Jade: Earth's Last Hope Against the Undead (10 page)

Vampire after vampire attacked, some with
weapons and some with their fangs. Each of them met the tip of
Jade's sword, her wrath coming with lightning speed, her fury at
their evil plot fueling her brutal counter-attack. If a vampire
escaped a first blow, the reprieve lasted a matter of seconds
before Jade ensured their ultimate demise.

Three left.

Now she saw the thing she'd feared from the
moment she'd arrived here at the blood farm. An elderly vampire
stood behind Trent, long sharp-nailed fingers teasing at his
throat. The man's eyes burned an evil red, his fangs exposed an
inch away from Trent's jugular.

"Stop this," the man said, "and your friend
here might survive this day." He motioned to those humans who
hadn't fled yet. "You both can join the farm and we will take care
of you."

"What makes you think I'm in the mood for
bargains?" she said.

'Well, for one—"

Before his next word she flipped toward the
vampire, throwing her sword like a knife. It cut off the vampire
mid-word, but Trent was still in mortal danger.

She leaped forward and yanked the sword from
the vamp's throat, then slammed it into its black heart. Trent fell
away, still subdued by the harness. She spun away from him to catch
the last two vampires fleeing.

That won't do. Not on my watch.

She swung her sword in a wide arc, letting
it go at the last second. It caught the feet of one vampire as Jade
charged, seizing her sword and finishing the vampire off before she
could get away.

She could only watch as the other vampire
escaped. She knew all too well what this meant. More would come.
For now she'd done what she could. She'd use the device the doctor
gave her to free these people of their harnesses and then everyone
would rest. After Trent regained his strength she'd have a talk
with him regarding the reasons why he'd come here at all.

CHAPTER 5

Into the Barrens

"What were you thinking?" she said.

Trent stared at her, his face lackluster.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

She stormed away, trying to contain herself,
but it was too much. "Why would you ever go to that place?"

"But that's just it, Jade. I don't even
remember going there."

"What are you saying? They came and got
you?"

Still confused and looking around, he said,
"I don't know, but if they did, don't you think somebody would have
seen it?"

Now Jade looked around as well, at
everyone's proximity. Trent was right; someone would have seen
something, yet no one had said a word. So either they hadn't seen,
or had and just clammed up about it.

Maybe they made some bargain.

Trent watched her run through the
possibilities, perhaps running through a few scenarios himself.

Nah, these people have nothing. They're
hiding at best.

"What about—" He twirled his fingers around
and she understood he'd been thinking the same thing.

"I don't think so," she said.

He agreed. "Yeah, me either."

"Well, let's put it this way, no more going
out on your own."

He grinned and she felt her stomach stir
with joy. "I'll try, Jade. But I swear, I don't remember a
thing."

That was exactly what Jade had been afraid
of.

They were supposed to leave two days later,
but the next morning Jade awoke and noticed Trent stirring. She sat
up fast and watched him gather up his stuff and make his way to the
front door. He stood there for a split second and then opened the
door, walking out without a backward glance.

She said nothing, just snatched up her own
belongings and followed. She tracked him across the front yard,
where he bypassed the now defunct blood farm and headed for the
highway. Puzzled with his actions she minded her distance.

An hour later he finally stopped and looked
around apparently unaware of where he was. She watched as, of all
things, he sat right down on the spot.

She ran up to him, boiling over. "What are
you doing out here?"

Teary eyed, he looked up at her. "Jade? How
did I get here?"

Now Jade's concern mounted. She believed she
knew exactly what this was, but before she could convey her
suspicions to him, she spied something in the distance and lost the
thought. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into some bushes.

Together they watched the approach of a
young, attractive woman with an older male who carried a long sword
strapped to his back. The couple held hands.

When they came close enough, Jade inspected
their every detail. She had plenty of time to take them in, too, as
they stopped in the precise location Trent had sat, waiting for
something to happen.

The woman appeared to be of Middle Eastern
heritage, big brown eyes and orange tinted streaks in her auburn
hair. The man, a lumbering hulk, might have been much stronger than
most, she suspected, but his age would slow him some if it came
down to a fight. She would take them both if she had to, but for
now she just observed them.

As if sensing her thoughts, the man drew his
sword and Jade hesitated no longer.

She burst out from their cover and attacked
clashing swords with the man. They pushed off one another, he
blocked her powerful kick, she dodged his ramrod punch, then hilt
to hilt they wrestled for ground. The man had strength; Jade had
balance, and she matched him move for move.

But something was off.

"Stop," Trent said, running in.

They didn't of course, but they both glanced
at him. She wondered what he could possibly think would be good
about stopping this fight. Did he want her to give in? Perhaps have
this man and his lovely assistant kill them right where they
stood?

"Don't you get it?" Trent said.

Fighting, she answered. "No, and if you'd
kindly hurry to explain."

"They're us."

Jade and the man stopped fighting as both
couples examined each other more closely.

The woman spoke now, her accent thick. "He's
right, Greg."

Greg went to her side. "Sorry, we didn't
know you were one of us."

Jade smirked. Although she'd withdrawn, she
kept her sword poised. "One of us? What do you mean?"

"A chosen protector of Earth," he said.

"Chosen? Who chose us?" Trent asked.

"Hmm, well that we don't know."

Jade had her suspicions.

Greg scratched his peppered scruff. "I just
woke up one day with this sword, and it all came with such ease. I
met Liana shortly after."

Liana glanced at him and smiled. "We've been
together ever since." Now she looked at Trent, making Jade somewhat
jealous. "And we've met others, too."

"What are we chosen for?" Jade asked.

"We aren't sure, but I think it has
something to do with these vampire settlements," Greg said.

Trent blurted out. "The blood farms?"

Greg grinned. "Blood farms. Clever."

They all traveled together and that night
bravely camped in the open. No one bothered them. No one attacked.
It seemed very much like the days of old. But Jade knew the truth.
The days of old were likely gone forever.

Their time together ended fast. The
following morning Trent as well as Liana seemed in a hurry to split
the parties up, which made some sense to Jade. It was obvious
something controlled both of their actions at times, somehow
affecting the way these matters played out. Deep down she knew who
was behind this from the start; from the first time she'd wakened
feeling dizzy.

So after a short discussion, Greg and Liana
headed south, following one of Liana's urges. Jade and Trent
continued west. After she could no longer see them on the horizon,
Jade believed she could almost sense their next task. Like a set of
instructions had been preprogrammed in all of them collectively and
they were only following cues.

They didn't stop until they were well into
Ohio, quite a hike with very little action. Now that they were in
Akron a certain calling overwhelmed Jade. She wasn't surprised the
following morning when Trent once more went missing.

She tracked him down a few hundred yards
from where they'd slept, standing outside of an old department
store. He stared in through a dark window where tiny red lights
blinked off and on inside.

Not a blood farm, but a vampire nest all the
same.

Jade's approach from behind him didn't shake
Trent from his daze. He remained confused for several minutes even
after she woke him with a sharp nudge to the shoulder.

"Not again?" he said.

She unsheathed her sword. "Seems you walked
here in your sleep."

"I didn't wake you?"

She grinned. "Not at all, doll. You're a
regular old bloodhound these days." She pointed in through the
window. "Found us a nest I see."

Trent stared in through the window. He
jumped when he saw them. "Holy Jesus. How many are there?"

"I'm not sure. A dozen, maybe."

He kept staring as Jade moved toward the
door.

"Wait," he said.

"What is it?"

He scanned the ground, found a length of
wood and held it like a club. "I should go with you."

"Really?" She returned to him and pushed the
wood down. "You think this is going to do you any good?" She
sighed. "Besides, don't you get it yet?"

"Get what?"

"Everything is happening for a reason. All
of this, it's been programmed into us. It's almost like we're on
some reality TV show where everything is scripted."

"What? Who would...who could do that?"

"Come on, Trent. You know who."

He whispered. "Hiru."

"You got it. Tell him what he's won Bob."
She smiled and took the wood from him. She tossed it aside. "Now
you stay here while I go tidy things up inside. Got it?"

He nodded.

She slid inside the door and they woke. A
flurry of wind and dark shadows crisscrossed overhead. She stood
ready. When those winds and shadows came close enough, her sword
moved like lightning.

Silver streaks split the sky and when those
flashes of light struck flesh, it killed. Several heads fell to the
floor like wet sandbags. Those she didn't kill with the first
strike tried to escape. A fast and relentless Jade killed every
last one of them in less than seven minutes.