Pursuit of the Zodiacs (49 page)

“Here, tend to her wounds while I get a closer look.” Sagittarius handed Libra to Aquarius and moved in closer. He thought he recognized the figures before him. “Vampeers?”

He moved in closer to the point where Aquarius and Libra could no longer see him. Again, she whispered, “Sagittarius! Where are you going?”

Sagittarius heard a voice in the back of his head saying, “Now’s the time,” and braced himself for an alien abduction. These Vampeers had evolved into something else. They had large skulls and were taller than the average Vampeer.

Sagittarius said, “You picked the wrong one to abduct, you blood-thieving bastards. I will not become one of your lab rats.”

Slowly moving to his left, Sagittarius could see a field with a group of humanoids beyond the tall grass. He saw reptilians and other beings he couldn’t identify, unclothed. “What’s going on here?” Not too far from the field, he soon discovered his answer. On the horizon, a set of red lights emerged. The hovering craft attached to those lights looked to be about twice the size of all other craft present. It abducted the piles of bodies aboard its ship. Sagittarius heard something on his right and next locked eyes with a Super Vampeer. Its massive head and ten foot frame brought the Zodiac no small measure of discomfort. It smiled and displayed its fangs. These bloodthirsty extraterrestrial Vampeers had death in their eyes. Sagittarius knew the abductees weren’t coming back home alive.

“If you think I’m going to be another victim amongst that multitude, you are out of your gourd.” He thought to himself, and yet the extraterrestrial had understood and replied, “There is nothing you can do.”

Betrayers of Dracuul were given orders to only take samples; but instead, their own thirst for power had turned them into nightmares. They became bloodthirsty, murderous Devils that tortured and ate their victims.

Someone intervened saying, “Bring those Zodiacs to me.”

The Super Vampeer replied, “Yes, Vega, you will see them shortly.”

Pursued by heavily armed Super Vampeers, the view of a fresh stream not too far indicated that there had to be a lake or pond nearby. She put her source of power to work punishing an incoming Vampeer with a chopping burst of water that had a pressure so fierce, it penetrated the Vampeer’s heart, dropping her victim face-first in the dirt.

“But I’m not in any condition to swim!” Libra cried as they neared a lake bridge.

Aquarius answered, “Just hold on to me.”

From the bridge, she jumped. Still close behind them, and without hesitation, the Vampeers followed them over the bridge. Aquarius unveiled one of her many gifts: her ability to walk on water. Her wings caught enough air for a safe landing. And, as she landed, she heard the splashing sounds of uninformed Vampeers dashing about the cold water.

Aquarius froze the lake’s surface above the submerged Vampeers, trapping them under the ice. The Vampeers clawed at the thick ice depriving them of air. One-by-one they drowned. “If it doesn’t kill them all, that should at least hold them for a while in our absence,” Aquarius spoke, feeling satisfied with her handiwork.

However, she spoke too soon. The craft hovered back and came to a halt directly overhead. Instantly, she felt light as she ascended into the craft’s cargo bay. They flailed their arms and kicked helplessly while being pulled thirty feet into the air.

“Fuck!” Sagittarius shouted as he finished slaying the Super Vampeer. He snuck into and under a pile of unconscious bodies that had been left behind on the field in the desperate hope that the same craft would in time return to finish abducting the remaining bodies. His plan worked. That same craft abducted him.

As he ascended with the other entities into the craft, he thought to himself. “Those two had better still be alive.”

BOOKKEEPER’S NOTES

“The Pursuers didn’t sleep as much as they use to. They knew going into this mission that these dreams were only revelations of their past lives, back in time on a familiar Earth. And when they did, they woke up in cold sweats, incapable of bearing the nightmare. Each one of them seemed to have had a cruel ending. All of their lives cut short in some horrific manner. They compared notes, and every dream had the same occurrence, like a television show re-run.

Did Lucifer already know this Pursuit of The Zodiacs was underway?

I sensed foul play, but what do you expect from the Devil? We still have yet to find out which one of The Pursuers is the traitor, the mole for Lucifer, Bishop or some other entity.

How the deal for the souls of mankind came about is a question beyond anyone I know. But here we are.

The rules had been broken, and Lucifer was devouring souls by any means. But he didn’t intervene in any of these skirmishes. At least he lived up to that end … but for how long?

We lost Justus today.

I’m burdened. We all are.

Each day grew more and more uncertain and took a toll on the faith of the mission. None of them wanted to admit it, but the expression on their faces told me otherwise. Natenal was the hardest one to read out of them all. I could see why he was chosen to lead this assignment. Even at a young age, Capricorn is very strong, but he has yet to meet the cusp of an Elder Zodiac. I would hate to see that day come. I never saw anything like it. I can only imagine the threat they would become if all of the Zodiacs became one. That’s why prevention is somewhat eminent. Cancer seems loyal, but will he allow any more of his kind to fall under the hands of The Pursuers? That answer is yet to come. Daniel and Goliath are gone, lost to the Vampeers. What happened to those two in that Dimension is beyond my comprehension, but I hope they’ll be freed from that Vampeer’s control soon. If Vincent was right about eliminating their Host in order to free our Brethren, Goliath and Daniel, it is worth the risk in getting them back. But there’s still no word of a rescue mission. The Zodiacs seemed more important to them at this point.”

End of Bookkeeper’s Notes

“What the Hell happened back there? I’m surprised any of you survived.” Taurus remarked.

Taurus and Pisces returned after witnessing the carnage Aries had left behind at the Cathedral.

The Pope answered, “Yes, Taurus, my Cathedral is in ruins by none other than your Zodiac counterpart. Never in the history of this Cathedral’s existence has anyone been able to accomplish such a job. Most wouldn’t even get past my Mercenary Nuns, let alone manage to spill the Vampeer blood of a Pope.”

Pisces said, “A Vampeer?”

In response to this brief inquiry, the Pope regurgitated a lengthy narrative:

“Yes, a Vampeer. Well, I might as well enlighten you two with this story while we wait for the Four Talismen to arrive. Over a thousand years ago, a secret society came into existence. Of course, if you look at me you couldn’t tell, but that’s one of the many benefits of being a Vampeer. Seven families, sworn enemies at the time, came together to fight a common enemy who became so powerful the alliance was not just an option, but an absolute necessity. His name was Dracuul. Among others, this secret war never made the history books. But its very existence gave rise to the reality we are witnessing today.”

He continued, “Even I must admit, the meeting itself was an abomination. Not an instance went by where we wouldn’t kill each other in those same secret Counsel Halls. But, nevertheless, there we were, as one, at the negotiating table. Among the families was Victoria, a Vampeer Queen representative for the Vampeers. She made it clear that Dracuul did not act on their behalf, but for his own gain and greed. There was Crusix, representative of Lucifer himself. Gabriel represented the Kingdom of Heaven. Oh, how we all despised him. Myself included. Countless individuals who attended those meetings wished a thousand deaths upon him, and he knew it. There was Jonathan, Father of Cameron and Uncle of Julius, my two most trustworthy couriers. He was a Super Human from Sirius, and so were they. We had Honda, representing the Reptilian Race. Lucia, who was a virgin of Earth. She was nothing too special, but her blood was one of the most critical key ingredients for Dracuul’s agenda. Last, but not least, Gemini and Leo, the only two Zodiacs successfully discovered. Not too many knew of the Zodiacs’ existence until that meeting, and their attendance justified the importance of it. Despite the rumors, they were not the two who were recently killed during The Pursuers’ campaign, but indeed their predecessors.

Before my turning, my occupation as a spy stood supreme. I had been hired by Crusix himself to monitor all those present. Due to my excellent work, he received critical intelligence that kept him ahead of the game. His later success granted him promotion, and that explains why he became a Demon Master Archangel.

Now, to the main problem at hand: Dracuul. How he’s still alive today after all this is beyond me. The secret society was formed to lure him in and rid this Universe of our common enemy. After receiving word of him trying to combine the blood of all the Races, specifically everyone in attendance, his goal in manufacturing his own Super Species would’ve taken centuries. With him being a Vampeer, he had the time
and patience to eventually succeed. Dracuul had support from powerful individuals whom he had made very wealthy. There was no denying his mission was capable of success. I won’t get into the rumors regarding his illegal use of Time Travel, that’s a whole other matter. Leo and Gemini argued that our plan was destined for failure. By everyone being there, we ultimately handed Dracuul all the ingredients he needed on a golden platter. Their argument indeed made sense, but all except for the two Zodiacs ruled in favor that Dracuul would not turn down this opportunity. But we underestimated the Engineer. Obviously tipped off by someone on the inside, he dispatched over a thousand Vampeers upon the society while in the middle of another secret meeting. Victoria, unable to restrain her own lust for power, had a change of heart, especially after finding out that only the Vampeers were capable of inventing this class of Super Species. She betrayed the Council and Secret Society by dispatching a team of her own executioners so they could collect samples. The whole mission was a complete disaster. Before we knew it, war broke out between Archangels and Devils; Demons attacked the Reptilians, and Zodiacs fought Vampeers.

Yes, a complete and utter disaster. Others made it their sworn duty for this secret war to remain just that, a secret. Any record or other evidence of this incident was burned to the ground. During the battle, Dracuul, after sacrificing so many of his men, obtained what he was destined to accomplish. He had his samples wiped from the swords of victory and squeezed into his vial. This special vessel contained the blood of each member of that secret society. By the time they found Lucia’s body, she had nothing left in her but flesh and bones. Honda, the representative for the Reptilians, was killed in the melee. Jonathan, representative for the Super Humans of Sirius, lost his life in the battle as well. Shortly after, Leo’s name would be added to the fallen. He engaged with Dracuul after he spotted him holding the vessel. I hid in the mountains and watched the fighting through my telescope. I witnessed Leo with his indestructible mane and amazing strength outclassing Dracuul in battle, as he tore both of Dracuul’s arms and legs apart. Leo failed to realize, in order to kill a Vampeer, you must destroy its heart. After Dracuul’s dismemberment, Leo grabbed the vessel and smashed the abomination to the ground. There was so much supremacy in that one vessel alone that everyone learned something new about himself or herself. In the end, we all wanted power. The fighting ceased, and all those who remained jockeyed for position to partake of the blood. Like wild ravenous dogs, not only did
they consume the blood, but they consumed the ground with it. As I made my way to capitalize on the opportunity myself, I saw Gabriel, Leo and The Gemini hanging their heads in shame, disgusted at how the Vampeers, Reptilians, Super Humans, and even Archangels conducted themselves.

Damn Zodiacs. Who the fuck were they to judge? Combined, we had so much power that they turned into novice contenders. The Gemini fled, while Leo was torn apart by all who drank from the vessel. After all that, we got our wish. We gave Gabriel a memorable death after his own Angels turned on him for that same power. There will never be blood that pure again.”