I had to break the last chapter in two parts…got to long. The second part is almost finished and will be up today
Henry woke Sam up the next morning and she found herself still on the couch. She asked him if Carly came back and he shook his head no. Sam thought he was relived she did not come back. Sam tossed the blanket off of her and went to take a quick shower and change clothes. After her shower she put on cargo pants and a tee shirt and canvas tennis shoes and walked into the kitchen. She then put on her shoulder holster and checked her gun and saw it was loaded and put it in the holster. She was in a better mood today since Cassandra did not come to her last night in her dreams and had not "showed" up this morning. Maybe the cross was working as Henry said. She nodded to Henry and saw Miriam cooking breakfast again as usual and the man she did not like Victor sitting at the table staring at her with his dead eyes. Sam did not like him and he scared her, but the hell if she was going to let him know it. She spent a night in that fucking coffin with Cassandra and she knew real fear. His scariness was shit compared to Cassandra. She stared back at the man and smiled.
"What's up, Vic? Sleep well?" She asked as she grabbed a piece of cooked bacon off of a plate Miriam set aside to put the breakfast meat on after she cooked it. Victor looked at her hard.
"The name is Victor, girl." He said coldly.
Sam winked at him, "And my name is Sam…not girl." She could have sworn he was going to reach inside his sports jacket and pull his gun and shoot her but Sam was not going to give an inch. She was afraid of where they were going this morning and the hell if this man was going to intimidate her and look at her like she was a child after what she had been through. She heard Henry chuckle and that made her smile wider. She liked to make him laugh and chuckle. It made her feel all fuzzy inside.
"Henry, I do not know why you insist on letting her go with us. She is going to get us killed. When you called in your favor I did not know it was going to involve some bubble gum chewing teenie bopper." Victor said as she sneered at Sam.
Sam was about to give him some smart ass comment but Henry replied first. "She goes, Victor, after what she did the other night I trust her and she goes. She showed me she has what it takes. If you feel you want to leave and not honor you debt then by all means you may leave."
Victor stood up all his size filled the kitchen. Sam looked up and forgot how huge he was. The man looked at Henry, who sat calmly in a chair by the door but Sam saw his right hand inch closer to his gun, and stared back at Victor.
"If I leave then I have not honored my debt to you and that means I have failed to pay you back. I know what that means, Henry. I will go but I will not like it and I swear if she does not do her job or her fear is going to get me killed I will shot her myself."
Henry nodded, "Sure, Victor, and then you will owe me another debt. But that is fine."
Victor nodded and left the room and Sam glanced at Henry, "What the hell was that about? Why not let him leave, Henry?'
Henry shrugged, "Because he is good. He may be an ass but he will watch our backs and when the shit hits the fan we…you and I…will watch his. Plus he knows he can't leave. If he does then like he said…he failed me in the debt he owes me."
Sam shook her head, "So…he is failed…no big deal…just makes him a loser then." Sam grinned trying to lighten the mood but Henry did not smile this time.
"He knows if he fails in paying back what he owes me…and we are not talking money…I will come after him and he will die. So no he will stay."
Sam swallowed hard and was happy Miriam put a plate of food in front of her so she could focus on eating and not Henry. He sounded cold when he said that. Just when she thought she made on more dent in his armor of trying to figure him out he pulls something like this and his armor is whole again. As Sam was eating Mei came into the kitchen dressed in a very loose sweat shirt and an old pair of jeans with holes in them and her hair was in a single pony tail. Sam saw she had no makeup on and thought that was strange. She was still pretty without it…very pretty, but she rarely did not wear makeup. Sam learned Mei was very fashion oriented. She smiled at Sam and sat down as Miriam gave her some food.
"Not that you don't look cute, Mei, but you had better hurry and get dressed. I think we are leaving soon." Sam said.
Mei laughed, "Aww…you think I am cute." She teased and Sam blushed as memories if yesterday afternoon filled her head. "No, Sam, this is what I am wearing. I am not going to shift into a leopard wearing my good clothes and ruining them and why put on makeup if I am going to spend the day as a giant cat."
Sam gave her a hard look, "Yeah about that…I don't think you should go anyway."
Mei gave Sam an angry look, "I am not totally hopeless, Samantha. I am a wereleopard after all and I can handle myself."
Henry nodded, "She can go, Sam, she is right. She can handle some of the lesser wolves we may have to fight."
Sam sighed, "Ok…I…I just wanted you to be safe."
Mei beamed a smile at Sam and took her hand, "Thank you for those words, Sam. I won't let you or Henry down. I promise."
Sam was about to say something when she heard a knock at the back door and heard Freddie's voice. "It's me…can I come in?"
Sam put her head in her hands and blushed. "Yeah…come in." She muttered. She was not going to look at him. Avoid all eyes contact…yeah that's it. Just don't look at him.
Freddie walked in the kitchen and he felt the same way as Sam. He would not look at her as he sat down at the table. Mei on the other hand was different.
"Well good morning, Freddie. It is such a pleasure to see you." She said with a wink and Freddie blushed. Sam jumped to her feet and glared at Mei.
"You stop it…just don't do it!" She turned to Freddie, "And you…I swear if you mention or ever talk about it to anyone or even me I swear I am going to beat the hell out of you…got it, Dork!" Sam left the room and heard Mei giggling behind her.
Miriam gave Mei a strange look while Henry just ignored them and called Sam back into the kitchen. There were things he needed to go over with her about the hunt.
"May I ask, Mei, what that was about?" Miriam asked.
Mei smiled at Freddie and looked at Miriam, "We all three had a…ummm…very interesting bonding experience yesterday."
"Mei!" Sam said as she walked back into the kitchen blushing. Mei just giggled again as Freddie held his hands up to Sam.
"I did not say a word…I swear!" The boy said with a grin. Miriam just shook her head and muttered something about young people and started washing a pan in the sink. Mei again winked at Freddie and leaned over to him.
"You were very good by the way." She whispered as she teased and Freddie blushed again while Sam just glared at her. Mei looked up and smiled at Sam with an innocent expression on her face. Henry cleared her throat.
"Ok, children, enough talk about your…ummm…bonding experience. I am sure you all had a very good time. But we have business to discuss."
Freddie nodded, "So when do we leave."
"You don't go!" Both Sam and Henry said at the same time.
Freddie gave them a look of outrage, "Why…and don't say it is my age! I am actually older than you are, Sam. And they kidnapped me and I was going to die if you had not shown up and…"
"This is no game, boy. This is not some television show and we are no Buffy the Vampire Slayers. We are not some destiny fulfilling people chosen by mystical forces to kill vampires. This is real and they are stronger and faster than we are and they do not die easily like the movies. You do not go." Henry said calmly
"I can do this…Sam is just a normal girl how come she gets to go and I don't? They did things to me too." Freddie protested.
"Shut up, Freddie! Just shut the fuck up! Yeah they got you and hung you up like a piece of meat but you don't remember s damn thing about it! I do…I remember every fucking minute I spent in that God damn coffin and trust me, Freddie, if I did not have to go I would not go. There would be no way in hell you could get me to go back in there if I didn't have to go. But I do, Freddie! I have to because it is me that bitch is fucking with. It is me she has control over and I cannot let anyone…not even Henry…fight my battles for me. Didn't yesterday prove anything to you? Didn't it even show you an ounce of her fucking power? What she made me do and through me made you and Mei do was nothing, Freddie, it was a fucking drop in the bucket of what she is capable of. This is not a game or a movie script! This is real fucking life…my fucking life and you are not going. If you spend a night in her coffin then you can go…but until then you stay and I swear to God if you insist on going…" Sam pulled her pistol from her holster and pointed it at Freddie, "I will put a fucking bullet in you leg to stop you! You are not going!"
Miriam touched Freddie's shoulder, "Stay with me, Freddie, I am not going either because I would be useless and just get in the way. I have no power over the undead. I am going to stay here and prepare for their return. They will need someone to help them in case they are hurt."
Freddie glared at Sam who was still pointing her gun at him and he noticed she was not even shaking. "You…you would shoot me wouldn't you?"
Sam nodded, "I don't want to but if it stops you from going then you are damn skippy I will shoot your leg."
Freddie sighed, "I just wanted to help…I…I mean I blame myself for you having to go through all that."
Sam put her gun away and got on her knees in front of Freddie, "Freddie, you are my best friend and I swear if you tell any one what I am going to say I will shoot you. I…I love you, Freddie, I love you as my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt. If you went with us I would be so worried about you I could not focus on what I needed to do and it would not only get me killed but you and maybe Henry and Mei. Please…just stay here and help Miriam."
Freddie nodded, "Ok…I'll stay and help Miriam but I swear if you do not come back alive I will give an eulogy at you funeral and tell then what you said to me and about yesterday." He smiled.
Sam slapped him on the back of the head and grinned, "You have a deal, dork." She looked at Henry. "Can you tell me what you need to tell me in the living room?" Sam did not want Freddie to listen and get his feeling hurt again about not going.
Henry nodded. "Yeah I just want to go over the grenades again and how we are going to use them and refresh your memory with the machine guns."
Sam smiled as they walked into the living room, "Machine guns…cool."
Henry chuckled, "Would you have shot the boy?"
Sam shrugged, "Yeah…in the foot…maybe just to take off his little toe…but yeah I would have."
Henry nodded, "You are going to be ok, Sam, you are going to make it today."
Sam smiled and that comment made her feel like he told her he was proud of her. Once again he made her feel all fuzzy inside. They left the house in Henry's car and he told Sam that since it was day time the vampires should be asleep…yeah should but Sam had seen Carly awake during the day as long as she stayed out of the sun she was fine. Sam remembered how Carly told her the powerful and older vampires did not have to sleep during the day. Henry did mention their main obstacle was going to be the werewolves and the vampire Riona's human servant Sebastian. Sam was armed with her Browning 9mm in her shoulder holster, her 9mm Firestar in a holster in the waist of her pants behind her back, and she had a Mini Uzi machine gun…and a big hunting knife strapped to her leg. The knife blade was a mixture of silver and steel. She carried extra ammunition in her cargo pants pocket. The men were armed similar to her and the only one in the car not carrying a gun was Mei…and she assured Sam that not only did she not know how to use one she did not need one. When they arrived at the warehouse Henry parked the car about a block away and as the got out he tossed Sam a blue jean jacket to hide her guns as they walked to the warehouse.
Victor scouted ahead and cam back and informed then there was only one guard on the door and they knew he had to be a werewolf. The problem was going to be sneaking up on him to kill him quietly…lycanthropes had excellent hearing…better than vampires. Sam noticed Mei had disappeared as they talked about what they were going to do and then she walked out of the warehouse entrance in the form of a black leopard about the size of a small pony. She was licking the blood off her jaw. Sam smiled as Mei came up to her and rubbed against her.
"That quite enough for you?" She asked Victor with a smile. The man just nodded and they made their way into the warehouse and saw the body of the man with his throat ripped out to where it almost decapitated him. Sam was tempted to pet Mei and say "Good Kitty" but thought that may have offended her so she kept it to herself. Henry turned to Sam.
"You know where the coffins are, right?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah…we go through that big room…the one with her throne in it and down another hallway and they are lined up in a single room…except hers…hers is in another room by its self."
Henry nodded, "Ok…let's do this."
Sam grabbed his arm, "Henry…one thing we did not talk about." Henry made a motion with his hand for her to continue, "What…what if Carly is in there…what if…what if Cassandra got her and she…she well…I don't know if I can kill her."
Henry nodded, "Then I will. If she is in there, Sam, then she is the bad guy."
Sam took a deep breath, "Ok…but…I…ok…ok…you are right. If she is in there then she is a bad guy. I'm ready."
They walked carefully down the long slanting hallway and when they got to the large double marble doors Henry pulled an object from the black bag he was carrying and handed it to Victor and the handed Sam two of the hand grenades and motioned for her to put them in the large pockets of her cargo pants. He then motioned for Victor to get ready to throw his object in the room.
"Flash bang grenade. Makes a bright blinding light and a hell of a noise that will stun any one in the room and with the hearing of the werewolves it gives them hell. I am going to open the door and he is going to throw it and I will close the door to shield us but cover up you ears." Henry looked at the cat, "She may want to back up the hallway some." As if she understood Mei padded back up the hallway.
Henry cracked the door and Victor tossed the grenade in the room and Henry quickly shut the door as all three of them out their hands over their ears. Even with the door and her hands over her ears Sam heard the loud boom. As soon as they heard explosion Henry opened the door and he and Victor were in the room with their machine guns at the ready. Sam was way to slow as she followed them. She looked around the room and saw it was empty and shrugged. She walked up to Henry and pointed at the far wall.
"There…a door in that wall and it leads to the coffin room." Sam said and Henry nodded.
They made their way down the next dark hallway and when they came to the door Henry once again had Victor use the flash bang grenade and after it was done they walked in the room and saw the coffins lined up all neat and orderly. Henry put down the bag and pulled out the some grenades and then a long thin plastic cord. Victor walked further in the room and was attaching a grenade to each coffin.
"Det cord…we attached a grenade to the coffin and run this cord attaching it to each coffin and then Cassandra's coffin in the other room. I will attach the detonator and we'll go back in the hallway and when I press this button." He showed Sam a small object like a small black box with a button on it, "the room goes boom and we come back and finish off any survivors. There normally isn't but never can tell. They burn good…real good." Henry explained to Sam and she saw the gleam in his eyes. He was enjoying this…like a big game hunter shooting his trophy animal.
Sam nodded and was carefully watching Henry attach a grenade to a coffin so she would learn how to do it herself. Mei stayed close to Sam and Victor was on the other side of the room.
"Henry!" Victor's voice said and Sam looked up and saw her had opened on of the coffins. "This ones empty!" He yelled.
"Fuck me." Henry said softly. "We walked into a trap."
The door they had entered suddenly slammed shut and Mei growled as they all heard laughter coming from around them like hey were in a movie theater with surround sound. Sam knew that life. She would never forget that laugh. It was Cassandra.
"Ohhh…they came to play. Do you take me for a fool, Reaper?" Cassandra's voice echoed in the room that suddenly got cold…very cold. On the wall to the left of they room the stone parted and opened into a dark hallway. "It is the only way out, Reaper…you have to come to me."
Victor was using his great strength to try and open the door they had come in. "No…we aren't getting out this way." He said as he gave up.
Henry shrugged, "Well…let's go see what she wants."
Sam shook her head and did not move as her body started shaking.
"No…I…I can't. I could do it when I thought she would be asleep but not now…I…I can't I just can't look at her again."
Again they heard Cassandra laugh, "Oh my darling, Samantha, you will come to me…you will join me or they die…all of them and then tonight I go back and kill the witch and your boyfriend I will turn him and he will suffer pain for all eternity." He voice again echoed in the room.
Sam swallowed hard and stood for a moment without moving, "Ok…ok you bitch…I will come to you…but it is you that will fucking die!" Sam screamed after a long moment and they heard Cassandra giggle this time.
"Oh how wonderful! Julia is also waiting for you…I think she had missed you." Cassandra voice sounded child like and happy. Sam shivered.
"You leave her alone! Don't hurt her…please don't hurt her!" Sam yelled.
"Hurt her…well I can't promise you that. She accepted her fate and punishment but she came willingly to me, Samantha, so willingly." Cassandra's voice purred seductively. "Now enough of this stalling! Come to me or we come get you and you do not want that!" Her voice held an edge now that made Sam's skin burn as she felt Cassandra's power. The two men, one teenage girl, and large black leopard walked through the hidden door and into the dark hallway. Sam held her Mini Uzi tight in her hand actually hoping to kill something.
The came to another door and it opened by itself and before they could walk in the door the two men and Sam dropped their machine guns as they burned in their hands like red hot metal and melted on the ground before their eyes. Sam groaned aloud and looked at Henry.
"Did that really happen or are they mind fucking us?" She asked
Henry shrugged, "If Carly is in there I would say mind fucking us…she is very good at that…if she is it does not matter. She'll make sure we can't find them…come on."
They walked into the room and it was large but not as large as the throne room and not as ornate. There were no statures or paintings or throne. It was very Spartan in appearance and the only thing in the room was a large flat stone raised on a pedestal like looked like the sacrificial table or alter Sam had seen in her dreams. She looked around the room and saw a group of three men in half wolf and half human form and one woman the same and at their feet were four full wolves that Sam knew they were werewolves by the flow of energy that washed over her. It was not painful to her but just something she could sense. Like walking into a kitchen and knowing what was for dinner by the smell. Around they alter she saw four vampires, the red headed female she knew as Riona, the male Dante, one very large male with long blonde hair she did not know and sticking out over the back of his head was a very large sword hilt, and then she saw Carly. Carly would not look at her as the others did and she wanted to scream out and call to her…to tell her she was sorry…so sorry and she loved her, but the moment passed quickly as she remembered the terrible things Cassandra has shown her what Carly had done and then last night what Carly had done to Mei and the awful fear that washed over her as Carly showed Sam what she was capable of doing. Sam now knew Carly was just one of the monsters.
She looked at the alter and saw Cassandra sitting on the top and in her lap was a small beautiful girl of about nine or ten…maybe younger. Sam wanted to yell and scream and beg Cassandra not to hurt the child…not a little girl…even she could not be that evil but as soon as the girl looked at Sam and smiled Sam knew the girl was a vampire and she thought that sad. A girl that age to be made into something that evil and Sam felt pity for the girl. The girl laughed as she looked over her shoulder at Cassandra and it was such a sweet innocent laugh.
"She feels sorry for me, Cassandra, I can feel her pity." The girl said in a sweet child's voice. "Ohhh…can I play with her…please. I think she would be so much fun."
Cassandra stroked the girl's long black hair, "No, my dear, she is not to be played with but see the cat? She turns into a very lovely young lady and I will give her to you to play with when we are done here."
He girl looked at Mei, who growled low in her throat, and grinned. "Oh she is a wereanimal. Oh wonderful…she is a pretty kitty cat that I can make change back and forth and in human form I will play with her and in cat form she will be my pet." The girl hugged Cassandra, "Thank you Mistress."
Cassandra smiled and put the girl to her feet and stood up. "Yes you will like her. Now go to Wicked and let me do what I need to do."
The girl ran to the tall blonde vampire and wrapped her arms around his legs and he placed a hand on her shoulder. After hearing the conversation Sam no longer felt pity for the small child vampire. For some reason she knew when the girl said play she did not mean with Barbie Dolls.
"Come to me, Samantha, come to me and let's finish this. I grow tired of this game." Cassandra said.
Sam looked at her avoiding the vampire's eyes and shook her head. She wanted to scream no but she could not find her voice as fear gripped her body. Cassandra sighed and looked over her shoulder to Carly.
"Julia…make her come to me."
Carly nodded her head to Cassandra, "Yes, Mistress." She answered. She knew Cassandra could do this. Her mistress had more power than she did and she had given Sam the first vampire mark and could control the human girl to an extent but she was testing Carly and punishing her. She was going to test Carly's loyalty and punish her by making Sam come to Cassandra. Carly looked at Sam.
"Go to her, Samantha, remove your cross, your gun, and go to her. Go to your Mistress." Carly said and entered Sam's mind. She felt Sam try to fight back and push her from her mind and increased the use of her power and knew she won the short battle of wills when she felt Sam's mind relax.
Sam's mind was rolled by Carly and she removed her cross, which glowed with white light and heard Dante and Riona hiss as they looked away until Sam put the cross in her pocket. Sam then removed her gun and dropped it to the floor. She looked at Carly and started to walk to Cassandra.
Henry gave Victor a look and the big man nodded at the unspoken plan. They knew they were not getting out alive but they would take as many vamps and wolves down they could before they died. That look and nod was an understanding they would strike at the right moment. Both men pulled their guns in one quick motion and waited for their moment.
Cassandra wrapped her arms around Sam in a loving embrace and removed the blonde girl's jacket, shirt, and bra and found Sam's other gun and took it and laid it on the alter. She gave Carly a look of disapproval and Carly shrugged as if to say "sorry I did not know". Cassandra walked Sam up the steps to the alter and laid her down. She motioned for Riona to hold the girl's legs and for Carly to hold her upper body.
"Release her mind, Julia; I want her to feel the pain." Cassandra said and Carly obeyed. Sam tried to struggle and break free but the two vampires grips were to strong. She looked up and saw Carly's face but the vampire would not meet her eyes.
"Help me….please help me, Carly! Please…don't let her do this to me! Please…you…you said you loved me…you said you would never hurt me…why…why, Carly?" Sam screamed but Carly' face remained void of emotion as she held Sam.
"Dante, shut her up!" Cassandra yelled and the male vampire walked to the alter and placed a gag in Sam's mouth. Sam screamed and struggled as her cries were muffled by the gag. Cassandra leaned down to Sam's ear.
"I am going to release you power as the ancient druids did of old, Samantha. Just a small cut to release your blood. You have already drank the blood if an immortal so we don't need that part of the ritual. I really don't believe the ritual is needed…but I do so like formality. Then I am going to give you the second mark and drain you again and you will drink from me once more and then you will once again join me in our sleep. Tonight I will complete the ritual of turning you and then when you awake tomorrow night you will be as us…you will have the dark gift…and I will truly be your mistress and then I will teach you. With my mind I will show you how to become powerful and together we will challenge the Master of Nightmares and I will take my seat on the council. If you survive you will join me and maybe if you are good I will let you and Julia be together for a time. I will allow her to show you how to live as one of us…and how to kill and murder as one of us. She was always so good at that." Cassandra licked Sam's ear and pulled her head back as Sam tried to kick and struggle but the vampires held her too tight. She looked at Carly again and pleaded with her face and eyes but Carly ignored her.
Sam's eye focused back on Cassandra and saw the vampire's hand raise a knife made of stone to Sam's right breast and she cut Sam deep. Sam flinched in the pain and tried to cry out but the gag prevented her screams from escaping her mouth. Cassandra licked the blood from the large knife and then ran her tongue over Sam's breast licking the blood off the blonde girl. Sam felt the vampires tongue on her nipple and again tried to struggle. Cassandra laughed as she leaned down to Sam.
"Umm…I must apologize for that little liberty I took…your breasts are so lovely I could not resist. But pleasure comes later when we sleep. First I will remind you of the pain and the fear." Cassandra opened her mouth and Sam saw her fangs coming closer to her neck and then the sharp pain as the vampire's teeth punctured her. But that was not the pain Cassandra was talking about. Sam knew that…she had experienced it before. When Cassandra bit her the first time she entered her mind and made Sam feel pain and fear like she never felt before. She knew it was coming as the vampire started to drink from her. She knew the pain and terrible fear would come soon and she started crying.