Guardian Angel (6 page)

“I figured you'd be a bit happier.” Alicia said, trying to figure out why Austin had such a look upon his face.

“I am happy to be out of rope,” he said, using his hand to stroke through the closely cut whiskers on his face. “It's just when the other Nomads find out about this, the people of New Kinneston are in for a lot of trouble.”

“I expect they heard the gunshots.” Alicia said.

“Doubtful, it's Tuesday.” he replied.

“Ah yes...Tuesday.” she replied with a grin, having absolutely no idea what bearing that had on anything.

“Tuesday is karaoke night. The rest of 'em are no doubt packed in the Moose Lodge listening to loud music and boozing up.” Austin replied.

“Moose Lodge...you're kidding?” Alicia asked, having no idea what to make of the fact that Humans had all but fallen to a superior race of warriors, yet there was still time for domestic beer and bad Country music.
             

Just as she was going to ask him to elaborate, the door sprang open abruptly. Calypso was the first in, his gun ready to chew into whatever it was tasked to. G followed, long rifle at the ready as Nadia was closely behind with a pistol in hand.

“Took long enough,” Alicia said loudly, stepping between Sheriff Garrett and the readied guns of her team. “There were only three, and I took care of them.” she added.

Only three? I think I'm in love
. Austin thought as he watched the subtle motions of such a beautiful woman.

“Well it's dark, so let's just hope nobody else heard the gunshots.” Nadia said, her accent recognizable to say the least.

“No worries, I think our secret is safe.” Alicia replied, grinning at the lawman and thinking of his damn karaoke night.             

“What are you people?” Austin asked.

Alicia wanted to tell him, but after glancing to her team and seeing Nadia warn her off, she simply answered with a smile.

Nearly an hour passed in New Kinneston, the light of Guardian Angel barely visible in the distant night sky. The group of soldiers for Humanity were indeed a long way from the protection of their home. Still they sat, arguing with the Sheriff about such important matters.

“And that's why it's imperative that you allow us to stay here undetected overnight.” Nadia said, having finally been convinced that Austin could be trusted.

“I get that. It's just that I don't want the folks of this town drug into a mess between you and the Ancients. That's all.” Sheriff Austin replied.

“You were drug into the mess a long time ago,” Alicia said with a loud tone. “You are Human! The Ancients wiped out a majority of your own kind! The day they arrived, guns blazing, you and everyone in this damn town became involved!”

Rather than reply, Austin glanced around for a moment, quickly turning to exit his own building.

“I'll go and...” Alicia started to say, her words quickly squashed.

“No. I'll go, you've done enough already.” Nadia said, her hair shimmering of blonde as the woman of perfected beauty slowly made her way outside.

“Don't worry, I'm not going to sell you out or anything.” Sheriff Austin said, words dripping of sarcasm as he leaned forward, his hands gripping a wooden rail that nearly surrounded the front porch of the office.

“I came out here to check on you, that's all.” Nadia replied.

Austin continued to stare into the distant sky, and the battle explosions that mirrored those of a fireworks display.

“I know the Ancients are slayers of mankind. I don't need her to tell me that, I lost plenty during the first few weeks. My own family, not to mention friends and pretty much everyone I know.” he said with sadness etched into his face. “Knew.” he added.

“I know that,” Nadia replied, standing beside him and putting her own hands onto the railing of wooden white. “I too lost, we all have.”

“Other than the local Nomads, we've been allowed to live in peace. The Ancients have left this town alone, other than occasionally passing through on their way to that.” Sheriff Austin said, glancing directly onto the distant fighting which illuminated the night sky.

“You've been allowed to live peacefully because you are slaves.” Nadia said, turning to look into the battle as well.

“What you need to understand is the battle that seems so far away is Washington City. And for the people who live there, it isn't so far away. It's at their doorstep. They aren't allowed to live in peace, their eyes know of only war.” she added.

Both Nadia and Austin stood there for several moments, which seemed to bleed into minutes. Flashes of bright red and yellow bursting out above what was indeed the city of Washington.

“It looks beautiful from here, but for the people who live there, it isn't. They are losing family every day. Every explosion. Wives, children, husbands,” Nadia said, her voice as soft as the bloom of a flower. “Eventually you will have to choose your side in this war.” she said, turning away from him a bit. “I've chosen mine.”

Austin acknowledged her words with a nod, his mind locked onto the flashes of light as he remembered his own wife and children. They had perished during the war for Baltimore City. Less than two hours of soldiers exchanging fire changed Baltimore forever, not to mention his own life.

Nadia placed her hand onto his back softly for a moment, leaving the Sheriff to his thoughts as she once again entered the office in which the group had deemed the safest spot in New Kinneston.

Nadia was the last to be awakened, Preacher standing over her, covering her mouth as he used his lips to motion the words “Get up.”

No sound had escaped his lips, though the motion of them was enough to warn Nadia of danger impending.

Preacher placed a single finger over his lips, warning her to be quiet as he helped Nadia to her feet. The rest of the group was already up, aware and readying weapons in the most silent of fashions.

Sheriff Austin Garrett had put them up in the rear of the building, a small room that was away from everything else. They all prepared themselves, setting up into perfect defensive position as Nadia stood closely to the narrow door that led to the the rest of the building.

“I've seen no such group in this area.” Austin said, his voice never faltering.

Nadia felt happy, a sense of righteous coming from his words as she stood there, watching a man who had finally chosen the Human race in such chaotic times, and envying him for his clear conscience in doing so.

Her happiness seemed to fall from the sky, crashing around her feet like shattered glass as an Ancient soldier approached Austin and extended its gray hand of thick-skinned claws around his chin.

“If you're lying to us.” the Ancient said, its voice raspy and chilling, to say the least.

G grabbed Nadia's hand, which was reaching for her Luger. Shaking his head, he quickly let her know that they were grossly outmatched. It was an entire Ancient Division of soldiers, which meant thousands in numbers, making its way to a fight in Washington City.

“I have no cause to lie. You have allowed us to live in peace here, why would I endanger that?” Sheriff Austin replied with confidence.

“All the same, we will be leaving a team of warriors behind to remain in New Kinneston.” the demon replied.

“As you wish.” Austin replied.

As the Ancient made its way back outside, the thin wooden door shutting slowly, Austin sat back down in his chair, exhausted and afraid of what was to come. If he had sold out Nadia and her group, he and the people of New Kinneston would be allowed to remain living in peace.

Instead, he had chosen to finally take stance against the bastards who had slain his own family. Now he simply wondered how good Nadia, Alicia and their teams were.

As he sulked in his chair, the caring eyes of Alicia Lucard watched over him. She could see he was hurting deeply, both from the recent decision, as well as from the past which continued to haunt him. She wanted so badly to enter the room and hold the hurting man in her arms, his strength, in many ways, was more than her very own. Her compassion for the Human race would have been a disadvantage, if not for her appreciation of beauty. But comforting him at the moment would compromise the group.

“We need to get outside of New Kinneston. Radio Norfolk and have them air strike the town tonight.” Alicia said in a soft voice.

“Absolutely not.” Nadia replied with haste, her words accompanied by a stern look. It was not a look that Alicia had grown used to seeing.

“We have a chance to do the greater good here. Take out an entire Ancient Division within minutes!” Alicia said, her words a bit louder but still hushed by any standard.

“I said no,” Nadia replied as if to dare Alicia to respond. “I will not kill my own kind in order to slow the Ancients. Nor will I stand by and watch it happen.”

“This is my group, and as long as I am in charge...” Alicia said, her statement cut off sharply.

“That is your group,” Nadia said as she pointed to both G and Calypso. “And I respect your ability to lead them. But I swear to the Gods above if anyone tries to radio in an air strike, I will put a bullet between their eyes in order to save the people of this town. And that, my dear, is the greater good.”

And with her words, a crashing sense of realism came down on Alicia, squashing any desire to be with a woman whom she had only moments before considered to be so desirable.             

“Well said.” Sheriff Austin replied, entering the room as Nadia and Alicia remained involved in a stare of ill intent.

“I just risked everything to help you people, and you're back here talking about killing the citizens of New Kinneston,” Austin said, looking at Alicia. “That's kind of tacky.”

Nadia wanted to continue her stare, she honestly did, but instead she found herself laughing a bit before turning to Austin. “You're kind of funny, you know that?”

“Just be glad we didn't meet at the Moose Lodge,” he said with a grin. “And when I don't have Ancients trying to kill me...there's always that too.”

“My Templar, should we continue our assault on Washington City?” an Ancient warrior asked, his extensive hair length an indication of both age and experience.

“Yes. But we will leave a team of Butchers behind, and they are to remain in New Kinneston.” the Templar replied. “Have them sweep through the town, and should they find any Resistance soldiers, kill everyone with a heartbeat.”

The Templar had knotted locks of gray falling down his back, piercing eyes of orange and a thin frame compared to most of those who fought under his command.

However, he carried two things that signified his authority among the Ancients. A reflective orange sidearm, which was semi-automatic but possessed a punishing amount of power; also a tattoo of black which was branded into his forehead.

Unlike Humanity's military system, the Ancients kept rank. Once proving themselves on a battlefield, they were judged based upon their leadership skills, ability to slay and precision when doing both.

After the Ancient Council determined a soldier's worth, they were branded to signify rank. Most soldiers carried a simple brand of tribal design on the right shoulder. However, Commanders were few and far between, easily recognized by that imprinting of flesh on the forehead.

And then there were the Butchers. They wore banded armor around their torso, though a large spot in the sternum area was open, a spot that revealed their branding. They had no hair to speak of, their scalps shaven to a shine of gray, with occasional scarring also finding its home there. Elongated bottom jaw teeth rose from their mouths, giving the illusion of fangs from a distance, as their shimmer-orange eyes looked almost like those during a possession of a demonic variety.

Lastly, they had huge blades strapped to their backs. Very crude, the blades had a rigid edge that, in most cases, seemed to cut like a set of teeth. Simply put, they were a larger version on the man-chete. And though the massive amount of arm strength that a Butcher could pull from usually cut its victim in half, at times it didn't, in which case they could pull the blade back to them, ripping out large bits of flesh and vital organ in doing so.

“Yes my Templar!” the soldier said, turning to execute his order.

“And have them monitor all radio traffic. We picked up a transmission less than one hour ago, it was Resistance coded and requested an air strike of this very town.” the Templar added.

“My Templar?” the soldier asked.

“The Resistance is here, I know it. Have the Butchers locate them, and spare no expense in doing so.” he replied, bone white teeth gritting roughly.

“At once my Templar.” the Ancient soldier replied.

And with that, several minutes passed as the Templar stood silent, his eyes skimming the surrounding buildings of New Kinneston. He wanted nothing more than to remain behind himself to find the Resistance fighters being harbored by the town. Murder everyone involved and then torch the city on his way out.

But, unfortunately for him, he was under strict orders from the Ancient Council. Sack Washington City at any cost. He had roughly six-thousand star-born beasts under his command, each with a hate for the Human race that knew few boundaries. Each was well experienced, well versed in the art of war and well aware that failure was not an option.