Vampire Hunters

“Alright, it’s about time, everyone geared up and ready to go?” asked Wolf, as he put on his black leather jacket and picked up his sawed off shotgun. It had a wooden stake strapped to the top of the barrel that extended a foot past the barrel with a sharpened point.

“Hell yeah” said Kade, “lets do this.” He picked up his repeating crossbow, slapping a magazine of wooden stake bolts in the top, on his vest he had spare magazines stuffed in the pouches.

Yara just nodded as she was whipping her samurai sword around in a fluid motion ending with a two-handed slice at neck level behind her as she gracefully spun around.

“God willing,” said Orion, these undead monsters will rise no more,” as he was sliding vials of holy water into slots in the belt around his waist. He had a cross on a chain around his neck and he picked up a large two foot cross, sharp spiked points on the bottom and sides.

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Wolf pulled the van up to the curb and turned off the engine. “Now you’re sure they’re in there?”

“Yes, I’m sure” said Orion, “the girl I talked to, saw those monsters drag her father and brother inside. She’d heard that we might be able to help, so she came to me. She pleaded with me to save them.”

“Yeah right” said Kade, “that’s not gonna happen, they’re either dead or turned.” They all looked at each other with knowing glances, there was no coming back for her father and brother.

The building across the street was an abandoned movie theater, one of many abandoned buildings in this run-down part of town. Garbage was strewn in the streets and the few remaining inhabited buildings were either slums or abandoned buildings with squatters. A few homeless encampments were scattered about as well. A perfect hunting ground for a den of vampires.

“Alright, there’s two entrances” said Wolf, “one in front and one in the back, Kade and Yara, you two go in the back and me and Orion will take the front. It’s mid-day so hopefully they’re resting, but it’s dark in there, so be on your guard.”

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Kade and Yara crept around to the back of the movie theater. There was some stairs leading up to a service entrance. Kadetried the door handle. It was unlocked. He eased the door open, crossbow at the ready, and switched on his headlamp.

It was a storage area to the left of the movie screen, old film projectors, spare parts, boxes and stacks of movie posters scattered around, but nothing moving and no sign of their prey.

“Clear” said Kade, as he moved into the room, Yara close on his heels. They looked around the room for any signs of recent activity.

“You smell that” said Yara.

“Yeah,” the stench of rotting corpses filled Kade’s senses. “This is definitely the place.” Kade pointed to the door leading to behind the screen. Yara nodded and they both moved next to it. Kade pulled down on the handle.

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Wolf and Orion approached the front door of the theater. Everything was quiet as they opened the door, headlamps on, and went inside. They passed the box office entering the lobby, a concession stand on the far wall, doors on either side leading to the auditorium. Old torn and worn movie posters on the walls in broken display cases and debris strewn about the floor. No signs of vampires as they scanned the room with their headlamps.

“That one” said Wolf, as he motioned toward the door on the right leading to the auditorium. They quietly moved into position, Wolf in the lead. He slowly opened the door.

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Kade entered the back stage area, and there in a macabre pile behind the screen, were bones, rotted pieces of flesh and body parts all jumbled together. The rest of the area was clear with another door on the far side.

“It looks like they’ve been feeding on this neighborhood for a while” said Kade angrily as they examined the gruesome scene. A faint creaking sound came from the far side of the room.

“What was that” said Kade quietly, as he turned his headlamp on the far wall. The door which had been closed was now open.

“Look out” he yelled as he turned his headlamp on a hideous vampire, inch long nails and fangs, just behind Yarareaching for her. Kade loosed a crossbow bolt catching it in the side, throwing it back and pinning it to the wall. He fired a second bolt into it’s chest and through it’s heart. The vampire emitted a high-pitched wailing scream as it died.

Kade spun around as a second vampire closed on him with inhuman speed ripping at him with it’s razor sharp nails. The nails ripping through his vest, the crossbow almost torn from his grip, his next shot going wide, missing it’s target. The vampire grabbed Kade by the shoulders with an iron grip, nails digging into his flesh, and bent down toward his neck, jaws open and fangs dripping.

Kade somehow managed to jam the crossbow under it’s chin, and pulled the trigger. The bolt shot through the vampire’s jaw and exploded out the top of it’s skull, the top half of it disintegrating, brains and skull flying everywhere. The vampire released it’s grip and staggered back a few steps disoriented. Kade sent another bolt through it’s heart, and the vampire dropped lifeless to the ground.

Sensing something to his left, Kade turned to see a third vampire coming from the side. He raised his crossbow, just as Lara stepped between him and the vampire.

“I got this one” said Lara, as she swept her blade through the air in graceful arcs and curves as the vampire approached. Lara whipped the samurai sword in a final two-handed slash at neck level as she gracefully spun around and severed Cade’s head from his body. The crossbow dropped to the ground as Cade’s body collapsed, his head falling next to it, eyes wide in shock.

Lara walked up to the vampire. “I’ve delivered on my part of the bargain” said Lara, “now you fulfill yours.”

“As you wish” hissed the vampire. Lara tilted her neck and the vampire bit deeply with it’s fangs and started sucking her blood. Lara gasped, and she became light-headed and faint as her blood drained, her mind drifting, images from two weeks before, her doctor speaking, ‘stage four terminal cancer, you have only three months to live, I’m so sorry.’ She drifted off and she was now in the waiting room, the physician assistant speaking, ‘you don’t have to die, my master can give you eternal life.’ Her mind floated away again and she was in a dark alley, the vampire before her hissing, ‘the bargain is struck, you bring them to us and you shall have what you desire.’ She floated away again and then…. all went black.

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Wolf and Orion entered the auditorium and surveyed the room with their headlamps. Two isles, one on either side, and rows and rows of seats leading down to the stage and screen. A projection booth above them, and nooks and crannies everywhere. Curtains all along the walls as well.

Wolf motioned and they started down the right side isle checking all the rows, any nooks they came across and behind the curtains. They had worked their way about half way down.

‘Where are they?” asked Wolf. “This doesn’t make sense. Something’s wrong.”

‘Maybe they moved the den,” offered Orion, “but they were here. You can smell the remains of the unfortunate souls that were victims of this darkness.”

“Maybe” said Wolf reluctantly. They went past a few more rows when Wolf stopped. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Behind us and above, the projection booth.” They both turned focusing their headlamps on the projection booth. Four vampires in the booth leapt through the booth’s glass window and down to the theater floor. By the stage two more vampires emerged from a hidden alcove on the right and three more from left of the screen.

“An ambush” yelled Wolf, “they knew we were coming.”

“Prepare yourself” said Orion resolutely, “May god be with us.”

“That door to the right of the stage” Wolf directed.

They started moving down the isle toward the door. The two vampires in front of them were on them in an instant. The one on the left suddenly leapt at Wolf with blinding speed, coming within inches of Wolf’s face with it’s razor nails, a blast from Wolf’s shotgun throwing it back and over a row of seats.

The one on the left closed on Orion ready to strike when a flick of his wrist emptied a vial of holy water into the vampire’s face. It screeched in pain, continuing blindly forward as Orion flipped the large cross, bottom up at a forty five degree angle and anchored the top end with his foot. The vampire impaled itself up to cross section, right through the heart. Orion put his foot on the Vampire’s chest, and yanked the cross free from it’s lifeless body.

The vampire Wolf had blasted was up again, springing at him once again, sharp nails extended, fangs dripping. Wolf emptied a shotgun blast on it’s right knee, completely severing the leg below it. The vampire dropped to it’s knee, momentarily still, and Wolf thrust the wooden stake strapped to his shotgun through it’s heart. Wolf then pulled the stake free and they were on the move again.

They were at the door when two of the vampires from the projection booth were on them. Wolf turned but the vampire was quicker and with a sweep of it’s arm knocked him through the air hard into the side wall. Wolf slumped down momentarily dazed.

The other vampire reached out to grab Orion with it’s razor nails. Orion sensing it behind him, ducked down at the last second pivoting around on one foot and slammed the sharp spiked point on the left side of the cross through the vampire’s hip, shattering it’s pelvis and hip joint. The vampire went down in a heap, it’s legs unsupported and useless. Then pulling with all his might, he yanked it out and swung it around the other way burying the other spiked point into the second vampire’s stomach. The vampire reached out for him, but he kept it at arms length with the length of the cross between them.

Wolf got to his feet and emptied a shotgun blast into it’s face, then stabbed the vampire through the heart with the shotgun’s stake. Orion removed the spiked point from the vampire’s stomach and as Wolf reached for the door, drove the sharp bottom of the cross into the heart of the vampire that was squirming on the ground reaching for his ankles.

They rushed through the door, shutting it behind them and locking it, just as more vampires arrived. There was a heavy old desk in the room and they pushed it in front of the door.

“That wont hold them for long” said Wolf, “we need to get out of here. The back door should be in the room past the screen.” He motioned toward the door leading to the area behind the screen.

“Where is Kade and Lara? asked Orion. “If they came in the back we should have seen them by now.”

“I don’t know, but we have to keep moving.” They moved to the door, quietly opening it, and entered, Orion going left and Wolf right.

“God have mercy” exclaimed Orion, as he came upon the mutilated heap of body parts.

‘Over here” implored Wolf, “It’s Kade.” Orion came over and gasped. They both stared at Kade’s headless body with his head lying nearby, the eyes wide in shock. Orion made the sign of the cross and murmured something.

“Lara did this” said Wolf angrily.

“No… she wouldn’t. I can’t… believe that” implored Orion, ‘more to himself, than to Wolf.’ But there was no denying it, they both knew.

“We have to move on” said Wolf sadly. They approached the door. The back door exit was located in the room beyond. They steeled themselves as Wolf slowly opened the door and they stepped inside.

There, in front of the back door exit, stood Lara, samurai sword in hand, two vampires to her left and two more to her right. She looked pale and her eyes were black as coal. A smile played on her lips as she saw them, revealing two prominent fangs.

“We’ve been expecting you” hissed Lara.

“Unholy demon spawn, I will send you to hell myself” cried Orion.

“Hmm, that’s no way to treat a friend” jeered Lara.

“You are not Lara, you parasite.”

“Oh, but I am, and I chose this gift of eternal life. I have never felt stronger or more alive, and you could have it too… if you choose.” Wolf was closely watching the four vampire’s by Lara’s side as she spoke. They started to circle to the left and right getting ready to strike. Their eyes cold and hungry, fangs dripping in anticipation.

“So, do you choose eternal life or certain death?” hissed Lara.

“I choose death” roared Orion, and he charged at Lara.

Wolf instantly fired a shotgun blast to his left, pumped the action, and fired another to his right. A couple of the vampires were knocked off their feet and thrown backwards. The other two were on him in an instant. He met one of them with the stake on his shotgun, driving it through the heart. The other one grabbed Wolf from behind, nails digging into his shoulders, fangs seeking his neck. Wolf whipped the shotgun backwards as he twisted, driving the butt of the weapon into the vampire’s mouth, one of the fangs snapping off, the vampire knocked back.

Lara swept her samurai sword in a vicious arc at neck level as Orion closed the distance. Orion brought up his cross to intercept the blow, the blade penetrating three quarters of the way through the wood, but the cross held. The blade was embedded in the wood as Lara tried to free it and Orion tried to wrench the blade from her grip. Lara shrieked in anger and with inhuman strength ripped the cross from Orion’s grip, tossing the embedded sword and cross aside.

As the three vampires converged on Wolf he got off another shotgun blast, shattering the left leg of one of them, slowing it down. The other two sprang on him, slashing with their nails. Wolf tried to cover up, kicking with his feet and blindly using his sawed off shotgun’s butt as a club.

Lara grabbed Orion pulling him to her. He struggled, but her grip was like iron. He reached for some holy water vials on his belt, but she grabbed his wrist and squeezed. Bones snapped and the vials dropped uselessly to the floor. A smile crossed her lips as she bared her fangs and leaned in to his exposed neck. With his other hand, Orion grabbed the cross from around his neck and jammed it on her cheek. Lara screamed as smoke erupted from her cheek along with the scent of burning flesh. She swatted his hand away and the cross went skittering across the floor. A black, smoking imprint of a cross remaining on her cheek. She bent down once again, eyes enraged, fangs dripping, toward his bare neck.

Wolf could feel his back and legs being ripped open by those razor nails as he struggled to get free. Twice he’d avoided getting bitten, fangs coming within millimeters of his skin. He twisted again, and kicked hard with both feet pushing one of the vampires off of him. He swung the shotgun’s butt hard to the left bashing another one in the face, and then fired a shotgun blast into the chest of a third throwing it five feet away. He got to his feet, the vampires already getting ready to attack again.

Then Wolf saw it. Lara with Orion in her grasp, leaning in to bite him. Wolf charged at Lara and Orion with all his might hitting them like a bulldozer. The force knocking all three of them hard against the back door exit, forcing the door open, the three of them tumbling out and down the stairs to the pavement.

Orion was unconscious, having hit his head on the pavement. Wolf staggered to his feet and retrieved his shotgun as Lara screeched in rage. Wolf steadying himself for a fight as the sun came out from behind a cloud, and bright mid-day sun blanketed the area.

Lara screamed again, this time in intense pain, as her pale skin began to bubble and turn bright red, small tendrils of fire and smoke erupting from her skin. Her screams intensified, Lara was now shrieking at the top of her lungs. Her skin turning black as the tendrils of fire spread across her entire body. She tried to crawl toward the back door of the theater, but she only made it a few feet. When she stopped screaming, the only thing left was a smoking blackened husk.

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Orion woke up with a terrible headache. “Where am I?” he asked.

“Were on the way to the hospital” said Wolf.

“What happened back there? That… that vile creature desecrating Lara’s body.

“It has been sent to hell, where it belongs. Lara is at peace now.

“We need to go back” declared Orion, we have to destroy the rest of them.”

“You’re in no shape for a fight. You have multiple wrist fractures, head lacerations, a possible severe concussion, I’m taking you to hospital.

“They won’t be there anymore. They’ll move their den tonight.” said Orion regretfully.

“Then we’ll find them” said Wolf forcefully.

“We’ll hunt them down. Because that’s…… that’s what we do.