Chapter 8
Monday, January 13th, 1986
Hill Valley, California
9: 02 P. M.
Doc and Marty happily toasted one another, Doc clinking his glass of cow's blood against Marty's root beer. They were in Darkness Falls, relaxing for once. Yesterday they had finally come up with a plan that might stop Biff. "Friends forever."
"And then some," Marty agreed, sipping his drink. "Hey, Doc, I've been thinkin' about our plan. Do you think we'll actually be able to catch a soulless vampire?"
"I don't see why not. Biff has a group out searching for us, in all probability. We'll lure one into a trap, capture him, force him to tell us Biff's plans, then burn him."
"You make it sound very simple, Dr. Brown," Magnus commented, leaning over a chair. "But I'm sure you know it's definitely not going to be that easy. There's all these problems that have to be considered."
"When is anything as simple as it sounds? The important thing is that it's a viable plan." Doc took a swallow of his blood. "Even Henry appeared to agree with it."
Marty frowned. "I still don't trust him, Doc. He's not like the rest of the souled vampires. Normally, I wouldn't say that's bad, but he acts like he wants to be on the other side."
"I know," Doc nodded, glancing over at the vampire in question. Henry was leering at a young woman, oblivious to her rather large boyfriend. "He seems to think humans were put on this earth to serve him. And the only time he smiles is when he's talking about blood. He's arrogant, dysfunctional, and insecure." Doc sighed and looked into the blood. "I suppose there's one in every group. The best course of action is to avoid him."
Magnus took a swig from his own bottle of blood. "We all try to avoid him. He's a Class-A jerk. I knew him before he got Changed, and he was a jerk when human. I moved to Hill Valley because I thought he was moving to Rhode Island. No offense to your hometown."
"None taken," Doc assured him, nodding as Tina Smith passed by with a quick "hello." "I'd want to be as far as possible from him too. Well, even with Henry here, Hill Valley is a pleasant place to live. Let's hope we can keep it that way."
The current band ended their song to loud applause. Marty checked his watch. "Whoa, it's after 9! I promised Mom and Dad I'd be home by 9: 45. I'd better get going. Where's Jennifer and Mysteria?"
"Over in the corner, discussing things we men could never understand," Doc said with a grin. Marty smiled back and prepared to get up.
Suddenly, he felt a tingle of fear race up his spine. "Oh, no," he whispered, knowing exactly what that tingle meant. "Doc, Magnus, do you feel it?"
The vampires both nodded, frowning. "I think everybody else feels it too," Magnus commented, looking around. Sure enough, every vampire in the place sensed the presence of soulless vampires. A few were sniffing cautiously, while others looked around, uneasy. Henry didn't seem too perturbed, but Magnus chalked that up to his personality.
"Why in the name of Sir. Issac H. Newton would there be soulless vampires here?" Doc mumbled. "Has Biff already put a plan into action that involves mass killings at a nightclub?" He glanced at Marty, who shrugged.
The human's began to notice their friend's uneasiness. "What's wrong, guys?" Joey asked, wiping a glass. "You seem really nervous, suddenly. What's up?"
"Something's not right," Louis murmured, sniffing the air. "Something is definitely not right."
Serena, the woman Doc and Mystie had seen entering the club that first night, nuzzled him. She had become Louis's girlfriend and personal blood bank. "It's okay, honey. Everything's all right in here. A drink of my sweet elixir should calm you right down."
Louis pulled her tight against him, still sniffing. "This could be serious, Serena. Even more serious than you could imagine."
By them, Chris and Tina looked at each other and shrugged. "We don't feel anything. Why are you guys so scared?"
"We're not really scared, just apprehensive," Natalie corrected, listening hard. "With any luck, this whole thing should pass in a second."
Henry smiled to himself in the background. "Or maybe not," he whispered.
Marty felt his fear grow as the soulless vampires neared. Doc took his hand and squeezed it. "Natalie's right. They're probably a routine search party. In a minute, they'll pass this place, and you and Jennifer can go home."
"I sure hope you're right, Doc," Marty said, squeezing back hard. Doc wiggled his fingers a little in protest. "I sure hope you're right."
The soulless vampires passed by the club. Every one of the vampires breathed a sigh of relief. Doc smiled at Marty reassuringly. "See? Not even inter-"
He froze, stunned. The soulless vampires had turned and come back. His keen hearing picked out a male voice. "Black and red, Darkness Falls. This is the place."
"Oh my God, they found us," Magnus gasped.
"But how?" demanded Jennifer, being held tight by Mysteria. "There's no way they could have found us. This has to be a mistake."
"We don't have time to speculate," Louis said, taking charge. "Listen, everyone-even you, Joey. Get into the back rooms of the club and stay there. You'll be safe there. And no matter what you hear, don't come out until I say it's safe."
"Huh? Why?" Sarah demanded, her bat earrings swinging.
"Just do it," Doc snapped, standing up. "This is between us and them. We don't want anyone to get hurt. Now go!"
The tone of Doc's voice let everyone know they were dead serious. They filed into the back rooms. A few grumbled about being ordered around in their own club. Many more, however, were more worried about their vampire friends. A few had to be forced into the safety of the back. Once they were sure the normal people were all out of the main body of the club, the souled vampires and Partials created a barricade of tables in front of the door. "You two stay back here," Louis ordered. Marty and Jennifer nodded willingly.
Richard outside welcomed the soulless vampires. "Hey, terrific costumes! It's not often we have evil vampires in here. Go right in."
"Thanks," hissed a male. 5 males and 4 females entered, psyched to fight, and found themselves facing a line of 6 pissed souled vampires. "Pathetic," the same male grinned. "Time to die, freaks."
"We'll see you in hell," Magnus snarled back, fully vamped. The soulless vampires just laughed and charged. The Battle for Darkness Falls had begun.
A dark-haired female went straight for Doc, lunging for his throat. Doc caught her as she leaped and sent her sailing into the wall. Magnus wrestled a male, trading bites and scratches so rapidly the old ones barely had time to heal. Natalie slammed her knee into the groin of another male. He went down whimpering.
A blond woman noticed the 2 Partials in the maze of tables. Licking her lips, she jumped onto the ceiling, crawled over the raging battle, and dropped down in front of them. "Yummy," she said, happily expecting an easy kill, and rushed them.
A second too late, she recalled Partials were practically as strong as real vampires. Marty simply bashed in her head with a chair when she came within range. "1 down, Doc!"
"2," Natalie corrected, producing a knife. She easily snapped her incapacitated male's neck, and sliced his head off at the break. With an easy movement, she tossed it behind the bar.
A third female, acting as the leader of the group, attacked Louis viciously. Twice she managed to grab his throat with her teeth and suck his blood. Louis, a battle-scarred veteran, was giving as good as he got, tearing into her with great force. "I'll keep her busy! Get the others!" he commanded, wrenching himself free of her grip.
Doc's female leapt at him again, this time knocking him over. They wrestled on the ground furiously, snarling and kicking. Once again, Doc flung her towards the wall. She managed to land on it and clung tight, hissing.
Magnus disentangled himself from his attacker. With a hard kick, he sent his opponent into the bar. He cracked his head hard on the rail and slid down, briefly out of it. Magnus took advantage of this to assist Louis.
Another blond saw Mysteria. "Hey, brunettes stink!" she yelled, flying over to her. Mysteria jumped into the air herself, fangs at the ready. They struggled furiously, evenly matched in ability. Jennifer came to the rescue by climbing onto a table and bashing in the blond's brains with a floor lamp. "Thanks," Mysteria said, giving her a big hug.
A new male rushed James. The fidgety souled vampire lured him onto the band stage. After a brief fight, he managed to impale the soulless one on the mike stand. "That's 3!" he reported.
Magnus's male recovered and refocused his attack on Doc. He attacked the scientist from behind as he dealt with the persistent female. Doc violently tore at him with his fangs, but soon found himself against the wall, sandwiched by his tormentors. "Somebody, I need some help!" he yelled, dodging a grab for his throat. It was easy to see both the woman and the man were hungry for his blood.
Strangely, Henry answered his cry for assistance. The scientist was confused. Why wasn't Henry engaged in a battle of his own? And why was he helping him?
"Okay, back off for a minute," Henry told the vampires as he neared. He spoke causally, as if to old friends. Even more shocking, the soulless vampires actually obeyed, moving away and granting Henry access to their captive. "Let me just get what was promised to me, then you can kill him."
"Henry!" Doc gasped. "I can't believe you'd let them do that! I know you hate me, but-"
"You have no idea how much I detest you," Henry hissed, holding him by the throat. "Do you think this group found its way here by lucky chance?"
Doc's eyes widened as it hit him. "You-you-"
Henry nodded smugly. "I told Biff exactly where to go. What's it to me if all my fellows die? I'm assured of having my life spared. Things like 'loyalty' and 'dying for your beliefs' are silly and outdated. No matter what happens to anyone else-friend, family, lover-you've gotta live. If it means betrayal-treason-murder, so what? You've survived." He forced Doc to bare his neck. "Now be still as I taste your blood. No sweeter brew than that of an enemy's, flavored with fear."
For a moment, Doc was too stunned to move. "He betrayed us. . . .Completely and totally. . . .So he wouldn't have to face death. . . .To get back at me. . . ." Then, pure rage filled every bit of him. He ripped Henry's hands from his throat, and threw him as violently as he could to the floor. Before the startled vampire could get up, Doc had kicked him in his privates. Not even a vampire could withstand that sort of abuse. Henry curled up into a ball, whimpering.
The male and female immediately resumed their attack on Doc, acting like there had been no pause. This time, though, the odds were in the scientist's favor. He kicked the male aside and grabbed the female by the throat. Fueled by hatred, he drove her head into the wall.
Suddenly, he felt a cracking pain in his own skull. He whipped around just in time to see Marty collapse. A previously-unaccounted for male had thrown a heavy glass at the teen's head. Eyes shining, he headed for his unconscious prey.
"MARTY!" Doc yelled, horrified. He tried desperately to get to him, to help protect him. The soulless male he had been fighting forced him to stop, determined to have his blood. "Damn it, somebody help him!"
Magnus heard Doc's yell loud and clear. He looked at Jennifer, guarding her boyfriend as best she could. He looked at Louis, still fighting the female. Louis nodded for him to go. Magnus promptly ran over to protect the fallen teen. Mysteria joined him, keeping 2 males at bay. Satisfied Marty was safe, Doc concentrated on killing his assailant.
Then the unthinkable happened. The female attacking Louis broke his arm. In agony, Louis fell to his knees, unable to defend himself. The female smiled, fangs poised for the attack. It looked like it was all over for the souled vampire.
Until someone smashed a beer bottle over the female's head.
Angered, the female spun around to deal with the new threat. A woman in white, her face covered with a black veil, glared at her. Fangs clearly protruded from her mouth, yet her scent was human. The female paused, trying to make sense of these conflicting elements, leaving herself open to attack. The woman simply drove the bottle in again and again, eventually driving the female off. "That's right, run!"
Louis gaped at his savior. "Serena?"
Serena lifted her veil and smiled at him. "Don't tell me to go back, Louis," she told him firmly, arming herself with more bottles. "It's our fight too, now."
As she spoke, the humans poured back into the club. The soulless vampires instantly left their old targets alone and happily assaulted them, eager for easy blood. They got quite a shock as the humans proved they were quite capable of defending themselves.
Sarah overturned a table onto a male, breaking his skull. "Take that, you vandalistic bastard!"
"Did you just invent that word, vandalistic?" Mysteria asked, not taking her eyes from the soulless vampires.
"Yeah. Need any help, you two?"
"We're holding our own, thanks anyway."
The lead female, the only one left, set her sights on Chris. She leapt over James onto a table, determined to have her prey. She leapfrogged easily from one table to another, avoiding all attacks. Chris, desperate, tried to break off a table leg for use as a stake. With a little help from Tina, he succeeded, just as the female closed in.
"Hey, I paid $200 for that table!" Joey complained.
"You can buy a new table. I can't buy a new life!" Blood saturated with adrenaline, he drove the makeshift stake through the vampire's heart. She fell inches from him.
Another, regular, Jay, saw Henry trying to sneak away. "Hey, where are you going? Your friends need you!"
"Shut up, you lowly mortal!" Henry yelled back. "They're not my friends!"
"Don't let him leave!" Doc roared, the rage coming back. "He's the one responsible for this assault upon us!"
"What?" gasped Louis, holding his slowly-healing arm. "Henry betrayed us?"
"He told me himself he betrayed us. He told Biff everything he needed to know to destroy us, in exchange for being spared."
Henry darted for the door, knowing this was his only chance to escape. Natalie and James cut him off. "You're not going anywhere, traitor," Natalie hissed, clamping his hands behind his back.
The male who had knocked out Marty finally lost interest in the teen. He charged instead the nearest available target-Tina. She yanked a knife from her purse. "I was going to use this on Chris, but this is far more important," she commented. With a swipe she half-decapitated him. A second swipe, and his head fell to the floor.
The last soulless vampire made one last futile attack on Doc. Doc broke off a chair leg and drove it in. The soulless one fell, ending the battle.
The souled vampires smiled in relief. "Man, am I glad that's. . . ." Magnus started, then stopped as it hit him.
The humans had seen them, fully vamped.
The souled vampires glanced nervously at one another, then at the humans, wondering how to explain. The humans stared back just as nervously, wondering what to say.
Just as it seemed someone would spontaneously combust, there was a groan from Marty. Doc immediately ran to his side. "Marty?"
Marty groaned again. "Mom? Mom, is that you?"
"Do I sound like your mother, Marty?"
Marty blinked open his eyes. "Hey, Doc," he smiled weakly. "Is it over?"
"It's over. We won." Doc checked him over cautiously. "How do you feel?"
"Except for the headache, okay." He sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, Jenny, are you okay?"
"Just a few scratches. Nothing Mystie can't fix," Jennifer assured him with a smile and kiss.
Mysteria grinned at them, then turned with a worried expression to Doc. "Emmett, are you all right? I saw Henry at your throat earlier. . . ."
"I'm fine," Doc said, kissing her deeply. "You?"
"So am I." She slid her arms around him and squeezed tight. "Though I will admit, you frightened me earlier with your zeal."
"I frightened me," Doc confessed. "I'm always scared I'll lose control and hurt someone I really love. At least we're all safe and sound." He squeezed her tight against him.
Chris coughed, getting their attention. "Uh, Dr. Brown? Are you-I mean- What's going on?"
"That, Chris, is a long and complicated story."