Dammit.
When it rains, it pours, except in this case it was pouring acid. Enil was a wrecking ball compared to your average vampire’s baseball. He was also someone I kinda-sorta considered to be a friend. If Enil had killed Rebecca Plum, then there was no chance of bringing him in.
“Are you sure?” I asked, certain the answer wouldn’t change.
“I’m really-really sure,” Yukie said.
“Hello, you must be Yukie,” Sam said, cheerfully offering her hand. “I’m Samvrutha Mitra, here representing the voivode’s consort and chancellor.”
Yukie shook it, looking confused. “Uh, nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Right,” David said, getting up. “So, it is now time to exit stage left.”
“A most wise-sounding idea,” Sam said. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything that could slow Enil down, like, say a tactical nuclear warhead.”
“Would that work?” David asked. “Only Old Ones can kill Old Ones, but a nuke is still a nuke.”
“You know, I don’t know,” Sam said, frowning. “I suppose being science rather than magic, it would really, really hurt but he’d eventually regenerate after a few centuries from ashes. Technically, while less dramatic, cremating the body would be equally effective. He’d probably be hopelessly insane after that, though.”
“Actually, I think he’s immune to fire,” David said, making this conversation even more disturbing. “I once saw him douse himself in gasoline before lighting up and dancing to show off his powers.”
I took Sam by the arm and started directing her to the door to get us out of here. “Let’s save the fascinating ‘Can Captain America beat Dracula?’ talk for later, okay? We need to get our only witness out of here.”
“I’m not leaving,” Yukie said, causing me to stop in mid-step.
“Excuse me?” I said. “Run that by me in Detroitese, lady? Because it sounded like English but clearly not a dialect I’m familiar with.”
Yukie kept her voice low and even. “I failed to protect Rebecca Plum, and I’m honor-bound to avenge her.”
I stared at her. “Honor-bound? Are you fucking serious?”
“It’s not a concept I expect you to understand,” Yukie said, frowning.
“Because I’m American, black, or because the samurai were so fucking bad at the honor thing the Japanese people rose up en masse to kill them because they were bleeding the country dry?” I said, staring at her.
“Technically, they didn’t so much kill them all as install the Emperor as an absolute ruler, but I know you know this,” David corrected. “History Channel for life. Mind you, they show nothing but Vikings, aliens, and vampire reality television nowadays.”
I glared at David.
Yukie shook her head. “It’s not that, Peter. Honestly, everything my research about Detroit’s vampires suggests you’re a better person than any bellidix has any right to be. I also know you as a patriotic soldier who defended his squadron in the face of immense odds. You made numerous tough decisions in Iraq.”
I stared at her. “You’ve been researching me?”
“I would be a crap bodyguard if I didn’t,” Yukie said. “Believe me, I think you would have put up an immense fight against Enil if I hadn’t uh, distracted you.”
“You’d be wrong there,” I corrected. “There’s also a lot you don’t know about my Iraq service. Not a lot anyone knows.”
The Iraq War had been a disaster for the United States and not just because of mismanagement from on-high, but also because of supernatural intervention. While the Reveal had been when humanity had officially learned of the existence of ghosts, ghouls, shapechangers, and worse—a huge number of American troops had learned about the existence of the supernatural while fighting Saddam.
Saddam, like Adolf before him, hadn’t been shy about deploying magical forces. In a way, it was a good thing the vampires had revealed themselves because otherwise I, and everyone else who had lost a buddy to the undead, would have been ready to break out the torches and pitchforks.
Only replace them with RPGs and tanks.
“You can’t win against Enil,” Sam said, sitting down on the couch. “Any attack against an Ancient would be a futile gesture. Even if by some miracle you did him harm, killing him would only cause massive reverberations throughout the supernatural world’s power structure. Many innocent vampires—”
“Which exist, honest,” David felt the need to clarify. “The really young ones mostly.”
“Thanks, David,” I said, rolling my eyes.’
“—would die,” Sam said. “What we need is a diplomatic solution, and your testimony is our best option for that. Also, honor-wise, Rebecca Plum committed many grievous offenses against the natural order. Enil’s murder of her was most likely motivated by a desire to do justice. You can fulfill the spirit of your vow by bringing evidence against him while not throwing your life away.”
I blinked, looking at Sam. She was really good at this. “You’ve got some mad negotiating skills, girl.”
“I had to win out over twenty other female meteorologists to be the weather girl,” Sam said. “Not that my legs hurt.”
Yukie paused, clearly looking troubled. “It’s not just an issue of fulfilling a promise, though that’s certainly involved. My teenage years were spent among mobsters, and I have no illusions about being one of the good guys. However, if I’m ever going to find the demon who killed my mother, I have to prove I’m willing to honor my contracts. I’ve only found as many leads as I have because of my willingness to abide by their letter, no matter the terms. That’s the honor I’m speaking of, not the honor of the samurai who were a bunch of classist assholes if you want my opinion on them.”
“Sorry,” I said. “But maybe when you’re a katana-wielding fox girl, you should specify you mean professionalism. Cuts down on the confusion.”
Yukie glared.
“This is all some crazy vengeance quest?” David asked, sitting down beside Sam on the couch.
Yukie nodded. “There’s an old Chinese saying that when you seek vengeance, you should dig two graves.”
“I saw For Your Eyes Only,” David said. “Best of the Roger Moore movies.”
Yukie shook her head. “Most people assume that means you shouldn’t seek vengeance because it will get you killed. For me, it means that you should be prepared to sacrifice yourself in order to get their retribution. I will sacrifice anything and anyone to destroy Magog.”
“Magog?” David asked.
“Big bad demon,” Sam explained. “He’s listed in the Lesser Keys of Solomon. Notably, he’s usually paired with an even bigger demon named Gog. They’re considered patrons of England, which is something that’s only surprising to people who weren’t colonized by them.”
“Oh,” David said. “By the way, anyone else hungry for human flesh?”
Everyone else, including me, looked at him.
“Just me?” David asked. “Right. I need to get on that.”
Sam scooted away from him.
“Listen, Yukie,” I started to say, not sure how to approach the fact her entire vengeance quest was pointless. “There’s things you have to know. Remember how you told me how awful it would be to—”
That was when Jackson returned with Enil.
Ah shit.
Enil was dressed in clothing that seemed inappropriate for a man older than Babylon with a pair of black jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Enil had once been sub-Saharan African in appearance but millennia had twisted his features to something more resembling an albino humanoid bat. His hands had inch-long nails that I knew were perfectly capable of tearing through steel.
Worse, however, was the intense sense of unnatural power that existed just bubbling below the surface of his flesh. All vampires were spirits that had been warped by the blood of the Elder Gods, and Enil’s had a long time to be transformed. There was no telling just how powerful he’d become, given I’d seen Thoth do some amazing shit (like raise the dead) despite being only two hundred.
Jackson was standing by him with a smug expression on his face, devoid of the servility from earlier. I mentally cursed myself for letting myself get distracted as Enil was, of course, going to remove his mind control from Jackson when he was fetched to meet with me. Worse, I was now standing with the millennia-old murderer of Rebecca Plum next to the woman who’d chased him down.
“Oh, hey,” I said, stepping front of Yukie. “What’s up, Enil? How’s the family?”
Yukie muttered. “Really, Peter?”
“Funny thing,” Jackson said, sounding a lot more confident than he’d been earlier. “I feel like a new man. So, what was that about taking me in?”
Enil gave a half-smile then his expression turned sad. “They know I killed Rebecca Plum. The snow-haired one especially.”
Yukie stepped out, reaching for her katana hilt.
Jackson pulled out a Desert Eagle and aimed it at her head. “You did? Congratulations pops, you did the world a service. No more shitty vampire novels ruining our rep.”
Apparently, Enil had removed his earlier brainwashing.
Great.
“Oh, there will be plenty more where those came from,” Sam said, not at all intimidated by either. Woman had courage, I had to give her that.
I stepped in front of Yukie again. “You’re going to have to go through me to hurt her.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jackson said, smiling.
Yukie pushed me to the ground before glaring at Jackson. “I don’t need protection from the likes of him. Enil, you have done harm to my employer, and I am obligated to bring you to account for it.”
I picked myself up off the ground, frowning. “You could have saved me a little dignity, girl.”
“Then have some,” Yukie said. “What’s it going to be, Enil?”
Enil let out a soft chuckle. “You are much alike, all three of you.”
“I am deeply insulted by that remark,” I said, really wishing I’d not come here. “Well, a third of it.”
“You have all lost siblings to violence,” Enil said, clasping his hands together like Mister Burns. “Each of you vowed you would not only avenge the loss of your loved one but that you would never be victims of such yourself. It led Jackson to become a gangster, Peter to become a soldier, and you, Yukie, to become an assassin for less worthy individuals.”
“I’m not interested in your stories, Enil, are you coming or not?” I asked, trying to act like I wasn’t concerned. It was a miserable failure.
“Not,” Jackson said, clearly not used to anyone treating his gun like the annoyance it would be to me.
I lunged and grabbed. Jackson proceeded to shoot three times into my hand. All the bullets buried themselves into my bone and hurt like hell. They were normal bullets, however, and I crushed down on the pistol. Jackson pulled his hand away, and I had the satisfying feeling of turning his gun into a piece of twisted metal just like Superman. Albeit, it probably hadn’t hurt Superman the way it was hurting me.
Grimacing, I said, “I’ve had a few power boosts in recent months.”
I dropped the ruined pistol on the ground before kicking it to one side, letting the bullets fall from my hand with a shake.
Ow.
Ow.
Ow.
Jackson stood defiant. “You’re not taking my creator.”
“Why did I kill her? Because I was told to,” Enil said, his eyes turning a violent shade of red. “I am sorry, my creation, but I did not come here to save you. I came here to end you as I did the poetess.”
“What?” Jackson turned around.
“Time to die,” Enil said. “All of you.”
That was my cue to use my one advantage. Time slowed down as my peculiar vampire gift, the ability to manipulate the currents of reality, kicked in. Everyone else was frozen in place but Enil moved at normal speed, hell, faster than normal speed as he lifted his arm and slashed down. It was like that moment when the Flash saw Superman was fast enough to catch him in Justice League. Man, that was a bad movie. Stupidly, I reached over and pulled Jackson forward so Enil’s claws just shredded through the vampire’s spine and back.
I couldn’t actually stop time, but I could slow it down to a crawl. Except, Enil reacted by slashing again, taking more of Jackson’s back away. I didn’t care about that, necessarily, but as soon as he finished with Jackson, he was going to come after the rest of us.
“What the hell are you doing, man!?” I shouted, holding Jackson in my arms before throwing him to one side.
“What I must!” Enil hissed. “I am sorry, but you must all die!”
“Fuck that shit!” I shouted.
Enil charged at me, only to have both of his arms sliced off by Yukie. They exploded into flaming ash like before I saw the werefox spin around and kick him in the chest. Enil barely moved a foot even as shadowy black tendrils poured out of Enil’s arm stumps. They grabbed me across the arms and legs, lifting me into the air. The darkness burned against my skin like acid and I screamed, my fangs extending outward.
I felt sick as the darkness seemed to seep into my pores and drink of my blood. I felt the shadows start pulling me in four different directions. I struggled against the tendrils despite the pain and knew Enil was about to, literally, pull me apart. I wasn’t outmatched here, I wasn’t even in the same weight class.
Yukie slashed through the shadow tendrils, which had been moving to intercept her, and then stabbed her katana through Enil’s chest. The glowing silver blade passed through his stomach and through his spine before blackish blood poured from his mouth onto her face. Yukie screamed and felt her face, falling backward.
“Peter, duck!” Sam called.
I hit the ground like someone was firing rockets over my head, which wasn’t far from the truth as Sam sent a column of flame from her hands into Enil’s face. It swirled around and washed over the Ancient’s upper torso like he was in a jet’s afterburn. The flames lasted for a few seconds, only to die and the slightly charred flesh of Enil to heal over.
“Dammit,” Sam muttered.
“You’d all be dead if Peter wasn’t slowing me down,” Enil said. “He’s not slowing me down enough, though.”
Enil’s talking gave me an opening and I tore through the tendrils as claws grew from my fingertips. I launched myself through the air, slamming into Enil with the full force of my flight ability and smashing him through three walls before somersaulting in the air, kicking him in the face.
It was like kicking a brick wall, and I smashed my ankle to pieces.
“Mother fucker!” I shouted, smashing into the stairs below.
This was a lot easier in the Street Fighter games.
Enil, himself, laid down in the center of the main hall. The Ancient looked extraordinarily pissed off even as he struggled to pull out the katana from its chest with his shadowy tendrils. Time returned to its normal speed, though, right before all the guards around took one look at the monstrous shadow-creature and started firing at him with their assault rifles.
It was stupid in a way, because I could hear the house’s inhabitants screaming as the explosive rounds went through walls and windows. There were housekeepers, hangers-on, guests, and even some kids. None of them were taking the sudden firefight well. The guards’ bullets continued into Enil’s body from damned near every direction, though, before six of the guards shifted into wolfman form and charged at the injured vampire.
Seconds later, they were all dead.
So were the guards.
There wasn’t even a battle as Enil’s black shadowy tendrils shot out in every direction, impaling and ripping apart the figures around him. I managed, however, to barely dodge one of the shadowy tendrils that shot out even as the thing buried itself into the stairs behind me. I was having to concentrate on keeping time slowed down on Enil, so I wasn’t at a 100%, but even if I was, it would have meant nothing. I was a vampire, Enil was a god of blood.
I felt proud of myself just managing to survive the opening round of this clusterfuck, even though I would probably die in the next few seconds. It was like Spiderman managing to avoid one of Doc Ock’s arms, and damn I am more of a geek than a vampire and soldier should be.
All the civilians present, the aforementioned servants and Knives posse members, ran in every single direction but Enil’s. Hell, one of them even threw a chair out the window before jumping. None of them made a move to protect the kids, and they were left to fend for themselves. One of Jackson’s pre-vampirism sons, a kid not older than six, charged at Enil and began beating on the vampire with his tiny hands.
“Get away!” I shouted, wondering what the fuck I could do to stop this horror. There were bodies everywhere, and they’d been gutted like fish.
Enil raised his claw to strike the child dead only to rear back as if in horror of himself before smashing through the front door. Yukie’s sword bounced against the ground, having been pulled out of his chest and left for us.
Enil was gone.
Fled.
I was left on the staircase, confused as hell, surrounded by the dead. This was not the behavior of an Ancient.
What the fuck was going on?