With one hit, Alex heard a crunch and splatter as her foot struck its jaw. The grip on her slackened instantly and the vampire fell back, not moving. Alex scrambled to her feet and ran towards the car, something warm splashing against her leg as she went. Michelle was reloading a clip, the woman inside was frozen with fear in the back seat with her infant.
“Is the baby ok?” Alex yelled into the back window.
“I…I think so…”
Alex pivoted as the barest of oncoming shapes came in to her visual range. “Alex, we’ve gotta get out of here. Get in the car.”
“Can’t. This is leaking fuel. I stepped in some.”
“Ours then!”
“We have to move now. I’ve only got four bullets left.”
Two now, as Michelle fired into the night. Alex opened the door and held her hands out for the baby. “Here!”
The baby’s screaming only made the vampires hurry, keen for young, fresh blood. The mother launched herself out of the car and joined Alex who returned her child to her.
“Thank you!” the mother said through terrified tears.
“Go! Get in.”
Michelle bolted forward, firing behind her as she reached Alex. The shot ignited the fuel on the ground and the car itself exploded, destroying the two lead vampires that had chased them. Yet in the seconds when the area around them was illuminated with orange and red before it descended back to darkness, Michelle saw the same as Alex. Vampires. Just as feral. They were surrounded.
Alex stood staring. Not at the horde of vampires around them. But at the flames. Something about them seemed familiar. A strange sensation of warmth welled inside but not from them.
There was no time to scream. Not even time to panic. Michelle gripped Alex just as tightly as she gripped her and ran as hard as they could to their measly hope of salvation. The SUV with a smashed back left-hand side.
Michelle gunned the car into gear and floored it, leaving the wreckage behind but not the danger. They felt the car sporadically bump and heard the screeching caused by claw slashes as they raced along. The vampires were right on their heels.
*
“Dammit! It’s the sky…” Michelle said, shifting gears just as the car wobbled from a strike. “It’s done something to them, or they haven’t got as good a food source. We can’t do this forever.”
Michelle looked to see Alex looking straight ahead as if nothing had been said. It was only after Michelle said her name that Alex turned, slowly exposing her face and her eyes to Michelle. Eyes that flashed a brilliant glowing gold. “Keep going…” Alex said in a voice that sounded like hers, but with a sheen of power to the tone, as if she were speaking into the grate of a fan on full blast. Michelle was struck dumb before another shudder of the car caused her to check the rear-view mirror. The car was heading a pair of fire trails, racing after them. For a moment, Michelle imagined this car too was leaking fuel but she looked back and the flames were not directly behind the vehicle. They were to the side of it. Vampires were crumbling under the flames, their screams almost as loud as the engine.
Alex slapped her hand on the dashboard and held it there as the flames behind them skewed off and past the back end of the car, reaching the side of Michelle’s door. It formed a shield around them.
Not having seen Alex’s eyes, having no idea what was going on, the woman in the back screamed at the sight of the flames.
“Keep your head down! This is going to get rough!” Michelle yelled.
She did as she was told, covering her baby as well. Finally, the flames lowered and died down. And all the world around them returned to pitch black.
“It’s ok! We’re ok…” Michelle called to the back, lowering her speed and then her voice. “We are ok…right?”
Alex’s eyes had returned to normal and looked at her hands. “I don’t know…”
“You’re doing this, aren’t you?” Michelle asked softly.
“I…I think so…”
Though Alex, like Michelle it seemed, wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Desperation
Nick felt his feet dragged across a tiled floor, the ripples on the toes of his shoe roused him. He was being held by the back of his neck alone, dragged by Nightingale and then flung forward to the ground.
“What is this?” a familiar voice asked. Nick opened his eyes to find Dante Delavega staring down at him from a desk. Nightingale spread his arms wide. “I’ve come to collect the bounty.”
“You?” Dante asked, looking down yet again at Nick. “So you are still alive.”
“Yep and perfect…” Lee flipped him over to his stomach with a foot. “Meh. Semi perfect health. So….got my money?”
“Why isn’t he healing?” Dante asked.
“Who gives a shit?”
“Do you know what he is? An Alpha wolf could never be disposed of so easily. How do I know this is really him?”
Nightingale pressed his hands to his chest, pretending to act shocked. “You would doubt my veracity, sir?”
“There are plenty of things I doubt about you, Nightingale. Veracity is one.”
“Well…I never.”
“Would you believe just your word?”
Nightingale clicked his fingers. “Fair point that.” He lifted Nick to a semi standing position. “C’mon Fido. Speak up now or no one will ever hold your piece.”
Nick coughed and spat blood on the floor as he tried to speak, “Dante…”
Nick spotted something that Nightingale missed. A look of disappointment on Dante’s face. Why? Nick had no idea, but he couldn’t worry about that. “Dante please…let me go. I have to get out of here.”
“You’re not exactly in a position to make demands, Nicholas. Or requests. As you can
