The Dead War Series (Book 2): Desperate Times (5 page)

Donovan pursed his lips. “I'll have to find out.”

“Please do.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ovidius pulled out his cell phone to get the latest news report. He groaned. “Those bloody things will be here soon. They made quick work of Springfield.”

“I heard several cities have been bombed, Chicago included, but it's still spreading fast.”

“That's because those things aren't lingering in one city. They follow the essence of life or the scent of blood. They know how to seek it out. That's why they enter buildings and homes, searching for humans in every corner. To hunt and feed, that is their only purpose. I've never seen anything like it.”

“I wonder how many of Cassian's vampires made it out of Chicago?”

“Those who were strong and wise enough to take quick action. The rest, are unfortunate. We can only hope that they were able to survive the bombing.”

Donovan gave Ovidius a quizzical look. “I'm surprised you feel that way, Master.”

Ovidius brows knitted. “Why does this surprise you? I wish Cassian's vampire no ill will.”

“His vampires outnumber us. He is your maker.”

“When this situation gets even more dire... we will need him. It's all about our survival.”

“Yes Master. Of course.” Donovan nodded humbly.

“How are we with the lab?” Ovidius asked, changing the subject.

“Currently working on that, Master. We're gathering all of the necessary equipment as we speak.”

“Excellent.” Ovidius nodded approvingly. “Carry on.”

“Yes, Master.” Donovan walked back towards the under construction lab.

Ovidius was following behind him when the ringing of his cell phone stopped him. He looked down, recognizing the number. He answered. “Yes, Cassie?”

“Logan arrived with two soldiers.”

“I would speak with him.”

“Of course,” Cassie said. “See you soon.”

They ended their call and Ovidius left the lab in the capable hands of his people and taking to the skies, quickly returning to the
Costco
sanctuary. He could sense where his child was and immediately zeroed in on him. He found Logan standing over the terrified humans the other vampires had gathered who were to be 'of service' which was the code they were all using. Logan was observing them as well as drinking in their scent of fear. It was an aphrodisiac to him, the smell of fear. Ovidius suspected Logan only wished it was night, so that he could completely indulge in his not-so-guilty pleasure.

“Cassian sent you back?” Ovidius asked, coming up the rear.

Logan turned. “Yes. He wanted me to save these two.” He gestured toward Nicholas and Gary, both of whom were still unconscious.

“Ah, makes sense. We'll never fall out of need of warriors,” Ovidius commented.

“To what capacity?” Logan asked.

Ovidius frowned. “Your meaning?”

Logan took Ovidius gently by the arm, ushering him away from the humans so that they could speak privately.

“What purpose does Cassian have for obtaining more soldiers for his coven?”

Ovidius grimaced, knowing the implications of Logan's words. “Until I speak with Cassian, I'll hold my concerns.”

“Speaking of concerns, I have a few of my own,” Logan stated.

“Them being?”

“Food. We're going to need  more humans than this. If it were just us, the vampires under your territory, we would be fine. But Cassian, he brings with him an army...I...” Logan trailed off.

“Speak freely.” Ovidius ordered.

“I'm not entirely sure allowing him sanctuary in our territory was wise.”

“You don't think I haven't thought of the possible repercussions?” Ovidius asked, one eyebrow cocked.

Logan swallowed hard, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing. “I'm sure you did, but--”

“What choice did I have? He is my Sire, and as you've said, he has an army. One that will be of a benefit to us if this epidemic gets out of control.”

“If he doesn't seek to control this territory for his own. How long do you think he'll follow your lead, Ovidius? Or be willing to lead by your side when he's never had to do so in the past” Logan licked his lips.

Ah, the implication comes to the forefront
. Ovidius mentally sighed. It was a scenario that he feared, which is why he was so reluctant to allow his maker sanctuary.

Logan continued. “I'm concerned that a time will come when he won't let you rule and once we're outnumbered, you won't have a choice but to concede.”

Ovidius had to secretly admire his children. There were reasons he turned Donovan, Logan, Cassie and Madison. They were master tacticians with great military prowess. He wasn't surprised to learn that his concerns, even unspoken, troubled them as well. Still, he had to keep them focused on the present and leave the future to him.

“Right now, we are not at that point. It may never happen. Although, had I denied him entry, it most certainly would have. Come...” Ovidius placed his hand on Logan's back, walking them towards the humans and gesturing to them. “As you've stated, we don't have enough. Join the others in the procurement.”

Logan nodded and walked away leaving Ovidius to ponder their conversation.

Chapter Three

Dante swallowed the last drop of succulent blood he's siphoned from the shredded neck of his latest victim. The vision in his hazel eyes began to clear and the raging and gnawing hunger he was suffering started to dissipate. The pain of his unquenchable thirst subsided enough for him to concentrate on his surroundings. He pulled away from his victim the very moment the silver of a sharp blade slashed in front of his face. He fell backwards, scrambling away from his newly decapitated victim and the powerful vampire who was now standing over him. The vampire advanced on him, snatching him up and flying fast away from the zombie onslaught that was quickly approaching. He landed on the rooftop of an apartment building, tossing Dante several feet away. Dante landed hard on the tar-covered roof, grunting and rolling painfully to a stop. He turned, attempting to gather himself on his hands and knees when a powerful boot connected with his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and breaking two of his ribs. He yelped as he flipped on his back, coughing and whizzing from the agony and before he could regain himself, a foot was pressed upon his throat, the pressure painfully increasing on his larynx.

“The only reason you still have your head is because you finally came to your senses,” the mysterious vampire said.

Dante looked up at his attacker, he could feel the aura rolling off the vampire in waves. The vampire was Caucasian, chestnut hair in a long ponytail. His brown eyes angrily bored down at him, making him feel that his life was in jeopardy.

“P... pl... ease,” Dante croaked as he vigorously patted the vampire's foot, silently begging for relief.

The vampire growled, but obliged. He took a step back, allowing the intruder room to rise. He kept his sword in his hand, ready to use it if necessary.

“I don't recognize your scent, so you're not one of mine. What territory are you from?” the mysterious
Master
vampire asked.

“Where am I?” Dante looked around.

The Master vampire advanced on Dante, quickly backhanding him. Dante's head jerked back painfully from the impact and he stumbled several paces back, but managed to catch his balance. His vision blurred for a few seconds before it cleared again showing one vampire standing before him instead of two. He dabbed his lip and saw blood on the back of his fingertips. He looked back up at the Master vampire who was standing still and glaring his way.

“Answer my questions or prepare to have your head removed from your body,” the Master vampire warned.

The threat was to be taken seriously.
Very
fucking seriously.

Dante licked his lips and quickly replied. “Chicago, I'm lord over the South Chicago district. My name's Dante Sullivan.”

“So you belong to Cassian.” The vampire sighed. “Fucking Cassian,” he grumbled.

“I take it, you're a Master?”

“I am, but you already knew that, so don't waste either of our time asking stupid questions.”

Ouch
, Dante thought then he cleared his throat. “Where am I?” he asked, hoping that was a smart enough question for the vampire.

“Louisville... Kentucky, to be exact. My name is Michael and you are an unwelcomed guest in my city.”

“Shit, how the
fuck
did I get here?” Dante ran a hand over his bald head in complete bewilderment.

“You were bitten by one of those fucking things down there. You get bitten, you go into some crazed blood lust feeding frenzy. Your mind goes blank and all you see is blood,” the vampire said, then he peeked over the edge of the roof as the zombies rushed through the street looking for fresh victims. He watched as they broke through windows and knocked down doors, entering buildings where people were taking sanctuary. He listened as a chorus of screams, snarls and growls filled the area.

With a sneer, Michael turned to face Dante. “You were instrumental in bringing this upon my city!” He advanced again, grabbing Dante by his bloody shirt and lifted him from the ground, holding him high enough so that his feet dangled as the younger vampire kicked and struggled in his grasp.

“What the fuck... I don't understand!” Dante exclaimed as he gripped the Master vampire's hand that held onto him like a vise.

“When you and others like you came here, feeding on my vampires and the humans of
my
city, you spread this virus!”  Michael held Dante over the edge, gaining the attention of the zombies below.

“Shit, don't! Please!” Dante pleaded. “I'm sorry. I didn't know!”

With a swift toss of his hand, Michael slung Dante back onto the roof. Dante landed hard, once again on the tar-covered roof, skidding to a stop. He groaned as his body registered the intense pain of skinned elbows and a fractured wrist.

The vampire turned, giving Dante an intolerant expression. “You have a lot of catching up to do. I suggest you contact your lieutenant or Cassian and find out what you need to know. I have my own city to attend. I expect you gone very soon without causing further damage.”

Dante nodded. “I'm sorry about the shit I did do.”

“Couldn't be helped under the circumstances,” Michael said through gritted teeth. “However, I won't allow you to cause any more, so I suggest you take flight if you're able.”

“Point taken.”

Michael nodded once, then took flight leaving Dante on the rooftop alone. Dante checked his clothes for his cell phone and was relieved to find it still inside his left side jean pocket. He called Alexis, and prayed that the lieutenant answered.

“Dante, where in the hell are you?” was Alexis harsh greeting, foregoing all pleasantries. Not that the one-half of the notorious twins was known for his politeness. More like a lack thereof, but they always had a platonic relationship.

“I'm in Louisville, Kentucky.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, I was bitten by one of these things out there. I don't even remember how I got here. I remember coming out of my blood lust for a second before someone bit my shoulder. Next thing I know, I'm getting tossed by the Master vampire and his foot's doing a number on my fucking vocal cords,” Dante said. He flexed his wrist, pleased to see that the fracture was already healed as were his ribs.

“Ah, fuck, I'm sure you did a whole lot of damage between Chicago and Louisville. I'm starting to think that's why this virus is spreading as fast as it is. It's no telling how many people you killed and turned along the way. Shit,” Alexis growled.

“Alexis, what the fuck is going on?” Dante asked. He peaked over the edge of the roof again, noticing the monsters had broken through the glass windows of the lower level and were now climbing inside. It would be a matter of time before they made their way up to the roof. To him. The last thing he wanted to do was get bitten... again. “Give me a minute, I'll call you right back.” He took to the skies, flying a short distance and landing softly on a sturdy tree branch. He dialed Alexis again. “I'm back.”

“Listen, all you need to know for now is to get your ass to St. Louis as soon as possible. If you see some humans along the way, who haven't been bitten, bring them with you. We're doing a grand harvest.”

“St. Louis... but... why?”

“Follow directions, I don't have time to explain. Come to St. Louis, now.” Alexis ordered. “Oh, and Dante, avoid Chicago at all cost. If there's any of us still there, it's too late to save them.” He ended the call.

Dante knew better than to argue with his lieutenant. Instead, he called his human servant Melinda's cell phone. When she didn't answer he called their home. Still, no answer. During the day, making a mental connection was draining, but now it was his last resort. He focused all of his concentration on locating Melinda. The connection was weak, barely any mental vibrations. There were no images of her current location, no thoughts he could read, just darkness. He didn't need to have it spelled out for him to know what had happened to his servant.

“Fuck!” he muttered. He didn't have time to think about his loss and what it would mean. He had his orders. He'd take flight and if he found two uninfected humans along the way, he'd bring them along.

~*~

The helicopter hovered over the rooftop of
Costco
as it slowly descended. Ovidius stood a safe distance away as his eyes followed the aircraft. When it landed the door opened and Cassian stepped out and calmly made his way towards Ovidius.

“How are preparations coming along?” Cassian asked, getting right to the point.

Ovidius cocked an eyebrow, but decided to ignore his sire's brashness. “Quickly. As you can see for yourself, the outside barrier is being constructed using cargo trailers. That would keep those things from getting inside. I've arranged for more trailers for sleeping quarters. Over there are the mobile homes for myself, you and our lieutenants.” He pointed to ten large mobile home trailers stationed on the parking lot of
Costco
.

“Impressive... and the humans?” Cassian's blue eyes studied Ovidius carefully.

“Steady. With your vampires trickling in and mine overseeing the fortification of our sanctuary here, harvesting has been... slow.”

“Many of mine are on foot. They've been instructed to gather humans along the way,” Cassian said.

“I'm sure you're aware by now that Chicago has been bombed. I don't know how many of yours survived,” Ovidius updated.

Cassian frowned, a low feral growl rumbled through his chest. It angered him to think of all the vampires he lost. He could feel the deaths of those who were made of his bloodline. As for vampires who weren't from his ilk, but who had sworn loyalty and subservience to him, he did not know. However, he could imagine some of them perished as well.

“A predictable response from the humans,” Cassian remarked, regarding the bombing. He wouldn't have an account of all survivors until they reached St. Louis.

Closing his eyes, he used a great deal of his mental powers to reach out to his vampires. The reach of his range was limited, but he was still able to connect with many of them. He urged them forward and warned them of the approaching zombies. When he broke the connection, he swayed and his knees buckled. Ovidius caught him before he fell, wrapping an arm around his waist supporting him until he regained his balance.

“You should know better than to exhaust yourself that way,” Ovidius chided.

Cassian panted as he waited for his head to stop spinning. “I do... but we're running out of time.”

“I know. They'll be banging on our trailer wall soon enough.” Ovidius patted Cassian on his back. “Can you stand?”

Cassian nodded. “A momentary lapse. I'm certainly not used to exhausting this much power during the day.”

“You're normally fast asleep, if memory serves me correctly,” Ovidius quipped.

“It does.” Cassian looked out over the parking lot at the wall. “Is it complete?”

“Once the third story of trailers goes up, it will be. But even now, they can't climb or jump it. I just wanted that extra story. The more height, the better defense we'll have. I took the liberty of securing a containment unit/laboratory which is only a short distance from here.”

“Impressive.”

“Currently, there are only five units which can hold vampires of a substantial strength... say someone like Debra, lord of my Benton Park district. She is just shy of a century and a half.”

“That is the max?”

Ovidius nodded. “A vampire of Logan's power, he's five centuries old, if he goes berserk, it will take both of us to restrain him during the day. I may be able to do it alone at night, but I will still need assistance with giving him blood in order to sate the hunger. I wouldn't want to risk losing any of my vampires of considerable age. However, if it's unavoidable, I will do what must be done.”

“And if it's you who happens to be the vampire in question,” Cassian asked. “Or me.”

“Let us hope that will never come to pass.” Ovidius turned from Cassian, but not before giving him a sly glance. He began walking towards the helicopter. “So, who do we have here?” He peered inside, taking in the faces of the silent, frozen, but obviously terrified humans.

Cassian came up behind him. “This one...” He pointed at Vincent. “...he is the sole survivor of the failed lab experiment that created this hellish virus.”

“Ahh,” Ovidius studied the doctor carefully. Vincent stared back, sweat pooled on his furrowed brow as he nervously pondered his current predicament.

“And the others?” Ovidius inquired.

“Either food or to be made one of us if they are serviceable,” Cassian answered.

“I figured that was your purpose for gathering persons of importance.”

“The doctor is a given. Maybe these two here.” Cassian motioned to Felicia and Dr. Powers.

“What about the Major?”

“Undetermined,” Cassian said. “However, there is something I require him to do.”

“Very well. We should send this chopper out on more rescue missions.”

“Be my guest.” Cassian beckoned to the passengers. “Come,” he commanded.

Unable to resist his mental pull, Vincent and the others began to disembark. They stood in a huddled crowd, unwillingly awaiting the next command.