Phillida
is a force to be reckoned with. She leads a charge at the front of
the castle, with Drea, Margo and Sandra. Margo is called away to help
Tommy.
"Tommy!"
Afraid she was too late, she bit her wrist again, dripping more blood
into his mouth.
Suddenly,
he shivered and took a deep breath. Coughing and hacking, he
struggled to sit up. Vestigial fangs brushed his lower lip and he ran
his tongue over them experimentally.
"Tommy!"
This time, full of joy, Margo hugged and kissed him. "I thought
I'd lost you!"
"I'm
okay," he said with a smile. "Wow, everything's different!"
He looked around him with awe.
"Enjoy
it later, kid," Nero said gruffly. "First we have to get
the hell outta here and get you something to drink."
"You're
still weak," Margo said. "Can the others walk?"
They
nodded agreement, saying little. Struggling to stand, the less
injured helped those in worse shape. Stumbling and tripping over one
another, they headed in a tight group across the foyer to the front
door. Phillida and the others had secured this part of the house,
though fighting raged in other parts of the castle.
Once
outside, a limo pulled up, the door popping open automatically. As
many as would fit scrambled in behind Margo and Tommy. Nero, Kirk and
Oded kept a watchful eye as the others loaded into other limos and
headed back to Andres' compound.
Soon,
the remaining occupants surrendered. Phillida had them gathered in
the ballroom, secured with silver lined handcuffs. They were very
subdued, some almost comatose. Andres appeared shortly after.
Tattered and dirty, he'd been in the thick of things in another part
of the castle assault.
"Thank
you, Philly," he said. "We couldn't have done this without
you." He kissed her. "Be my queen, Philly," he
murmured.
"What
of your little pet?"
"I've
been a fool more than once," he said. "But it's time I
settled down with a woman my own age."
Phillida
laughed, accepting his proposal. Celebration would wait until later.
Now, there were prisoners to interrogate. None of the vampires seemed
ready to cooperate. There was no one better at extracting information
than Andres. The messy business of questioning began.
Kirk
and Scott hitched rides with other teams who had lost members. There
were far fewer of them than had made the ride out. Thinking back over
the battle though, Kirk realized that they'd fared better than he'd
expected. The best part was that he and all his friends had lived
through it. There would be huge gaps in their ranks, but they'd get
past their sorrow. They always did.
Back
at Andres' compound, they availed themselves of the hospitality of
the house. They were given rooms and clothing. After bathing, the
friends joined in the parlor. Even Scott and Sandra were treated like
honored guests. Tommy was given his first dose of their medicine and
a large glass of synthetic blood. At first, he was dubious of the
liquid, but Margo took a sip, kissing him afterward so he could taste
it in her mouth. Little by little, she persuaded him to drink.
"I
almost lost you," she said over and over.
"I'm
okay. I'm here with you now—forever."
Acting
much like a newly married couple, they were making the others
somewhat uncomfortable. Silas' entrance with a tray of canapes put an
end to it. His loud, boisterousness made them all laugh as he
castigated Margo for her antics.
"Stop
acting like a school girl in heat," he boomed. "You'll make
my souffle drop."
They
laughed and teased one another until others joined them. Among the
first to seek them out were the twins. Vincent was with them as well
as Rubina. They shared a glass of blood mixed with brandy and enjoyed
some of the canapes.
"I
never thought I'd get out of that horrible place alive," Rubina
said with a shudder. "It was horrible there. For the first few
days, I was there alone."
"What
did they want?" Kirk asked.
"We
couldn't be sure," Vincent replied. "They tortured us but
never asked any questions. It was as if they were toying with us."
"What
happened to Gene," Tommy asked. "The first human they
took."
Rubina
looked sad. "They killed him," she whispered. "They
wanted to turn him, but he refused. They ripped his throat out in
front of us." She shuddered. "No one should have to die
like that."
Heinrich
joined them a little while later. Not long after, Andres and Phillida
came in arm in arm.
"So,
you've decided on Phillida as your wife after all?" Heinrich
sniffed, annoyed by something. "I thought you were set on that
insufferable child."
"A
passing fancy. We all have them from time to time."
"Indeed
we do. You more than some. I'm glad you've come to your senses at
last." He raised his glass to the couple. "And you, Margo,
a new pet to play with? How delightful for you."
"Thank
you, Heinrich. Tommy and I are getting...."
"And
you, young man." He turned to Scott. "Such a fine display
of heroism today. Why you accounted for more kills than the rest of
us combined, I warrant."
Scott
blushed, ducking his head. "I doubt that, but thank...."
"Overall,
quite the display of heroics. Too bad it takes a crisis to bring out
the beast in us."
"Did
you really think you'd get away with it, Heinrich?" Andres asked
calmly. "Surely you knew I'd figure it out eventually."
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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