Chapter 22.

  “Stop at the apartment,” Scott said as Hank was making his way up the 485.

  “We don’t have time,” Hank said, “How long will it take Amelia to reach the party?” he asked.

  “Well if what I saw was right, she turned into a fucking bat, how fast can a bat fly, we have time,” Scott said, “We need to gear up, we’re taking on a Vampire,” Scott said as Hank pulled into his parking space and the two went up the stairs to Hank’s apartment.

  The brothers rushed to their apartment, “What can we use? Any ideas,” Hank asked as Scott lifted one of Hank’s bar chairs, “I will reimburse you for this,” he said as he turned the stool over and bashed his foot on two of the legs, making two sharp steaks. He tossed one to Hank, “Vampires, if the movies are right, wooden steak to the heart can end this,” he said as he went to the pantry, “Do you have any garlic?” he asked, tearing through the various spices Hank had, tossing them aside looking for something that could be useful.

  “You think Garlic can hurt her?” Hank asked.

  “I tried to take her to Olive Garden. She didn’t like that idea at all. No human girl would resist the chance to get Italian food, probably means she has an aversion to garlic,” Scott said, lighting up when found something he could use, “Garlic powder, perfect! I’m going to mace that bitch,” he said as he slipped it into his pocket. He turned and went to Hank’s closet, “Do you still have Mom’s crucifix?” he asked, looking around.

  “Yeah, it’s on the nightstand in my room,” Hank said as he followed Scott on his journey through the apartment to find any weapon he could use.

  Scott rushed into Hank’s room and grabbed it, “Oh yeah, Jesus of Nazareth is about to put a boot up someone’s ass,” he said, slipping the statue into his belt as he made his way to the door, “Let’s go kill a fucking Vampire,” Scott said as Hank followed, checking his clip to make sure he was fully loaded.

  Amelia landed in Myer’s Park by the party, taking her Human form as gothic early 2000s emo music pumped from the speakers placed throughout the lawn. The foolish pretenders were probably a dozen bottles of wine in, having fun in the ceremonies that were a mere charade of her people’s true ways. She hissed as she felt the wounds in her side and neck. They were healing, but she needed blood, anyone’s blood to speed up the process. She was staggering, Scott’s gunshots had done more damage to her than she would like to admit. She was still just wearing her black lace lingerie, not a proper outfit for the party. Not that it mattered now. She straightened her step and made her way to the front door. Just outside it, Riskel was chatting up one of his slightly chubby Damane’s. Amelia smiled, she would do well.

  Riskel turned and saw her approaching, just in lingerie with blood dripping down her side. “Lady Amelia, so good to see you, your outfit is quite unique, is this a part of the new scenario,” Riskle smiled. Much like many other Vampires, the treat of the new scenario that Jacobin had been working with the creators to make promised something very interesting for the Depraved Covenant to roleplay out.

  “You’re dressed rather informally,” he said as the red head bombshell paced towards him in nothing but a sexy back bra and laced panties. “Let me fetch you a glass of wine, you look as though you’ve been though a lot,” he said, trying to play along, wanting to complement the realism of the surely fake blood that rolled down her neck and on the side of her stomach.

  Amelia summoned an inhuman speed and leaped toward Riskle, grabbing his head and snapping his neck like it was made of balsa wood.

  The Chubby Damane screamed as Amelia grabbed her. She barred her fangs and gouged the poor girl’s jugular. She imbibed the succulent, well-marbled blood from her. Amelia savored the taste. With every drop, Amelia could feel her body healing from the gunshot wounds Scott put in her. She enveloped the poor girl, draining her dry as a fast as she could, she wasn’t one worthy to be turned, Amelia could taste she didn’t have the right blood for it, but for the moment it would do all Amelia required. She could feel the healing nature absorbing blood gave her kind. As the Damane bled, Amelia could feel her own wounds weave and heal themselves as she sucked the life essence from her.

  She dropped her victim's body and wiped the blood from her mouth, making her way into the party. She spotted Resiven talking up some blonde girl, Amelia didn’t recognize her, must have been her first time at the party. This was quite the night to get your first exposure to the Depraved Covenant. All eyes in the mansion's foyer were on Amelia as she walked in. Wounded, dripping with blood, just clad in black lingerie, “You want to see what a Vampire is right?” she asked, smiling. Some newer players were a bit concerned, and some older players were curious if this was a part of the new scenario. Resiven made his way down the stairs to the foyer, “Lady Amelia, I see that you’ve just fed, I have to ask what did you-”

  He was cut off by Amelia leaping up the stairs with her inhuman speed and grabbing and jamming her fangs in his neck to suck his precious blood. Resiven was just a pretender, someone whose role it was to be fed upon by the real chosen of the Dark One. In two hundred years as Vampire, Amelia noticed that every victim she had had a different taste to their blood. While Resiven’s blood could do the job of recharging her, invigorating her, he was worth nothing more than being a feed bag for her. She drained every drop she could out of him and dropped him, his body rolling down the stairs, pale and lifeless. Her wounds continued to heal, with just one more feeding she would be back to fighting form, but this was a party, why not indulge? She grinned as she leaped off the staircase towards another pair coming in from the backyard.

  “Lady Amelia, Auron said, is this part of the new scenario?” he asked, his arm around a frumpy girl with admittedly very well styled blonde hair. It was this girl’s first party, first exposure to the Vampire way of life.

  “Sure it is,” she said as she grabbed Auron and took to feeding him, driving her teeth into his neck to suck him dry.

  “Oh my god, you guys are so hardcore, I love it,” the girl said, thinking this was just another part of the game.

  Amelia looked up, tossing Auron aside, “Yeah, we’re pretty hardcore,” she said before driving her hand up and embedding her hand through her chest, grabbing her spine and pulling her in for another feast. The blood she drank was doing its job, she was back to fighting form. Amelia made her way through the party, ripping, striking, tearing, feasting on these pathetic mortals who merely played the role of Vampire. As she made her way through the party, she alternated between feeding and just straight up murdering the pretenders. This night would serve as a grim realization that the ways of Vampire, that the life of what they played to be, had dire consequences.

  She went to the back of the house, a few of the more hedonistic members on the second floor heard the rucks, and Amelia ripped through them, killing, feeding, they were just mortals after all. People who would have no importance in the coming final war. Amelia showed them the true might of the creatures they were playing pretend to be. She cared not for the trail of death she was leaving. It was for the glory of the Dark One. He needed Amelia to continue her work. Their presence must be made known, and after tonight it would be known. The world had been peppered by the agents of their father the Devil, the millennia of secrecy was ending. Soon the world of man would see the works of the Dark One and his servants, they would see and then they would fear. That was the mortal’s role in the great war. Fear would soon be their only emotion. It was that fear that the Dark One and his servants would feed on. Every kill she made was another volley lobbed against the Hunters in the coming war. Suvilia’s actions were but a warning of what was to come, Amelia’s actions would be the beginning of the great conflict, the one spoken about in not just the ancient texts, but in the word of the Dark One himself.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Every mortal, every Hunter and innocent alike, would know that now. Yes, now, this was a time of war, a time for the coming of the Dark One, she thought.

  “Amelia!” Scott called out as he entered the house, holding his mother’s crucifix up with one hand and gripping tight to his wooden stake with the other.

  Amelia was at the top of the staircase, and she took a light stroll down them looking at Scott, “I saw potential in you, I did,” she said, her bloody hand resting on the arm rail as she walked down it, so I take it you have given no thought to my offer?” she smiled, raising her eyebrows and laughing at the two would-be hunters before her.

  Hank was brandishing his side arm, Scott held true to his wooden stake as he held up the crucifix. She hissed as she got closer to them, she had to cover her face, the very presence of that blessed symbol radiated outward, putting a burn on her skin.

  Scott took a careful step forward up the steps, “That’s right,” he said, holding the cross in front of him, “The power of Christ compels you, bitch,” Scott looked around at all the dead bodies Amelia left throughout the party, “What was the point of all this,” he looked around so man drained and dead, “You fucking satanic whore,” he said as he moved closer to her, “No wonder this hurts you,” he said as Amelia backed away from him, cowering before the symbol of the savior.

  “Your savior can not save you, if you’re not with me I’ll rip your throat out in an instant,” Amelia hissed, cowering back in front of that holy symbol.

  “Well then do it, but you can bet if you get one step near me you’re going to get some pine to the chest,” Scott said as he held his wooden stake up, “Does the wood a stake is made of matter? Or does every type kill you just the same,” he asked.

  Hank was taking a careful step behind his brother, his service weapon trained center of mass on Amelia as he covered Scott’s rear.

  Amelia hissed, “Curse your savior,” she said.

  Scott turned to Hank, “Looks like Mom was right, making us go to Church all those years, or does a Star of David have the same effect,” he asked, getting close to Amelia, the power his Crucifix had over her pushing her closer to the wall of the second floor.

  “You,” Amelia spat what blood was left in mouth towards Scott, “You mortals, you all hold so much faith in the creator, your faith is disgusting, the creator allowed my kind into this world, why would he birth us if we weren’t supposed to be the dominate species,” she said.

  “Maybe because you suck blood and murder people,” Scott said.

  “Your creator, who you put so much stake in, allows us to exist, we are the true beings who deserve this world, you were made to be but food for us,” Amelia laughed, but Scott could hint a bit of nervousness in her cackling as she continued to back way from Scott’s cross, cowering before the holy symbol.

  “I’ve faced a hunter before, nineteen hundred’s, one of the last, he was old and foolish, and he was mortal, I fed on him,” Amelia gritted her teeth, the Hunters will be the first to die when the Dark One conquers this world,” she spit some blood out of her mouth towards Scott.

  “Yeah, yeah, peasants' death, thousand years of darkness, Suvilia already gave me the whole routine, nothing new to me,” Scott said.

  “You, the two of you are no Hunters, I could have given you everything, but now I’m just going to trip your spine from your body,” she said, lunging forward, Scott raised the cross and she hissed taking another step back.

  “Well then, do it if you can!” Scott said, holding up the cross and reaching into his pocket. Amelia fought all the repulsion the holy symbol and the image of the savior gave her and with all her strength she leaped to Scott, claws and teeth barred and her eyes red with hatred. She lunged forward and grabbed Scott’s neck, squeezing his throat as he gasped for air. Scott pressed the crucifix against her face and she screamed in pain as Scott could see her flesh singe against it. With his other hand he reached for his pocket and pulled out the garlic powder, throwing a full cloud of it right into her face.

  Amelia let go of Scott’s neck and clawed at her face in pain as her skin blistered against. Scott grabbed the wooden stake from his belt and tackled her, raising it in the air and driving it into her chest.

  “Missed my heart,” She said, grabbing the stake with both hands and ripping it out of her chest, throwing Scott across the ground. She wiped her eyes and stood back up as Scott tried to get to his feet and dive for the crucifix.

  Amelia stumbled, gaping wound in her chest from where Scott stabbed her.

  “I am so done with you,” Scott said.

  “Get the fuck on the ground,” Hank commanded Amelia, “Scott, stand down, I got this,” he said.

  “Take the wheel, bro, knee-cap this cunt!” Scott said.

  “Good thing I’m the better shot,” Hank said as he fired two off, each hitting dead on her kneecaps causing her fall, crippled.

  Scott grabbed the Crucifix as the mighty Amelia cowered before him, using her arms to push her back towards the wall as Scott continued to threaten her with the cross.

  Hank reached for his radio, “Detective Tavares, multiple 187’s, Myer’s Park 432 Sycamore, suspect is down, needs medical attention,” he said.

  “Medical attention!?” Scott said as he took his stake back up, “What the fuck are you talking about, I’m going to stake this bitch’s heart and end this,” Scott said.

  “Stand down Scott,” Hank commanded, “We can find out more from her if we take her in alive, she can’t fight us like this. Just keep the cross on her and we take her in. She can know if there are other killers, other Vapmires even,” Hank said.

  “I’m not telling you a damn thing,” Amelia hissed.

  Scott gritted his teeth, “Damn it,” he tossed his weapon away, Hank was right. He held his symbol true against her as she shifted against the wall behind her. “Can’t wait to find out how fun immortality is when you’re spending it in a fucking cell,” Scott said.

  Kramer got the message from Tavares to get to Myer’s Park. He kept his lights on as he pulled into the house. “The fuck have you gotten me into this time Tavares,” he said as he got out of his car, drawing his weapon.

  Just after Kramer walked past the two dead bodies and into the house, a black Rolls Royce was making its way down Sycamore Lane.

  “Driver, is that a police cruiser?” Governor Match asked, his sixteen-year-old son Allister Veron Match sitting next to him on a tablet perusing a dark-web site that had various offerings for a very exclusive clientele.

  “It would appear so. Shall I keep going?” the driver asked.

  “Turn around up here, I have a feeling the party may have been rained on,” he turned to his son, “I apologize, I know you were excited about tonight,” he said, resting his hand on the boy’s knee.

  Allister turned off his tablet, and took a deep breath, “It seems I’ll have to play another day, I was looking forward to making my debut, I was excited to finally meet some of our followers,” he said. Smiling as he looked out the window.

  “All in due time my son,” the Governor said, “All in due time,” he smiled, waiving his hand forward to command his drive to head back to the mansion.

  Kramer made his way inside, “Jesus Christ,” he said, looking around at the blood splattered walls and mass of dead bodies spread throughout the mansion.

  “Yeah, Jesus has been doing some heavy lifting tonight,” Scott said, holding the cross up and looking over his shoulder.

  Kramer kept his gun up as he came up to Hank’s side, “So this is the famous Amelia I assume?”

  “Yeah, Vampires are real by the way,” Hank said, “Real or not, they can’t take a knee capping,” He said.

  “Nice shot, I need to get to the range more,” Kramer said.

  “Calvary coming?” Hank asked.

  “Should be on their way, you going to book her?” Kramer asked.

  Amelia was getting pale, trying to hold herself up with her arms, trying to hold some kind of strong poise against the Hunters, but she was fleeting.

  “You…you,” she panted, spit another mouthful of blood towards Scott before her arms gave out and she collapsed.

  Hank approached her, holstering his weapon. He knew a downed threat when he saw one. He reached for his cuffs, “You are under arrest, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” he said as he took Amelia’s limp wrists and cuffed one as an EMT rushed in while she looked upon him with a weak look of scorn, “Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?” he asked.

  “Fuck off, Hunter,” she said, spitting blood in Hank’s face.

  Hank took a deep breath, “You think this is the first time I’ve been spit on by a perp,” he said, lifting her up off the ground by her wrist. Amelia cried out in pain are blown-apart legs dangled under her body. Hank lumped onto the stretcher and closed the other cuff on the bed’s railing.

  Scott came up to Hank, “We did, we actually did, we got her,” Scott said.

  “You can relax now, Scott, it’s over,” Hank said as Kramer joined them.

  “I don’t think it’s over,” Scott said, taking a deep breath, “I think it’s just beginning,” he said with a grim look coming across his face.