Their
presence known, the vampires find that there are others in tunnels
underfoot. They lose one of their party, but manage to dispatch the
attackers—for now.
"Probably.
They'll wait a few minutes and come at us again. We may not get as
lucky next time."
"I've
got an idea," Scott said. "Does a flash grenade affect you
like sunlight, if you're not protected?"
Nero
and the others eyed him skeptically. Kirk held up his hand before the
others could lose their tempers.
"Hear
him out," he said calmly. "Go on," he replied without
saying yes or no.
"Because
if that's the case, we can access that tunnel and set off one or two
to clear the way."
"We
can't...." Nero said.
"Maybe
not, but I can," Scott replied.
"There
could be dozens down there," Kirk said. "I don't feel right
putting you in that position."
"Will
it kill them or disable them?"
The
vampires exchanged an anxious glance.
"Depends
on proximity," Cloves replied. "Those closest will fall to
dust. The others will be badly burned."
"So,
if I set off more than one, I can clear the way?"
They
exchanged another anxious glance.
"Perhaps,
but we can't follow and protect you," Kirk said.
"I
know I'm not as old as you guys, but I'm not helpless," Scott
said. "And I'm not scared. Well, I am, but I can do this. If we
can get in this way...."
"Give
him some," Nero said.
The
other vampires dug in their packs and handed the human a half dozen
flash grenades. With the ones he'd been given, he had nine. They knew
what Scott suspected, not even the lotion they wore could protect
them from the concentrated light.
"Help
me dig in," Scott said.
The
vampires dug into the ground. The earth was loose where Dietrich had
disappeared. They lowered Scott into the hole, standing out of blast
range. Scott had pulled the pin before they dropped him. Not knowing
what he was getting into, was the most terrifying thing he'd ever
experienced. He suspected he was probably surrounded. In fact, he
could hear and smell the vampires, brushing against one as the
dropped to his feet.
"Bleeder."
They hissed and growled. One grabbed his shirt, trying to bite him.
Scott
dropped the flash grenade and covered his eyes with dark glasses. He
felt the heat as the weapon went off. Screams and roars of pain
followed. He already had two more grenades ready. Tossing one ahead
and the other behind as far as he could, he dashed forward on
instinct and adrenaline. More screams and wails accompanied his wild
dash.
Hands
grabbed at him only to fall away. Figuring he was beyond blast radius
once more, he lobbed another. Moments later, he came to a steel
reinforced wooden door. He couldn't hear anything beyond it, but the
screams and yowls of the injured vamps masked any sound. Fumbling
with the door, he eased it open. He could tell there were more
vampires inside. He could hear them and smelled their damp earth
scent.
Terrified,
he walked through the door and was miraculously unharmed. A voice
spoke to him from his right. A faint light shone through what looked
like a dungeon door.
"Scott?"
someone whispered.
"Tommy?"
He walked toward the sound. "I found him," he reported to
the others. "The tunnel is clear. I'm in an underground room."
"We're
coming in," Nero said.
The
screaming behind him stopped abruptly, and Scott knew his friends had
killed the injured vampires.
"Don't
come any closer," Tommy said. "I think they've got the room
trapped. "Wait for help."
Scott
reported the information to the team. Soon, he was joined by Kirk and
the others.
"Are
you the only one down here?" Kirk asked Tommy as he and the team
checked the area for traps.
"They've
got the kidnapped vamps down here too. I talked to a couple of them
earlier. They're in bad shape."
"And
the other human?" Nero asked.
"I
think he's dead," Tommy said sadly.
Sounds
of fighting echoed down the stairs. The cavalry had arrived. Someone
grunted over to the side and an odd smell filled the room.
"Oh,
shit," Kirk whispered.
"What?"
Scott asked.
"Go
to the stairs. Tommy, get to the back of your cell. And try not to
breathe too much."
Doing
as they were told, the two humans found it difficult to draw a
breath. Eyes watering, noses running, the coughed and gagged. Scott
got halfway up the stairs before he collapsed. Nero caught up with
him, dragging him up the stairs. He stood guard over the downed human
as he tried to get his breath back. Several minutes later, Kirk and
Oded carried Tommy up the stairs, setting him to one side. Clovis
brought up the rear. Once he could speak, Scott asked what had
happened.
"Gas,"
Kirk explained. "It's hard on us, deadly to humans. I hope we
got him out in time."
Tommy
didn't look good. He lay, barely breathing, in the alcove at the top
of the stairs. Sounds of battle raged around them as Tommy gasped for
breath.
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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