Sands, Victoria and Andrew Day 4 part 14
For a moment Victoria sat motionless on the floor of the tunnel unable to speak. The sound of gunfire exploded around them.
Sands dashed out of the tunnel and to the right. He sensed something coming at him from in front. He aimed. It took a fraction of a second to recognize Klein. Sands held his shot. There was the sound of Andre's sword clanging against something metallic further into the woods. His gun held in two not-too-steady hands, Sands zigzagged towards the tree line.
Victoria listened carefully and could make out the sounds of Andre's sword and the shouting of the thralls. She felt the need to follow them into the fray. Sands and Andre meant so much to her now that she could not bear to let anything happen to either of them. She may not be an expert with her weapon, but she would do the best she could.
Victoria stood and took the safety off her weapon. The hull of the tank would provide some cover where she could plan her next move. She darted out of the tunnel and was immediately surrounded with gunfire. As she pressed her back against the rusted and abandoned tank the ping of the bullets against the metal engulfed her. She froze.
She sensed more than saw Sands forward and to the right. Just beyond him, Klein was hunkered down behind a tree log, firing at a target she could not see. She could only hear Andre, and had no idea where Jackson had disappeared to after he left the tunnel.
She dared a peek over the edge of the rusting tank to see Sands come out from behind a tree. He held a gun in both hands and fired it twice, then she heard the sound of the hammer hitting and no more bullets exploded from the muzzle. He was out of ammunition. "Fucker," Sands said loud enough for her to hear him clearly. He dove for the log and Klein, rolling the last few feet.
Bullets struck the dirt as he rolled. Victoria followed the firing path and located the gunman. Acting quickly, she took aim over the top of the tank and fired off a few shots until she heard the hammer click on her own weapon. Quickly she slid down and pop the cartage and reached for her ammunition belt to reload. Had she hit her target?
"You're hit," she heard Sands say in a low voice to Klein.
"Not too bad," Klein said in a firm tone. "Here, sir."
"Thanks."
Victoria peeked around. The bullets had stopped flying. She saw Sands with a different gun now. Apparently, Klein have given him one. He was kneeling, looking over the log he and Klein sheltered behind. "Andre," he called.
"I'm here," Andre's voice came from deeper in the woods. "There's still one out there with a gun."
Victoria listened to their voices, relived when she heard each of them speak. But where was Jackson? She finished popping the clip into place and called out "Where's Jackson?"
"Here," Jackson's voice came from the left side of the tunnel. "He got my leg. I can't move."
"Can you shoot?" Sands asked.
"My hands are just fine," Jackson replied. "I just don't have a target."
"Perhaps we can find you one," Sands said. "Andre, just one?"
"That's all I saw." Andre replied.
"Was he human or vampire?" Victoria questioned.
"Human," Andre called back. "None of the vampires we've seen could survive outside in daylight. Too young."
Good, she thought. He will be easier to kill. Victoria opened her mind to everything. A rush of thoughts and emotions flooded in: Jackson's pain, Klein's fear, images of the Guardians; they had heard the gun fire and were on the way.
"The Guardians are on the way!" she called out quickly. She turned her focus back to the shooter. Where was he? She pick up on his thoughts. He was behind the trees to her left, crouched down in the shrubbery. The man was terrified; thinking of his family, knowing he would not escape.
"You okay, buddy?" Sands was saying to Klein when she refocused on the area just beyond the shell of the rusting tank.
"Yeah."
She looked around and saw Sands was tying something around Klein's injured arm.
"Yeah, sure," Sands said softly. "Just stay here. You've lost a lot of blood and you're not one of us...yet."
Victoria didn't know what to do. Jackson was closest to the shooter, but unable to move and she was hesitant to call out to her companions.
"Victoria," Sands called her name. "Can you see him?"
"No," she replied, "But I know where he is."
There was a moment's silence. "What?" Sands asked. "Can you get to Jackson?"
"I think so." Victoria turned and looked to her left. There was Jackson, back against a tree, blood spilling from his wound. Victoria looked past him to the trees beyond.
Sands was suddenly at her side. "Okay, darling, where is the shooter?" His mouth was right against her ear, his breath brushing against her hair.
Victoria pointed with her gun. "Look past Jackson to the tree line." She turned her lips towards him, "Now look down and to the left, to the large pile of Dogwood. I know you cannot see him, but he is there. I read his thoughts."
His eyes locked with hers. She could see the excitement he got from the hunt and the curiosity from her words. "I shall go kill him," he announced before quickly claiming her mouth with a kiss.
He excited her. Everything about him excited her, his voice, his scent, the taste of him on her lips. "I'll cover you," she whispered as there lips parted.
"I'll hold you to that promise," he said, his voice husky. He grinned wickedly and dashed off towards Jackson's position.
Victoria watched him, at full speed he became a blur. She aimed her weapon and fired way over his head, providing cover fire.
She saw him go past Jackson, slowing only briefly behind a thick pine before he moved further away and out of sight. She followed his path, worried, but somehow knowing that he would be alright. Victoria stopped at Jackson's side and crouched down next to him. "Oh, Samuel." she exclaimed. "You're badly hurt."
Blood poured from the wound in his leg and he was loosing color fast. "No Kelvar, " he joked with a fragile smile. Victoria holstered her weapon and reached for the leg of his pants. She ripped the material in two.
With her superior strength, she tore the material into thick strips and bound his leg. Her concentration was shattered by the sound of a single bullet.
"Got him," Sands called out from way into the woods.
"Careful," Andre warned. He had come closer to her and Jackson. She looked up to see him half-way between them and Klein, his sword still in his hand.
"I need help," Victoria called. "Jackson's wound is very bad."
His eyes scanning the forest before them, Andre moved carefully, until he came to stand over them. "Tie it as a tourniquet," he instructed her. "Sands, any more?"
"I don't think so," Sands called, just as the sound of many running feet invaded Victoria's hearing. She grabbed her gun and stood, her back to Andre. They saw the familiar black of the Guardians as a handful of them jogged into the little clearing.
Victoria lowered her weapon with a sigh of relief. The group fanned out around them and took up the search. The tall Guardian with the dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck stepped forward. "Where's Sands? " he questioned.
"I'm here," Sands said from a few feet away as he sauntered over to Victoria and the others. "Thanks for the rescue."
The red-head tilted his head to one side. "It seems you were rescued before we got to you. How did you manage that?"
"Professional secret," Sands smiled broadly, then in an almost Texan drawl added, "Ex-CIA, you know, pal?"
Victoria grinned and then wrapped her arms around him. Jackson groaned. "Oh, Jackson!" she exclaimed. "Your leg." Victoria quickly dropped down to his side and resumed tearing the stripes of cloth into a tourniquet. "This should slow the bleeding a little."
"We damaged your thralls," Sands said to the Guardians gathering around them. "Sorry." He looked over at Klein and Victoria followed his line of sight. The shorter of the two thralls was standing with the help of two more Guardians.
"We'll take it from here," the red headed Guardian replied. He motioned for two others to come forward and take charge of Jackson. Victoria turned and looked back to Jackson once more. "You'll be all right." she said, the tone of her voice almost a question.
For a moment Victoria sat motionless on the floor of the tunnel unable to speak. The sound of gunfire exploded around them.
Sands dashed out of the tunnel and to the right. He sensed something coming at him from in front. He aimed. It took a fraction of a second to recognize Klein. Sands held his shot. There was the sound of Andre's sword clanging against something metallic further into the woods. His gun held in two not-too-steady hands, Sands zigzagged towards the tree line.
Victoria listened carefully and could make out the sounds of Andre's sword and the shouting of the thralls. She felt the need to follow them into the fray. Sands and Andre meant so much to her now that she could not bear to let anything happen to either of them. She may not be an expert with her weapon, but she would do the best she could.
Victoria stood and took the safety off her weapon. The hull of the tank would provide some cover where she could plan her next move. She darted out of the tunnel and was immediately surrounded with gunfire. As she pressed her back against the rusted and abandoned tank the ping of the bullets against the metal engulfed her. She froze.
She sensed more than saw Sands forward and to the right. Just beyond him, Klein was hunkered down behind a tree log, firing at a target she could not see. She could only hear Andre, and had no idea where Jackson had disappeared to after he left the tunnel.
She dared a peek over the edge of the rusting tank to see Sands come out from behind a tree. He held a gun in both hands and fired it twice, then she heard the sound of the hammer hitting and no more bullets exploded from the muzzle. He was out of ammunition. "Fucker," Sands said loud enough for her to hear him clearly. He dove for the log and Klein, rolling the last few feet.
Bullets struck the dirt as he rolled. Victoria followed the firing path and located the gunman. Acting quickly, she took aim over the top of the tank and fired off a few shots until she heard the hammer click on her own weapon. Quickly she slid down and pop the cartage and reached for her ammunition belt to reload. Had she hit her target?
"You're hit," she heard Sands say in a low voice to Klein.
"Not too bad," Klein said in a firm tone. "Here, sir."
"Thanks."
Victoria peeked around. The bullets had stopped flying. She saw Sands with a different gun now. Apparently, Klein have given him one. He was kneeling, looking over the log he and Klein sheltered behind. "Andre," he called.
"I'm here," Andre's voice came from deeper in the woods. "There's still one out there with a gun."
Victoria listened to their voices, relived when she heard each of them speak. But where was Jackson? She finished popping the clip into place and called out "Where's Jackson?"
"Here," Jackson's voice came from the left side of the tunnel. "He got my leg. I can't move."
"Can you shoot?" Sands asked.
"My hands are just fine," Jackson replied. "I just don't have a target."
"Perhaps we can find you one," Sands said. "Andre, just one?"
"That's all I saw." Andre replied.
"Was he human or vampire?" Victoria questioned.
"Human," Andre called back. "None of the vampires we've seen could survive outside in daylight. Too young."
Good, she thought. He will be easier to kill. Victoria opened her mind to everything. A rush of thoughts and emotions flooded in: Jackson's pain, Klein's fear, images of the Guardians; they had heard the gun fire and were on the way.
"The Guardians are on the way!" she called out quickly. She turned her focus back to the shooter. Where was he? She pick up on his thoughts. He was behind the trees to her left, crouched down in the shrubbery. The man was terrified; thinking of his family, knowing he would not escape.
"You okay, buddy?" Sands was saying to Klein when she refocused on the area just beyond the shell of the rusting tank.
"Yeah."
She looked around and saw Sands was tying something around Klein's injured arm.
"Yeah, sure," Sands said softly. "Just stay here. You've lost a lot of blood and you're not one of us...yet."
Victoria didn't know what to do. Jackson was closest to the shooter, but unable to move and she was hesitant to call out to her companions.
"Victoria," Sands called her name. "Can you see him?"
"No," she replied, "But I know where he is."
There was a moment's silence. "What?" Sands asked. "Can you get to Jackson?"
"I think so." Victoria turned and looked to her left. There was Jackson, back against a tree, blood spilling from his wound. Victoria looked past him to the trees beyond.
Sands was suddenly at her side. "Okay, darling, where is the shooter?" His mouth was right against her ear, his breath brushing against her hair.
Victoria pointed with her gun. "Look past Jackson to the tree line." She turned her lips towards him, "Now look down and to the left, to the large pile of Dogwood. I know you cannot see him, but he is there. I read his thoughts."
His eyes locked with hers. She could see the excitement he got from the hunt and the curiosity from her words. "I shall go kill him," he announced before quickly claiming her mouth with a kiss.
He excited her. Everything about him excited her, his voice, his scent, the taste of him on her lips. "I'll cover you," she whispered as there lips parted.
"I'll hold you to that promise," he said, his voice husky. He grinned wickedly and dashed off towards Jackson's position.
Victoria watched him, at full speed he became a blur. She aimed her weapon and fired way over his head, providing cover fire.
She saw him go past Jackson, slowing only briefly behind a thick pine before he moved further away and out of sight. She followed his path, worried, but somehow knowing that he would be alright. Victoria stopped at Jackson's side and crouched down next to him. "Oh, Samuel." she exclaimed. "You're badly hurt."
Blood poured from the wound in his leg and he was loosing color fast. "No Kelvar, " he joked with a fragile smile. Victoria holstered her weapon and reached for the leg of his pants. She ripped the material in two.
With her superior strength, she tore the material into thick strips and bound his leg. Her concentration was shattered by the sound of a single bullet.
"Got him," Sands called out from way into the woods.
"Careful," Andre warned. He had come closer to her and Jackson. She looked up to see him half-way between them and Klein, his sword still in his hand.
"I need help," Victoria called. "Jackson's wound is very bad."
His eyes scanning the forest before them, Andre moved carefully, until he came to stand over them. "Tie it as a tourniquet," he instructed her. "Sands, any more?"
"I don't think so," Sands called, just as the sound of many running feet invaded Victoria's hearing. She grabbed her gun and stood, her back to Andre. They saw the familiar black of the Guardians as a handful of them jogged into the little clearing.
Victoria lowered her weapon with a sigh of relief. The group fanned out around them and took up the search. The tall Guardian with the dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck stepped forward. "Where's Sands? " he questioned.
"I'm here," Sands said from a few feet away as he sauntered over to Victoria and the others. "Thanks for the rescue."
The red-head tilted his head to one side. "It seems you were rescued before we got to you. How did you manage that?"
"Professional secret," Sands smiled broadly, then in an almost Texan drawl added, "Ex-CIA, you know, pal?"
Victoria grinned and then wrapped her arms around him. Jackson groaned. "Oh, Jackson!" she exclaimed. "Your leg." Victoria quickly dropped down to his side and resumed tearing the stripes of cloth into a tourniquet. "This should slow the bleeding a little."
"We damaged your thralls," Sands said to the Guardians gathering around them. "Sorry." He looked over at Klein and Victoria followed his line of sight. The shorter of the two thralls was standing with the help of two more Guardians.
"We'll take it from here," the red headed Guardian replied. He motioned for two others to come forward and take charge of Jackson. Victoria turned and looked back to Jackson once more. "You'll be all right." she said, the tone of her voice almost a question.