Hallowed Crossing
by
Frau Hunter Ash
(a.k.a Dana Cooper-Kjarr)
www.hunterash.com
Disclaimers: see Chapter
1
Chapter 2 Hallowed Morning
Annie raised her head from its
position of leaning on Cerys' either sleeping or dead body. <God,>
she mentally cursed. She did feel weak from the blood loss and the excitement
from the night before.
As she sat on the area rug on
the hardwood floor of the cabin, she took the opportunity to study the female
vampire in front of her. It seemed easier now that she didn't have those intense
blue eyes probing back as well as Cerys' intensity distracting her.
<The night before had
been one hell of a ride,> she thought, making mental notes to write down
later. A strange woman showing up at her rented cabin with a strange name and
an even stranger story to tell the writer. A story of vampires, portals between
realms, evil Master vampires wanting victims, heroic female vampires determined
to stop the Masters, and some new insight into the vampire legends.
The most intense part was the
revelation that Cerys, the woman sleeping or dead on her sofa, was one of those
female vampires, a Warder. That was why Annie couldn't tell if Cerys was "alive"
or not. Not having a pulse, respiration or warm skin made determining life signs
difficult, the writer realized. Her writer's mind quickly organizing her thoughts
and feelings about what had happened last night. It had all happened so damned
fast, she thought. <What was it about Cerys?> Annie had totally
accepted the woman without a question. <Where the hell were her questions
and logical mind?> <Where were her doubts?>
Then the night had gotten even
more intense when evil vampires showed up, wanting to kill Warder Cerys and
her new human friend. The battle had been swift but deadly when one of them
had wounded Cerys and another grabbed Annie's son and proceeded to threaten
the boy's life with his fangs.
Annie shuddered with the memory
of seeing the only thing that mattered in her life hanging on the edge of destruction
like that. Her son, Travis, who was only seven years old, had been screaming
for his mom and Annie hadn't been able to fight the vampire off her son.
Only Cerys surrendering to the
vampire had saved her son's life. The vampire had accepted the richer prize
of a Warder vampire to a small human and had dropped the boy. Annie dragged
Travis further into the cabin where they would both be safe while the vampire
turned his fangs and claws to Cerys.
Annie brushed some of her blonde
hair out of her eyes and her hand went to the wounds at her throat. They were
tender and the entire side of her neck felt bruised. The wounds themselves didn't
feel large or vicious, just... there. She was also tired and felt a little groggy,
<probably the blood loss,> she thought to herself.
Annie had given her blood to
save Cerys' life. At least, she hoped it had saved the vampire, she thought
as she glanced at the tall dark woman.
It was two days to Halloween
night and, if what Cerys had told her was true, they had very little time to
prepare to fight several evil vampires and stop the Master of all Vampires from
crossing over into the mortal realm.
"Mom?" Annie looked
up and smiled at the sight of her son in his 'Star Wars Darth Mahl' pajamas
and bunny slippers. His hair was mussed up and sticking out everywhere on his
head. This plus his groggy eyes were a common sight in the early morning hours.
'Not a morning person' didn't
begin to describe her son; Annie smiled and got to her feet to approach him.
She wanted a moment away from the sofa before trying to explain to him what
had happened the night before and who was sleeping on their sofa. <Not
that she had the answers,> she thought ruefully.
She knelt and pulled her son
up into her arms for a rare full hug and he grinned. He was beginning to hit
the age where he wasn't sure if he wanted kisses and hugs from his mom anymore.
That might be little kids stuff, he explained once. This apparently was one
of those times when it was okay.
"Morning!" she said
cheerfully and he giggled. They both knew each other pretty well and he laughed
at her over-enthusiastic tone. He had inherited her lack of morning personality
and they both knew it. Travis needed breakfast and a glass of orange juice before
he was semi-coherent and she needed either a Coke Classic or a strong cup of
tea to get her engine turned over and running. He looked over her shoulder with
raised eyebrows and Annie turned where they could both look at the sleeping
or 'dead' Cerys.
"Last night was weird,
kinda like a movie, huh?" she asked her young son with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah!" he agreed
enthusiastically. "That guy with fangs, like a movie vampire. It's still
a couple of days before Halloween and we get to dress up and go into town and
trick or treat and..."
Annie laughed and continued
to smile as she carried him to the kitchen and sat him down at the table.
"I thought he was gonna
hurt me though," Travis' face became very serious and his eyes quickly
filled with tears. "He hit you and you went flying like in a movie or on
TV. I thought you were scared."
"I was," Annie admitted,
sitting in a chair across the table from him. "That man was a bad guy and
he was playing dress up so he could scare people."
"Like bank robbers who
wear masks?"
"Yes, exactly," Annie
agreed. "He wanted to hurt us."
"Why?" Travis asked
with a puzzled frown, unable to comprehend why someone would want to hurt his
mom. His friends often told him that she was pretty for a mom and the friendliest
mom they knew of.
"I don't know, Trav,"
she said softly. "Sometimes bad people want to hurt other people just because
they're so angry or hurting. It doesn't make sense and sometimes they don't
know why they do it."
"Is that like Tommy Callahan
at school?"
"Who is that?" Annie
asked, cursing whatever god or fate had led her to a table in an isolated cabin
in a weird little mountain town trying to explain why a vampire almost killed
her young son the night before.
"A kid in my class, sometimes
he kicks his dog Tiny after his mother hits him," Travis explained and
Annie felt her heart give a jump.
"Sometimes it's like that,"
she agreed. "Other times there doesn't seem to be a reason, sometimes people
are just mean and hurtful. My friend out there helped run the bad man off last
night but she was hurt and is sleeping now."
"Is she going to be okay?"
the small boy asked in a very serious voice.
"I think so, but she might
sleep all day," Annie said with a smile. "I think we should leave
her sleeping while we go to town, what do you say? Could you use some more cookies?"
"Oh yeah!" he agreed,
his large and charming smile returning. "Maybe some new crayons too?"
"I think we can manage
that at the drugstore," she grinned. "Go get dressed and try and comb
that hair of yours."
"Okay."
************************
Annie moved Cerys' jacket back over the vampire and tried to remember if any direct
rays of sun ever hit the sofa. She carefully pulled the drapes shut and leaned
a chair against them to hold them in place.
The writer looked at her watch and nodded, realizing it was just after 9 a.m.
and Jeannie, her editor, would be in her office. She could confirm that she knew
Cerys and that both of them set her up in this cabin to find out about the vampires.
She intended to have a few words with her about that little stunt. <Jeannie
knew she had a small son, damnit!>
Annie went to the kitchen and picked up the telephone receiver and began dialing
from memory but then frowned at the device. She hung up the receiver and then
lifted it again. Clicking the buttons didn't help either. There was no dial tone
at all.
Annie went to the hallway and stuck her head in her son's doorway and grinned
at the sight of him having a miniature war on his bedspread between cowboys and
Indians. The cowboys were blue and the Indians were red. He had built hills and
valleys with the folds of the cloth and his pillows and was engrossed; Annie noted
with a grin that the Indians were winning.
The writer went outside the back door and began tracing the telephone line. It
didn't take long to find the cut, it was right in front against the cabin before
the line ran to the roof and then to a pole in the driveway. Presumably, the line
then went wherever telephone lines ran in this part of the country to connect
people to civilization.
Not only had the line been cut but also a portion of it was missing. Without some
similar wire, Annie couldn't even splice the wiring together with the large gap
which was missing. Her frown deepened and she trotted over to their car, her dependable
Saturn.
The car was probably still dependable, if all four wheels had been inflated. As
it was, the car sat on its rims and each tire was shredded. The driver's side
window was also broken in and her cell phone was missing. Someone didn't want
Annie contacting the outside world for help and she had the sudden dread that
they would be back that night.
Annie, still feeling a little weak and groggy, mentally kicked herself. There
were things to do if she was going to protect herself and Travis, not to mention
Cerys if the vampire didn't wake up in time.
The first thing the mother did was fix a large breakfast for her and Travis. The
boy was delighted to have pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. Annie had promised
him breakfast at the little coffee shop in the nearby town but he always told
her he liked her pancakes best of all in the world. Then he clarified, <except
maybe the special ones at IHOP>.
Annie, even though she didn't have much of an appetite, made herself eat enough
to give her the energy she was going to need for the day. She almost finished
off a quart of orange juice by herself.
Then she broke the news that they weren't going to town right away and Travis
was of course disappointed. Annie distracted him by saying he could watch her
work the chainsaw from the porch if he wanted.
Annie figured it was a male thing or something but Travis seemed fascinated by
the tools around the cabin, especially the chainsaw. She knew it wasn't from watching
horror movies either, she didn't allow that. The closest she thought he got was
the kid movie “The Littlest Vampire”, but apparently he received his
knowledge of bad guys with fangs from his babysitter, who wasn't as careful about
what he was allowed to watch. Annie made a mental note to talk to the girl's mother
about that.
Annie figured that while she might write horror fiction, that didn't mean her
son was old enough to read or see it yet.
Even though he was fascinated, Annie kept him at a respectful distance from the
chainsaw and splitter, as well as the shotgun she kept in the house. Whenever
she was chopping wood, he would watch from the porch while she worked away with
gloves and safety goggles on.
Annie knew they had enough firewood for the stove to get through until the fall
when they would return to the city, Travis would return to school and Annie, hopefully,
would turn over a novel for editing. What Annie was wanting now was small, long
blocks of wood; long enough to make stakes out of.
Cerys hadn't mentioned stakes as a means of killing vampires but a wall of them
might slow them down, she figured.
Annie had Travis return to his battleground while she prepared for a real-life
one inside and outside the cabin. The fight the night before gave her some ideas
for surviving the next night, hopefully.
The writer placed shotgun shells in various areas around the cabin and then in
a couple of places outside as well: by the back door and on the porch - out of
sight. She also placed the wood chopping axe just inside the back door and went
to work on the stakes.
Travis moved his cowboys and Indians out onto the porch and watched her work.
After an hour Annie was hot and tired and amazed at how good he was being; he
was still on the porch and hadn't bugged her to let him see the chainsaw again.
As a reward, she let him have a Popsicle from the freezer while she sipped at
a Coke, taking a momentary break.
A few more preparations and Annie was only beginning to be satisfied. <One
advantage of having a military father>, she thought, <she knew how
to camp and she knew how to use whatever was close at hand.> Even though
she hadn't been born a male, her father had ignored the traditions of only teaching
sons certain things like: camping, fishing, hiking, how to use a compass, how
to use an axe and other useful things for living in the woods. If she had been
a boy, Annie figured, she could have excelled in Merit badges in the Boy Scouts
after her father was through with her. On the other side of the coin, her mother
had insisted she learn some “feminine” things as well, like cooking
and sewing.
Annie grinned; she would make someone the perfect mate. She could work on a car,
chop down a tree and then bake a cake and sew a dress. Then the writer lost the
smile, she just might have to find out how good her father's teaching had been
once the sun set.
Her father had fought in the desert and in the mountains of the Baltics, he never
anticipated having to train his daughter to fight vampires. He also hadn't anticipated
a dyke for a daughter but those were bitter thoughts reserved for a less productive
day, Annie scolded herself and turned to the tasks at hand.
Another couple of hours of chopping wood and nailing pieces into place and Annie
was ready for a break. Travis was hungry after chasing several animal noises in
the tree-line, always keeping in sight of Annie.
Annie checked on Cerys again and was more than a little frustrated that the vampire
hadn't seemed to move at all. “Gives a new meaning to the term 'sleeps like
the dead,'” she muttered.
A good lunch of hamburgers, French fries, soup and sodas made Annie feel better
and Travis sleepy. She let him go to the hammock on the front porch with his books
while she went back to nailing and pounding.
By mid-afternoon, Annie figured she was as ready as she could be without some
advice from the sleeping or dead vampire on her sofa. She tried once again to
wake the vampire up without success.
Annie knew their best defense was the fact a vampire couldn't enter the place
without being invited but that didn't inspire the writer's total confidence. Somehow
in movies and books, the vampires always found a way to get in or to get the victims
outside.
There was a fire extinguisher by the kitchen door, one jug of bottled water in
the living room and one in the kitchen, and another fire extinguisher in her bedroom
as well. She spent the next hour nailing the shutters on the cabin to prevent
anything from being thrown in.
Annie was determined that fire wasn't going to be one of the causes of her and
Travis having to leave the cabin at night.
The car was already disabled and they couldn't hike the five miles to town, especially
in the dark, so she wouldn't make the stupid mistake of trying to run for it only
to be vulnerable and caught outside.
The writer of horror fiction turned her mind to other plots used in horror movies,
television and books, looking for loopholes in her security. She started to mentally
check off items in her head.
Windows shuttered, fire prevention steps taken. Plenty of food and water, oil
lamps in case the electricity was cut. Shotgun, axe, Cerys' silver short sword,
and a couple of other surprises Annie had worked up from her father's bag of tricks
for weapons.
Among the more industrious weapons were several bottles sitting on the front porch
against the solid wooden railing. Empty glass bottles that had been filled from
the extra gas container for the generator, secured with cloth, one end trailing
over the bottle opening, ready for lighting. Cerys had said fire would hurt or
kill vampires and Annie had an idea that any evil vampires showing up that night
might not like a Molotov cocktail instead of a cocktail of her blood.
Annie was ready for a fight. What she wasn't ready for was getting her son involved.
************************
The writer crawled into the shower and let the warm water soak away some of the
tension and grime from working throughout the day. The feeling of being under
a deadly timeline kept her from thoroughly enjoying the shower though and she
was done in record time.
Clean clothes and a clean body made her feel better and the time in the shower
had cleared her head just a bit.
Annie sat down with Travis at the dinner table and began an early dinner of chicken,
rice, green beans and a salad. He had grumbled a bit about the salad but she had
let him add raisins and Chinese noodles. It was always a sure way of getting him
to eat a salad and she held these favorites back so he could “talk her into
it.”
The mother wondered if all Moms did such things to their kids but figured they
probably did. She made a mental note to ask her own mother about that one day.
“Travis,” Annie began, keeping her voice level and calm. “You know
that bad guy from last night?”
The boy nodded almost absently.
“He might come back tonight,” Annie wasn't surprised when his head shot
up from his chicken and his eyes were wide. “I don't know this for sure but
he might and there could be others with him.”
“Is that why you were doing all those weird things today?” he asked.
“Yes, we can't use the car to leave and the bad guys might be back,”
Annie nodded.
“I saw the car wheels,” he said softly, surprising Annie with his insight,
especially how he hadn't asked her or been afraid. He had stayed quiet and stayed
out of her way during the day, as if sensing that it was important to both of
them that she finish whatever she was doing.
“I need you to do something for me tonight,” she continued. “It
might get dangerous tonight and I want you to be safe. Will you do what I ask?”
“Sure, Mom,” he agreed easily. “You want me to hide, don't you?”
“Yup,” she agreed. “I want to make up your bed in your closet,
and I want you to stay there tonight. No matter what you hear, okay?”
Travis frowned and appeared to think about it. “Can't I help?”
“Knowing that you're safe will be the best help you can give me, Trav,”
she responded truthfully.
“Okay,” he finally agreed reluctantly.
After putting the dinner dishes in the sink, and checking the setting sun's position,
Annie accompanied her small son to his room and set about helping him get ready
for the night. Fortunately, his closet was a huge one that was almost the size
of another bedroom or storage room. It also didn't have any windows and was far
away from the main door.
They gathered up his pillows and blankets and made a bed in one corner for him.
Next they supplied the closet with some of his toys, a camping lantern that ran
on batteries, some of his books and a small radio.
Annie hated shutting her son away in a closet for the night but she knew it was
probably the safest place for him, especially since most houses and cabins on
the west coast didn't have basements. She closed the door while he cheerfully
played with some of his Hot Wheels' cars.
The writer looked around and found the cabin hadn't changed much in appearance
on the inside and, hopefully, not from the outside. Surprise was always an advantage
you wanted on your side, her father had often preached.
The writer in her remembered a quote from Robert A. Heinlein that her father had
printed up and framed in his den:
“A human being, should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher
a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build
a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act
alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer,
cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”
Annie was hoping that the part about dying gallantly wasn't part of fulfilling
that quote tonight.
Annie's sense of dread lightened immediately when she walked down the hallway
and found Cerys sitting up on the sofa.
“Thank God,” Annie grinned.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” Cerys smiled and looked around
the cabin. “Why didn't you and Travis get out of here?”
“The phone line is cut and I can't splice it and the car has four slashed
tires,” Annie answered and sat down on the sofa with the vampire. “How
did you get here, you don't happen to have a car stashed down the road, do you?”
“No, I hiked in from town,” Cerys shrugged. “I smell gasoline.”
“Then the idea that vampires have heightened senses, is correct?” Annie
grinned.
“Yes,” Cerys nodded with a shrug.
“I did some stuff around the cabin,” Annie shrugged. “They're coming
back tonight, aren't they?”
“Yes, they sabotaged the phone and car to keep you here,” Cerys frowned.
“They're hoping I'm dead and they'll finish you and the boy off to keep the
existence of portals and Master vampires a secret.”
“What exactly kills vampires?”
“Fire, decapitation, sunlight, stake through the heart, massive amount of
silver, and possibly starvation but that would take centuries to test that theory.”
“Good, then we might be prepared for tonight,” Annie smiled grimly.
“I hope so, now that they know a Warder is here, they'll send even more than
last night,” Cerys warned. “Annie, about last night…”
“Look, it's getting dark and your relatives will probably be here shortly
after that, won't they?”
“Yes, the Hellgate isn't far from here,” Cerys responded.
“Then I guess the conversation will have to wait until after we deal with
them,” Annie said firmly.
“No,” Cerys countered and surprised Annie by grabbing the writer's wrist
and keeping Annie on the sofa. “Thank you for last night, I would have died.”
“I'm glad it worked,” Annie said softly as she shrugged off the thanks.
“What happens now?”
“We get through tonight, find a way to get you out of here tomorrow and call
for help. Your editor is likely to come get you and hopefully more Warders will
come and help me keep the Master from coming through the portal on Halloween night.”
“What happened to me sticking around for Halloween and writing about it?”
“That was before I found out about your son, I've got to get you and your
son out of here,” Cerys said firmly.
“What about us?” Annie asked softly.
“It's not a good idea for vampires and humans to mix for long,” Cerys
continued to frown. “The emotions are just too intense for both sides but
especially for humans.”
“Afraid?” Annie taunted, her voice bitter. “You come into my home,
tell me cosmic truth about vampires; next thing I know, we're fighting vampires,
my son is almost killed, you nearly died and now we're stuck here!”
“Yes, I know. It all happened too quickly,” Cerys agreed.
“We had this incredible connection last night and I don't even know if you
have a last name,” Annie complained. “I find you incredibly sexy and
fascinating and would like to know you better.”
Annie turned to face Cerys on the sofa. “You warned me last night that the
emotions might get intense and that you were attracted to me. Okay, this might
not work, I'll buy that. What I'm not willing to do is to walk away from this
fight. You and my editor got me into this and I'm going to fight my way through
it. Cer, it's too late to get out, isn't it?”
Cerys sighed heavily and released her hold on Annie's wrist.
“Yes, now that you know about the vampires, they'll track you down and kill
you even if we get you out of here safely,” the vampire admitted.
“So, let me into the fight,” Annie urged.
“You sound like something out of a movie,” Cerys complained.
“I agree, first to admit it,” Annie grinned. "I'm a writer, we're
allowed to be melodramatic."
“Look, the vampires will be here in about an hour,” Cerys said softly.
“You don't know me and you really don't know what we're up against.”
“Then tell me because we're stuck here tonight,” Annie countered.
“In my realm things are different,” Cerys frowned. “It's almost
like a medieval place where magick is possible though frowned upon. Like I said
last night, some are drawn to the power that dark magick can bring them. It's
mostly men, although some women fall prey to the desire and lust for power and
riches.”
“Doesn't anyone oppose them?”
“Yes, but over the last twenty years the Dark Ones have built up such a power
base that they've actually been able to hold off most opposition. The power base
in the realm is minor little kingdoms, City States like your ancient Greece.”
“Okay, so the good cities join together and take out the bad ones,”
Annie suggested with a frown.
“I wish it were that simple,” Cerys smiled slightly. “Unfortunately,
it's been the other way around. The Dark Ones have banded together and one had
worked his way to the top of the food chain. To cement his power, he's crossing
over into this realm to perform the ritual that will make him immortal in my realm.”
“So some of you cross over to stop them in this realm. I remember from last
night.”
“Right, usually female warriors because we aren't as tempted by the darker
forces for some reason,” Cerys continued.
“I don't know, have you ever seen the head of Rosalynn Publishing?”
Annie grinned bitterly.
Cerys smirked at Annie's sense of humor.
“So, when you cross into our realm you end up as a vampire,” Annie commented.
“Yes and we try and stop the Dark Ones from killing humans and completing
their ritual,” Cerys repeated. “A Warder came through at the Summer
Solstice, last year. My mate and I joined with her in fighting this new Master
when he came through in the next gate.”
Cerys hesitated and stood up slowly and walked to the window, noticing the closed
shutters for the first time.
“The other Warder was killed,” Cerys said softly. “My mate…
she was wounded.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“So you understand what and who we're going up against,” Cerys explained.
“I was chosen for this fight because of my past with this Master. My mates'
name was Arekla. She was wounded and captured by the vampire. Instead of killing
her, the vampire seduced her and turned her to the dark side.”
Annie felt like someone had just hit her in the chest.
“Cerys, I'm sorry,” she whispered but the Warder vampire merely shrugged.
“My mate has been turned for almost a year and has been killing humans for
that time without remorse and without consent. She's been paving the way for the
Master to return to this realm and increase his power through dark rituals involving
human blood,” Cerys explained. “I'll be facing a Master with more powers
than I've ever seen and my mate.”
Cerys' eyes suddenly became distant. “They're approaching.”
“Can you tell how many?”
“No, but more than last time,” Cerys said with a frown.
“Well, this time we have a few surprises for them,” Annie grinned, handing
Cerys her short sword and going to the door to pick up the shotgun. "Stay
away from the front door, don't touch the knob."
Cerys picked up her sword and stood by the front door, mindful of Annie's warning
not to touch the handle. Her sharp vampiric eyes noticed the bare wires wrapped
around the knob and wondered what the writer was up to as Annie stood by the window,
watching for movement.
The writer had the shotgun cradled in her arm as she watched through a small slit
in the shutters, her hand on the light switch.
"Don't go out until I say, okay?" Annie glanced over at the vampire
and Cerys nodded, her face serious.
"They're at the edge of the tree-line, I can see five of them," Cerys
commented a moment later.
Annie flipped one of the switches, flooding the clearing in front of the house
with bright light. She could see a couple of figures throwing up their hands against
the light and grinned when a high pitched scream came to them from the left of
the cabin.
"Watch the trail," Annie said softly as Cerys looked out the peephole
in the door.
One of the vampires, a male in a cowboy shirt, jeans and boots, stepped forward
into the light, his fangs flashing. A moment later he was looking down at the
two stakes sticking out of his chest.
Dust filled the air a few seconds later and the two vampires with him were looking
at the snare trap that had taken him out.
"What the hell?" Cerys asked.
"It's called a spear deadfall. You trip the wire and the weight of the log
and the rocks brings the stakes down onto the prey. The rocks add weight and make
the blow more crushing," Annie explained.
"Wow! And the scream?"
"A Sprung Spear Trap. A couple of stakes are attached to a flexible branch
and suspended over the trail, add a slip ring to the trip wire, and a couple of
other moves and you're set. Very deadly, as one of them found out."
"Who are you, MacGuyver?" Cerys grinned.
"They have television in your realm?" Annie teased.
"I've been here awhile. Reruns during the daytime," Cerys muttered.
They both kept their attention on the figures moving even more cautiously towards
the cabin.
"No more tricks! Give us the Warder and you and the boy can go free!"
called out the vampire in front of the four vampires now standing in the clearing.
"I'm going to agree to it and tell one of them to come up on the porch,"
Annie said softly.
"What?" Cerys demanded.
"Just watch, when the lights flash, fling open the door and decapitate whatever
is standing there," Annie instructed grimly.
"Okay Annie Oakley," Cerys grumbled, standing ready with the sword in
hand.
"The female vampire is hurt from last night, one of you will have to come
in and get her!" she called out.
"It'll take two of us!" the leader called back with an evil grin.
"Only one or I blow your heads off like last night!" Annie warned.
"Alright, you give your word you won't shoot the one coming in?" the
leader demanded.
"I give you my word," Annie grinned behind the shutter.
One of the vampires next to the leader slowly moved forward and began mounting
the stairs, his body language indicating that he was ready to jump or run. Not
perceiving any immediate threat from the cabin, he walked a couple of steps closer
to the door and hesitated.
"I invite only you in," Annie called and the vampire grinned and reached
for the door as Annie closed her eyes and flipped the other light switch.
Cerys blinked against the sudden sparks flying from the door handle and the screams
on the other side of the door. Annie flipped the switch off.
"Now!" she yelled and Cerys jerked the door open and her other arm swung
in a backhand motion that would have made a tennis pro proud. The twitching electrocuted
vampire stood helpless as his head left his body and then he turned to dust a
moment later.
The vampires in the clearing screamed in rage and rushed the porch. Cerys met
one in the center of the chest with her sword as Annie stepped out beside her
and used the shotgun to decapitate another one. The leader turned to run as Cerys
struggled with the vampire impaled on her sword and Annie knelt down by the railing.
A quick flash of a match and she was tossing a flaming bottle after him.
Both Cerys and the vampire she was fighting hesitated as the lead vampire began
screaming; his clothes were on fire and his skin was quickly following. Cerys
reacted first and pulled her sword out and tripped the vampire, sending him to
his back and slashing off his head with a single stroke.
The Warder vampire looked over as the screams died down and the vampire fell face
first onto the ground and slowly burned to ashes.
Cerys looked around and was surprised to see stakes now lining the railing of
the porch, making it very difficult for a vampire to jump over the railing to
get to the women. Cerys also noticed several more bottles by Annie's foot.
"Are there more?" Annie asked, scanning the area for movement.
"Yes, I sense more to the left and right," Cerys informed the writer.
"They're hesitating because they are now very unsure of how to handle you."
Annie looked over and found Cerys grinning at her.
"Do people always underestimate you?" the Warder asked as they moved
back into the house.
"Usually," Annie grinned back at the vampire. "What will they do
next?"
"Probe for weaknesses in the security," Cerys said thoughtfully. "Shutters
secure?"
"Yes, nailed shut," Annie responded. "Anyone trying to pry one
open will find a shotgun waiting for them."
"Good, they might try fire."
"Bottled water and fire extinguishers at the main points of the cabin,"
Annie answered.
"Your son in the closet? He won't come out?"
"How did you know where he was?" Annie asked with a frown.
"I can hear his heartbeat," Cerys shrugged.
"I'll check in on him and reassure him," Annie said simply.
"Do it now before the next round," Cerys urged.
Annie moved slowly into Travis' room and knocked softly on the closet. "Yes,"
a timid voice called.
"It's Mom, Trav," she called.
"Who is better, Batman or Wolverine?" he asked and she smiled at the
test.
"Wolverine, he is way more cool with those claws," Annie grinned, knowing
the response he expected and she heard the door unlock and quickly hugged him
when her son opened the door. "Hey, kiddo. I was missing you and thought
I'd let you give me some courage with a hug."
"I heard gunshots," Travis answered, his eyes wide.
"Yeah, some of those bad guys came back but we ran them off with the shotgun.
They're still out there though and are probably going to try something different,"
Annie explained.
"Like in that Jason movie, figuring out other ways to get in?" he asked
and Annie made a mental note to discuss his babysitter's choices in movies when
her son was around, thank you!
"Something like that. Can you go back inside your fort and keep quiet?"
"Okay, will you be okay?"
"You betcha! Grandpa taught me lots of tricks to play on bad guys,"
she smiled at her son and hugged him tightly once more and urged him back into
the closet, waiting until she heard the door lock shut.
The writer found the Warder Vampire ready and waiting by the door.
"He's a great kid," Cerys commented.
"You could hear my conversation in the other room?" Annie asked.
"Yeah, when I focus I can hear your heartbeat," Cerys shrugged.
"What happens when we get through tonight? Do you go back to being the sleeping
dead tomorrow?" Annie asked as they watched several figures moving in the
trees, keeping to the shadows.
"No, I needed the full day of sleep because of the injuries I took last night,"
Cerys answered. "I still say you should hike down to town tomorrow and get
out of here."
"I'm not leaving you alone to face a Master, your ex and who knows how many
more vampires."
"It won't be as easy as this to stop the Master, we have to be at the gate
tomorrow night," Cerys explained. "We have to defeat his vampires, counter
his magick in crossing over or kill him when he gets here and is weak."
"Where is the gate?"
"An old mine about two miles from here, through the woods," Cerys responded.
"And you can't get there until after dark?" Annie frowned.
"I can't let the direct sun light hit me. The woods aren't that shadowy,"
Cerys frown matched Annie's.
"So we need to figure out how to get you there without exposing you to sunlight,"
Annie said thoughtfully. "Any trails or roads to the mine left?"
"An old horse trail is about all that is left, why?"
"Checking options," Annie muttered and opened the door to let off a
shotgun round when one of the vampires got close enough to the porch. The writer
missed decapitating the vampire but sent buckshot into his face, throat and upper
shoulder. He was sent flying backwards and then rolling on the dirt howling in
rage and pain.
Annie slammed the door. Cerys growled and pointed to the roof as footsteps sounded
loudly.
"What the hell? The fireplace isn't big enough to play Santa Claus,"
Annie demanded.
The answer came a moment later when a burning pine bough was thrust down the chimney,
followed by bits of dried pine needles, branches and pinecones.
"They're trying to smoke us out!" Cerys growled as Annie handed her
the shotgun and grabbed the large bottle of water. She rolled the plastic jug
up and over the hearthstone and into the fireplace. The writer pulled a buck knife
from her hip and sliced open the jug, sending water splashing all over the pine
bough, needles and pine cones.
Annie turned and wiped her brow and jumped slightly when one of the pine cones
exploded from the heat.
"Clever!" Cerys said, admiration in her voice.
Apparently the vampires couldn't find anything more clever than Annie had come
up with because they spent the next four hours pounding, screaming and howling
on the cabin walls and shutters.
They also avoided the back and front door after the shotgun turned two more of
them into dust. Cerys waited by the front door with her sword and Annie waited
by the back door with her shotgun and axe.
A very tired Annie turned to the Warder vampire at around 3 a.m. "When do
they give up?"
"About an hour before dawn, probably," Cerys answered.
************************
Annie smiled when she opened her eyes and realized Cerys was shaking her awake.
The writer looked around and was relieved to see daylight creeping in through
the cracks in the shutters.
Cerys was sitting against the front door and looked like she was about ready to
drop into an exhausted sleep as well. It was still dark in the cabin from all
the windows being boarded up but Annie still could catch Cerys' blue eyes watching
her.
“Thank God,” she muttered.
“Him too,” Cerys grinned. “I think it's more to your credit that
we survived last night. Where did you learn the survivor stuff?”
“My father was a former Army Ranger and passed along some things,” the
blonde shrugged and sat up a little straighter in the chair she had fallen asleep
in, careful not to tip over the shotgun leaning against it.
“Good, now if we can figure out what to do for tonight, we'll be set,”
Cerys yawned, sitting down heavily on the sofa. “First, I suggest a couple
of hours of sleep at least. You've been up over 24 hours now.”
“I'd normally argue with you that we have too much to do but it's likely
that we're going to be up all night again, aren't we?”
“Yup, safe bet. The portal will open about an hour after sunset and the first
set of vampires will come through. Then it opens again at midnight and the Master
will come through,” Cerys explained.
“When does your ex show up?”
Cerys frowned as she pulled her dusty and scruffy cowboy boots off and threw her
feet up on the sofa. “Probably right after sunset, she's most likely already
hiding in the mine.”
“Are you going to be able to face her as an enemy?” Annie asked softly.
“I'm a warrior, I have to,” Cerys attempted to shrug again.
“You're also human,” Annie countered.
“Not quite,” Cerys grinned at Annie's exasperated look at the vampire's
humor. Then Cerys was serious again. “I have to,” she repeated. “There
isn't a choice, is there?”
“Maybe not,” Annie agreed and stretched. The writer smiled when she
noticed Cerys admiring her lean and fit body. “You sure you don't want to
discuss getting to know each other a little better?”
Cerys growled and sat up quickly.
“I thought I explained that vampires and humans don't mix well,” the
vampire snapped.
“Why not? Don't give me the bit about the emotions being too intense for
humans, you've obviously never lived with a writer,” Annie countered.
“I am attracted to you and think that you're incredible,” Cerys admitted.
“I also think this should wait until after tonight, don't you?”
“I agree that we should discuss this later after we get some sleep,”
Annie responded casually. “Especially considering what we're facing.”
“Alright, just get some sleep, I'll wake you. I only need about four hours,”
Cerys laid back down on the sofa, dismissing the conversation.
Annie was tempted to force the issue a little bit more but the aches from her
body, from the exhaustion, were agreeing with Cerys and so Annie gave in and headed
for her bed.
************************
The writer felt someone gently brushing her hair back from her face and opened
her eyes slowly. It had been a long time since someone touched her like that and
she was enjoying the feeling.
Annie smiled at Cerys sitting on the edge of her bed. The blonde held the vampire's
hand against her cheek and closed her eyes with a soft sigh. Annie felt Cerys
other hand softly stroke her other cheek.
The blonde moaned slightly as Cerys' lips met hers. The kiss was tentative at
first but became more solid as Annie reached behind Cerys' head and pulled the
vampire closer. Annie drew Cerys down alongside her on the bed and continued the
“getting to know you” session without any words.
Annie could sense Cerys hesitating and tightened her hold on the vampire as they
continued kissing and holding each other. Cerys finally pulled back and looked
into Annie's green eyes.
“We should figure out what we're doing tonight,” she said.
“Yup, we should,” Annie agreed and grabbed the vampire and began kissing
her again. Cerys started to protest but became a willing participant in the distraction.
The writer finally broke the kiss. “Okay, right, we're up and planning things,”
she muttered and captured Cerys' lips again.
Cerys pulled out of Annie's arms and sat up with a gentle laugh that softened
her usually stern features. The writer felt her heart melting at the sight of
the beautiful dark woman.
“How do you usually plan these things?” Annie asked, sitting up in bed.
She noticed Cerys watching her again and glanced down, realizing the tight t-shirt
was leaving nothing to the imagination for the vampire. There was no doubt about
Annie's state of arousal.
Annie smirked and snapped her fingers in front of Cerys' blue eyes. The vampire
looked embarrassed and grinned slightly.
“I trot over to the mine with my sword, hope that some of the other Warders
get there about the same time as the vampires from town, fight the vampires and
kill them. Then we try and seal the portal and, if that doesn't work, we wait
for midnight and greet the Master with swords and stakes,” Cerys explained.
“Okay, how about we figure a way to get you to that mine, we take out the
vampires who are hiding there and set up some surprises for those coming in tonight?”
Annie suggested.
“I'm game,” Cerys grinned wolfishly. “How do we do that?”
“I'm not sure yet. Can't go by car and I don't have a horse, that leaves
on foot and we've got to find a way to keep you covered while we do it,”
Annie mumbled, her mind already thinking as she got out of bed. She reached for
a clean pair of trousers, unaware of the affect her body, clad only in a tight
t-shirt and thin underwear, was having on the vampire.
“We've got a large wagon that was used to bring in vegetables in from the
garden. How do you feel about coffins?”
“What?” Cerys demanded, her eyes widening.
“Well, actually, I was thinking a large box or heavy blankets or something.
We pack you into it, load up the wagon with some other goodies and I pull you
to the mine.”
“Impossible, it's much too far,” Cerys protested.
“Not with an ATV pulling it,” Annie grinned.
“ATV, one of those four wheeled motorcycle things?”
“Yes, there's one in the storage shed,” Annie answered.
“Then why didn't you get out of here yesterday on the thing?” Cerys
demanded.
Annie shrugged as she put on the jeans and pulled out a pair of socks.
“I wasn't going to leave you behind and I knew I couldn't take you out in
the sun,” Annie said. “Besides, I only found the stuff to fix the flat
tire on the damned thing today.”
“You could leave today,” Cerys growled.
“Nope, you and Jeannie got me into this; I'm staying,” Annie said firmly.
“It might actually work,” Cerys said thoughtfully.
“Excellent,” Annie smiled and looked at her watch. “We don't have
a lot of time to get things ready, get Travis to town, and then get to the mine.”
“Why didn't you take Travis into town yesterday?”
“I didn't know if you were alive or dead in that coma sleep of yours. I didn't
want to leave you alone in that condition and I thought I could protect him better
here. I doubt they'll believe me about vampires in town.”
“So what's different about today?” Cerys asked.
“Today is different because we have to leave the cabin to continue the fight,”
Annie explained as she laced up her Doc Martin boots. “I can't protect him
at the mine and I can't leave him alone here either. I'll leave him at the boarding
house in town with Mrs. Carson; we stayed there a couple of nights before coming
out here to the cabin.”
“You are amazing,” Cerys smiled and yelped in surprise when Annie got
up from the bed and leaped onto the vampire, pinning the woman to the bed for
another round of kissing that left both of them breathless and very aroused.
“You had better make sure we both get through this tonight, I want to show
you how amazing,” Annie muttered and moved off the bed. “We had better
get going before I attack you again…”
Cerys gave her a rueful smile and got up to find her boots.
Part 3