Annie Nicholas: Bait

Tane shouted more orders to re-organize their defenses and they left me. Dragos, the master, was nowhere to be seen.

Short bursts of semi-automatic weapons rebounded off what sounded like the stone walls. At least one shotgun went off, leaving me somewhat deaf. Although bullets wouldn’t kill the vampires, they would hurt and slow them down. Unfortunately, they would kill me and any other humans in the crossfire.

Colby’s resources were limited. He designed operations for single takedowns, not open conflicts. There was no way Colby and his men could take on everyone here, especially the strong, powerful vampires I’d met tonight. They wouldn’t be able to reach me if I remained here at the far end of the basement. I gathered my dress around my hips and crawled on all fours to peek around the side of the couch.

A crowd formed around the sitting areas where the fight ensued. Others hid like me behind the scarce furniture, or stood by the walls to watch the action. The metallic smell of the UV grenades overwhelmed the room to a point I could almost taste it.

I didn’t have many options. A back door would have been nice, the small blackened windows were too high for me to climb out of, so I decided to make a run for it. I huddled low and moved fast. Maybe I wouldn’t get shot, stepped on, or crushed. Crouching on my heels beside the couch’s arm, I sprung up to sprint but I didn’t make it far.

Someone grabbed me by the waist and plucked me from the ground. I twisted around and prepared to gouge my assailant’s eyes out.

Rurik swung me into his arms like a child, shielding me with his body. I thought he ditched me. Even caught in this commotion the touch of his hands on my body electrified me.

Tane followed Rurik and watched his back.

Rurik heaved me onto one of his shoulders.

I struggled to get loose but his iron strong arm clamped on my legs. “Let me go.” I punched at his back, feeling helpless. Glancing up I saw Tane grin at me. I gave him the one-fingered salute and continued to wriggle out of Rurik’s grip.

He carried me back toward the wall. I could see Dragos ’ thugs fighting. A glimpse of a tall man with short, blonde hair in army fatigues between these warriors caught my breath. Colby was about to get creamed.

The smash of glass breaking made me twist around. Rurik had broken one of the small windows. He cleared the big shards away with his hands and winced as they cut through his skin. They barely even bled. He lifted me up to the hole, shoved me through it, then shouted, “Run, Rabbit, run!” A hard slap landed on my rump and pushed me through the rest of the way through the window. It stung.

I rolled on the ground to land onto my stomach in a puddle of cold, mucky who-knows-what. The window remained empty as I watched for them to follow me out. No one came. I leaned forward to look back inside only to see the back of Rurik’s neatly combed head as he made his way into the fight again. He defended his people. My eyes widened. And he saved me.

A shiver ran down my spine. I jumped up and pulled the hem of my wet, white dress down. It stuck to my skin and didn’t want to cooperate.

The alley looked like the same one Rurik and I walked down, a dark, foggy, narrow space that would spook even someone with a limited imagination.

The gunshots would draw the local law enforcements so I needed to return to the team and disappear. Shouts near the mouth of the alley caught my attention, the voices sounded familiar. I scurried toward it and Rurik’s car parked at the mouth became visible.

A window from the party basement, a few feet in front of me, burst out. It sent shards of glass flying. I threw my arms up to shield my eyes. I was so close to safety, I could taste it, but a body blocked my path to refuge. It could be human and could need help, but it could be a hungry vampire, too.

Battle noise engulfed my cries for help. The corner of the building was just a few feet away and Colby should have left a rear guard outside. I just needed to pass the body lying in the alley.

My hesitation saved me. If I had been any closer, it would have gotten me.

The creature snapped his head up. His pupils were so dilated they absorbed the whole irises, his nostrils flared, and drool dripped down his exposed fangs. The fighting must have excited him into a frenzy.

Stumbling back, I swallowed hard. I’d never faced a rabid dog before, but it must be a close cousin to this. ‘My, what great big teeth you have, ’ said Red Riding Hood to the Big Bad Wolf. The thought flashed before I did what I always hoped I wouldn’t do—I screamed like a little girl and ran.

Every documentary I’d ever watched on predatory animals instructed people not to run when confronted. I’d like to know what prescription drugs they took, because I needed some. In reality, thousands of years of instinct kicked in. Your forebrain shuts down and a second later you’re running down a dark alley like a gazelle in three-inch stilettos.

A carnivorous growl rumbled behind me. The vamp must not like his meals on the go.

I glanced over my shoulder to see him vault up in one smooth motion and stroll after me like it was a Sunday afternoon.

The slam of my body on a six-foot-high chain link fence stopped me cold. It cut the alley in two and I realized why my pursuer took his sweet time—a dead end. I pivoted to face him.

Past his monstrous features, he was an average looking guy—short brown hair, less than six feet tall, pale skin. He could have passed for human. His black jeans and t-shirt were torn and dirty from crashing through the window.

“You dance beautifully. Now dance with me, eh?” He spoke with a heavy accent I couldn’t identify. Maybe it was the fangs. He continued down the alley toward me at a leisurely pace.

Pressed against the barrier I grasped the metal wire between my fingers and watched him stalk me. A heavy sinking dread clenched low in my stomach. I was breathless from running and my voice shook. “Rurik-ik told me you’re not su-supposed to kill, only taste.” I hoped by dropping Rurik’s name it would deter him from doing anything rash.

With his jaw clenched he growled, “Rurik is feeble.”

So much for name-dropping. I desperately searched the alley for something to fight with. My vision adjusted to see an outline of a door. It hid in the shadows on the building across from where the party was held. I sprang at it and hoped no one locked it.

To both of our surprise, it opened.

He let out a howl that vibrated through my body as he charged at me.

I raced through the opening then slammed the door in his face. My trembling fingers fumbled the bolt lock into place before he rammed his body against the door. A small whimper escaped my lips as I stepped back.

His crazed attacks made the walls shudder. The solid wood, in spite of its strength, wouldn’t keep him out for long, and I needed time.

I stumbled along in the dark against the walls, until I felt a door. It opened to what appeared to be, in the dim light, an abandoned store. Large picture windows at the front of the room faced the street, which had been on the other side of the wretched fence. Faint streetlights filtered in and contrasted with the shadowy empty shelves scattered throughout the room. I could make out an outline of a checkout counter by the front door. As I rushed to it, I noticed something sitting on the counter too small to be a cash register. It was a phone!

I grabbed the receiver to my ear and heard a dial tone. My eyes closed in relief. I wasn’t a religious person but this was a miracle in my book. That or the Budapest phone system worked differently than the American one.

The banging at the door stopped and silence hung in the air like a guillotine. I didn’t know where he was now.