Part nine
Vash tried to keep his agitation in check as Meryl searched the crime scene but the closer to sunset it grew, the more his nerves jangled. He made no effort to hide his relief when Meryl agreed to retire for the evening.
"Millie, what do you see?"
"Um, nothing. Should I see something?"
Oh no. He stared as Meryl made an abrupt U-turn and headed back out towards the desert again.
This was bad.
"Meryl! Wait!"
No use. The insurance woman was caught in her own thoughts, intent on whatever new piece of the mystery she had stumbled upon. He glanced at Millie and she only gave him a helpless shrug in return. In silent unison they followed Meryl again. Shortly before they reached her, instincts that had been on edge for some time suddenly started to scream at him as the suns finally vanished.
Something burst from the ground underneath Meryl and she let out a terrified shriek.
His gun was in his hand without conscious thought. He slid along the ground, catching the dark-haired girl as she slipped, yanking her away from whatever had gotten hold of her leg and taking aim with the Colt.
A hand waved at him from the dusty earth. Even as his jaw dropped, another arm appeared and joined the first, clawing, reaching through the layers of dirt and sediment, freeing whoever lay beneath them. Vash took an involuntary step back and bumped into someone. He nearly took their head off until he saw it was Millie, her face pale and drawn. Meryl stayed close to his side, two derringers out and ready though her hands trembled slightly.
Another disturbance drew their attention and they spied yet another set of hands bursting from the earth. All around, things were struggling out of the ground, moving with tremendous strength and surprising speed. They resolved themselves into human shapes, leaping to their feet with supernatural grace and startling the trio into a tighter unit. But it was their faces that made Vash's blood run cold.
Foreheads ridged unnaturally, teeth elongated to fine, sharp points and yellow eyes that bespoke of a hungry, predatory nature.
The rational part of his mind tried to assign some term to these which seemed human but weren't. He ran through his extensive knowledge of disease and genetic disfigurement but could find no description that matched what he saw before him.
You know what they are something deep and primal whispered within him, but he couldn't accept that. It was…no. Unthinkable.
The strange people circled his group. There were only ten of them and under normal circumstance he was sure he could overcome them. But again that primal instinct spoke up, telling him nothing would be so simple this time around.
"Well, well, well." One of the men drawled and it took everything Vash had not to jump out of his skin at the sudden noise. Some part of him had expected them to be unable to speak. "Looks like room service."
The chuckle rippled through the crowd and Vash felt Meryl stiffen as he frowned. The sudden appearance of the…things, the icy dread, the sudden joke. And a bad joke at that. It was like he was playing a game with rules no one had bothered to explain to him.
"I like the blonde one," a woman in a tattered silk dress spoke, running her tongue over her teeth. "He looks yummy."
"I saw him first!" another woman growled. The two glared at each other, anger and hate sparking between them.
"Now, now, plenty to go around," the original man chuckled and then threw a glance at Meryl. "Well, except maybe for that one. She's a bit scrawny."
That was enough to snap the insurance woman out of her stupefied silence. She nearly vibrated with anger as she brought her derringers to bear on the man. "Where the hell do you get off?"
Vash swallowed. Not good. The man, for his part, seemed more amused than anything else. "Planning on using those on me?"
"If necessary." Her aim was dead-on and Vash had no doubt she'd hit her target at this distance. But her temper would only make her sloppy after that and he had the very distinct feeling that none of them could afford carelessness now. Millie shifted closer to her partner as Vash reached out to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Meryl-"
"Stay out of this, Vash."
"Vash?" The man blinked and a murmur went through the yellow-eyed group.
Meryl winced as Vash glared at her. "Damn it. Sorry."
The spokesman brought his hand up to silence his fellows as an entirely unpleasant smile spread across his face, further exposing his fangs. "The legendary gunman? Here? I'm flattered."
"Think we can get the reward money?" Another one who might have been a teenager asked.
"Don't know," the leader shrugged and was suddenly in Vash's face, hands wrapped around the lapels of his red coat. "Let's see how much is left when we're done."
Vash found the world tilting disconcertingly as he was lifted off his feet and flipped over, a heavy weight settling on top of him and nothing but teeth filling his view. His hand still had a tight hold on his gun but at this range he'd blow a hole the size of his fist through the other man.
Do it the primal urge spoke again but his mind raged against it even as the fangs descended towards his throat. His indecision may well have gotten his throat torn out if the distinctive cock of Millie's Gatling gun hadn't filled the air a split second before a baton hit the yellow-eyed man and threw him away. Vash wasted no time leaping to his feet, the scent of gun-smoke filling the air as Meryl picked off targets. Her aim was good but it would take too long to retrieve her derringers and Vash now knew speed was of the essence. These 'people' were just too damn quick.
He shot the legs out from under the three most immediately in front of them, grabbed an arm from each insurance girl, and hauled them through the new opening. Then they were simply running as far and fast as they could.
"What was *that?* " Meryl panted. Vash just shook his head – breath was for running now. He spared a glance behind him and felt his heart skip a beat as he saw those he shot already rising to their feet. Swaying and lurching maybe, but following their comrades nevertheless. He took aim again, hissing as the barrel shook. Bad angle, moving targets, lousy shooting. He pulled the trigger three times – two shots hit true and the last went wild. Not his normal precision, but difficult to fix while running away, chilling fear gripping him, making his heart pound and skewing his instincts. He couldn't place where the panic came from but distantly wondered what exactly was wrong with him even as it became a driving mantra in his head: just run, just run, just run…
"Mister Vash! Wh-where're we going?"
Millie's voice broke through the haze and forced him to focus. They couldn't keep running forever. They needed some place to regroup, make a plan. Could go back to town but that'd just lead their pursuers towards innocent civilians. No, they needed to take them away, but where to go? No farmsteads nearby and he didn't think any of them could keep up this breakneck speed to reach one of them.
A lump standing out against the horizon caught the corner of his eye. He swung around, keen eyes detecting a barn-shaped building in the fading light.
"There!" He pointed towards it.
"What?" Meryl slowed slightly to question him. "What are you-?"
"No!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward again. "Less talk, more running."
Under normal circumstances, she would've argued with his brusque manner, but now she just gave him a wide-eyed nod and kept moving. Millie didn't even speak as she put on another burst of speed, long brown hair flying out in a fan behind her, stungun never slowing her down.
Vash looked back again and nearly tripped over himself when he saw how close their hunters had gotten. He used his last three bullets, hitting all he intended to, and barely paused to grab another round from his pocket and re-load. Six more shots and now their pursuers were down to three. Even as he prepared another clip, he saw the wounded nine were already stirring.
Bullets barely fazed them. What malady could they have that let them ignore that pain? And how could he possibly stop them without killing them?
You know how the dark whisper came once more and through sheer will, he continued to ignore it. He didn't have time to weigh its importance now anyway as eyes shifted forward again and the barn loomed ahead. They were so close, if only he could buy them a little more time…
Another round loaded and he hit the remaining three, praying he wouldn't need the last clip because after he was out of bullets he had no clue how they'd manage to escape.
Yes you do
Shut up! he snarled silently back.
And then finally, suddenly, they were there. He grasped the door handle, only to have yanked out of his hand and pulled open. He found himself face to face with the blonde girl from last night, a bizarre weapon trained directly at his heart.
Was that a – crossbow?
"Duck," she told him.
He dropped instinctively, hearing the twang of the bow's release followed by a dull roar. Then someone grabbed the collar of his coat and dragged him inside. The door slammed shut.
Before he could even think of rising, the girl pinned him to the floor, another sharpened stake pressed against his heart.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.
He saw peripheral movement and Meryl's derringer was suddenly pressed against the girl's temple. "Let him go."
The two women exchanged an even glare over the course of a heartbeat until a muffled, male voice spoke up from the back. "Stand down, Lex."
The blonde looked towards the speaker. "But-"
"Do it, Alexis!" the man ordered. "We don't have time for this."
The girl frowned at Vash. He did his best to remain calm, complacent, and she sullenly released him.
"Good." The outlaw finally caught a glimpse of the girl's companion, a tall, broad-shouldered man covered from head to foot. Even his face was hidden, wrapped up in a scarf and black goggles, sheltered by a wide-brimmed hat. "Let's go."
"Wait just a second," Meryl snapped. "Who the hell are you?"
"Introductions can be made later," the stranger told her. "Right now, you've got two choices – come with us or face those things out there."
Meryl practically bristled but Millie stepped forward with calm acceptance. "Okay, where do we go?"
"Pick-up truck in the back."
Millie nodded and dragged her still protesting partner in the direction he indicated. The covered man turned to Vash.
"You know how to use that gun of yours?" The dazed outlaw nodded. "Good. You'll be in the back with me and Alexis." The girl – Alexis – opened her mouth but one look from her companion closed it again.
The barn suddenly shook as pounding began on the door outside. The stranger grabbed Vash and hauled him to his feet. "Enough rest. Move."
Vash quickly followed him, even as he heard the wood splintering behind them. They rounded a corner into an old stall housing a well-used pick-up truck, the engine idling. Meryl sat stone-faced in the driver's seat, Millie anxiously chewing on her nails next to her. As Vash and Alexis clamored into the bed, the covered man paused by Meryl to instruct, "Once we get out of here, head due south."
The insurance agent nodded grimly and the man joined the two blondes in the back. He knocked on the roof. "Go!"
Meryl gunned the engine and the truck leapt forward. Vash gritted his teeth and tried to keep his balance as the pick-up careened through the barn, heading towards the front and the crowd that awaited them there. The yellow-eyed people howled, animalistic and rage-filled, rousing the bone-chilling fear in Vash once again. Their hunters tried to grab the sides of the vehicle as it passed, reaching out for the passengers, clawing their way onto the bed. Most were unable to keep their grip and tumbled off. Four, through impossible effort, managed to stay on, climbing up and over.
Vash desperately wanted to do something, anything, to keep the human-shaped horrors away. But the dark whispers were keeping him still, mixing with a sick terror.
You know this. Kill them
Which, of course, was unacceptable, even as his flight-or-fight instinct howled at him.
He watched numbly as Alexis easily dispatched two of their attackers. She viciously kicked one in the face just as he appeared over the side and stabbed another in the chest with her stake before throwing it off and back into the night.
The covered man faced off against a female, both balancing with preternatural grace. He opened his coat and drew out a full Spanish sword, an anachronistic weapon that somehow didn't appear out of place in his skilled hands. Vash watched with fascinated horror as the stranger wielded the weapon, attacking with quick, deadly blows. The woman danced back, attention diverted away from the chaos surrounding her and focused on the enemy ahead.
The outlaw could've stood there all night, fear, instinctive demands, and the need to protect life at all costs keeping him firmly in place. But then someone grabbed him from behind. He heard Millie cry out as he fell, automatically angling his body to land sideways and, hopefully, on the truck rather than over and onto the ground. He hit the metal badly, the wind knocked out of him. As he struggled for air, another body landed on top of him and for the second time that evening he found yellow eyes and fangs all too close to his face and neck. He struggled under the weight, elbow rising up and out, connecting with something solid. The man snarled and Vash managed to shift up a bit. His attacker hung onto him tenaciously though and Vash had to hit him with his artificial hand, the metal fist connecting solidly with his attacker's jaw and loosening his hold long enough for Vash to scramble away. He rose to his feet to face his enemy when the man suddenly jerked back.
He traded one astonished look with the outlaw before performing the most incredible feat Vash had seen all evening and crumbling into dust.
Vash blinked at Alexis as she appeared out of the ash, stake flipped confidently back into a holder at her side. She glowered at him. "Keep freezing like that, you're gonna get yourself killed."
"What happened to him?" His voice was nearly unrecognizable, hoarse and trembling. Her expression never changed.
"Sent him back where he came from."
"You killed him?"
Her eyes narrowed at his accusatory tone. "Can't kill something that's already dead."
Before he could respond, her companion stepped between them. The woman he'd been fighting was nowhere to be seen. "We'll explain everything when we get somewhere safe. 'Til then, sit down and rest. It's a long night."
The two blondes glared at each other for another moment before following his directions, Alexis adding an irritated snort to emphasize just how unhappy she was. The covered man knocked on the roof of the cab. Millie leaned back towards the rear window to listen to him. "Keep heading south. I'll direct you."
"'Kay." She paused, then asked timidly, "Who were those people?"
The covered man sat, leaning his back against the cab. He sounded weary when he spoke.
"Those weren't people. They were demons. Vampires."
End part nine