Dedicated to PM
Hatred belongs to those who are to feeble to loath
The three sharp bangs on the door came four hours after sundown. They awoke the drowsy occupants of the van with the air of forlorn morose warriors, tired of war. The door at the front of the van opened to allow the former banger to enter the quiet peace. "Time to go." Carthage's voice softened informed them as he dragged himself over Valerio to get his gun.
Valerio stood slowly glancing round at his team. There were one or two backups, no one he had not already met and trusted. Eternity, Starkers and Wellies were at the far end of the van. Eternity's head had been resting on Starker's shoulder until then, her eyes unmistakably open but glazed staring unto oblivion. Wellies and Starkers had talked softly of matters that concerned no one else.
"Starkers, Malvin, you're with me. Bring your guns and look tough. Carthage, take Jess up to the back and watch our backs. Wellies, Eternity, you will go in first." Here Valerio stopped and looked to Carthage who took over the instruction whilst fiddling with his MK47 and various small bits of black equipment.
"Take the first exit on your left. There's a passage up to the walkway that circles above the warehouse floor. Use your sniper guns and cover us. Everyone we'll be facing," He was interrupted by Valerio who held his point through mental communication. Carthage rolled his eyes and rephrased. "We might be facing a resistance of humans. They may only be human but they sure as hell know what they're doing with these babies." He added just as he loaded the gun with a satisfactory click. "Now I know most of you are only familiar with fighting with swords or fisticuffs but today the humans today you get to play with the big boys." He made another click with the gun.
"So you all have MK47s with ammo. Trigger there, release the safety there." He spoke imitating an air-hostess. "You two both know how to handle Snipers but make sure you put silencers on we don't want them finding you. Each of you is also carrying a pistol. Now here's the important bit." He let out an aristocratic smile that suited him. "Bullets. Each gun, thanks to the master importer of Guns, Hellfire, is suited to killing any species that shall hurl itself to you. The red button by the trigger controls which bullets you fire; wood, silver, metal. If you click it once silver bullets fire, another time after that metal another wood, another silver. You get the picture. Works on all guns." He said nodding to Wellies.
Carthage checked around the faces and nodded pulling back from his position dragged across half the van so he sat in the front seat. Valerio nodded to him in return and looked to his fighters. "No one is left behind." He rose as the backup troops and Starkers started for the piles of guns, taking theirs and dropping silently out the sliding backdoor of the truck.
No one felt as if they were merely heading for peace talks...
-*-
Eternity padded softly into the corridor to her right. Behind her Wellies covered her back as she covered his. In turn one darted forwards, whilst the other covered. Basic training but effective. They reached the metal staircase that led to the walkway and Eternity was the first to travel up, holding her Sniper very close to her body. As she reached the head, she knelt down upon the cold harsh corrugated metal. She edged her gun around the corner looking through the magnifying end to spy out the walkway. It was clear.
She motioned to Wellies who went up taking the first steps along the walkway. He was soft footed as the dog he changed into. He took aim in the eye piece scanning the area of targets. He looked down at her for the all clear by a nod. She joined him on the walkway lying down to get a better aim. She took time to scan the warehouse whilst waiting for the others to appear. Only then did she see the other walkway.
She dug her elbow into Wellies's ribs. He winced and turned to her with an angry expression. She pointed upwards with her gun. He looked up to see the corrugated metal above them. Carthage who had scouted the area had said nothing about another walkway. That one could be used to Sniper themselves. The sounds of footsteps resounded through the warehouse. Eternity and Wellies went back to their positions, Eternity facing north, towards the van, Wellies south. Through the glass of her gun she saw the tall eminence of Valerio flanked by Starkers and the other backup. "Cathcarte?" Valerio called in a deep voice that echoed off the hollow building.
The sound of a bullet whistling passed her ears was all she heard before the lights went out.
The sounds of metal upon metal came as the running doors were pulled down. Beside her she felt the skin of Wellies become wrenched and contorted as he morphed. She pulled herself to her feet, leaving the Sniper where it was. Without night vision such a gun was useless. Taking the pistol out of her pocket she clicked the red button four times. Or at least she thought it was the red button but in this light she could only rely on one sense.
The bark of a dog came to her as she felt her way along the walkway using the rails as guides. Shots sounded and shouts as this situation came all to familiar. The dog ran right passed her hurling himself down the stairs. Just as she cautiously reached the bottom step she heard his whimper. She hurried out towards the sounds knowing she would be no use no matter the situation.
In the dark that circled her laughing at her misfortune she saw or felt nothing. She could have been a millimetre away from him and not seen. Even the vampires she doubted could have seen in this light. She felt the cold grasp of a breeze and she guessed herself to be on the main floor of the warehouse out of the corridor she had travelled along. Grasping her gun close to her she aimed it at the nearest movement.
There was no time for a response for lights hit on. They were almost foot long spot lights that danced for a moment upon the ceiling before coming to rest on each other creating a steady bridge of light across the abyss of the warehouse. This light gave her no time to react for just as it was in place there was a sudden drop of movement.
And she screamed.
-*-
It was barely a matter of seconds before she regained her mind once more. She was kneeling now, her legs must have given way, and her body was shaking physically wrecked. She was no crying but she was in no state to cry. She did not look up to see the body once more.
Etched into her memory, carved there for as long as she would live, was the image of a man. A human. Not more than twenty three of age, with blank staring turquoise eyes and they seemed to bulge out of his head. Around his neck was a rope, thick and strong. On his face a look of strangled pain and fear- the look of the man who is fighting for his last thread of life.
His body is broken. The skin turned into red shards of blood a hole where his heart might be. His clothes are torn and soaked in dried blood. One of his shoes is missing and his socks show a picture of Peanuts. Beyond all that she still knew who he was. Beyond all that she knew him to be Dover, the leader of Midday Sun. And in his death she recognised the work of two ravaged lovers, two of her friends.
"They're trying to put you off, stay focused!" Carthage's voice she heard through the dark. The light below was no enough for vampires to see by but not her. She saw odd shapes but they made no sense when surrounded by shadow. "Vampires, they're vampires!! Not humans. This is Night Worlders, not Midday Sun." Carthage's information was said as though in orders. His last words were followed by a shot that impacted against something hard.
Eternity picked up her shaking body from the ground feeling for the gun she must have dropped. Her hands only met metre after metre of concrete. "Valerio? Carthage?" She yelled into the black. An answering shout came from Valerio but it was faint across the distance. None came from Carthage. She was blind, deaf and dumb in this world of war. Blind because she could not see, deaf because her hearing could not tell her weather the shot was near or far and dumb because she did not even know who they were fighting.
Because that fear was still there. What if Carthage had betrayed them? It fitted. If he was with Midday Sun then he could easily have bought them here for revenge, he could have easily ignored the above walkway from which the body was hanging and he could have easily sent her out the way so she would not get hurt. But she was sure Carthage would not do that. No matter who convincing the argument was she felt as though she knew him... but...
A strong arm grabbed her around the waist as she searched another area for her dropped gun. It lifted her up and carried her. She knew it was not Carthage. She did not panic. She felt him slow and pause for a second. She heard the slide and click of a locking door. Bright lights flickered on and she hid her eyes from them. The arm let her go and she bounced onto a couch.
As the pain of the brightness subsided Eternity looked up. The tall figure infront of her was smoking. His eyes were calm and his features relaxed into a philosophical contemplation. His dress was a long black coat which was undone revealing a holster or two. On the table lay an MK47. Michael Pope's chocolate brown hair hung loosely over his aged wistful eyes. "Good evening, little girl. Glad to see those eyes are still large."
She blinked no knowing what he meant. Her eyes caught the sudden flare of movement and she grabbed at the thing thrown at her. It was her gun. "Thank you." She murmured looking down. She heard him drag his cigarette again. "What's going on?" She asked wandering whether he was going to kill her or leave her.
"War, little girl, war. The people of the Night World are fighting the people of Daybreak under the body of a little boy named Ben." Ben. It seemed odd for a fighter like that to have such a young name. Ben. Benjamin. Benjamin Dover... oh the boy must have been teased at school. Ben Dover. The sudden rush of pity and amusement was squashed by the very memory of his death. His bloody death at the hands of her friends. "Do you find war fair little girl?"
"War is a terrible thing. Killers are terrible. War brings destruction and pain and death. Famine, poverty." She said looking up at him surprised he was asking but wanting to let a Night Worlder know of the human pain.
"'The only ones to see war end are the ones the soldiers bury'". Michael Pope absently quoted studying her with interest. She was not scared of him. He had a calming person. Michael Pope took out a jug of water and a glass from the desk he sat himself on and gave it to her. He himself sat on the sofa beside her. "Do you believe in what you are fighting for, little girl?"
"I am fighting for an end. An end to war." Eternity said quietly sipping her water with shaking hands. She took solace in his company his composure. He was a comforting person to sit next to. And he had probably saved her life again. But would he let her go? She doubted a second time.
"And do you believe that if the Night World falls, humans will just learn to except me and my kind? 'Sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute.'" She recognised the quote this time and let her mind wonder for a second. X men, Professor Xavier. Why had this vampire of Night World watched a distinctly human film? "As long as there is man, whatever species, there will be prejudice, there will be injustice, there will be war. I have seen enough to know that."
Eternity looked up at him her eyes sad and cold. She saw him standing now with his back to her and a cold chill ran down her spine. "Michael Pope." She said shaking even worse.
"My friends call me Hell's fire. Or simply Hellfire."
-*-
Review and I will love your for eternity!!! Oppps.... that was unintentional. Oh well...
Bex Drake: awww glad to see someone likes Carthage! Thank you!
Nada: Please check your review and make sure you never call me that online.
Thade182: Oh glad you like darling. Sorry for the delay. Lack of will to live was the cause.
Arrylle Gamere: Lovely reviewer you are. I'm glad your enjoying this so much. Please keep reviewing! And reading.... naturally........ *cough*
Hehehehe...........