“I will deal with those once I’ve fed.” Afana bent his head again and opened his mouth to sink his fangs into Tommy’s neck.
“NO!” everyone yelled.
Ryder had seen what Afana had done to men when he drank their bodies dry of blood. Afana’s drop hole was open. Ryder glanced down, but she couldn’t make out if the other levels’ doors were open. She had a feeling they were.
General Murray quickly leaned forward. “Afana, don’t.” He looked at Afana with something approaching panic.
Afana glared at him with glowing red eyes.
Murray shrugged. “He may be infected. I’ve never seen this kid. I think he’s with them. He’s an outsider.”
“He is an outsider,” Afana agreed. He looked at Tommy with disgust. “And I am already infected.”
Everyone gasped. Afana was terrifying as a vampire monster. The thought of him turning Mad was unconceivable.
Afana looked at everyone with disgust. “Soon I won’t be.” He tightened his grip on Tommy.
General Murray gulped. He realized that once Afana’s teeth sank into his neck, the boy would also have the Madness. “Has he been tested? Does he have the Madness?” General Murray asked Advisor Robert.
Advisor Robert shook his head, and General Murray looked at him like he was crazy. “Are you trying to infect our Immortal Leader?” General Murray barked.
Afana shot a killer look at Advisor Robert, and General Murray stepped closer to the vampire. “I was tested, and I’m clear of the Mad. All I ask is that you don’t kill me.” He tilted his head, revealing his neck for Afana to bite down on.
Everyone on the level was in shock. General Murray was offering himself to Afana to make him stronger and rid him of the Madness.
Afana knew that General Murray had the blood he needed, and he’d been waiting so long for him to come back. He wasn’t sure he’d able to stop feeding on him and wasn’t sure he wanted to. No one had ever made a request like this, but the general would be able to get the bunker back in order, and he wouldn’t have to.
Afana edged forward, already tasting the liquid life flowing into his veins to make him stronger.
Afana released his grip on Tommy, and the lad ran over to Carter. Afana tried to stop him, but the boy was too quick. “I’ll snack on him later,” he growled. “And then the rest of you.” Afana moved over to bite down on General Murray’s neck.
Ryder slowly raised her arrow, since Afana only had eyes for General Murray. Afana’s mouth was open wide, then he froze, and the sharp end of a blade was in his mouth.
Murray had stabbed Afana under the chin and pinned the vampire’s tongue to the roof of his mouth. He pushed Afana away from him, revealing the handle on the blade under his chin. It was Willard’s knife.
Murray had stolen one of the knives Willard had given Ryder. He must have taken it when he held Ryder back.
Ryder quickly raised the arrow, and she didn’t need to ask Carter. He lit the flint. Ryder placed the end of the arrow over the flint, and her arrow was on fire.
Afana pulled the knife out of his mouth. It was covered in blood, and he was ready to kill Murray. He hadn’t double-crossed them at all. Rather, he’d saved Tommy’s life and given Ryder a clear shot.
Ryder let out her breath and let the arrow fly. Flames raged from the arrow as it headed straight for Afana. The arrow flew quicker than Afana could move, and it lodged over his heart.
Afana’s eyes bulged as he worked out what had happened. He staggered backward, but he wasn’t dead. The arrow had broken through his hard skin but had not pierced his heart.
Afana growled at them, and his arms windmilled as he lost his balance. Afana grabbed Murray as he staggered, and the general tried to get out of Afana’s grip.
Ryder ran over to him, along with the others.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Murray stopped fighting Afana. Instead, he grabbed the vampire in a bearhug and toppled them both into the drop hole.
Ryder watched as Afana’s body thrashed as he tried to grip the edges of the hole to halt his fall. Murray kept his hold on Afana and ensured that he couldn’t catch the edge of a hole on the way down.
“I forgive you,” Ryder yelled down to Murray.
Everyone else looked down silently as the two men plummeted down and crash-landed on Level Five with a thud. Screams of horror came from Level Five, since they hadn’t been expecting them.
Murray’s lifeless body lay on top of Afana’s. The force of the impact with Afana’s body had killed him instantly.
Ryder waited to see if there was any movement, but there was nothing. They were free.
Massimo… Leandro! Ryder stared at the keypad, but she didn’t know the code.
“What’s the code?” Ryder asked Advisor Robert.
“684532.” Advisor Robert told her without any additional persuasion. He knew who was in charge now.
Ryder typed the code in, and the door unlocked.
Massimo and Fluffy walked through the door, “I nearly had him,” Massimo complained, shaking his head in disappointment.
Ryder smiled. “We’ve got him now.” She stroked Fluffy when he came to stand beside her.
They all looked down through the hole. The women from Level Six stood around the bodies.
Then Murray moved. He’d survived the fall? How? Murray’s body was rolled to the side. He wasn’t alive, Afana was. Oh, shit! They were all the way up on Level One, and he was on Level Five.
Ryder started for the stairs, but Carter stopped her. “They’ve got it. Look.” Ryder looked back down the drop hole, and Carter was right. They did have it. The pole-welding women were beating the last bit of life out of Afana. It was their turn to get the revenge for the stolen years of their lives.
Ryder let out a sigh of relief when there
