Vampire Manifesto (25 page)

“
Okay, good. Let’s see if I got it. Howard, Rabbit and Jasmine.” I pointed to each person as I said their name. “Did I get that right?”

None of them answered.

“
Right. Whatever.” I held up the picture again. “Do any of you know this man? His name is Terrence Goodwin.”

“
Nope.” Said Jasmine.

Rabbit leaned forward a bit to get a better look. “Never seen him before.”

Howard just seemed confused about the whole situation. “Nah, I don’t know who…”

~BLAM~

~BLAM~

Connor was standing next to me, his arm outstretched with the 38 pistol in his hand, the barrel smoking. The wall behind Jasmine’s head was splattered with her blood and grey brain matter. There was a bullet hole in her forehead and the back of her skull had exploded open. Rabbit slumped forward in his chair, his head landing on the table with a sick thump as blood pooled around his face, the side of his head blown wide.

“
Oh, I'm sorry.” Connor said to Howard. “Did I just break your concentration?”

Howard was shaking with fright, his face and chest covered in his friends blood. “Jesus man, who are you people?”

Everything happened so fast, I didn’t…I didn’t know he was gonna shoot them like that. He said that he wasn’t going…why is she looking at me that way? She’s dead, but the way she’s just staring ahead, looking at me with those black, lifeless dead orbs…I rushed over to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on my face. I needed it’s cool touch to keep me from throwing up.

“
Connor!” I yelled, running over to him, tears running down the side of my cheeks. “You said…you said you weren’t going to kill anyone.”

“
I lied.” He answered back, walking over towards Howard.

“
You lied?” I repeated in disgust.

“
Yes.” He said. “I do that sometimes.” He grabbed Howard by the hair, pulling his head back, then placed the muzzle of the gun flush against the top of his knee and pulled the trigger.

Howard screamed out in agony as his kneecap exploded into tiny pieces. “Fu..fu..fuck, man.” He slurred.

“
I’m going to ask you one more time.” Connor snatched the picture of Goodwin out of my hand and shoved it in his face. “Do you know this man?”

“
Yeah man, yeah, I know…the dude.” Howard responded

“
Good.” Conner placed the picture on the table, then pushed Rabbit out of his chair, the dead man hitting the floor with a thud. Connor pulled up Rabbits chair in front of Howard then took a seat. “What was he doing in Florida?”

Howard was breathing hard, attempting to talk through the pain. “What? Florida man? How the hell…how the hell should I know?”

Connor placed the barrel flush against the top of Howard's other kneecap. “Don’t make me shoot you again.”

“
Wait, waitwaitwaitwaitwait!” Stuttered Howard. “Florida. Right man, Florida, I remember. It was…it was a job, is all.”

“
What kind of job?”

“
Recon.” Answered Howard. “Just recon man, nothing…nothing serious. Just take some pics…figure out his targets schedule and report…report back.”

“
You’re lying.” Connor grabbed the mans wounded knee with his hand then squeezed. Howard let out a howl as the pain almost caused him to black out.

“
If he was sent for only recon, then why was he trying to kidnap his target?” Asked Connor.

“
Kidnap? What?” Howard seemed confused. “If…Goodwin was trying to…trying to kidnap one of his targets…then he was way off the reservation. We were hired for…Intel only.”

“
One of?” Connor repeated. “Then there were more?”

“
Yeah man, yeah. Whole list of…people.”

“
Where’s the list now?” Connor demanded

"It was Goodwin's show man, he was the H.N.I.C. The only other person who knew the list was our Second in Command, but..." Howard nodded towards Rabbits dead body. “I don't think he's in the right frame of mind to hold a conversation anymore.” There was a dog howl down the street and Howard started laughing. “Oops.”

Connor grabbed Howard's knee again with his free hand and squeezed while he shot him in the other kneecap.

“
Fu..uu..uck man.” Howard screamed. “That was… totally unnecessary. I’m telling you the truth. If Boss man ain’t here, then Rabbit gets a call. Rabbit doles out the names. That’s just…that’s just the way…it works.” There was another dog howl off in the distance.

“
Who hired you?”

“
Some…some dude.” Howard said. “Just some dude, okay?”

“
Some dude?” Connor repeated skeptically.

“
Yeah man, some dude.”

“
What’s this dudes name?”

“
Guy calls himself the Translucent Man.” Said Howard.

“
The Translucent Man?” Connor reiterated. “Why do they call him that?

“
How the fuck am I supposed to know?” Uttered Howard. “Maybe because he’s see through? I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met him before.”

I could hear one of the dogs barking outside.

“
What’s his real name!” Demanded Connor.

Howard began to laugh “Above my pay grade man.”

Connor leaned in closer. “What’s so funny.”

“
You hear that noise?” Howard asked.

Connor paused momentarily. “You mean the dog?”

“
No man, not the dog, fuck the dog. Listen closer, you should be able to hear them now. I can hear them.”

“
Hear who Howard?”

“
My Pack.”

“
Your…Pack?”

“
Yeah man.” Howard chuckled. “My Wolf Pack. Looks like your friend there has already started to get herself aquatinted.”

Connor spun around and that’s when he saw what was happening. I don’t know when the other guy came in the house, but he moved silent. He had grabbed me from behind, clamped his hand over my mouth and put the machete to my throat about a split second before Connor spun around and realized the situation. Whoever he was, he was big. Bigger then Connor by at least two hundred tattooed pounds. It was just him for now, but I could hear the howling getting closer. It wouldn’t be long before Connor was outnumbered.

“
Hello Werewolf.” Connor took a step forward and the Man pressed the Machete even closer to my throat, drawing blood.

“
You do all this?” The Man Growled. “You the one who killed my people?” I could feel the hair growing out of his arms.

“
Do you like my handiwork?” Connor asked, motioning to the two dead bodies and Howard. “I would advise you to release my associate and I may just allow the both of you to live.”

“
You okay over there brother?” The Man yelled.

“
Yeah.” Howard moaned. “Nothing that can’t heal.”

“
I doubt that.” Connor fired his weapon, shooting Howard once in the head, then turned back to face us. “Now, I’m a reasonable man. Please don’t force me to do unreasonable things. Release my friend and I give you my word, I’ll let you walk out of here with your life, but if you don’t…” Connor fired once more, catching a Pack member as he entered the front door of the Townhouse with a headshot, the man’s body stumbling back out, dead before he hit the ground.

The Man who held me captive let out a soul deafening wail, yet as he did, his face began to make a sickening sound as the bones in his skull fractured and splintered, restructuring itself into something new. Hair began to grow at terrifying speeds across his arms, torso, neck and face while his nose elongated into a snout and his teeth sharpened into something akin to a lions maw. His body was transmuting into something other than human, lycanthrope in nature, yet still retaining its original humanoid form. Through it all, he never once released his grip on me, nor the machete at my throat and in just mere seconds the façade of his mortal face had taken on the bestial visage of a wolfs head, an illustrious coat of white fur encompassing his body, his fingers now razor talons.

“
Here we go.” Connor whispered to himself. “I’ll give you all fair warning. If you touch me, I’ll kill you...” Someone tried to grab Connor from behind, yet before he could, Connor had grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting the arm, flipping his attacker over his shoulder. When the man hit the ground, Connor shot him once in the head. “…just like that.”

Connor looked around as the house filled with members of the Wolf Pack, some still in human form while others, morphing into something bestial, a horrifying hybrid of Man and Wolf which towered over Connor, despite him being six feet tall himself.

“
Okay.” Connor dropped his gun on the ground, the clip empty. “Hard way it is then.”

“
Greetings Vampire.” Came a voice from behind. A Man in an all-white suit entered from outside, the Pack spreading apart like Noah and the Red Sea as he made his way through towards the Kitchen. He looked around the blood spattered room. “Seems you’ve made quite the first impression.”

“
I’m just warming up.” Connor replied.

“
I’ll bet you are.” The Man turned towards one of his Pack members. “Inform the Translucent Man that we are in possession of one of the items he requested.” The Pack member darted off out the front door before Connor had a chance to stop him.

“
My name is Bartholomew Kruger.” The Man in white came closer, the remaining members of the Pack keeping their distance.

Connor shrugged. “Never heard of you.”

“
This is my house. This is my Pack.” Kruger stated. “These are my brothers and sisters that you’ve murdered here today.”

“
Then they should have answered my questions when I asked.” Connor seemed unafraid. At least that made one of us.

“
Well, Connor is it? Let’s just say turnabout is fair play.” Bartholomew Kruger said. “You’re going to answer my questions now and if you don’t, well…”

Connors arms from the elbows down went up in flame and as he spoke fire sparked from his eyes. “I’ll burn this bitch down with you still inside it.”

Kruger just smiled. “The Vampire Firestarter. I’ve heard whispers of you in the dark.”

“
If you harm her then everybody dies.” Connor stated.

“
I’m good with that.” Bartholomew Kruger said. “I haven’t died once all week. What does the Translucent Man want with your friend here?”

I could tell Connor was trying to size up the situation, trying to play out the odds in his mind. There were just so many of them, at least fifteen of them easy. Fifteen Werewolves versus one Vampire. I stared at his arms, the way they were aflame, yet they were not burning him at all. Somehow he was in control of the fire, yet how he was doing it I couldn’t even begin to imagine. Even the color of the flame was different, burning blue instead of red.

“
I don’t know.” Connor admitted.

“
I believe you.” Bartholomew said, even though he seemed somewhat disappointed. “Looks like we're off to a good start.

“
Who is the Translucent Man?” Connor asked.

Kruger made a frown. “I have my theories.” He finally admitted. “None of them exceptionally pleasant. In the end however, we are all just puppets and the Translucent Man is the ventriloquist.”

“
We came here because your man was trying to kidnap my friend.”

Kruger nodded in agreement. “Yes, I know.”

“
I killed him.”

“
Among others.” Said Bartholomew Kruger.

“
No one makes a move like that in my city without permission and not expect consequences.” Connor said. “I’m sure a man of your…stature would understand that.”