Chapter 8
The Square
"So, it looks like you were wrong, Blade. About this being a giant coffin for most of the slaves. Not one human casualty. Over three dozen dead suckheads. And we still have a few more hours of sunlight left to get the rest back to the docks and to some kind of safety. I'd say we won," Rossi said as he watched the last few people board the Demeter.
"Rossi, you and Sonic will take the rest back to city. Monica and I are gonna search this place for any last survivors, and then I'm gonna blow it. Look for a bus or two in case Bible John's plan doesn't work—we're gonna have to get these people out of here and to a safe house. Can you handle that?" Blade asked as he turned around and walked back into the Square.
"Yeah, I can handle it. You did a good job too!" Rossi yelled as Blade paced away. Rossi turned around and headed back to the boat, and Monica shrugged her shoulders as she passed him. Rossi shook his head and continued walking.
"Don't bother getting off, Sonic. We're making this trip too. Ready when you are, Bible," Rossi finished as he found a seat at the back of the yacht.
"What was that all about?" Sonic asked as he sat next to his friend.
"I don't know. You'd think he'd show a bit of enthusiasm. We just saved hundreds of lives, and he acts like it's not a big deal."
"Well, the day is still young, Rossi. Murphy's Law."
"Yeah, and you probably just jinxed the hell out of everything too, dumbass!"
The two just looked at each other and laughed aloud with the newly-freed slaves looking on curiously.
*****
Near the docks...
Gage checked his 9mm Glock's ammo—full clip. A little bit of hope. Another shot ripped through the metal cage. Another...
Time to get the hell outta Dodge (pardon the pun, he thought silently to himself)! Gage put the black handgun back in its holster, and crawled to the back of the van, and exited from the dual doors, and made a mad dash to the nearest dumpster, meanwhile, he could feel the bullets pass all around him. The scared Familiar latched onto a dirty, blue dumpster and swung himself around—still holding onto the sidewall, a bullet caught the hand and removed three fingers in the process in a loud pop.
The pain was so excruciating that Gage literally forgot to scream—he was stunned, but he reacted quickly. He ripped the sleeve off of his left arm and tied it as tightly around the wrist as he could stand.
This sniper was finished.
He nearly passed out. From behind the dumpster, he could see where the sniper sat perched behind his car without the sniper spotting him. But where were the girls? Who cares? Time to draw the hunter out.
In an animalistic instinct of self preservation, Gage jumped from behind the dumpster and fired as fast as he could pull the trigger in the sniper's general direction.
A miracle.
Only a miracle could have presented Gage the situation he was in, he thought. A shot caught the sniper in the right shoulder and knocked him several feet behind the car—the rifle nowhere within his reach. But Gage was weakened by the loss of blood from his hand. He couldn't run anymore, he stumbled and fell to one knee. That was just enough time for the sniper to get back to his feet, and he was off.
***
He didn't seem too hurt by the shell in his shoulder, and headed down another alley and yelled to the three females who had accompanied him on this hunt. He waved again to the girls to keep moving.
"But where are we running to?!" The short dirty-blond haired girl asked as she ran.
"Just keep moving! Damnit, just keep running—he's right behind us," the sniper demanded.
As the three girls rounded the end of the alley, they were greeted by dozens of people in light blue clothing. A boat with three oddly dressed men and more of the same clothed people were exiting the yacht. The girls ran to the crowd and begged and screamed for help.
"Please, somebody, Colin needs help—he's being chased, and he's shot!" the dirty-blond pleaded.
***
Rossi was the first off the Demeter and met the girl half way in the crowd. Sonic and Bible John were off next and right behind Rossi.
"Woah, woah, woah, calm down. Who's chasing who, and who's shot?" he asked as he grabbed the frantic girl by the shoulders to try and calm her down.
She seemed more at ease. "Colin, he's our brother. A Familiar is chasing him. He's shot and bleeding bad.
"Ok, where's Colin at?" Rossi asked.
"He's right behind us," the dirty-blond said.
"Sonic, go check it out," Rossi commanded.
"Got it," Sonic said as he sprinted around the corner. Rossi huddled the girls together, and sat them down on a bench near the water. The blond was obviously shaken, she would not stop crying.
"Hey, it's gonna be ok, ok? We'll take care of it. I'm Rossi, and this is Bible John," Rossi said smoothly.
"You can call me John," Bible John said with a smile, and again adjusting his glasses. The crying girl was easing out of hysteria, and stood up as she saw her wounded brother being helped back with Sonic. The dirty-blond looked over to Rossi and tried to smile. Rossi smiled back. The freed slaves stood around dumbfounded. There was just too much happening today, and they looked exhausted.
"I'm Andrea," the dirty-blond said as she looked on again to her brother.
Sonic helped the wounded man sit at the bench as the girls made room for him. The man had blood smeared across his face and his dirty-blond hair was stained red one side. Bible John walked to the boat and removed several bandages from the Demeter's first aid kit.
"So what happened, Colin?" Rossi asked as Bible John walked passed him and sat next to Colin.
He hesitated to answer, as he studied the young Italian for a minute, but decided he could trust him. "I was after some Familiars."
"You were hunting vampire Familiars?" Rossi asked.
"I was."
"Any luck?"
"Bagged one of 'em." He stopped as he winced at the pain as Bible John finished wrapping up his wound.
"Thanks," Colin said appreciatively. Bible John simply smiled.
"Bible John. I think it's about time Blade joined us, what do ya think?"
"I think you're right, Rossi. I'll be back," Bible John replied and began to head to the Demeter. Inside the cabin, the engine coughed, then roared to life. Jerry helped send the Demeter off by giving the yacht an unneeded shove with his foot. Jerry stood there without moving until he could no longer see the small yacht.
Sonic stood up and walked closer to Colin. He had questions of his own, "What do you mean you were hunting Familiars? Do you have some kind of death wish?"
"I don't have a death wish, I just won't stand by and let these animals try and bring down anymore humans for their bloodsucking masters. They sold out their own race, their own blood for something they'll most likely never see. Most people idly sit by and let the vampires have what they want, or hide in sewers and warehouses, but never fight back. I don't have the resources to fight the vampires on equal ground, so I'll take my shots at getting their day-slaves."
"What about—" BANG!
Everyone flinched at the noise, but Sonic was stunned. Two more shots echoed the docks and Sonic's body jolted, and he fell to his knees. A sad expression consumed his face, and it was mirrored in his best friend's face. As Sonic fell face first onto the aged wood of the pier, Rossi saw the Familiar, and quickly withdrew his gun and unleashed several shots at the man's torso, connecting all four shots. The Familiar stumbled backwards until he hit a building wall, and slid down leaving blood soaked upon its limestone foundation.
Colin had jumped over his sisters to shield them from the shots as they squealed. The humans were scattered across the pier, and one tried to make a noise to indicate the two men whom had just exited the alley with guns drawn.
Rossi crouched down to his dying friend—he knew right then that it was too late. He turned Sonic over and his eyes were glazed over, and he was short of breath. Rossi could feel the blood oozing from his back, like the tears from his face. Sonic reached up to Rossi, and he grabbed his hand.
"We did good, Rossi. We did good," Sonic said shallowly.
"Yeah we did, Sonic. We did good," Rossi replied with a frog in his throat.
Rossi noticed one of the slaves bend down next to Sonic. The man grabbed Sonic's other hand.
"Hello Sonic," he said.
"Jerry..." said Sonic with half a smile, and then began to cough up blood.
"I'll see ya on the other side, Rossi," Sonic said as he faded into blackness.
"Thank you, Sonic," Jerry said as Rossi closed Sonic's eyes, and squeezed his own shut holding back the tears. Jerry put a hand on Rossi's shoulder, and then the tears flowed freely.
Colin looked up and realized what the silent slave was trying to say, and saw two more Familiars, and the Familiars looked up at the crowd. Rossi seemed to sense the men finally also, and looked to his left in time to see two more thugs who wanted to taste blood.
Rossi stood up and raised his gun but the Familiar was quicker and sent a bullet into Rossi's chest, and another before Rossi managed a wild shot that shattered a window. Rossi, reeling from the shots, tripped over a rope on the pier and headed right over the side and into the cold, murky waters.
Colin leaped from the bench and grabbed Sonic's Uzi and fired at both men in a spray of bullets that riddled the wall and the bodies incessantly. Jerry ran to the edge of the pier, but could not spot Rossi's body. Instead, he only pools of blood that faded to green. He ran the length of the pier, but still found nothing.
"This simply cannot be happening..." Jerry said shaking his head as he unconsciously dove into the water in search of his fallen comrade.