series page

prologue

Prologue

 

Mark Lucas knew that he fucked up. He gripped the cell phone he was holding, already knowing what he was about to hear.

“You failed the mission,” said the voice on the other line. “You didn’t kill the objective.”

“I’m not the kind of killer,” Lucas stated with venom in his voice.

“You are any killer I fucking tell you to be!” the voice snarled. “I paid you to do a job and you didn’t fulfill it!”

“Take your money back, then,” Lucas responded. “And after that, lose my number and put on some chap stick so you can kiss my ass.”

The voice on the end laughed.

“You have two choices,” the voice said back calmly. “Either you complete the job I paid you to do or you become the job.”

Lucas laughed at the threat. Lucas wasn’t a small time hit man that you find in the local weekday newspaper. He was a professional assassin and a superb marksman. He had arranged hits resulting from common drug lords to high ranking political figures. His clientele knew he was the best at his profession and they paid him his quota because of it.

“We have to make this right,” the voice said.

“We are,” Lucas replied. “We cancelling the contract and you can go fuck yourself.”

It was the voice’s time to laugh. Lucas just wished he could see the person on the other end that was making these idle remarks and threats. But that was one of his rules. No visual contact just monetary. But for this one time, he wished he could break that rule so he could break the guy’s neck.

“I’m trying to be reasonable but I see you’re not trying with the same effort,” the caller observed. “This phone conversation is the only thing keeping you alive since you failed to kill the objective.”

“Look I don’t take kindly to threats,” Lucas warned. “Now I’m being a good employee and telling you ‘I quit’ and I don’t want the severance package. “

“Ok but you making a grave mistake,” the voice advised. “I hate to be disappointed and right now, you are disappointing me.”

“Well sorry for being a bad boy but I must insist on reminding you that I’m longer employed by you and if you still want to, I do have a nice juicy ass for you to kiss.”

“I really like the work you do so I’m still trying to be reasonable here but I’m going to lose my good manners unless I hear what I want to hear,” the voice cautioned. “Now for the last time, what would it be?”

“Okay, you twisted my arm,” Lucas smiled. “Here goes my choice. Fuck you!”

Lucas clicked the end call button of the cell phone and the other line became vacant. He dropped the cell phone to the floor and stepped on it breaking it into pieces.

Lucas looked around his apartment. Well it wasn’t really his apartment. He was using it while the current occupant was tied up in the closet. Lucas knew it was time to disperse. His contact may not know where he was but he knew that there was only one way to deal with a failed contract, termination.

Lucas gathered up all the cell phone pieces and stuffed it in a small plastic bag that he got when he brought a soda from the local bodega store. The soda can was already finished and inside the bag already. Lucas planned on dumping all his sanitary contents outside in a garbage can a couple of blocks away. First, he had to wipe down all evidence of him being there. Then he grabbed his suitcase from under the bed. His suitcase was actually a holding case for his two prized weapons. The inside of the suitcase had two indented folds to put both weapons in. He checked the champers of both weapons before placing them in the case.

He knew a failed contact might bring bad news once told but he wasn’t worried about it. He was about to retire anyway. The jobs were getting too risker and much more dangerous. Not to mention this last job had affected his moral code. He had done a lot of jobs in his life and killed a lot of people, even as his time in the Marine Corps. But even he had a code and rules that you just don’t break, no matter how much medals or money you can get from completing the mission.

He put on his rubber gloves and proceeded to check the last spec of the apartment to make sure he left nothing to chance before he left. When he was satisfied, he put on a ski mask and walked to the bedroom closet.

When Lucas opened the closet door, the woman inside the small space tied up in a chair with a rag in her mouth flinched. She looked at him with pleading eyes.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Lucas said behind the mask. “I’m just telling you I’m leaving but like I told you, if I hear you want to the authorities, I will come back and then we’re going dancing.”

Lucas left the closet door opened and walked out the bedroom. He looked around the place one last time then went to open the front door. He took off his ski mask because he didn’t want no stray next door neighbor getting suspicious seeing a man with a mask coming out of an apartment.

Lucas just off instinct never put his head out first when he walks through a door frame. That one instinct move saved him a bullet to the head. He was about to hear the pssst sound of a silencer weapon as a hole appeared all of a sudden in the door frame he was about to walk past. Lucas shut the door fast and started crawling back inside the apartment. More hissing sounds can be heard and three more small holes appeared in the door. Lucas crawled a few more inches and got up and ran into the bedroom.

Lucas spotted that his hostage had already rocked herself out of the chair and was crawling on the floor too still tied up. She looked at him as Lucas closed the bedroom door behind him and put his back against the door.

“Looks like I won’t be leaving you just yet,” Lucas said.

Lucas didn’t know how they found him but they did. Lucas tried to control his breathing to make it steady.

He needed to be focused if he was getting out of this alive. He looked back at his captive whose eyes were big as saucers. Oh shit, Lucas didn’t have his mask on. She’s looking at his face. She remembers him from somewhere. She should. Lucas had been following her for a minute once he found out she was single and leaved alone and her apartment could be used as his base of operation.

“Don’t worry about me,” Lucas assured the frightened woman. “We got men worse than me trying to come in here.”

She mumbled something through the rag still placed in her mouth. Lucas was about to say ‘what?’ when he heard the front door of the apartment being kicked in. He heard footsteps. Sounded like a two-man sweep from the sound of their shoes hitting the floorboards. Lucas could picture them in his mind. They would secure the living room first then check the bedroom and finally the bathroom. Each man was back-up for the other one. Lucas moved away from the door and placed his suitcase on the floor.

Lucas entered the combination code to the two locks on the suitcase and it popped open revealing his deadly babies. He picked up the two Colt Anaconda .44 Magnums from their folds. Six bullets were in each gun and ready for use.  He was wondering should he used the silencer when a brief jiggling of the bedroom door’s knob started indicting the hit man was right outside the door.

Lucas waited for any other movements. His waiting was answered with the hit man shooting at the door three times. They knew he was in there now. Lucas was ready to let his ladies of death talk their language if the bad men decided they were coming through that door.

“How the fuck did he find me?” Lucas asked himself tense.

His back was to his hostage who was still mumbling something through the rag.

“Shut up, will you,” Lucas whispered. It was about to Showtime.

Lucas heard more shuffling behind him but didn’t pay it any mind.

“Are you prepared to die?” a very deep baritone voice asked from outside the door.

“Not yet but I haven’t checked my horoscope,” Lucas snapped back. “But I got some going away presents if you decide to come through that door.”

“Hmph!” the deep voice expressed.

Lucas heard one of the assailants make sniffing sounds like he was smelling the air.

“You’re not alone,” the other killer informed. “You have brought an innocent mortal into this.”

“They all innocent,” Lucas reminded.

“Except you,” the second hit man said.

“Well, I’m a different story,” Lucas smiled.

There was quiet for a minute. Lucas let his other senses take over.

“Nice try but that’s not going to work, Skywalker,” the baritone laughed.

Lucas had a confused look on his face. If he couldn’t absorb their energy that meant…

“Yes, you fucked up now,” the baritone let out another hearty laugh followed by a low growl.

Lucas turned to his hostage whose eyes were still wide open scared to death.

“Now that we all know what we really are, can we stop playing games?” the baritone suggested. “Come out or I will huff and puff…”

Lucas knew he was trapped. The two killers outside was just toying with him. Lucas knew he wouldn’t get out of this unless he fought or maybe…

He looked at the window. It was a seven story drop. He could survive it but he would be hurt a little. Whether fight or flight, he needed energy.

“I’m getting tired,” the baritone gnarled. “Either come out now or we are coming in.”

Lucas looked at his captive one last time.

“I’m sorry,” Lucas said placing one gun down on the floor and inching towards her.

The lady tried squirming away as Lucas neared her.

“I need to,” Lucas pleaded and placed his hand on her head.

As the woman started to shake and go into convulsions, Lucas started breathing heavier. His eyes turned red and then his mouth started to tingle as two sharp fanged teeth began to grow.

The hit men busted open the door as soon as they heard a window being smashed.

The baritone killer looked around the room. The female hostage was still laid out on the floor but her eyes were tilted back only showing white. All the veins from her body was protruding out as if her bodily fluids had been drained out. All the life force was driven out of her. Then he looked at the smashed open window and the fact that Lucas was gone.

Baritone sniffed the air and his eyes turned from brown to yellow. He could smell Lucas. Lucas had left his essence behind and it was the most intoxicating aroma that Baritone had ever smelled.

“I knew he was a Psy but this was one essence is stronger than any I’ve encountered,” Baritone informed his partner. “But that fall hurt him even if he did get energy before he leaped. Let’s go get him, He still has a job to finish.”

“How?” his cohort asked.

Baritone sniffed the air again. He growled and without a thought, he ran towards the window and jumped out.

 

 

Lucas landed right on the hood of a car when he did his suicide leap out the window. Even he had fully charged before he jumped, the fall did hurt him. He rolled off the hood and landed smack on the concrete sidewalk. He heard people yelling “call an ambulance! That guy just jumped off the roof!”

Lucas could hear a hundred voices buzzing in his ear as he tried to get up.

“Don’t get up! You hurt!” He heard voices giving orders but he was paying them no attention. He felt hands on him either trying to help him up or getting him to lay down.

“Ahhhhh!” He heard more screams and now people were dispersing and running.

Lucas was on his feet and he turned around to see a large and dark creature with sharp canine teeth and razor sharp paws standing on the same hood Lucas just rolled off.

The creature was growling as salvia was dripping out the folds of it’s’ mouth.

“Run!” Lucas could hear onlookers still yelling but keeping a relatively safe distance.

“So I guess no more games,” Lucas said to the creature.

The creature’s yellow eyes were looking right at Lucas as it’s’ tail started to wag in anticipation of devouring its’ prey.

Lucas could hear more yelling and feet movement around him as well as sirens approaching. Lucas looked for his suitcase. He did jump with it but it flew away from him when he landed on the car. Lucas saw the suitcase on the trunk’s edge of the same car the creature was on the hood of. Lucas eyed the suitcase then the beast. The canine monster glanced at the suitcase too and knew what was in it and that Lucas could not get his hands on it. However, that was Lucas only hope.

Now Lucas studied a lot about this breed. This type of animal acted on reaction and response. Lucas knew he had to do something in order for the creature to do something. If Lucas moved towards the suitcase, the monstrosity would attack. That same reaction would happen if he ran which is what the beast really wanted. It thrived on chase and conquer. Plus Lucas was worried about the creature’s back-up. There were two of them. This one turned but the other could still be in human form. And since he didn’t see either of one of the killers before one of them turned, he didn’t know what right plan of action to take. But right now he had an extremely large and aggressive wolf staring at him and the police that were on their way were not going to be any help. In fact they would be casualties.

Lucas inched towards the trunk of the car and the animal growled louder. Lucas took a deep breath. Now or never. Lucas reached for the suitcase and the animal jumped off the hood towards him. Lucas managed to grab the suitcase just in time before the wolf advanced on him. Lucas used the suitcase as a shield as a clawed paw almost missed his face. Lucas managed to use the suitcase to push the beast off of him. Lucas started running.

Lucas almost ran into a police car but didn’t stop. The officers got out of the car to detain him when a huge wolf came charging at them. The officers aimed their guns trying to shoot at the monster but to no avail.

Lucas got down the block and put his suitcase down. He pulled out his two firearms from their folds as he saw the beast come charging down towards him.

He aimed and started shooting.

 

 

Lucas woke up in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavily irate. His eyes were bloodshot red and his fangs tingled. He was in attack mode but he wasn’t in a battle with a massive deranged werewolf, he was in his bed. It was just a bad dream.

Lucas focused on controlling his rapid breathing and looked at the lump beside him under the bed covers. A head was poking out from the covers snoring ever so softly. Lucas looked at the love of his life. She was still beautiful even her sleeping state. He wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world even his life.

Lucas’ breathing was slowly coming back to a normal pace. He scanned the room. His senses were going off like crazy. Something didn’t feel right but he didn’t see anything wrong or out of place.

Lucas got out of bed and stretched his arms. That dream was intense. It felt so real. Well, it was real. The event really happened, six months ago.

Lucas looked at his sleeping beauty. She was worth all the nightmares in the world. It was because of her that event happened in the first place. She was his failed contract.

Lucas had committed a lot of atrocities in his life. He never gave much thought to any of the mayhem he caused. His heart was as cold as ice. After all he was a vampire. But not those typically sick vampires that have to drink blood and feed off of both mortals and animals. No he was a different type, a different form, a different sect. He despised those other kinds.

Lucas knew he was still on the run. He couldn’t go back to his job as a ‘cleaner’. He knew by now that his contacts were informed of his misdeeds. So Lucas had to come to the conclusion that all his former clients were tainted and if one did hire him for another job, it was probably a set-up.

Lucas mostly did contacts for his hominid clientele but sometimes he would be paid to eliminate maybe a blood sucker or a lycanthrope in human form. He didn’t care as long as the money was right and it didn’t go against his code. She went against his code. He thought maybe it was because she was a woman but he had killed women before either by straight taking their life or their essence. However, for whatever reason he couldn’t kill her.

Every being has rules even the Dark of Night or the Unkind. One of the rules was you could never kill someone of your family, society or pack without direct permission from the Elders or an Alpha member. So if you wanted to eliminate someone from your particular clan for whatever reason, you couldn’t do it yourself or it would be your head on a platter or a stake. That’s when Lucas came in. He wasn’t connected to anything. Mortal, vampire or Lycan was fair game for death at his hands or his weapons. His trusted Colts had the ammunition for every occasion. Contaminated hemoglobin explosive caps in the bullets for his blood sucking friends. Silver coated bullets were for the bad dogs of the pack. And of course, a regular Parabellum bullet would do for any human. He was set to handle any situation and he was successful. He never had a problem, never had a setback, well until now.

Lucas did have friends. He knew another vampire that was like him but that person still followed the rules of the fanged family he was born under. At first the family his friend Vincent belonged to didn’t know what Vincent was. Vincent, like Lucas, never had the Thirst, well not for blood. Vincent’s family found that out soon after he drained his first victim of their life force without drawing one single drop of blood. While Vincent used his talents to help the family, Lucas felt like a reject and left.

The only drawback to Lucas’ powers was that he can only absorb human life energy not vampires or lycanthropes. Both Dark of Night and the Unkind were immune because their essence wasn’t as pure as mortals were. However, absorbing energy left a toxic aroma at the place the transaction took place. The odor smelt retched to humans but intoxicating to werewolves and vampires. They felt drawn by it.

Lucas still was trying to understand his powers but unlike the Thirst, he didn’t need to feed unless he really needed it.

“You up?” the woman in his bed said waking up and looking at Lucas staring at her.

“Yes,” Lucas said and kissed her on the forehead.

Lucas could not kill her. It was a decision that forever changed the outcome of his life. But looking at her, he knew he made the right decision. But looking at her belly was where his doubt took place.

Lucas knew now that his last contact wouldn’t need his help eliminating her. She had broken a cardinal rule, never outbreed. The Alpha would soon be aware and then there would be a hit out on both of them. She had been with someone outside of her pack. She was carrying a hybrid child and that was looked down upon from all sides.

It was Lucas who would now be the hunted…but by who?

He needed help just in case.

“Let’s get ready to go,” Lucas ordered. “I have to reload anyway.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

intro

Lucas ran into the room and closed the door quick behind him. He pressed his body against the door and started slow breathing.

“They fucking everywhere!” said Jennifer, his wife, who was already in the room expressed. She was cuddling her little baby boy who just stared at the door like it was last gate of defense.

Lucas just nodded and continued breathing. He held two Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum revolvers firmly in both hands. Each chamber contained a sterling silver bullet custom made by Lucas’ uncle before he met his demise by a night breed. Now he held the two weapons of death like a last memory of his uncle.

He heard the growls before he even sensed them. They were coming closer because they could sense him as well. More importantly, they could sense the little boy. Lucas looked at the kid his wife was holding in her arms and knew that the creatures outside really only wanted him.

“Give us the boy!” Lucas heard the strong baritone of the Alpha member of the pack from the other side of the door. ‘He is an abomination that must be destroyed.”

“You know I don’t take orders from your kind,” Lucas barked back and he meant every word.

“You will meet the same fate as Manchester,” the Alpha stated back, another growl escaping his lips.

Lucas breathed harder at the mention of his uncle. He gripped his two firearms tighter.

“Do you really think those puny bullets could stop us?” the Alpha snarled with a laugh.

“As long as it stops you, then I’m all good with the outcome,” Lucas snapped back.

The Alpha let out a serious of grunts and runts and Lucas heard the herd getting closer to the door.

“Your family has deserted you,” the Alpha said inching closer to the door. “They too do not want that abomination.”

“Fuck you,” was Lucas reply. “Or do you want me to growl and bark that saying so you and your mutts can understand that.

The door jumped a bit from claws scratching against the frame and then what seemed like a body running into it.

“Enough talk! We’re coming for the abomination!”

The door jolted again against Lucas’ weight almost pushing him off.

Lucas looked at his wife and the boy she was still holding.

“Run!” he ordered as another even harder hit come from the opposite side of the door.

His wife looked at him with a tear streaming down her face. She looked at the innocent little boy that both of them were willing to fight for and most sincerely die for. The boy looked up at her then at Lucas.

“I love you,” Lucas mouthed, then shouted. “RUN!!!!!”

There was an even harder thud against the opposite side of the door that caused Lucas’ body to push away from the door. Lucas backed away from the door with his firearms pointing at the door ready to shoot the first thing that decided to come through.

He heard footsteps behind him and he knew his family was trying to go to safety. Lucas took one last breath and let a tear drop from his eye as well.

“Come in, you beast!” Lucas yelled, hands steady on the triggers.

The door then busts off the hinges. Lucas closed his eyes and started shooting.

He opened them a second later to hear the growling had stopped but no lycanthrope had entered the door. He could see into the next room now and yes the wolf pack was still there but they were frozen in place. They just sat perfectly still even the Alpha was staring peacefully. He heard some shuffling and then a cough. A figure stepped from behind the pack.

The figure was a man dressed in a designer suit. He walked with grace and poised like the creatures around him were his mere pet poodles. He had a caramel complexion that looked almost like he was shining. But the thing that really set him apart was his eyes. He had the most yellowish eyes that sparkle like they were hypnotizing. Lucas, too, just stared in place as the figure walked to him.

“Sorry about my…um…pets,” the distinguished figure said to Lucas.

“Don’t come any closer,” Lucas said. “I will shoot but I doubt these bullets will matter to you. You are Dark of Night?”

The man laughed at the notion.

“I am the Darkest of Night,” he said. “But you can me Darkus.”

“But if you…”Lucas started to say.

“How can I control them?” Darkus made a quick head glance behind him at the stall wolf pack that just sit and stood patiently. “Look I said I am the Darkest of Night. I’m close to the Father. Very close. In fact you can say we are practically the same. All you offsprings are just duplicates of what WE are.”

Lucas kept his guns pointed but he knew the ammunition inside them would in fact do no harm. But Lucas also knew this Darkus character was far more dangerous than the creatures he used to fighting even from his own kind.

“Let the boy be,” Lucas said.

“You and I both know we can’t do that,” Darkus stated matter of factly. “You bred with the Unkind.” He turned his ‘pets’. “NO offense.”

The Alpha along with his breed just stared at both Lucas and Darkus, not even a growl was heard.

Darkus turned back to Lucas and started to walk closer inside the room.

“Not another step,” Lucas said.

Darkus smiled showing perfectly fanged teeth.

“I’m trying to help you,” Darkus expressed. “The elders have already disowned you as soon as they heard. Why you think these guys are here? They want your head and your wife’s…” Darkus spit like the word had a bad taste in his mouth. “…heart.”

Darkus took another step.

“And as much as I agree with them,” Darkus said. “You have done something no other dark of night or lycan never did.”

Now it was Lucas’ time to smile.

“Please,” Lucas said. “They’re been more than enough half breeds running around, even from the so called elders so spare me.”

“Not like yours,” Darkus said. “Not a freak. He’s a perfect hybrid. The darks’ gene pool is too strong and mixed with a weaker breed always leaves an imbalance. But not your seed. He has the scent of the foul but the cunning of our nature. I can sense it. It’s an aura very powerful, in fact, it’s frightful. The skin walkers don’t want to understand its’ essence, they only know to kill what they don’t understand and to ravish what they do. I’m not like that. I can help you. I don’t want to harm the boy.”

Lucas lowered his guns but not because he believed Darkus but because he now knew Darkus was his biggest threat not the wolf pack. And since he knew his weaponry wouldn’t work on Darkus, he knew he would have to fight with his last breath.

Darkus seeing that Lucas lowered his weapons took another step forward. Then Darkus looked around the room then at Lucas.

“They won’t get far,” Darkus said. “They will kill her and they will find him.”

Darkus spread his arms out.

“You’re not ready for me,” Darkus said. “I see your thoughts. You have every intention of fighting to the last breath, no matter what the outcome?”

Lucas nodded confirming Darkus’ notion.

“You are no match for me,” Darkus spat. “I would let my pups destroy you but they have more pressing matters. Like finding your dog mate bitch.”

The Alpha let out a growl. Darkus just smiled and turned his head.

“I said move, mutt,” Darkus snapped his fingers. “Don’t harm the young specimen. You can do whatever you want to your whore dog but I keep the offspring. Now go!”

The Alpha just stood still for a minute then turned away and walked out along with his fellow breed.

Darkus waited until the last lycanthrope left and put his attention back on Lucas.

Darkus took off his suit and placed it nicely on the floor.

“Don’t worry I will be a good father to your half breed,” Darkus said adjusting his tie.

“You will never lay a hand on my offspring,” Lucas said tossing his guns on the floor.

“Last word from a dying…I’m not even going to give you the satisfaction of calling anything but dying,” Darkus taunted.

“We’ll see,” Lucas replied smiling showing off his fanged teeth.

Darkus clapped his hands.

“What should I tell my son his former father wanted to tell him?” Darkus smiled.

“I’m the reason why you don’t have any eyes,” Lucas responded as he leapt at Darkus.

Darkus, with lightning speed, grabbed Lucas and mid-air and tossed him to the wall. Lucas hit the pavement hard as paint chips fell on him. Lucas coughed and preceded to get up when Darkus grabbed him by the neck and rammed his body into the wall. Lucas tried to get loose of Darkus’ grip. Darkus just yawned and tossed him across the room.

“This is boring to me,” Darkus said. “If you going to fight, fight. If not, just say ‘Darkus, kill me already’”.

Lucas managed to get to his feet. Darkus walked up to Lucas. Darkus started doing neck exercises as he approached.

“You ready to stop playing?” Darkus inquired.

Lucas tried to throw a punch but Darkus just palmed Lucas’ fist. Darkus used his free hand to throw a swing himself and it contacted on Lucas’ mouth knocking out a fanged tooth. Darkus the kicked Lucas in the stomach causing Lucas to fly across to the other side.

“You got some more fight?” Darkus asked rolling up the sleeve cuff of his crispy white shirt. “I still got my beautiful eyes.”

Lucas spit blood as he struggled to get to his feet. Before Lucas could get all the way up, Darkus ran up on him and uppercutted Lucas in the chin. Lucas went up in the air and landed on his back with a hard thud.

“All that heart,” Darkus said. “I can’t wait to see it in my hand. Tell me when you ready, ok?”

Lucas couldn’t move for a second. Blood spat from his mouth as well as another tooth. Darkus grabbed Lucas by his legs and lifted Lucas up by his ankles in the air and then throw Lucas hard back down on the floor. The loud boom made an annoying echo and the floor underneath Lucas almost gave way due to the impact.

Darkus picked up Lucas by his neck again and looked at him.

“You will never understand,” Darkus stated. “My name is Darkus and I get anything I want. No one can stop me. Not you, not those senile elders, not those bitch ass mutts. I run this. Me! My only flaw for being perfect is that I can’t bare my own child but that’s about to change. Together we will be an unstoppable force to reckon with. While I have only the power of one, which is enough to deal with the likes of you or those mutts, he has the power of two, which will be very useful when I go for the throne. He will by protégé and my soldier. Now I will grant you one last dying wish, what do you really want to tell my new son?”

“Go to hell,” Lucas said almost in a whisper.

“Very well I will tell him where to find you,” Darkus smiled as he squeezed his fingers into Lucas’ neck.

Lucas started choking and flailing his arms and legs.

“Are you ready?” Darkus repeated.

Lucas felt enormous pain as oxygen was being sapped from his body. He couldn’t breathe and blood was filling up in his eyes.

“Ki…ki…kill me,” Lucas whispered.

Darkus smiled again showing hungry fanged teeth.

“Now let’s see that heart of yours,” Darkus said as he ran his fist through Lucas’ chest.

As Lucas dropped lifelessly to the floor, Darkus looked at the object in his hand. The item beat heavily in his hands for a minute then it stopped.

“I see you did have heart,” Darkus laughed. “Just not enough.”

Darkus dropped the bloody object to the floor beside Lucas and then spat on Lucas’ body.

“Waste of time,” Darkus said looking at his watch as he rolled his sleeves back up.

Darkus adjusted his tie right on his collar and then picked up his suit jacket off the floor. He wiped the little dust off the suit then put it on. Darkus walked out whistling, planning what his new future would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chapter 2

Vincent looked at his once dear friend lying on the floor with his chest ripped opened. He glanced at the bloody bulk lying beside him.

“Who did this?” Vincent asked with pure anger.

“You know who did this monstrosity,” said Ralf coming behind him. “You should know his handiwork by now.”

“How can we kill him?” Vincent inquired breathing heavenly.

“I don’t know,” Ralf shook his head. “Even the Lycans are afraid of him and they are our best hope. Soon he will be powerful enough to go against the elders.”

Vincent turned a side eye towards Ralf. Ralf was considered the keeper of records. He had been with the clan almost since the beginning, whenever that was. But even though he wasn’t as powerful as an Elder, he was knowledgeable. He was given the role of ‘records keeper’ which he took very seriously. He had many stories to tell about those who dared challenged the Elders and all had failed. However, Ralf had a certain feeling that this new fanged member might be the exception.

“You really think so?” Vincent for the first time was worried.

“Yes, if he gets what he wants,” Ralf said looking down at Lucas’ dead body. “The elders are getting extra rest to prepare. They are expecting a war from him. For the first time in a long time, they are nervous. They never seen anything like him. He is almost like the Father.”

“How can this be?” Vincent was baffled.

“His movements, his aura, his very essence is like a great reflection of the Father,” Ralf said. “The Elders are going to the Gyps to consult. I have been reading old text to see if I can find an explanation but so far none to date. It is like he’s a different entity.”

“Tell me about my friend’s kin?” Vincent looked at the body one more time.

“Hybrid, not uncommon,” Ralf said, then took a breath. “But all of the unbreeds have turned out to be mutation or something even more hideous. This one…this one is different. He comes off with the scent of both, the aura of both and is not a mutation. Looks like either one of us but has all the senses the Unkind possesses. Your friend keep it a secret for as long as he could. We didn’t even know he wedded an Unkind, let alone had a child with her. He was able to drop off the radar for a while. Not even the Elders could sense him or his family. I figured he got a cast potion but it didn’t last long.”

“And when he popped up, everything came to light, so to speak,” Vincent said. “So this unbreed will be that powerful.”

“I don’t know,” Ralf shook his head again. “But he thinks so and that alone makes it a problem. In fact if Lucas did use a potion, I think it was his seedling that dissolved it. His aura is too strong. The Unkind can even feel it and all they want to do is kill it. They don’t want to comprehend what they feel. They just know it’s different and bad and that’s all they need to know to terminate.”

“So you think they will kill the boy?” Vincent looked around the room.

“If they had their way, they would try,” Ralf said putting a hand of Vincent’s shoulder. “But I don’t think they got a choice of doing it their way.”

“I want a meeting with the Alpha,” Vincent said.

“Can’t allow it,” Ralf said. “Out of the Elders’ hands too. They want it destroyed too. For the first time as well, the Elders and the Unkind want the same thing.”

Vincent knelt down towards his friend’s body. The essence of a dark dweller is the strongest at death. It filled the room. That’s how he was able to pick up the location so fast. He looked around the room and saw the two weapons.

“Might need those for the meeting,” Vincent said standing up and going to where the weapons were laying at.

“I don’t think that would be wise,” Ralf suggested. “He will know for sure and as much as I think that will be an epic battle, I don’t want to see it. At least not so close in the game.”

Vincent picked up both the weapons.

“I really don’t have a choice, do I?” Vincent said taking a quick look at the weaponry he was holding. “Manchester’s finest work.”

“So you also know why you can’t meet,” Ralf said filling in the gap.

“We got bigger fish to fry,” Vincent said twirling one of the firearm around his fingers. “Besides I can let that slide if they help get the person that is really responsible.”

“Ok, but’s your funeral,” Ralf said and turned around to walk out.

“Been to enough of those,” Vincent laughed.

 

 

“We are not his damn lackeys.”

The Alpha looked at his flock and understood their anger. They had let a night dweller control them and even worse order them around. The Elders of the fanged walkers had even keep a truce with the Alpha and his kind and now this new blood luster was pulling rank. His most trusted soldier of the pack was fed up and was confronting him about it as they sat around deep in their cave. His fellow pack members were all sitting around watching the war of words.

“I know we are not his lackey,” the Alpha barked back. “I know how you all feel. But you yourself has seen how dangerous he is. The Elders can’t even control him.”

“Well I think we should then,” the second in command growled.

“So do it.”

The whole herd turned around as Darkus walked casually in the cave. Darkus whistled as he walked past each wolf pack member that looked like they had nothing but murder in their eyes.

Darkus stopped in front of the Alpha and the second commander. He looked around and then brought his attention back to the two strongest warriors of the pack.

“I don’t see the offspring or the remains of your mutt,” Darkus said with a raised eyebrow. “I know y’all wouldn’t be in here resting until y’all made sure my orders are met. So am to assume they are here and they’re not in sight of the disgusting hell hole or that…”

The second in command took a step forward towards Darkus.

“Nathal,” the Alpha spoke his commander’s name. “Now is not the time.”

Nathal looked at the Alpha and spit at the Alpha’s feet.

“You are not fit to lead,” Nathal said then turned back to Darkus. “We are done with your orders. We will eventually find the corrupt child and kill it and as far as what we do with our own, that’s our business, not yours. Now I suggest you leave before I saw what a true beast I really can be.”

Darkus just looked at Nathal at first then smiled. He stepped back and spread his arms like he did earlier with Lucas.

“You are not ready for me,” Darkus grinned. “So I gave you one last chance to get off your hind legs and do what I say.”

Nathal took another step.

“Did you hear me? Your days of ordering are done!” Nathal warned. “Now leave before I become a real savage.”

Darkus clapped his hands together.

“Become a savage so you muskrats can get back to work,” Darkus said.

Nathal looked at the Alpha. The Alpha put his head down meaning he was out of the fight. The rest of the pack did the same gesture.

“Cowards!” Nathal bellowed at them.

“Just you, Scrappy Doo,” Darkus taunted. “Are you ready?”

Darkus tossed his suit towards a wolf member who caught it with his claw.

“Not a scratch on it or you’ll be next,” Darkus warned.

Darkus rolled up his sleeves as Nathal got into his fighting stance, on all four legs. Nathal growled heartedly as he prepared to fight. Nathal wanted to tear Darkus’ throat out.

“You ready to be my bitch?” Darkus laughed.

Nathal half ran than lunged at Darkus. With claws ahead of him, Nathal was aiming to scratch out Darkus’ eyes. Darkus caught both clawed hands by the wrist and with one swift moment ripped Nathal’s left arm from Nathal’s body and then used the other arm he held to toss Nathal towards his fellow mates.

Darkus held Nathal’s left arm like a trophy.

“Does anybody else have a problem with my orders?” Darkus asked the pack. The Alpha growled and the two pack members, that Darkus throw Nathal towards, helped Nathal up. Nathal howled in pain as he tried to hold the stub part where his left arm use to be with his other hand.

“I said find me the boy and kill the mongrel!” Darkus ordered looking at the whole pack. “Better yet. Don’t kill her yet either. I got plans for her now.”

All that could be heard was Nathal’s screams.

Darkus pointed Nathal’s left arm in Nathal’s direction.

“Shut that bitch up or I’m use his arm to spank of all of you,” Darkus cautioned.

One of the lycanthrope that was holding Nathal put his clawed paw across Nathal’s mouth.

“Now I’m only going to say this once for the rest of you bitches,” Darkus informed. “My name is Darkus and I get what I want. I do what I feel and I only ask for one thing, obedience. If you can’t abide by those rules, let me know now so I can start identifying y’all by loyal subjects and gimps.”

The Alpha walked up to Darkus.

“What do you want us to do?” the Alpha asked.

“That’s more like it,” Darkus smiled. “Start be finding a new commander, a smarter one.” Darkus tossed the Alpha Nathal’s left arm. “Then make that mascot eat his own arm before your new second in command kills him. Then I want y’all out salvaging the streets like y’all do best. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” the Alpha grunted.

“Good, get to work,” Darkus said turning to the Lycan that held his suit jacket.

Darkus took his suit and examined it looking for cuts. Darkus put the suit on and started whistling.

“Get back to work, mutts,” Darkus said stepping out of the wolf’s den.

 

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 28.01.2014

Alle Rechte vorbehalten