Chapter 254
The corridor looked like a scene from a muted action movie. A fresh hole gaped in the ceiling. Clouds of white dust hung in the air and settled on everything, including Verchiel. He stood before the heap of debris, his sword drawn and his body tensed for attack.
Someone wearing grimy coveralls dropped through the hole. Around his waist was a belt of pale yellow bricks in varying sizes, wrapped in electrical tape. It was Jorge.
Three more vampires landed behind him. In the back was Traven, his long hair pulled into a ponytail and his usually extravagant costume replaced by clothing suited for battle. He carried a wooden crossbow that was conspicuously empty, though a handful of aluminum bolts were in the quiver on his back. In front of him were two vampires that Katelina recognized as part of his coven.
Verchiel's dark eyes snapped from one potential foe to the other, sizing them up. He sprang at the one on the right. The vampire tried to leap aside, but Verchiel crashed into him and sent him sprawling backwards. With a swipe of his sword, he severed the vampire's head. Then it seemed as if he dematerialized and reappeared in front of Traven's other vampire. This one was almost as fast as he was, and side stepped him.
Verchiel was surprised. Traven used the moment of distraction to shout something to Jorge that Katelina couldn't hear. As if obeying, the Guatemalan tugged a small brick from his belt. Taped to it was something that looked like a battery with a wire coming off of it, and a silver box with a button. Katelina realized what they were: the shaped charges he'd been making in the basement.
Verchiel and the other vampire fought, though Verchiel was the only one with a weapon. His foe seemed content to dodge attacks rather than taking the offensive.
Jorge moved to plant the explosive. Verchiel spun and grabbed him by the back of his coveralls. The Guatemalan struggled and looked to his companions. Instead of helping him, Traven pulled the belt of explosives off of him and left him to Verchiel.
The Executioner threw the terrified Guatemalan away and made to attack Traven, but the too-fast vampire tackled him to the floor. As they grappled, two familiar figures dropped through the hole.
Micah and Loren were covered in fine white dust, like ghouls in a stage play. The bald vampire gripped a dirty crowbar. Blood was smattered on his face and shirt. Loren lugged a sawn off shotgun. Shells tumbled out of his hoodie pocket to land unheeded at his feet.
Traven yelled something that Katelina couldn't hear over her ringing ears. He gestured wildly at the newcomers and, as if following an order, Loren leveled the gun towards Verchiel and pulled the trigger. The sound filtered through, like firecrackers enveloped in cotton. She thought she yelled something, but it was needless. The shot missed its target and blasted a hole in the wall. Loren aimed again, his eyes squinted and his tongue between his lips in concentration.
Verchiel glanced to the newcomers and flung his attacker in front of him. As Loren pulled the trigger, Traven knocked into him and the shot slammed into the ceiling. Micah snarled and shoved Traven back. For a moment it looked like a fight would break out, then Loren dismissed it and Micah relented.
Verchiel's attacker was back on him. He knocked his sword from his hand and slammed him into the wall. Verchiel pushed back, his fangs flashing.
Traven discarded his empty crossbow and jerked a small yellow brick from the belt of explosives. He pulled the remote off and shoved the cube into Loren's hand. The teen looked from it to Jorge. The Guatemalan lay in a heap, probably feigning death in self defense. Traven gestured wildly, and Loren handed his gun to Micah. The bald vampire stared at it with disdain and swung his crowbar absently.
Katelina stayed heaped against the wall, unnoticed, temporarily deaf, and horribly confused. She wanted to scream at Verchiel to kill the bastard. At the same time, she wanted to shout at Loren and Micah to run before the Executioner got them. Though Jorick had forecast the nightmare to Ark, she was in it too. It was time to choose, and she didn't know what side she was on.
Loren sprinted down the open sided corridor toward the corner. Just then, the vampire fighting Verchiel fell away and landed on the floor in a pile. Verchiel's bloody sword protruded from his gut. The Executioner pulled it free and stabbed it through his foe's chest.
The roar in Katelina's ears faded. Everything sounded tinny and far away, like listening through a metal can. Time seemed to slow. The white dust had settled like a macabre snow. Verchiel spun and launched himself at Traven, and his feet stirred a cloud. Traven saw him coming and bellowed in that far away voice, "Now!"
Loren skidded to a halt and turned back, confused. Traven jabbed the button on the remote. Micah screamed, "No!"
The plastic brick exploded in a cloud of red. Micah stumbled backwards and knocked into Verchiel. They went down in a tangle of limbs and debris. Loren screamed, a horrible, high pitched sound that cut through the imaginary cotton lodged in Katelina's ears. Where his right arm had been was a bleeding stump that extended only inches below his shoulder. Whether because Loren was a vampire, the brick was small, or the charge's shape had forced most of the blast in the opposite direction, the rest of his body was intact, though splattered in blood.
Micah struggled loose. He roared at Traven, but raced towards his friend, the weapons forgotten. Loren's knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He fingered what was left of his right arm, and the scream choked off into a sick, retching noise. Micah skidded to a stop and knelt in front of him. Loren stared at him, his face pale and his terrified eyes questioning.
Verchiel tackled Traven and pressed his bloody sword to the vampire's throat. Traven struggled, then grew still.
Micah ripped Loren's hoodie off and quickly tied it around the stump, to stop the flow of blood. Then, with a soothing murmur, he scooped the teen up and spun around to face Traven. The bald vampire's face was twisted in a dark fury that Katelina had only seen twice before; first on Oren's face while the Executioners killed his family and then on Jorick's when he'd found Adam and Nirel torturing her in the secret room.
"If he doesn't fucking kill you, you God damn son of a bitch, I will!"
Verchiel pulled Traven to his feet and the sword tip moved to rest against his chest. "That won't be necessary. He's my prisoner and, unless you think you can fight and hold onto your friend, you'd best surrender."
Traven shouted, "Leave the boy! You can take the Executioner and we can finish the mission!"
Micah snarled at him. "Don't you say a fucking word to me, you fucking pussy piece of shit! I'm not here for your fucking mission, I'm here because I knew you were up to some goddamn sneaky ass bullshit and now I'm gonna rip off your fucking head and piss down your neck!"
Verchiel cut in, "Once you're locked up together you can do whatever you want to him." he gazed at Micah, as if weighing some silent set of options, and then called, "Kately, if you'd come and grab that belt of explosives?"
