Victim of the Night (Night Trilogy Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 23

Rose, Nyx, and I separated inside the store.
I pushed the basket and started putting cans that we needed. I know Rose and Nyx went for other things. Might as well since we are here. They put me in charge of the cans.

My basket is full. I began to wheel the basket to the entrance, but something stung me on the neck. I hope it wasn’t a spider. I’m horrified of those!
I reached for my neck, and felt something odd. I took it off my neck, and looked at it in my hand. A dart! Someone’s in here! I reached for my hammer, and looked around.

“What? You didn’t notice that the alarm system didn’t go off?” a voice said, coming towards me.
Damn. Why didn’t I think of that?

It’s a man, and he’
s got four other people with him. “Who are you?” I asked.

“We are hired guns. Ravine Katz has us scattered around the whole city, hiding, and waiting for your kind,” he replied,
nearing me. They are all dressed the same. Black and silver uniforms.

This isn’t good news, plus I’m not feeling too good.
I’m beginning to sweat, I feel hot, I feel weak, and nauseous. “What was in that dart?” I said, falling to my knees.

“Poison.
It’ll kill you if you don’t get it out, or get the cure. It slowed you down, didn’t it? Well, I might as well kill you now that I got you in my sight,” he said, aiming his gun at me.

I’ve got to do something!
I gripped my hammer, and swung it at his hand. His gun flew out of his grasp, and landed far from his reach. “Shoot her!” the man yelled at the others.

“Not while we’re here!” Nyx said, standing in front of me. She made a shield, and shielded us from the bullets. The bullets bounced back and hit all the hired guns.

They didn’t die, but they were injured. Rose appeared from behind them, and began draining all of their blood. After she fed on every hired gun, she decapitated them with her claws. “It’s been a while since I’ve fed on someone. It tastes so delicious!” Rose said, wiping her mouth.

“Are you all right, Starr?” Nyx asked, kneeling beside me.

I told them what happened. Rose looked through the pockets of the dead hired men. “Look! I found this needle! It says cure on it,” Rose said, rushing over to me.

“Inject it!” Nyx urged.

Rose did, but I know it’s going to take a while for the cure to work. Nyx and Rose helped me get up and walk to the truck. They sat me down. I waited for them to load everything into the bed of the truck.

They got back into the truck after they were done. “We have to let everyone know that there are hired guns hiding,” I said.

“Yes, this is dangerous,” Rose said, speeding up.

We didn’t stop until we got to the fortress. The three of us went to the throne room, and told everything to Lord Erebus. “That is smart, I will admit that, but we can’t let our vampires get hit with those. How are you feeling?” Lord Erebus asked me.

“I feel better. I think I can walk it off. I’m ready for anything, Lord Erebus,” I answered.

“If you say so, Starr,” Lord Erebus said.

“What should we do?” Rose asked.

“Rose, I need you to go to the city, meet up with Mr. Pixy and the others, and tell them about the darts. Stay there if you need to. Nyx, start telling everyone here about them. Starr, I’m going to send you to the forest to tell Lord Obsidian and the others,” Lord Erebus commanded. “Starr, if you need to come back, do so.”

I nodded, and three of us went our separate ways.

Chapter 24

I walked through the woods, and found myself being surrounded by wolves.
One of them walked up to me. The wolf transformed into Blaze. “What’s the matter? You look a bit sick?” Blaze said.

I told him what happened. The wolves listened. “I didn’t expect this.
We have to be wary of them, or they can get us. Keep an eye out when the fight gets here,” Blaze said to everyone.

“So why are all
of you transformed into wolves?” I asked.

“No one will suspect a wolf to be a vampire,”
Blaze answered. “It’s simple. When I howl, everyone will attack, or if we hear a howl, we go to it and help out the vampire in trouble.”

“May I join?” I asked him.

“Yeah, if you’re up to it,” he said, grinning.

I nodded
, and we both transformed into wolves.

We waited, but all we could hear is the battle in the city, echoing all through the night.
We’d walk back and forth, lay on the grass, and check up on the others spread out in the forest. I heard something in front of us as we came from checking up on the others. Everyone is spread out about fifteen feet away from each other. Blaze heard it too. He let out a growl, warning anyone to back off.

“It’s all right. It’s just some wolves,” a woman said. The woman and a small group of people walk
ed past us. They look familiar? Wait, the uniform they are wearing! It looks similar to the ones that the hired guns had.

I growled at the people. I felt my hair stand on end, and the ea
gerness of wanting to kill them burning inside me. Blaze must’ve seen how angry I was, because the next thing I knew, Blaze turned into himself, and attacked the people. Blaze touched the ground, and made that dark mass show up. It went towards the unsuspecting people, cloaked them with them screaming with fear, and disappeared with them. There is no trace of them left.

Chapter 25

A couple of hours later, we heard the screams of the soldiers in the war. The ground is beginning to shake, and bright lights of gunfire is nearing the forest. We waited behind the trees and in the shadows. The war is moving into the forest, and all the vampires fighting are still okay, some are injured, but they are curing themselves when they get a small chance. I can see them, licking their wounds, and going back into battle.

The fight got closer and closer. Blaze lifted up his head
, and howled a loud, ear piercing howl that echo above all the other sounds, including the war. Wolves came out of nowhere, ran into the battle, and jumped on the ground soldiers. They tore at their faces and throats. They kept going until they knew it was time for them to turn back into a vampire. The vampires in the forest helped slow down the war a bit.

“Blaze, look!” I said, turning into myself, and pointing at a
strange dressed person in front of the whole army. Blaze turned into himself, and looked in the direction where I had pointed.

“It’s a warlock! He’s casting spells, and fighting my mother, Mr. Pixy, and Dar all at the same time!
He must’ve been the one that put the spell on the tank the other time we had a battle? That’s not the warlock I want to kill though? It’s a different one, but no matter. He must know the other warlock, so he should die as well,” Blaze said, taking out his sword from his cane and joining the fight.

Mr. Pixy is dual wielding some wicked looking daggers, Rose is smashing with her two handed warhammer, and Dar is hacking with his two handed battle-axe.
The warlock didn’t expect another vampire to attack him when Blaze joined. Blaze is doing great. He’s fast, and he’s a huge target now. Blaze’s skill with the sword is worrying the warlock. The warlock in now concentrating on Blaze more than the other three, which is good. The others must’ve been fighting the warlock since the city, and must be tired. This will give them time to gather up their strength and energy.

The warlock has a magic barrier around him. The barrier is so strong, that all the hits aren’t hurting him. Sometimes the shield would disappear, but he’d summon it right back. The warlock has a book, and is casting different spells at the vampires fighting him. The spells are of fire and ice. The vampires
have to dodge, or hit every attack, including the attacks of the book. The book throws shards of sharpened silver at the vampire’s faces. How can that warlock do all that? He’s fighting, and at the same time, walking forward without being hit? He must be seeking out Lord Erebus? I’m sure he is! He plans on killing the vampire king, and thinks that we will panic, but that’s not going to happen. I know Lord Erebus can defeat him!

I turned, and began to attack at the soldiers.
I fought with the hammer in one hand, and the other I’d use my sharp nails. I can’t believe I’m doing this? I would’ve been scared to fight in an army, but now I have to. We cannot let them kill our family. I have no more family members that I can rely on, except this loving one.

I fought with all my strength, and skills that Blaze taught me. I don’t know how to use my dark magic yet, so I have to solely rely on brute force.
It’s been doing me good. I’ve done pretty well for my first time on an actual war. I’m proud of myself.

I kept up with my fights, but I couldn’t help but feel someone hiding behind some trees. I looked up and scanned the area.
I saw him. It’s a hired gun, and he’s aiming a dart gun! I’m not too sure if he saw me? All I know is that he fired the dart, and missed me on purpose.

“Blaze!” I heard Rose yell.

What? I turned to see what happened. Blaze has fallen to his knees, and has a dart in his hand which he had pulled from his neck. That hired gun will pay! I rushed to him, and before he could aim a dart at me, I smacked his head in. Blood gushed from his injury, but he fell over dead. I searched the hired gun, but I found no cure. This can’t be happening!

Chapter 26

I r
an to where Blaze is, and looked at the dart. The dart not only had been tipped with poison, but is programmed to inject more when fired. The dart is still oozing the poison from its tip as Blaze let it fall to the ground. “I killed the man that fired it at you, but he didn’t carry a cure,” I said to him.

“Starr, get him to the fortress. Let Lord Erebus know. He m
ight know what to do?” Rose said, swinging her hammer at the warlock’s magic barrier.

I helped Blaze up, and walked him away from the battle. It was a long walk, but we made it. Lord Erebus is at the gates, waiting w
ith other vampires at his side. “What happened?” Lord Erebus asked.

“I let my guard down…and got poisoned,” Blaze said, weak.

“Lord Obsidian, I can’t do anything for you. All my skills and abilities are set for damage, not curing. I’m sorry,” Lord Erebus said, sadden.

“We have to get the poison out! If we can do that, he’ll be okay!” I said, desperate.

Lord Erebus thought for a moment. “I think I have an idea, but it can be fatal,” Lord Erebus said, sighing.

“What is it?” I asked.

He explained it to us in a low voice so no one else could hear. I was horrified on what he told me, but if that’s the only way to get Blaze cured, so be it. I took Blaze inside the fortress and into his bedroom. I made him lie down, and to take off his upper armor to help lower the fever. “I’ll be right back. I have to go get some buckets,” I said, closing the door behind me.

I went to the back of the fortress where the garden was. I searched and grabbed two gallon buckets. I took them inside to Blaze’s room. I set them down and said, “Are you ready to do this? Are you sure you want me to do it?” I asked him.

“Yes, just do it. I’d rather have you bite me than anyone,” he said, closing his eyes. He’s never been bitten. He doesn’t allow anyone to bite him. This is an honor, and I should feel special, but at the moment, I’m worried.

“Okay, I’m nervous. I’ve never bitten anyone before. I’ve always drank from a glass. What if I do it wrong?” I said, unsure.
All the vampires here drink from a glass, and not from people. Unless you’re married, than you can use each other. Or if you trust someone you can ask them for blood. I don’t know where they get the blood that we drink from the glasses, but I don’t want to ask, or know.

“
You won’t. It’s a natural instinct. Believe me, you can do it. Now hurry before the poison spreads any farther,” he said, trying to relax his body.

I sighed, and neared his neck. My breathing became rapid, and I felt the urge of biting. He’s right. I can do this! I bit him, and began sucking his blood, but I didn’t drink it. Instead, I have to spit out his blood into the buckets. If I drink the blood, I’ll be poisoned as well.
The process took a while, but I filled one bucket full, and a little bit of the other. I neared him, and allowed him to bit me. Now that all the toxic blood is out of his veins, he needs the energy so his body will recuperate new blood. I took the buckets, and flushed the blood down the toilet. I rinsed them out in the sink, and let them dry in the bathtub for now. 

“Blaze, try to stay up for
a couple of hours, and then you can rest up,” I said.

“Normally a human would be going into shock, but I’m a lord vampire, so I have a stronger body.
Watch over me just in case. If that happens, chances are high that my organs will fail,” he said.

“I understand. That is why Lord Erebus said that it will be fatal. He said it to us in a whisper so that no one would hear, and worry about you. I bet everyone would panic if they knew that you are in this situation,” I said.

Blaze and I kept talking so it’ll help him stay up. I didn’t want him to fall asleep after the majority of his blood was taken out. At least a few hours of staying awake will help his body recover some of his blood. “I shouldn’t have gotten shot. I can’t believe that I didn’t notice the dart flying right at me? I failed. I’m not worth being a king vampire, and the future vampire king. Not after this. Look at me,” he said, feeling depressed. “I’ll have to make it up once I get better. That’s the only way I’ll feel worthy again.”

Blaze closed his
eyes and drifted off to sleep.