"Scarlet River, Part 1"

Hellmouth Series #1

By: Bryan Buffkin

Cold, crisp air is warmed by the crackle of candles lighting the outside patio area of the beautiful top-notch restaurant in the upper-class side of downtown Cleveland. Beautiful people in expensive dress from designers they would probably never care to meet sit and eat delicious food, content with what life has dealt them, most of them oblivious to the normal hardships that come with financial strain. All except one particular man, who ironically happens to be seated in the middle of them all; a man who ironically happens to be the only one amongst them standing up proudly, champagne glass raised. Because the proudest thing about this man is the fact that this dinner will efficiently wipe out what few funds he has left.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your attention for just one moment," the proud man proclaimed, "I would like to announce that tonight is our three month anniversary… um… month-aversary… no… anyways, tonight my lady and I are celebrating three wonderful months together. And I just wanted to say that I couldn't imagine my life any happier then it is right now with her…"

"…For God's sake Nicholas please…" retorted the embarrassed girlfriend, rather venomous in her tone. With wide, child-like eyes he finished, "I love you, honey…" She tugged on his suit jacket and pulled him down viciously. He gave her a cock-eyed but still loving look, a gesture implying that he thought she was kidding. She waved courteously to the crowd of people, their attention still on the loving couple in applause. Once everything subsided, he asked, "Is everything okay? That wasn't the reaction I saw in my mind last night when I thought about what I was gonna say and…"

"Nicholas, where do you see this going?"

"Well, I rented a romantic comedy, so I was hoping back to my couch, and, you know…"

"Think long term. Where are we going to be in two months?"

"I dunno. Why?" He seemed childishly confused.

"Are we still gonna be in Cleveland, Nick?" With a sad look in his eyes, he opened his mouth to speak but found himself cut off when she continued, "Nick, you told me three months ago when you finished that national commercial that we would be looking up from there and that we'd be in L.A. by now."

"My Laundry-Man bit was ground-breaking, Tiff."

"Laundry what? You played a dead-beat college guy who spilled mustard on his shirt before a date and had to get out the stain with that crappy detergent. I don't think you're getting a return call, Nick."

"Look, if this is about the bill, we don't have to go Dutch… I'm pretty sure I haven't maxed-out this card yet…"

"No, Nick, it isn't that… I just don't think this is working."

A few miles away and light-years outside of this conversation, two friends talk over walkie-talkies on their cell phones, "Lock, we got news. The bad kind."

"Oh gawd… you missed him?"

"If we're talkin specifics, then yes. But technically, we got jumped. The guy's sire showed with a few sets of fangs…"

"Anybody hurt?"

Back at the restaurant, what was simply a low-tone let-down has now raised into a scene. "Look, Nick, there isn't anything you can say. You promised me the world and didn't come through. What do you expect? You've broken my trust…"

"Tiffany, I've been as good a boyfriend as I can be. Things just didn't pan out like I thought…"

"We've been together for three months now, Nick. You should know by now that I deserve better than good." She stood from the table and looked down at him. "I'm sorry Nick." She turned and left. Now frantic and confused, he rose from the table: "Tiffany please, wait…" In one sudden movement, a tall, muscular man stood tall between Nicholas and his target, blocking the way. "You heard her, man. She gave her peace. Let her go." The man was incredibly handsome, though slightly pale. He had a distinct odor about him; it was rich enough to know but vague enough to be just beyond memory. Nicholas thought it odd that the man had traces of dirt on his nice suit pants, though it had been obvious that he had a chance to wash most of it out, and that he had taken off his tie but kept his gloves on, while dark splotches stained the cuffs on his dress shirt. The soothing punch of the words out of the stranger's mouth aroused Tiffany in the strangest of ways, causing her to turn and watch the scene.

Now only a short distance away, the cell phone conversation kept on. "Okay Lock, the guy rose, and just as we got ready, the sire and co jumped us. You and Larson called it man. That guy's definitely got something to do with the rising tonight."

"But nobody got hurt, right?"

"Just our pride. We dusted two but the rest got away after the mark hit it."

"Where's he at?"

"Headed southeast. He's either moonlightin it or headin towards them fancy restaurants over there. Either way, he's gotta feed."

"I'm closer. I'll hit the city. Call Jules and tell her to get the rest of the Axe units over with you and try to get a tail on that sire. I'll bet anything he'll lead us to the rising."

A silence has now fallen over the crowd of people as they watch the large handsome man demean the man they just applauded. The large stranger knelt in and whispered, "She deserves better. Hell, she said it herself." With a wicked, player smile he raised his voice to normal pitch. "Don't worry, man. I'll make sure she gets home safe. Go ahead and have a drink." Nicholas, heart-broken, had nothing left he could do. The handsome stranger turned and left, Tiffany at his side.

When they were a few steps outside the restaurant, Tiffany began the dramatics: "Thank you so much. He is way too attached. I mean, three months and he was ready to drop to a knee. If you weren't here he'd be haunting me all the way home. Now I have to go home and unplug my answering machine." He looked at her from the back as she prepped her hair back into good standings, as if the restaurant scene had left her in shambles. He smiled, his face changing slowly. "I'm just glad you allowed me to walk you home, miss," he spoke as his forehead began to tighten, protruding into ridges above his flattening nostrils. His eyes began to glow a golden yellow as his canine teeth grew in inches, "You know the city can be pretty dangerous at night."
Several minutes passed. Nicholas just got notice that those last two Gin and Tonics had officially maxed-out the card, and he felt tears swell up as he realized he had to go after her. He stood, and the bartender grabbed his arm, "Hey man, you gotta show a little dignity. She's gone man. Save some face…" Nicholas released the man's grasp and with the last bit of dignity he had left, he said, "That was the third credit card I maxed this week and the last one I had left. I'm in debt up to my eyebrows, I've got one more extension left on rent, and the only good thing I have in my life right now is a hot girlfriend. I'll be damned before I give that up." He marched from the bar after them.

He made it two blocks down where he remembered she had parked her car. He saw them. Making out. God, she had no shame, he thought. First hot guy to come along and walk her to her car, and she's up in his pants. He felt the tears coming again as he stepped closer, hoping to make a scene, maybe do something to make her realize that she was doing the wrong thing. His feet crunched atop the lipstick that had fallen out of her purse, one of many items that were strewn about, something that he hadn't noticed beforehand. The sound stirred the stranger who turned. The golden eyes pierced Nicholas to the core, but the first thing the terrified young man noticed was the blood dripping from the beast's mouth and chin, the same blood running down his lover's neck. The look in her eyes was clear now, lifeless. As was her body, which fell limp when the beast released her and turned his attentions towards him. "You should have stuck to the drinks, boy. I told you that I would take care of her."

Nicholas wanted to say something. Some clever retort that would anger the beast, maybe even throw him off-balance. Nick was too caught up in the fact that this… thing… was moving even closer. He expected at least some ill memories to start flashing now, but instead saw a flash of shattering glass rupture the side of the beast's face. The beast reared back, his face smoking, a scream coming from deep within him, maiming Nick's already fragile memories. One man jumped in front of Nick, apparently wielding what looked like a modified crossbow. The firing arrow pierced the monster's shoulder. The monster stopped flailing and began to concentrate a bit, tearing the jagged arrow from his shoulder. A second man came in. Nicholas recognized him from somewhere, but couldn't put a finger on it until the man brought forth the roundhouse kick from hell into the beast's face. That's right, he remembered, I saw that guy in one of those third rate kung-fu movies they show during Sunday afternoons. A third, Hispanic guy stepped in. He delivered some pretty nice punch and duck moves, and attempted to swipe the beast with a short sword he pulled out of his side holster. The beast took a swipe at him instead, clearing him a few yards through the air. The movie guy screamed "Antoine" and moved behind the beast to his fallen friend. The first guy with the crossbow dropped his weapon and pulled out what looked to be a wooden stake. Nicholas thought he might be heavily into camping or something while the stake-wielder with the distinctive black hair that was just long enough to hang over his face jumped into the beast. They traded blows and blocks and reversals, until the stronger, bulkier monster knocked the black-haired man back towards Nicholas. The beast gathered itself and looked closer at him with intent, until he pulled another glass container out, with what looked to be water or something. Maybe acid, Nicholas thought, as it shattered again against the monster's face. It began to howl again, when Nick noticed Antoine back on his feet with the movie guy by his side. They charged and rammed the howling animal in the back, forcing it rumbling towards Nicholas. Nick let out a high-pitched wail of terror as the beast sped towards him. In the last second before impact, the black-haired guy stepped in and placed the flat end of the stake against the right side of Nick's chest, pointy-end out. The monster hit Nicholas at full impact, and exploded into dust. A moment of silence ensued. Nicholas checked his pants for urination, and after thorough investigation, inhaled.

"Um… what the…?" Nick stammered.

"…hell was that? Vampire," the black-haired man said nonchalantly.

"Geez, Lock," Antoine began, "Look, man, that was just a bad dude. Dangerous in these parts. Best go on home now…"

"But nice scream, pal," Lock added, "Real blonde, female horror movie material, there."

The black-haired man raised his cell phone and pressed the "walkie-talkie" button on it and spoke: "Gene, the mark is down. Where you at?" The cell phone beeped and a responding voice came in: "Small empty warehouse in the hills past the stadium. Not pretty, Lock. About twelve fangs and some bad mystic crap sittin in the center of some kind of symbol. My axe units just showed, but I called Jules and told her to prep the Coven Unit. We need you over this way man."

What kind of a name is Lock, Nick thought as confusion was wearing away his sanity. Lock replied into the phone, "I'm ten minutes out. DO NOT make a move until I show or until you absolutely have to. I already had Antoine take a nasty shot, and I'm not gonna see anymore." Lock got off the phone and turned impatiently towards Nicholas. "Alright man, I understand that you're a little confused right now, but the best thing for you to do is… come with us."

Nicholas' heart sank with his jaw. "What are you talking about Lock? He can't come with us."

"He'd better," Lock responded, his face contorting to a rather serious and frightened look as he began to turn and run, "cuz I don't think he wants to hang around here." Nicholas turned to see a pack of these beasts… these vampires… begin to give chase themselves. Antoine grabbed his arm and the four began a dead sprint towards the trees in the west.

"Five of 'em," Lock yelled through exasperated breathing, "Antoine, whadda ya got for us?"

"I've got two hellfire bombs…" Antoine choked out in mid sprint.

"Throw 'em. We can outrun three of them easier."

In a fluid motion not breaking stride, Antoine pivoted on one foot and chucked two marble-like balls from his hand. The two marbles flew through the air, eventually hitting two of the vampires. Upon impact, the marbles burst, erupting into a fluid, lava-like fiery substance. Within seconds of burning, the vampires fell to the pavement and burst into dust, just like the one Lock staked. Three remained, but they were obviously gaining ground with speeds like Olympic sprinters. Lock turned just like Antoine had, and fluidly let off a bolt from his crossbow. This time his aim was true, and the bolt pierced the vampire's left breast, itself bursting into dust. It occurred to Nicholas that this was probably something that these guys have practiced on more than one occasion. Lock gave a loud order to Antoine to pull sword and go for the neck, something that didn't please Nicholas' ears in the least. Antoine pulled his short broadsword from it's holster, reverse-pivoted, and lunged at the sprinting vampire on the right. In the quickest, most powerful motion Nick's ever seen, Antoine decapitated the vampire, at which time the beast turned to dust. Jamie (the karate guy, as Nick just remembered his name from the movie) turned and started trading quick blows with the last remaining vampire. The vampire took a hard swing, one that Jamie rolled under to the vampire's backside and donkey-kicked it towards Nick. Nick, flustered, extended his elbow in self defense and ended up putting the vampire on it's backside. Seeing the vampire downed, his memories flashed to moments ago, seeing his beautiful (ex)-girlfriend being eaten. EATEN? he thought, bothered by how gross and yet how accurate the term was being taken in his mind. Nick shook his head and tears came to his eyelids. In the last few minutes, the whole world became a darker place. No darker than his apartment after the electricity was shut off last month; no darker than the three bounced checks since his checking account dried up last week. But this is a different dark. Not a depressing, lonely dark, but a violent, terrifying side. Nick's eyes glossed over in red as he dropped to his knees, straddling the demon laying dormant on the ground. Nicholas began flailing like his original assailant, focusing the strikes on the face of the demon beneath him. His soul erupted, and his anger brought forth fresh life within him. An accepting life, not afraid of the darkness, at least not while it is unconscious and below him. Jamie, Lock, and Antoine ran over and watched Nick mercilessly tear into the vampire. Their smiles eventually faded to pity for the vampire as minutes rolled by into the beating. Jamie and Antoine grabbed Nicholas and pulled him up, shaking him a bit and putting distance between him and the beast. Nick eventually caught his senses and steadied himself.

"Well think about it this way, ya bastard, at least you wont have to wake up and feel the beating you just took," Lock said to the fallen demon, finally putting a stake into it's chest.

The four made it to their destination, the van parked in the woods. As they rode towards the stadium, they gave Nick a tight-fitting, thick shirt that they said would help. Nick realized that they were all wearing the long-sleeve, mock-turtle neck shirt, which was uncomfortable but surprisingly light and cool given its thickness and black color. Lock gave a few introductions and hesitatingly gave a quick overview of what all was going down. Something to do with a "rising" of some kind, and that the vamp that attacked him was supposedly a sacrifice, but now they would just sacrifice one of their own, possibly the sire that got away from some guy named "Gene." Nicholas inquired as to what a sire was, and Jamie explained that it was the maker of a vampire, that if vamp "A" met person "B" and turned that person into a vampire, vamp "A" would be vamp "B" 's sire.

"Does that mean my girlfriend that got bit back there is gonna be a vampire?" Nick choked out.

"Naw… she's just dead. You see, to make a vampire, it has to suck a human's blood until the person is ALMOST dead, and right before it's heart stops, the person has to suck the vampire's blood," Lock said with little-to-no feeling.

"Whole big-sucky thing," Jamie added.

A moment of silence festered in the air for the last five minutes of the ride towards the stadium. Once there, Jamie and Antoine grabbed two crossbows similar to Lock's and charged out. Nick followed them to a spot where nine guys with large, medieval-like axes stood hiding behind the warehouse.

"Who the hell's this guy?" the black guy, apparently in charge of this axe group, blatantly exclaimed.

"He got drug along. What's the count now?" Lock asked.

"Seventeen fangs, one big ugly demon guy," he replied. This must be that Gene guy, Nicholas thought.

"Damn, this is big. Where's the coven?"

"They aint shown yet."

"We don't have time to wait for them," Lock began delegating, "Axe units- line up against the door. We've got the bows, so we'll get an early jump first from the window up there. Abbits, you two are in charge of Axe units while Gene is with me, so when you start seeing vamps dusting, start the attack. Antoine and Jamie, me and Gene are gonna focus in on the demon so you two are in charge of watching our backs. And you," pointing to Nicholas, "Don't get killed. And if a guy with fangs offers you to drink some of his blood, politely decline."

"Here, take this. I'm gonna be doin some experimentin…" Gene handed Nick his big axe as he pulled out what looked to be a modified, sawed-off shotgun.

"Gene, do you really think a situation like this is where you need to be field-testing wooden-tipped bullets?" Lock asked, a wicked smile forming on his face.

"No time better than the present, especially when you can get them to spread like a real shotgun blast like I did yesterday. Now I don't have to aim for the heart and I'll still nail it," Gene replied, and that got a chuckle from the crowd, all except Nick, who was hesitantly absorbing it all. Less than a minute later, all the players where in place and the crossbows were aimed. Nicholas stumbled around and into line with the axe units. He wondered for a second why he didn't just head back to van, or get out of there altogether. He shook to the spine when he thought about all the things he now KNOWS creep in the dark, and thought he would be better off with people he knew could defend themselves.

The next few moments happened too quickly for everything to absorb coherently in Nick's head. Glass shattered as crossbow bolts broke the windows up top. Stirring inside began as Nick noticed three things inside burst into dust through the small windows on the front door. The two black twins in the front, apparently the Abbits that Lock singled out earlier, screamed loudly and knocked the doors in. The sheer violence of the activities taking place on the inside was unbearable to the weak-stomached Nick. He felt waves of nausea flow through him as he watched another axe-wielder get his arm broken completely at the elbow right in front of him. Instincts drove him to wave the axe around menacingly, but none of it was well-structured or by any means mistook with real fighting skills. Nick felt a cold but powerful fist stab him in the abs, grounding him completely. He wondered how the hell he got here, from being happy but broke, dumped by his girlfriend, and now slaying demons in an abandoned warehouse.

Through eyes tearing from the pain, Nicholas managed to look up towards the center of the room where a large pedestal held a few awkward looking items, sitting on some kind of mark circled in blood on the ground. Also in this area stood a very large, bare-chested, horn-baring, indigo-skinned creature, of which Lock had in a choke hold while Gene butted it in the face a few times with his sawed-off. The two fought instinctively, ducking and weaving away from the demon's attempts. Lock shot Gene a look and hopped off the beast's back. He sprinted over through axe-battlers and ran up the metal staircase leading to the warehouse's overhang. From there, he unwrapped a wire he had carried in with him, tied one end to an overhanging rafter, and swung down like a jungle man. At its peak swing, Lock let go, flying at the demon. Gene had taken a few shots by then and was down, just in time to see Lock swing over the demon's shoulder, his arm latching behind its head like another choke hold or a classic "noogie," twisting the demon's head 180 degrees in a direction it wasn't meant to go. The abomination managed a quick, squeaking death rattle right before Lock completed the breaking of its neck. Nicholas marveled at it all as he was sprawled on the ground until he felt two pin pricks in his neck. He knew that the vampire had found him laying there, and that he was lost for good. The vamp squawked loudly in pain and let go. Nick managed to release himself and spin around on the ground, just to see his broken armed comrade single-handedly bring the axe down through the vampire's neck. The blood-stained face of the vamp cringed as it turned to dust. Within minutes, the place was silent. There was dust everywhere, a few injured men but nothing life-threatening, and a dead demon corpse.

Through deep inhalations, Lock opened his mouth to say something until he and everyone else realized that the items in the center were in fact glowing. Lock called for everyone to stand back and get ready, and something about the rising. Instead, a hole burst into the ceiling of the warehouse, and the glass windows on the other side of those Lock and Co. burst through shattered, and three strangely dressed individuals crawled through. They wore the same protective garments under their awkward tunics, and they held hands, standing tall. The glowing items in the blood circle began to shake when the three closed their eyes, and suddenly without provocation, the pedestal and its items shot into the air and through the hole in the top. Everyone in the warehouse moved to the center in amazement to see what was happening, including Nicholas. A few hundred yards in the air, and the pedestal went from glowing to exploding, sending a shockwave that lit up the sky and shook the foundation.

"Okay Ky, what was that?" an exhausted Lock asked to the three strangers.

"Well, it wasn't a rising," retorted Ky, the female in the center of the three, one of two with the third being the man on the right. "That was a crude, mystic bomb. Apparently, someone wanted y'all dead. Should I check the volumes of suspects?"

"What is this blood-circle-dealie thing here, then?" Gene asked.

"Nothing. Probably something a vampire made up to make you think this was where the rising was going down," spoke the male of the Coven.

"Naw, man, Larson told us tonight's the night. He was sure of it." Gene slumped against the wall, apparently as confused Nicholas, but perhaps not as psychologically maimed.

"Wait, we've got a whole lot of vampires but no leader. That sire Gene mentioned wasn't here. We have a big dumb demon protecting a mystic bomb that started glowing right after I broke the big guy's neck, and a blood-circle that was simply meant to throw us off the track. Anyone else feel like someone lured us here and kept us busy while the real rising went on somewhere else?" Lock had it all worked out, which made him no less disappointed.

"Yeah well, that was pretty big for a crude bomb," added Ky, "so I'm thinkin

we better get outta here before the cops show up and ask us a buncha questions they don't want answered."

Lock agreed and gave the orders out. Nicholas didn't know why, but he followed.

Twenty-six miles away on the other side of town, a door opened in room 608 in the Luxury Grande Hotel's honeymoon suite. A small-looking man, feeble-though young, walked in jittery. A man of good poise and stature stood tall in the room already, facing away from the door and none-too concerned with what was approaching. As the boy approached further, he noticed the yellow glow of the man's eyes and how the shadows from the window and the grand view of the city cast against ridges on the man's forehead and tightened nose. Shaking slightly, the youth spoke.

"Alright sir. Everything went well with a few small exceptions. You see, five of the gang were dusted looking for the sacrifice, sir, but… um… well, the Hunters were still rounded up in the warehouse, sir."

"How did the militia fair?" the deep voiced groan inquired.

"Dust, sir."

"And the Pyler demon?"

"Dead, as well, sir. Broken neck."

"The bomb?"

"Oh, it blew up just like you said it would, sir."

"And?"

"Well, those damn witches launched it miles in the air right before, sir."

"What of the sacrifice?"

"He was the first to be dusted, sir."

The stoic man shook his head and returned his gaze to the back of the room. In from the shadows a slender female, beautifully nude, flesh flushed in a pale green, stepped from the spot of her rising and into the light streaming from the moon and the city lights cast through the window. She herself looked momentarily feeble, and in a soft, raspy voice, asked, "Docket, my beautiful Docket, where is my sacrifice?"

"Why, he is standing right behind me, precious Ophelia," spoke the stoic man.

The youth's eyes widened and if not for the fear in him he might have been able to shed tears. The beautiful jade stepped forward and placed both her hands on his cold face. With a smile that will be the defining image of the youth's once immortal life, his body exploded to dust which never touched the ground but, in fact, was sucked up into the lungs of the slender female.

"Ahh," she cooed after inhaling the last of the dust, "that's better."