While the surrounding area still looked cultivated and id out like a lovely park with old maples that surrouhe lush grassy fields, It was the hill that rose off to the east aly curved up to the height of a three-story building that had bee the ter of attention. Covered in murky clouds that drizzled acid rain, the ground had bee exposed and ashen. Roots of melted trees curved wickedly from the ground and opened as though they were a pile of witches' fingers g to escape their prison. Saturated beyond the ability to hold water, the sides of the mound had been carved into tiny streams that delivered their poison to the base of the structure. stant hissing followed closely by a loud pop and a stream of vomit-like olive green slime gave the impression that the hill was a living and breathing form of some awful beast.

  “Okay, that is fug disgusting. Thank the moon I don’t have to breathe.” Jason ented and protectively grasped Daniel’s waist.

  Panning the camera so it exposed the three areas they’d identified, Kody spoke softly. “Wait for it. This part..I don’t..” They stopped talking ahe live image speak for itself.

  Almost as if Kody had summohe beast themselves, an inky malformed set of arms and hands silently is way out of the dying soil. Spreading across the hole it pushed from like an ied cavity, the shadewraith emitted a scream of both joy and pain as the earth finally gave birth to the amorphous creature. Its crystalized diamond-shaped eyes shoh hate as the infernal creature did a few loops over the site and seemingly stopped in front of the tiny drone in a challeo all that watched.

  Nervously pulling otons of his expensive jacket, Frank stepped back when the shadewraith took off into the night with an inhuman and malevolent screech. “How…where…We o get the hell out of here.” The cartel leader anded his army to follow, “I am going to do the smart thing a out of here.” Pointing a shaky fi the small s, he stammered his st few lines. “I…there’s no e are gett-getting involved with that.” He walked out of the mill simply repeating to himself “No..no..no.”

  Although she didn’t show her excitement, Sylvie simply sarcastically waved to the cartel leader. Ohe mill had beeied of Frank and his ies Sylvie snarked, “Good riddance.”

  “Agreed. Fuck that guy.” Casey mirrored her agreement in her own way, then kissed Sylvie under her . “Sylvie, da-darrrrling…mmm..” Casey teased, “...the ime you want a kiss, you …you know just ask me.” She giggled, “Though that and was kind of hot.”

  Holding her hand over her fad groaning, Kynthia spoke up. “ the kissing wait? All of you are just ag like there’s no emergency going on.” She poi the s, “I don’t know about you, but even as a vampire…” Kynthia muttered a few words to herself seemingly arguing with herself, then resumed. “...as a vampire still fighting internally I hardly want to ehese thiernally. I mean I ran from the ones chasing me earlier. I still don’t know how I escaped.”

  “They let you.” Casey sat up, “The one we fought got away and I don’t know ahat has survived being invaded by one.”

  Clutg her arms nervously, Kynthia shook her head. “I see why Fra. Do we even have a way to kill-”

  A sudden of terror-stri screams came from outside the door that Frank and his ente had exited, cutting off Kynthia’s question. On her feet and crushing a handful of bloodstones in her hands, Amber crossed the floor while the others were getting to their feet.

  “Jesus, that girl’s quick.” Jester ughed and cradled Daniel wheood up, clearly not wanting the woman out of his grip.

  Swift as she crossed the room, Amber was outside and headed for the cars that were rog so hard they threateo turn over. Stomping hard enough to create thick palls of dust, Amber took the stones she crushed and ihem.

  Seeing Amber dart into the fray without any regard for herself, Sylvie kissed Casey and ran for the door. “We ’t leave her alo there, Casey.”

  “No iion.” Casey firmed and was right on Sylvie’s heels.

  Darting in and out of the cars from all angles, a group of shadewraiths howled and visibly took over vampires that had punched out the windows of their cars and tried to crawl out. On the ground, the actual fight enced. Vampires threw themselves to the ground and gripped their chests as they struggled to deal with the sheer volume of darkhat wrestled for trol of their bodies. Bloodstone dust plumed and encapsuted the fallen vampires right when their eyes ged from bloodshot red into hateful diamonds. Uerred by the fact their owence was about to be extinguished, the shadewraiths reveled in their victory and ughed as they willingly tore their own bodies from their victims in a rain of vampiriixed with the putrid green of their death. “trolled, ed, carved…shells…never survive.” One joyfully spat as it held its six arms up to the sky and then howled with glee as death ed the votile beast.

  Standing at the entrance of the Mill, Sylvie pondered her options while she watched Amber tear the roof off of oomobile and breathe on the octs, spreading the dust she’d inhaled like a dragon’s fme. Using the only means she ko fight the horrors that floated about the mill, Sylvie copied Amber and sucked in a huge dose of bloodstone dust a onto a car that still had trapped vampires that couldn’t free themselves. A split sed ter, Sylvie saw what she would do and acted on the vision instantly. ging thostform, Sylvie used the shadewraith’s own tactic against them. Swirling herself as a gray mist with flecks of green and red dust floating in her vampiric fog, Sylvie sped through the car and the vampires depositing the dust from her amorphous form as she pierced her felloires twitg forms. Sensing that she was extremely low on blood in those few precious seds, Sylvie barely mao get free of the car before being forced into her natural form and lying helplessly on the ground. “Di…did it work?” Sylvie rasped weakly.

  Fighting back her hysterical thoughts for her partner, Casey poured blood ints and sprinted in a white glowing blur over to Sylvie. “You damned fool.” Casey grabbed handfuls of dust and tossed it into the air, creating a bit of cover for her as she dragged Sylvie to retive safety. “Reckless. You are fug reckless. What happeo…doing things as one?” Casey dropped her fangs in pd opened four holes in her wrist then pressed it to Sylvie’s blue lips. “Don’t do that again. We promised, damn you. Now drink and recover.” Casey sighed tently when she felt the gentle pull of her blood as it rushed into Sylvie and nourished the elder vampire. “I’ve been through too much with you, to watch you sacrifice yourself. You are not leaving me alo here.” She poked Sylvie’s chest. “Do you hear me, ghost-girl?” Casey finished ting to ten in her head and pulled her wrist back then licked her wrist closed. Pushing Sylvie’s braided hair from her face, Casey watched over her lover until she saw Sylvie’s full moon eyes softly looking into her. Casey ran her cwed finger over Sylvie’s cheek, “You are still a badass. That was so fug cool to watch.”