dead vampire without a single care in the world. They could always make more and it didn’t take as long as it used to when getting blood directly from the source. Within a few seconds I loosed another arrow. Unfortunately I missed my target, but it landed in the brain of a crawler next to it, sleuthing across the threshold like nothing else existed but us and our blood.

Windows shattered as vampires and crawlers began to pile in, coming from all possible angles. I wanted the action. I wanted the fight, but I also wanted to live long enough to give birth to my child so I would do what I needed to do get out. The still small whisper sounded again as I let the beast pour through my veins, igniting my blood and the adrenaline coursing through it. The beast wouldn’t stop till every single crawler, vampire, or any otherworldly creature was dead and turned to ash to be swept away by the wind.

I pulled back on the beast’s reigns ever so slightly and let the heat build in the palm of my hand, choosing to target only one or two at a time instead of the whole lot of them. Gordon was following suit as we backed away from the onslaught of Lilith’s children that were assaulting our home. It wouldn’t be our home any longer. If anything I would be burning the place to the ground and as the thought crossed my mind a tear rolled down my cheek, hot and burning as the beast roiled inside of me. The jasmine covered trellis outside that was a tribute to my mother would burn along with it so I might as well make it all count. Lilith’s head better be the key to saving all of us.

I cried out with a voice that sounded demonic, arm outstretched and the flames building within me, spreading from my chest and outward. It was swirling and blinking in time with my heartbeat as I slowed my steps, only taking two as I heard Beth swing the back door open. I was halfway there and they were screaming behind me. Gordon was beside me, standing in the same position with a sparkling blue churning through him and building. We would take down as many as we could together.

The creatures before us had slowed. They were driven by hunger and the lust for flesh between their gnashing teeth and slithering down their throats. Every pair of eyes that met mine were wide with fear, but the terror didn’t stop them. The animal inside of each one of them had taken over, and man did I know what the felt like, but I didn’t let it turn me into something else. They didn’t have a choice. Lilith’s blood coursing through them didn’t give them one.

I closed my eyes, counted backwards from five, the stream of flames shooting from the heated orb in my hand. Animal cries and yowls filled the air, as did the smell of burning hair and flesh. Beneath the roar of the flames, I could hear the crackling sound of human tissue turned to ice, only to be melted into a slushy pile of ash as the heat from the fire turned them into nothing.  

Another familiar smell teased my nostrils and my eyes shot open. The doorway leading outside was on fire. The fire wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep the others at bay. This would take more firepower than I felt comfortable unleashing with us inside.

“Guys, come on! We’ve got to get out of here,” Sam yelled over the sounds around us. And then there was gun fire. Lots of it. I turned to see that both crawlers and vamps had worked their way through the back wall of the living room to get towards the back where all of them except Gordon were standing, guns pointed. The bullets shattered their brains and hearts with what I could tell were silver hallow point rounds. You could always tell by the way the ashes flew into the air and fell within mere seconds. It didn’t matter if they were crawler or vampire; they still fell just the same.

I pulled the hand gun out of the holster. I wanted to see what this baby had and I had no doubt I was also brandishing silver hallow points. They would’ve had to be melted down and made so I was only beginning to wonder how many jewelry stores they ripped off when things went to Hell. I didn’t really care, though, because now I had the necessary equipment to do more damage without having to let the monster loose.

Sam and Chase had made it out of the door right after the wall had given way, Beth being left behind without anyone noticing. There was panic in Beth’s eyes as I watched her release the magazine from her own gun, fumbling with the holster that held more full ones. She was prepared, but possibly not prepared enough. She was shaking as she huddled in the corner by the back door trying to slip it inside of the handle. The monsters had made it to her before she had a chance to get out the door. Raising the tactical, I turned off the safety and pulled the trigger.

Chapter 23:

Unrelenting

My wrist snapped as the recoil on the hand gun shot through my arm. I had expected worse because of the size of the gun. Within a second the head of the nearest crawler exploded in a shower of gore and turned to ash and embers before hitting the ground. Beth screamed in excitement as the magazine finally slid home, my own shot giving her enough time to make the connection. She pointed her pistol, each gunshot hitting its intended target, but there were too many of them. In the entire time we had been slaying the evil that stalked the night not once had we seen this many of anything in one place at one time. Never.

I yelled her name and her eyes met mine. We knew this would be a moment where it would be all or nothing. I would use every piece of ammunition I had until there wasn’t any more to use. Even then it wouldn’t be enough. We’d have to use ourselves as weapons, armed with knives and blades until we could possibly find more ammo. And that chance was extremely slim. She nodded and when I turned to Gordon I knew his thoughts were headed in the same direction. All or nothing.

Vampires and crawlers were everywhere. It was like the crawlers were the demolition team and the vampires were there for the bloody aftermath, only wishing to sop up our blood from the floor and our tattered bodies. That was if the crawlers left anything to mutilate even further. We weren’t going to make it easy, Lilith wanted there to be nothing left to save the rest of humanity, and then the world would be hers. But what would they do once human kind was gone? I was beginning to think she hadn’t really thought it all through. It seemed to be a trend with all evil things, whether in real life or on film. They have a plan to take complete control over the world, ridding it of the only species can keep them alive, and somehow live without us without a backup plan in place. What was up with? I began to pull the trigger of the FNX again, getting better at holding my wrist straight with each round that exploded from the barrel.

Gordon was beside me, a Glock raised and level and his eyes focused. I was unstoppable. He was my other half and the compliment to the flames. This was why we worked so well together and Lilith was going to see what our small entourage was made of before all was said and done, even if it meant burning the place down around us to stave them off. Even if it meant losing the only true home I had ever known and the only thing left of my mother right outside. There would be no way to save it and I knew that.

I took a few steps forward and before I knew it I had used up at least two magazines, placing each empty clip back into the slots on the holster. Ash and embers were flying around us as bullets whizzed through vampires and slammed into dry wall. The beast was ramming itself against my ribs, but it wasn’t time yet. Not until Beth was next to me and we were headed out the door. Only then would I let it free. My eyes were burning with energy while the rest of my body hummed, Gordon’s own energy mixing with mine in the air around us.

The trigger gave into my finger too easily this time, clicking as the realization hit me. I had used the last bullet in the clip; the last bullet I had. We had barely taken down half of them. I pushed the tactical back into the holster and gripped the corded handle of my silver-tipped machete, hearing the metal hiss against the material of the holster as I slid it free of its prison. I noticed we weren’t the only ones trying to save her. Chase and Sam were in the doorway, still shooting. The vantage point from the doorway gave them better access to aim perfectly, not wasting a single round while I was sure I had wasted at least a few.

I began to chop and slice my way closer to her, the silver cutting through each vampire and crawler like softened butter. A vampire launched itself at me, his mouth open and fangs glinting in the firelight. The fire had spread towards the kitchen and living room, somehow managing to steer clear of Gordon and myself. Without thinking I lashed out with the machete, it biting into the vampire’s shoulder. He screamed and slammed me with the back of his open hand, causing me to stumble back a few steps but I held strong to my weapon. I would not let go. If I let go it was over.

I tasted blood in my mouth, a small cut forming on the inside of my bottom lip from the impact. The iron saltiness helped pull me back into focus as my head swam and a few stars flashed across my vision. I felt the vampire move closer to strike again so I slashed the air with the machete, cutting across his stomach. As the blood trickled through his now torn shirt I felt the anger flare within him and slam into me, but it didn’t deter me. I hit back with my own angry energy and he stumbled back a few steps as pandemonium unfolded around us, screams and growls flowing through the air seeking ears to hear them.

I pushed my fury into him, causing him to take another step back as another gash opened up across his chest without having to swing my machete even once. I didn’t know why this was happening, but I was going to use it to my advantage and figure out the rest later. I could feel the beast melding into my bones and muscles for the first time since I learned of its presence.

Instead of beating against me, we were working together. Something had triggered it and I was thankful. The energy of the vampire was buzzing around me, causing the newly fused version of the beast and me to fill with the heat of the flames around us, absorbing it like the Hellfire below. It ebbed and flowed towards me, igniting the spark inside of me that I hadn’t known was there. The fine hairs on my arms and on the back of my neck rose as my skin began to glow, my veins filling with liquid fire as I stood there; arms outstretched letting the heat overtake me. Then it stopped. When I looked at the vampire it wasn’t just him staring at me, it was everyone. Every vampire and crawler had stopped moving and Gordon was beside me, eyes wide. Chase and Sam had stopped firing their guns and Beth had risen to her full height. Everything was quiet, but it wouldn’t be for long.

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then something brilliant happened. One strong and violent pulse forced its way out of my body and towards the vampire in front of me, having a range of only a few feet and any vampire or crawler within that span was obliterated, falling to ash and embers with a demonic scream. It pulsed back into me with a sound like one of those sonic blaster guns from the movies, nearly knocking me to the floor with the impact. This was new and I only wished I knew how to do it from will, but I was sure that would come when the distance between Lilith and I came to a close.  Once the sound dissipated, all hell broke loose again, crawlers and vampires trying to scramble away but their thirst for blood so strong they chose to go after those around me. Some after each other.

I came to lean on the machete in my hand, the tip of the blade digging into the wooden floor and spinning slightly under my weight. Gordon was beside me, cool hand on my back. I heard him take in a breath as if he was going to speak. A feminine scream filled the air. My gaze shot up and through the crowd I spotted Beth with a crawler latched to her arm, not willing to let go once the magic elixir that was her blood hit its hungry tongue.

“No,” I yelled at the top of my lungs and, before I knew it, I was raising the silver-tipped machete and wielding it like a Viking in the midst of battle; the barbaric scream rising from my vocal cords with intensity.

Beth was going to die. The certainty of it hit me hard. Hard enough to do whatever it took to reach her so I could at least be there for her final moments as a human being before I would have to cut her down. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe as I ran, slashing at each vampire and crawler that crossed my path until they were nothing but dust underneath my Converses. I could feel the flames from the fire in the house following me, weaving a path along the walls and the ceiling as I moved through the undead surrounding us, only one singular objective in mind. Get to Beth. Save her even though I knew there was nothing I could do.

Her name left my mouth in a shrill cry before I had even realized it. I heard her scream mine in return. She had killed the crawler that had bitten her and was now huddled into the corner holding the silver knife out in a threatening gesture. Even with blood running down her arm she was managing to keep the foul creatures away. There weren’t nearly as many as there were just a few moments ago, but it still seemed like so many when you were faced with the reality of having to slay them.

I coughed and hacked as the smoke and fire followed me through the dwindling mass of undead, some of them even taking each other out, making my job so much easier now that there were small breaks in the mass of swarming bodies. Not only could I feel them, but I could feel Gordon following close behind me, chopping away at any   had made their way past me to him. He was quick and he was graceful, and he dispatched each one of them with ease and efficiency. We finally made it within a reaching distance of Beth. I could’ve reached out and touched her.

I took two more steps to close the distance with Gordon at my back and knelt down in front of her, sliding the machete back into place on my back. “Beth,” I yelled over the noise. Her eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular as the fear overtook her. Her eyes were on me but I could feel her staring right through me. At nothing in particular. Her arm was bleeding extensively. I knew her unfocused gaze had to be a part of the effect of the bite. “Beth, I need you to focus.” Her eyes finally met mine as I felt my voice zap her out of her reverie. She grimaced as pain gripped her. “That’s my girl. Can you stand?”

“Yes,” she said shakily, her voice vibrating so hard that it came out strangled, It didn’t even sound like the same word at all, but I understood her just enough.

“We’ve got to get out of here. More are coming and we’ll die if we don’t get moving.” I took her hand in mine and began to stand and take her with me while we had a clear shot of the door, but she resisted. I turned back to her and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I can’t go with you.” She shook her head. “I’ve been bitten and I’ll change any minute now. You have to leave me.” She tried to take her hand away from me, but I wasn’t about to let go. We were all getting out of here alive no matter how long that would last. I would go down before I left her behind. She knew that would mean the end of mankind and the end of my baby who could save all of us in the end.

“I’m not leaving you here. I can’t and I won’t.” I let the beast’s strength move through my muscles as I jerked her up to her feet. We made a beeline to the door where Sam and Chase were waiting, Gordon watching our backs as vampires and crawlers tried to take advantage of my distraction. After a few steps we were at the threshold and I felt Beth begin to sag. I slipped her arm around my neck and my other around her waist to keep her standing and her stumbling feet were making it hard to walk, let alone go down the stairs of the back porch.

Once we were standing on the green grass in the back yard I let her lower herself to the ground and turned back to the house, not   seeing the fire or the smoke towards the front of the house from this angle. I felt like a wild fire was blazing over my skin and I knew the onslaught of undead were filtering into the house, searching for us and questioning the ones that were already inside if they hadn’t all torn each other apart already. It wouldn’t take long before they realized we were no longer in the house, but had made it outside into the cool night air the eclipse had provided us. I could feel them moving inside and I knew this would be my only chance to take down such a large number of them at one time. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity while it was staring me right in the face.

I closed my eyes and let the heat flow through me like liquid fire, taking over in the new state of the beast and I. We were one instead of working against each other like before, which made this so much easier. I drew the power into my center and raised my right hand, ready to turn the house into their funeral pyre. The flames billowed out of the palm of my hand, latching onto the house like it was alive and spreading just as fast as any plague left unchecked.

Before I knew it the house was completely engulfed and screams of agony and death were echoing through the air, the darkness swallowing them. The flames reached into the air like beckoning hands. I was nearly entranced by them. I was drawn back to reality when I heard Beth’s moans and cries from behind me. I turned, lowering myself to the ground on my knees in one quick motion, taking in Beth’s appearance. She looked pained, tears streaming down her face and a pleading look in her eyes to end it before she was able to turn and kill all of us. As soon as I looked at her I knew something was different. Her eyes were locked on mine, pleading in them, and I knew what she was asking of me. She wanted me to be the one to take care of it when the time came. The weight of the realization hit me. Sadness flowed through me   like the liquid flame was still running through my veins and I knew, besides Escara, that this would be the hardest kill in my lifetime despite anything I would go through since.

I reached back and gripped the handle, sliding it out with that slither of finality metal across leather brought. Hot tears stung my eyes but I didn’t want to let them fall, even though they would despite how hard I fought to hold them back. Beth and I had been a driving force for over a year now, even though some of the year was spent apart, she held down the fort while I wasn’t able to. While I was fighting my way back to the surface to save the world because she lived in it and now because I want a place for my child to grow up and not have to worry about the boogeyman. But that was impossible. Evil never dies no matter how hard you fight against it and how many times you kill it. It always manages to resurface. We will never be safe, but I would strive for the little bit of security that slaying Lilith would bring. Now I could see the veins changing underneath her newly translucent skin as she changed before our eyes. It was slower than the previous turning we had witnessed. Beth took my hand in hers; gripping it so tight I had to suppress a grimace, and opened her mouth to speak.