Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder (Book 1) (29 page)

“Steady!” he heard himself croak
and he gripped Sandra Harrington’s hand tighter. His legs felt less
than steady as the creatures thundered closer.

“Steady!” he called again and
then, just as the creatures came in line with a mark on the wall,
his arm flashed down.

“Now!” he shouted.

Chapter 29

Rodgers heard Harris shout and
swung his axe against the tail end of the rope held taut to a metal
clasp in the wall. The rope was thick and tied securely to ensure
it could hold the enormous weight of their last surprise. The rope
snaked up the wall, held in place with tacks, until it reached a
metal ring set into the ceiling. Attached to this was a hook that
held a very large wooden frame in place, flush with the ceiling.
The frame stretched across the entire corridor and, before it had
been tied in position, had reached down to about three inches from
the ground.

The frame had multiple spikes
carved into the wood and their points were wickedly sharp. This
gambit had worked well in the forest and Rodgers hoped to God that
it would stop the three creatures advancing on them now. Fear rose
like bile in his throat and he hacked repeatedly at the rope. Sweat
seeped into his eyes. He missed a few times and took chunks out of
the wall beside him.

Sweat rolled down Harris” back
as he watched the creatures get closer. His eyes moved frantically
between Rodgers and the creatures like some demented tennis match,
and he willed the rope to break. The lead creature, some form of
Minotaur, had the longest legs of the three. It cleared the smoke,
seemed to notice Rodgers, and stopped suddenly. The other two
quickly caught up.

The creature known as Pollock
thundered down the corridor in triumph. The energy it had exerted
from destroying the door and retaining its form had worked up an
appetite that gnawed at him. The hunger, like a physical pain deep
in his stomach, was to be savoured; its massive jaws dripped saliva
as he anticipated the slaughter to come.

Pollock looked down at the
humans crouched in fear behind a pitiful barricade and laughed at
their stupidity. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a human to the
side of the others frantically strike the wall and he slowed, well
aware of how tricky these humans could be.

Fear engulfed Harris when he
watched the creature trace the line of rope and then register a
change on his face. Harris couldn’t read the features, but he
reckoned that the creature had worked out what was about to happen.
The creature turned to shout a warning, but in the same moment the
rope finally separated and Harris heard a whoop of delight from
Rodgers.

Freed of the rope, the hook slid
easily from the clasp in the ceiling and the frame began its
downward descent.

The other vampires held back to
allow the three lieutenants the first blood. The air was charged
with the expectant carnage that was sure to follow. Nero watched
his lieutenants approach the barricade.

Finally, this annoying
resistance comes to an end, he thought. His eyes glowed with
anticipation. The rest of his brood waited impatiently at the
entrance, like puppies straining against a lead. Nero held them
back with a glowering look; he wanted to savour this victory. The
vampires were impatient, but held their positions reluctantly, each
one raising their heads and sniffing the air. The stench of fear
was rank in the enclosed area and Nero knew that even his iron will
could not hold them once the carnage began and the blood scent
reached them. At that stage, though, there would be plenty for
all.

Narcissus saw Pollock slow and
then stop. His eyes flickered in every direction to discover why he
hesitated with such a feast so close before him. He knew there must
be good reason and so slowed his own advance. At the same time that
Pollock turned to start back toward him, he watched the frame swing
down from the ceiling and impale the vampire.

The frame slammed into Pollock
with such force that his body was picked up and lifted high as the
frame completed its swing. One of the spikes ripped through
Pollock’s neck muscle, and bright blood pumped outward in great
gushes. Narcissus barely had time to react before the frame
continued its arc, ripped into his flesh and shattered bone. He
felt spikes tear into his shoulder and his left arm went numb as
the sheer force of the blow crushed muscle and cartilage. The
second spike nicked his upper thigh and, rather than penetrating
the flesh, it tore a ragged, deep furrow along his leg.

The third and final spike tore
through his middle, destroying his spleen, colon and stomach on its
way. The pain was excruciating and, though he knew he could survive
such damage, the wounds would never truly heal.

At the same time the frame
ground to a jarring halt and slammed into Thiebes. Narcissus
screamed when the weight of Thiebes slammed into him and dragged
against his own body. He fell to the floor and his wounds tore
further when he slipped down the frame. Narcissus looked over
Pollock, but the creature wasn’t moving.

He heard Thiebes bellow with
anger as he pulled himself from the spikes and gripped his leg
where a nasty wound bled copiously. Narcissus knew that all three
of them would be dead if Pollock had not seen the trap at the last
minute. Slowly he began to pull himself from the frame and slumped
to the ground, panting. The pain was so intense that it distracted
him. The change come upon him and his ruined body slipped back to
human form. Agony tore through him, but he savoured it, knowing he
would use the pain to focus. He would allow himself just enough
time to heal and then he would enjoy repaying the humans for their
trickery.

Nero’s grin of triumph slowly
melted when he saw the frame drop from the ceiling and slam into
his lieutenants. The sheer speed of the trap took him completely by
surprise and caused him momentarily to lose control over the other
vampires. The heavy, sweet scent of blood filled the enclosed area
and sent the other vampires into frenzy. The sudden relaxing of his
control allowed the pack to swarm uncontrollably into the charnel
zone.

The scent of blood was so strong
that it intoxicated those relatively new vampires that had never
experienced a massacre on this scale. They immediately attacked the
source of the precious liquid and pounced on the wounded
lieutenants, ripping into their torn bodies with wild abandon.
Teeth tore into any exposed area and fresh blood gushed into eager
throats and splattered everywhere.

Thiebes grabbed two of the
attacking vampires, gripping their heads in his massive hands, and
tore them from him before he slammed them both against the wall.
Their heads were smashed to pulp against the hard surface, and
their bodies dropped limply to the floor while Thiebes reached for
two more of the frenzied creatures.

Narcissus lay on the ground.
Three Vampires descended on him and plunged their teeth into him
greedily. The recent excesses of holding his massive form together
and the subsequent shock to his system by the frame had obviously
left him weak. He didn’t even try to stop them as they literally
drained him.

Nero recovered from the shock
and screamed at them to stop, but his voice was lost in the general
melee of screams and growls coming from the corridor. He focused
his will and sent out a strong command through the mind link he
maintained with his clan. The mental command was so strong that it
was like a physical blow. The Vampires all stopped immediately,
stunned by the force and disorientated by the unexpected
communication.

Thiebes ignored the command,
picked up another vampire in his massive arms, and tore it in two.
Nero lost his temper and in a blur of motion he appeared beside his
lieutenant and reached out to stay his hand when he reached for
another.

“Take him down!” he shouted,
indicating Pollock. Three vampires rushed to the task. “You fools,”
he hissed. “They are the enemy,” his arm shot out and pointed at
the barricade and the humans behind it.

Harris was at a loss to explain
the carnage that erupted after the frame had come down, but was
delighted to see the Vampires fighting amongst themselves. One of
the older creatures was definitely dead. The other two were
injured, although how badly he couldn’t tell. At least twenty other
Vampires were left, including Nero.

“Damn!” Harris muttered when he
saw the creatures stop their infighting and turn their attention on
the humans. One of the larger creatures, the one covered in a dark
red, almost claret, sticky substance, leaned back on its massive
arms and kicked at the frame. He shattered it with one kick. Harris
ducked down as splinters and shards of wood flew at the barricade
and ricocheted off the metal in a dangerous hail. Some people
grunted as wood cut flesh and ripped into muscle. Harris glanced up
and down the line to ascertain the damage and saw numerous people
holding limbs, but no serious injuries. He sighed with relief and
then saw the hoard advance.

“Heads up people!” he shouted.
“Here they come!”

The Vampires descended on the
barricade in a swarm, snarling and growling their hatred. The sheer
speed and ferocity of their attack took many of the humans by
surprise; some of them actually dropped their weapons and backed
away from the barrier. The remaining humans frantically tried to
stretch their numbers further along the line to make up for the
gaps. Harris could see their fear. They shifted their gaze from him
to the approaching creatures and back again, waiting for the
signal.

The creatures moved unbelievably
quickly and crossed the distance in no time. They were nearly on
top of the barricade. Guns started to slip in palms slick with
sweat. Still, Harris stood with his hand raised. It wasn’t until
the first slavering creature actually touched the far edge of the
barrier that Harris dropped his arm and the humans finally let
loose a devastating hail of fire on the creatures.

The first volley of fire slammed
into them like a wall and stopped them dead in their tracks. The
lead Vampires laughed when the bullets hit them, but then
uncertainty replaced their original confidence. Pain registered on
their faces, a hot searing pain that remained long after it should
have. The bullets continued to fly and the enclosed corridor stank
with cordite. The force of the bullets pushed the Vampires back and
their bodies jerked spasmodically with each impact.

The five leading vampires took
the brunt of the barrage and their bodies were riddled with
bleeding holes. The humans who had initially dropped their weapons
could now see that the vampires were being forced back. Encouraged,
they began to filter back, pick up their weapons and add to the
carnage.

“Hold your fire!” Harris
screamed until he was hoarse when he saw the vampires fall back.
Sporadic fire continued for a few more minutes and some people,
deafened by the noise, had to be shaken by their colleagues to
bring them back to reality.

The silence in the corridor was
eerie and the smoke from the gunfire only added to the gothic
atmosphere.

“Did the bullets work?”

Harris” ears were still ringing
from the noise. He barely heard Sandra Harrington’s question.

“I don’t know!” he shouted his
reply. “We pumped so many rounds into them that even normal bullets
would have driven them back. We’ll have to see if they heal.”

Nero fumed while he looked down
at the creatures that had led the charge. “What’s wrong with them?”
he bellowed. “Why don’t they heal?” His voice had a touch of
desperation about it and the other creatures shifted uncomfortably
at this lack of confidence.

The creatures, six in all, were
horribly deformed. The sheer force of the bullets had torn flesh
from their bodies; bloody, oozing holes covered their torsos.
Normally these wounds would have already begun to heal, but the
flesh around the open wounds was still burning and the smell of
charred flesh was heavy in the air.

Two of the creatures were
already dead, agony frozen on their faces. The other four looked
dead. An occasional movement or groan was the only indication that
they were still conscious. Nero had never seen vampires so weak and
his mind was in turmoil.

This new development scared
him.

Vampires were immortal, created
to rule this pitiful planet and all its inhabitants. It was bad
enough that they had a weakness for wooden stakes and holy water,
but a smart vampire easily avoided these. Bullets, however, were a
different story completely. The sheer scope of the problem nearly
overwhelmed him and his indecision was having a negative effect on
the other vampires.

Nero straightened to his full
height. He had made his decision. These humans must be destroyed no
matter the cost. The alternative, if they survived, was
incomprehensible. This new weapon could see the tide turn for
humans. They might regain their dominant position on the earth and
that could not be allowed to happen.

“Thiebes!” he shouted,
confidence again oozing from his erect figure. “This new
development cannot be allowed to go any further. It must end here.
Do you understand what I am saying?” Nero looked straight at his
lieutenant as he spoke.

Thiebes nodded his
understanding, bent down to two of the dying vampires and lifted
them easily. He draped them over his shoulder, settled them in
position to cover his vital organs, and looked one final time as
his master. He nodded and then pounded back down the corridor
toward the barricade.

Harris felt the thump of the
approaching vampire long before he saw him. The massive figure
suddenly came into view and Harris blanched at its sheer size. He
had only caught glimpses of the ancient creatures before the frame
had slammed into them, and the distance had made them seem somehow
less impressive. This creature, however, was still thirty feet away
and already seemed to fill the entire corridor. He looked down the
line and could see the terror in his people’s faces. Each powerful
step that rumbled down the corridor caused everyone to cringe as
they watched in fascination as death itself approached.