Chapter 12 – To the Death

Annie held her breath as the vampire, whose name she didn't know, peered over the wooden crates. It was only a matter of seconds before he would spot her and so, deciding to be brave, she popped up onto her feet and gave a feeble wave, "Hi". The vampire frowned at her confusedly and opened his mouth to shout. Before he could make a sound Annie raised her arm, palm towards him, and pushed the air with all of her strength; the vampire flew backwards, first hitting against the concrete wall and then flopping to the ground in a heap.

Annie grinned and placed a hand on her hip whist pointing an accusing finger at the crumpled man, "Ha! That'll teach you to mess with-". Seth gripped Annie's neck from behind, squeezing slowly as he leant in to whisper in her ear,

"Look what you've done, you little whore. Now I'll have to kill you".

Annie rolled her eyes, "I'm already dead you tosser".

Seth shook her neck violently, "Yeah? Well I'll make sure you stay that way".

Annie frowned and the corner of her mouth turned upwards as she tried to decipher what the hell he was talking about, "That doesn't even make sens-"

Seth's grip tightened and he started to walk Annie to the right of the room she had been kept in. He opened a large metal door with a creak and forced her forward into a long, dark corridor. At the end of the corridor Annie could make out a large wooden door; it looked ornate, almost oriental in origin, she gasped as she felt the energy behind it.

Seth held her at arms length, forcing her to look at the door, "See that? That's where we used to put naughty ghosts like you. Ghosts that wouldn't stay dead. Once you go in there there's no coming back". He began to push Annie towards the door and it quickly grew larger as she got closer; she tried to vanish from his grasp like she had done in that other room, but it was no use, it was as though the huge door was drawing her in, calling to her. She screamed as Seth reached for the gleaming black handle.

*****

"There", Mitchell pointed to a cul-de-sac of large metal warehouses, "That's the warehouse". He and George began to sprint towards the buildings, George struggling to keep up, and it soon became clear that someone had been there recently.

Mitchell walked towards a large black car that was parked outside the largest warehouse, the building the vampires had used to store bodies, "They're in there", he gestured towards the building closest to them. George looked around at the other buildings,

"How do you know? Couldn't it be any of them?"

Mitchell kicked the door of the building and it opened with a loud clatter, "It's this one George. I can smell them"

George wrinkled his nose and nodded, "Okay", he pulled the chair leg from his pocket, "Let's go".

*****

Seth's hand gripped the doorknob tightly and Annie watched in horror as the door began to open; a bright white light spilled out from the opening and Annie kicked furiously at the door. It slammed shut on the vampire's hand and he yowled in pain, "Ow! You bitch!" He let go of her and rubbed at his pulsing hand as Annie stumbled down the long corridor.

She pulled at the metal door they had come through but it was no use. It was locked.

*****

As George followed Mitchell through the large warehouse he began to feel physically sick; as he looked around at the walls he could see the echoes of blood stains that had once been fresh and wet. It smelled of copper and death and he had to swallow back bile that rose in his throat to prevent himself from spilling his guts right there.

The two friends turned a corner only to find more open space; everything had been cleared from the warehouse when the vampires had left, apart from a few old crates and the odd pack of light bulbs. However, something in the scene didn't fit; surrounded by a pool of blood lay a very handsome, very dead man.

"Jesus", George sidestepped the dead guy's blood as Mitchell strode on ahead.

"He's fresh, not been dead long. An hour at the most", Mitchell turned another corner, desperate to find Annie as soon as possible and save her from whatever malicious thing Seth was doing to her. As he walked along the length of the building a small patch of plaster fell from the wall; he walked over to it and touched the hole that had been formed in the concrete. It looked as though something or someone had been thrown against it with some force.

Mitchell turned around to ask George what he thought of it. But George was gone.

"George? George?!" Mitchell retraced his steps and, around the corner he had just turned, there was George. The werewolf was held up against the wall, his feet dangling, by a vampire. Beside him, on the floor, lay his make-shift stake. Mitchell didn't recall the vampire's name but he recognised him as one of the drivers. George's wide eyes pleaded with Mitchell to help him as he gasped for breath beneath the vampire's restrain.

Mitchell took a step forward but the vampire tightened his hold on George and turned to face Mitchell. His head was bleeding on one side, so you were the reason for the hole in the wall Mitchell thought.

"Come any closer and I'll kill the Lyco!" The vampire's eyes turned black and he smiled a long-toothed grin.

Mitchell glared at him, "Amateur".

The smile drained from the vampire's face, "What did you say?"

"You heard", Mitchell took a smooth step forward, "How old are you? Fifty?"

"Sixty four", he smiled triumphantly as George began to pass out.

"Right. Like I said, amateur"

The vampire dropped George's unconscious body to the dusty floor, "And what would you know about it? You're not even a real vampire! You're as bad as him!" He kicked George in the ribs and Mitchell flinched inside.

"Don't you know who I am?" Mitchell stepped closer so that he was breathing into the vampire's face, his eyes blackened and he pulled the stake from behind his back, "I'm John Mitchell. I'm the bastard that killed you". The vampire blinked nervously and staggered back from Mitchell. The cream chair leg stuck out from the driver's chest and blood poured furiously out of the wound. He fell to the ground clutching at the stake and passed out with his face in the dust.

Mitchell knelt down beside George and patted his face gently, "George, get up". George roused from unconsciousness and got to his feet shakily, "You okay?"

The werewolf nodded and straightened his glasses, "Let's go get Annie".

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