Bring On The Night (11 page)

A guttural scream erupted from inside the warehouse. They snapped their heads around at the same time, as if expecting someone, or some
thing
, to fly out of the open door. Nothing did.

Watanabe pumped the shotgun and held it at the ready.

Jessie winked at Brandon. “We don’t need no stinkin’ plan.”

Brandon winked back. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”

They ran for the door.

* * * *

The place used to be a meat packing plant. Jessie’s vampiric eyesight picked out hooks still hanging from the ceiling, broken work tables, crumbling pillars and what looked like freezers against one wall, graffiti glowing from nearly every surface. The scent of slaughtered cattle was long gone but she got a big whiff of the dead bodies almost directly in front of them. “Got a light, Brandy?”

After a long moment, a beam of light gave the answer. Brandon came to her side. “I forgot which pocket I put it in. Had to hunt for it.” He gestured with the light. “Is that a dead body?”

The beam pointed at a dark mass hanging from one of the old meat hooks. “Yeah.” Jessie walked toward it. Her boots made a nasty
squicking
sound with every step as she traversed the bloody floor. “So is this.” Past the corpse hanging on the hook, another corpse lay on the floor—parts of it, at any rate. She knelt to give it a cursory examination before returning to Brandon’s side. “I’m guessing the one on the floor is Nico. The other one’s fresh.”

“I can tell.” Even his voice sounded like an unpleasant shade of green. She hoped he didn’t add to the funk by getting sick. “Think he’s the screamer?” He backed away slowly.

Jessie continued to survey the room. “I don’t think so. Dude didn’t have time to scream.”

“What got who?”

“Vamps got the guy on the hook, and weren’t too neat about it. There’s blood frakking everywhere. The wolves got Nico. That’s why there’s...” She cocked her head to listen.

Brandon didn’t notice. He was waving the flashlight all over the room. “Pieces?” he finished for her.

She pivoted toward the back of the room. “Come on, I smell Haywood.”

“That’s just all kinds of disturbing.” He ran after her, the beam of the flashlight bobbing crazy patterns in the dark.

She found a stairwell leading to a floor of offices. Haywood slumped in a doorway, his shotgun broken in two pieces on the floor nearby. Jessie skidded to a halt and dropped to the ground, her hands searching for a pulse and wounds. Brandon caught up and shined the light on Haywood’s face. His eyes were closed.

“Is he dead?” Brandon whispered.

“No, you dumbass.” Haywood opened his eyes and glared at them. “But I damn sure need a doctor.”

“Can you walk?” Jessie asked.

He nodded. They helped him to his feet. “Brandy, help him get out. Make sure Watanabe knows he needs to get to an emergency room.”

Brandon nodded. Haywood stammered in a voice full of pain, “I got one, a vamp. His buddy’s around here somewhere. She ran off when I staked her pal.”

“Where’s William?”

“Headed up the hallway, last time I saw him.”

Her eyes met Brandon’s in the near-dark. “Go.”

She started up the hall. With a glance back to make sure they were moving she saw Brandon transfer the Super Soaker to his right hand and use his left side to support Haywood. They began to hobble out. Jessie ran.

* * * *

The shuriken caught in the werewolf’s skull, steel points sinking into flesh like teeth. Kirkbride gave the bat a vicious yank, tearing skin and cartilage and leaving the wolf with only one eye as it tried to lurch away, its legs collapsing under it. It was the one already injured from their first encounter and the creature seemed to have little fight left in it. Kirkbride felt no mercy for it and crashed the bat into the werewolf’s head once more. It slumped, part of its wolf body transforming back into human. The creature gave one last wracking shudder and died, its form caught between man and wolf.

Kirkbride stood there for a moment, breathing hard, the adrenaline dump making him feel slightly sick.

“That’s another one of my children you’ve killed,” Margot announced herself. “You know I’ll make you pay for it.”

He turned to find Margot standing in the doorway, her face twisted with hate. “Let’s do this,” he replied, calm.

A hint of a smile lightened her face. He expected her to attack him, readied himself for it. Instead she sprinted up the hall. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before following.

* * * *

The female vampire dropped on top of Brandon and Haywood from above. They fell down the last few stairs, Haywood crying out in pain. Brandon found himself face down on the floor. “Where is it? Where is it?” he screamed.

Haywood pulled himself upright and crawled to lean against the wall. He struggled to answer. “Don’t know. You still got the flashlight?”

Brandon felt around for it on his hands and knees, finding it after a moment. “Right here.” He sat on his haunches, searching for the “on” button. The beam of light erupted forward, shining on the vampire standing over him. He shouted incoherently and threw the flashlight at her, falling back on his butt and scooting away. Part of his brain registered Haywood yelling but he couldn’t make out the words over the rushing in his ears. He kept his eyes on the vamp as she caught the light, giving him a nice, well-lit target in the dark. He aimed the Super Soaker at her, giving it to her full force. The blast of holy water hit her chest and face, burning and sizzling like acid. Wailing and shrieking, eyesight destroyed in the melted remains of her face, she was completely unaware of Brandon’s proximity until he plunged a stake into her heart. Brandon stepped back as she dissolved into smoke, plucking the flashlight from her hand before it hit the floor. He swung around to shine the light at Haywood. “You say something?”

Haywood gaped at him. “Nah.” He shook his head.

Brandon helped him up. They continued on their way to the door.

* * * *

Jessie saw a flash of movement as she turned a corner. A shattered window led to a fire escape, rain blowing in and soaking the hallway. She stepped out on to the fire escape, finding nothing there, or in the alley below. The rain lashed her face, turning her hair into a heavy curtain and her clothes into a second skin. Clouds rolled through the night sky as if being chased, first hiding then revealing the nearly full moon. Jessie looked up at its silvery light and swore quietly, viciously. “Should have come alone,” she whispered to herself.

“What would be the fun in that?” Draven slipped out of the shadows. “I mean, yeah, killing you is gonna be all kinds of fun, but it’s almost a shame you won’t be around to see what your new friends are like after... Well,
after
.” He finished with an ugly smile, fangs showing.

“You know I won’t let that happen,” she told him.

He chuckled, the sound harsh and flat. “It’s already happening. One of them is half dead already. You think that
boy
can defend himself against the likes of us? Don’t make me laugh. Oh, and the good reverend... Margot’s got special plans for him. He won’t be an official member of the family until tomorrow night, though.”

Jessie took a step closer to him. “You seem really pleased with yourself, but are you sure you want William in the family? That could get, you know, complicated.”
Haywood’s hurt, but hardly half dead. Does he know, or does he just hope I don’t know it?

Draven looked confused then annoyed. “What do you mean, complicated?”

Jessie gave him a sweet smile. “I noticed Margot hasn’t made any girl werewolves. Now she wants to bring another man into the family. William’s a minister, true, but he’s also a big, hot, sexy guy. So, tell me, Ethelder, are things not as they seem, or is your honey a faithless whore?”

Draven snarled, launching himself at her too fast to give her time to step out of the way. He slammed into her and they crashed through the fire escape railing as if it were made of paper, tumbling through the air to the alley below. Draven hit the ground first, breaking her fall. The impact rattled her bones, snapping her teeth together. One fang sliced into her tongue. She rolled away from him, spitting blood. Lying on her back, she used her hands and feet to flip herself up to a standing position.

He hopped up, wiping at a line of blood at his hairline. “It’s been a while since I had a good back alley brawl. This should be fun.”

Jessie threw the first punch, her fist connecting with his jaw with a satisfying
thwack
. “I can’t disagree.”

* * * *

Kirkbride followed Margot to the roof. He stepped into the pouring rain, holding the bat ready, scanning for signs of her.

“Did it hurt you, when they drank your boy dry?”

He swung around, searching for her.

“My pack is nearly destroyed. Don’t you think that hurts me?”

“Where are you?” He marched across the roof to a line of crumbling chimneys.

“Don’t you think it hurts to see my children killed?” She was screaming now. “Don’t you think I’ll make you pay for it?”

“So come out and fight me instead of running your mouth!” he yelled. The rain started coming down harder, making it even more difficult for him to see. He went behind the line of chimneys, not sure if he saw movement around one of them or just rain.

“I wanted to kill you. I wanted to rip you apart and make a meal of your entrails.” She spat the words at him. He tried to pinpoint her location, the rain making it impossible. “But then I had a better idea.”

“You decided to talk me to death?” He circled around the chimneys, pausing to wipe rain from his eyes. “I’ll win a talk-a-thon, you know. I can quote the Bible at you all night long.”

“More like you’ll be begging and screaming.”

“And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid, and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.” He made his way to the north side of the roof, squinting into the dark for signs of her.

“I can be a harsh mother to my children, but only because they need it.”

“The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer. When he meeteth him, he shall slay him.” A quick jog to the east, and still nothing.

“You’ll learn to follow my rules, like the others.”

Where the frak is she
. “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.” The south side of the roof. Below he saw Jessie through the sheets of rain, beating on somebody he hoped was Draven.

“Until then, I’ll give you all the correction you need.” Margot sprang up from the fire escape. She presented a breathtaking sight, wind tangling her dark hair, rain sluicing down her naked body. Kirkbride wondered briefly if she’d been beautiful once, before becoming a werewolf. Now, the word bestial seemed to apply far better than beautiful.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to refuse to receive correction from you.” He swung the bat, aiming at her head like it was a fastball coming in right over the plate.

Fast
didn’t begin to cover it. Her body shimmered and melted into its wolf form. She vaulted into him hard, knocking him down and taking his breath away. She stood over him, her powerful legs holding him down. He looked into her blank eyes and tasted fear in the back of his throat.

* * * *

Jessie tossed Draven against the side of a dumpster, enjoying the way he bounced off it. “I thought about killing you a minute ago, when you were down on all fours spitting blood, but this is the most fun I’ve had all week.” With a sweeping kick she sent him to his knees again, another kick snapped his head around.

He swore loudly, staying on the ground. “Why do you do this? Take their side?” He rubbed his arm across his mouth and nose to clear away some of the blood. “You like killing your own kind?”

“No,” she said. “I don’t, but there are rules.”

Draven laughed. “Rules? Monsters don’t have rules.” He came to his feet smoothly. “We’re creatures of the night. We don’t. Have. Rules.” He took a swing, his fist lighting up the side of her head and sending her rocking back on her heels. “I won’t keep my fangs in a box for anybody, even the king.” Another blow, this time to the other side of her head.

She shook it off. “The king—”

“Can be replaced.” He gave her a chilling smile. “And wouldn’t that be something? To have a real vampire at the Court of Monsters, instead of a pathetic loser who misses being human.”

More than his smile chilled her. A different king, one who let monsters like Draven run free and do as they please. She couldn’t fathom how much damage that would do, didn’t want to fathom it. “A couple of punks like you and Fido don’t have a chance in hell of overthrowing the king.”

He lunged, grabbing her by the shoulders and hauling her to him. Their lips were nearly close enough for a kiss. “What makes you think it’s just the two of us who feel this way? I bet we could find ourselves a whole bunch of monsters ready to take back the night.”

She slammed her knee into his crotch and shoved him back against the dumpster. He laughed, a mad, rolling sound like marbles clicking together. She reached for the stake in her jacket as he launched a kick, his boot connecting with her shoulder. It sent her to the ground with a scream.

More laughter as he grabbed her hair, pulling her halfway to her feet. “I really think—”

The stake plunging into his heart cut off his words. In the brief moment he had left before dissolving into smoke, he looked like a naughty child surprised at getting caught.

Jessie whispered, “I don’t care what you think.”

The stake clattered to the ground and she went down hard on her knees as Draven melted into nothing. She tilted her face up to the rain, wishing it could wash this away. Knowing he had it coming didn’t make it any easier, though.

A furious howl cut threw her thoughts. She jumped to her feet in time to be knocked down again as the wolf slammed into her. They grappled and fought, fists and claws and fangs. Blood dripped from the wolf’s muzzle into Jessie’s eyes. She didn’t give herself time to think about whose blood it might be. Hauling herself to the alley wall, she struggled for purchase, hands reaching for anything to grab onto as the wolf snapped at her head. Its teeth grazed her cheek and Jessie smelled William in the thing’s breath.