Instead of Andrew being ripped to shreds, it was the duffle bag that was ripped to shreds instead. Andrew instantaneously tossed aside the bag and followed it with a round house kick. He caught their attacker in the back and the force of the blow sent them reeling towards the door. They hit the door with a loud thud and stumbled to their knees. Otto’s shirt front was drenched with blood as he rushed to get his gun. The Knight recovered quickly and with one final attack, ran Otto through with the blade. Andrew screamed out his anguish as Otto lurched forward when the blade was withdrawn. Otto stared expressionlessly at Andrew as he coughed up blood. The Knight of VanHelsing pushed Otto down to the floor with their boot. Andrew now faced them alone.
“Let’s make it fair,” Andrew bowed respectfully.
“Agreed,” she said. She tossed Andrew the sword.
Andrew looked over the blade he held in his hand. “I’ve never had much use for one of these,” Andrew lowered the blade.
“Then it will be over with soon,” she answered back.
Andrew immediately raised his blade to counter her first strike. She parlayed the blade to the right, but Andrew blocked it again. With each strike Andrew countered with his own move. They circled each other as the sound of clashing metal resounded throughout the baggage car. Andrew went on the attack with blade strikes and kick combinations driving her up against the luggage netting. She tried to counter, but with every thrust of her sword Andrew blocked, with his own moves. In desperation, she brought her knee up and caught Andrew unexpectedly in the groin. He tumbled to the floor, writhing in agony. Seizing the opportunity, she raised her blade and rushed forward. She drove her sword downwards towards Andrew’s unprotected chest. At the same moment Andrew drove his sword upward driving it into her, just inches below the body armor she wore. The sword slipped out of her hand and to the floor. She stared in utter disbelief at the sword protruding from her belly.
“I never said I didn’t know how to use one,” Andrew said withdrawing the blade. She crumbled to the floor mortally wounded. Andrew rose to his feet and tossed the sword away. He grasped hold of her mask and tore it off. Andrew recognized her. She was the hotel desk clerk that had checked them into the hotel.
“They…they know you are coming,” She choked up blood and it ran down the corners of her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter,” Andrew replied unemotionally. “Now it’s personal.” Andrew bent down on one knee in front of her. “All I wanted to do was to bring Wyatt back to Bayport. The Knights of VanHelsing made it worse by bringing him to Germany.”
“You…you will surely die,” She shivered violently.
“What’s your name?” Andrew asked.
“Hannah,” she gasped with a whimper.
“It didn’t have to come to this Hannah,” Andrew grasped her by the shoulders. “I’m…” Andrew didn’t even have a chance to say he was sorry. Hannah’s face lost all expression and she went limp, and gently slipped from his grasp to the floor. She was dead. Andrew rose to his feet again. He knew that Hannah already had to be on the train waiting for them to arrive. She couldn’t have been in the passenger cars, because he would have seen her. So that meant that Hannah had booked a sleeping compartment. It was the only possible way for Hannah to change unnoticed. So Hannah’s sleeping compartment had to be close to the baggage car. Andrew retrieved Otto’s gun and extra clips. He rummaged through his shredded duffle bag for his passport and a few other things he needed. Andrew paused at the door and took one last look around. There was no sign of him being in the baggage car. Andrew opened the door and slipped out. He went to find Hannah’s compartment.
Andrew entered the sleeping car again. As he walked along, Andrew would pause at each door to listen. After several unsuccessful attempts, and when he was at the last door, Andrew heard someone about to exit the compartment.
The train was nearing the station in Zwickau and it was one of Gunter’s duties as a porter to check the baggage car. It wasn’t one of his most important or favorite duties, but nonetheless important.
Gunter had just exited the last sleeping car when he noticed that the lock on the door to the baggage car was damaged. He first called on his walkie talkie for assistance, opened the door and stepped inside.
The horrific site that greeted him caused Gunter to immediately exit for some fresh air.
“Hilfe!! Hilfe!” Gunter screamed into his walkie talkie. “Helfen Sie mir gleich jetzt!” Gunter felt sick and dropped to his knees. He vomited. Never had he seen, in all his years as Porter, such a terrible sight.
Unexpectedly, the train came to a metal grinding stop and it nearly caused Gunter to fall from the platform. Fortunately, he was able to grasp hold of the railing in time.
Gunter heard the sirens of the approaching police cars. He was greatly relieved, and knew that now everything would be alright.
Captain Brewster of the Zwickau police department boarded the train. His officers had already secured the passengers and crew. Minutes earlier, they had received an emergency call from the Conductor that one of his Porters had discovered the bloody bodies of a man and woman in the baggage car. Captain Brewster disliked the thought of those suspicious deaths occurring within his jurisdiction. There hadn’t been anything like this in Zwickau for quite some time.
Some of the passengers wore angry faces at being inconvenienced by the whole mess. Captain Brewster strode with an air of authority through the passenger cars. Others looked concerned or frightened from not knowing exactly what was going on. One woman in particular struck an odd chord with him by her nervous behavior. She was seated alone and kept staring back in the direction of the baggage car. Did she know something? Was she still waiting for someone? Captain Brewster signaled one of his officers to stand guard over her. He continued towards the baggage car.
A young man with short cropped blonde hair was sitting down on the platform drinking some water. Captain Brewster wasn’t much for small talk or pleasantries.
“Captain Yuri Brewster” Captain Brewster announced. “What happened here?”
“I was supposed to check the baggage car before arriving in Zwickau,” Gunter explained. “I saw that the lock was broken and went to investigate. And that’s when I saw the two people dead in the baggage car.”
“I’ll be right back,” Yuri informed him. He opened the door to the baggage car and stepped boldly inside.
Chapter 14
There were indeed two people dead on the floor of the baggage car. One was an older man, the other a young woman. There were two blood stained swords along with a shredded duffle bag.
Yuri knelt beside the woman first. She was dressed entirely in black from head to toe. Yuri opened the long black leather coat to reveal a leather belt with a crossbow clipped to it along with a scabbard full of arrows. There was also a leather sheath with a dagger still in it. Yuri patted her down and felt something underneath her blouse. He opened a few buttons to discover that she was wearing body armor, and had been stabbed just below where it ended. Yuri took his walkie talkie and ordered to have a crime scene team come to the baggage car. He rose to his feet and walked over to the man.
The man was dressed professionally in a suit and overcoat. Yuri knelt down and rolled the man to his side. He patted the man down and removed what appeared to be a leather wallet from the man’s overcoat pocket. But instead, when Captain Brewster opened it and inside there was a police badge. It identified him as Lieutenant Gunderson of the Berlin police department. This was the same Lieutenant Gunderson that had contacted him about the operation to go to Gothica and the Knights of VanHelsing. Captain Brewster glanced back at the woman. He realized now, that the way she was dressed, matched the description Lieutenant Gunderson had given him of a Knight of VanHelsing. Yuri also noticed that Lieutenant Gunderson’s service piece was missing. So he instantly surmised that a third person was involved in this whole mess. Captain Brewster spoke again into his walkie to secure all passengers, including the ones in the sleeping cars. Captain Brewster jumped up and exited the baggage car. He ordered Gunter to come with him.
Yuri and Gunter entered the sleeping car and had just started down the hallway when a man burst out of one of the sleeping compartments.
“That man tried to attack me!” he blurted out with the door open.
“Step aside,” Yuri ordered. He entered the sleeping compartment.
The man on the floor was unconscious and beside him was Lieutenant Gunderson’s missing gun. Yuri knelt
