Chapter 3
People ran frantic searching for the intruder, if I wanted to kill these bastards and get out of here alive I had to do it quick. But before I could make my move someone spotted me, he braced himself for a scream. I couldn't let him giveaway my position. I took a little knife from my sheath and threw it towards his neck, he gagged and chocked before he could even utter a sound.
But even that attracted attention, I saw the opening I needed to get out of the gates. I decided to use myself as bait. My heart was pounding and the adrenaline coursing through my veins was giving me crazy Rose Hathaway ideas. I made sure my video cam was operating and walked calmly as ever to the front of the gate.
I turned towards Strigoi soldiers that were searching the area and wolf whistled.
That got their attention.
"Hey! Are you looking for someone!?" I screamed.
Everyone's attention was on me and as I stared at every single red eye staring at me there was no time to really think about what I was doing. It was all in slow motion, several people running towards me in battle cry and me screaming at them back.
"THIS IS FOR MASON!" I yelled as I pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it into the crowd of Strigoi that were running towards me thirsting for my blood.
The blast knocked me down and I rolled into the gate wall, I felt a stinging sensation in my abdomen but had no time to search for injuries. Everything was happening so slowly, I heard cries of pain and I shook my head to get my hearing back. There was now no one guarding the gate and I slapped the button to get the damn thing open while I was hoping most of them would be too injured or dead to come after me.
The gate opened painfully slow and once a small gap was made I rolled under it and ran like the wind. Each footstep was agonizing and my brain was still catching up with my body, I ran through mud and it splashed in my face.
I ran for what seemed like ages and once I was sure I had put a lot of distance between me and the death camp I leaned against a tree and checked my injuries.
It turns out I really should have listened to the instructions and safety manual that Eddie had given me along with that grenade. I should have been a lot further away when I threw it; some razor sharp spikes were protruding out of my stomach and two more in my right leg. I could feel little bits of it in my face and hands. Luckily the wounds seemed superficial and it didn't seem as though it hit any major organs, but I couldn't risk pulling them out.
I tried to gather my bearings and remembered where I had hidden my motorbike, I hoped Robert had got their safely and found it.
An hour later I found it in the bushes where I had left it, but no Robert.
Great, that was just fucking great! I bet he couldn't figure out directions I thought.
I picked up my motorbike and flinched when I felt the spikes dig in, it really hurt and I had to get to a base as soon as possible before they get infected.
I tried to start the bike but pain shot up my right leg, fuck.
I heard the bushes rustle and I pulled out my bow and arrow towards the potential threat, it turned out to be Robert.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought I was going to have to send a search party for you." I said
"Sorry, your directions were pretty crappy." He replied.
I huffed in annoyance.
"Can you by any chance ride a motorbike?"
He gave me a bewildered look and I took that as a no.
"Well, we better camp out and wait for Belikov's team." I said to him preparing to get as comfortable as I could.
"What happened to your face? How did you get out of there?" He asked in a rush.
"I blew them up with a steel-spike-shooting grenade and being the genius I am I wasn't far enough to avoid the spikes." I said flinching as I sat down and lifted my shirt to exam the spikes.
Blood poured out of the sides and it looked nasty, I felt woozy.
"I can't heal you, I'm sorry but I've already used so much spirit." Robert said sitting down beside me up against a tree.
"it's fine, Belikov's men will be here in the next 12 hours and they usually have a healer or a medic accompanying them. Especially when I've gone on a mission requesting for back-up."
The sky was dark and I couldn't see anything in front of me, the night air had grown cold but it was too risky to build a fire. Hell, it was too risky to even be this close to the death fortress, I just blew a bunch of them to hell and I'm this close.
I realized how stupid we were and attempted to stand up, we had to get further away and find refuge otherwise we may not make the night.
"Come on; help me pick up this motorbike." I said to Robert.
"Right, I'll just walk with it there is no way you can do it." He said picking it up onto its two wheels and grabbing the handles.
I snapped a nearby branch and checked its flexibility; it was strong enough for me to lean on when I walked taking pressure of my leg.
We walked along the road that I had come from for an hour or so before I couldn't put another foot in front of the other any longer. I collapsed onto all fours and took a few breaths; I didn't want to look weak in front of the Spirit Wielder.
He bent down and offered me his hand and I waved it off.
"its fine, I just need to rest." I told him.
He nodded and helped me to the side of the road and sat down beside me.
I must've fallen asleep because the next thing I know I hear the familiar roar of motorbikes in the distance.
I try to sit up but feel a hand push me back.
"No, don't move. You'll risk pushing them further in and puncturing something important. You've lost a lot of blood."
I felt really dizzy and tried to sit up.
No way would I let people see me this way, especially when I was the idiot that stood to close to a grenade that shot out god damn steel spikes.
The motorbikes got closer and I tried pushing myself up but just kept getting stopped by Robert.
I leant against the motorbike and he gave up muttering something about being stubborn and a crazy rogue Dhampir.
"Hey! This crazy rogue Dhampir saved your ass! Don't forget that!" I yelled at him.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll be right back I'll just wave these guys down."
By this time the motorbikes were close and stopped nearby as Robert waved them down and explained who he was and who he was with.
"You're the spirit wielder?" A familiar voice asked.
Oh no. Oh he was going to be pissed. I would know that Russian voice anywhere.
When I asked for back-up I meant his men not him directly, oh shit.
"Where is Rose?" He asked.
Robert must have pointed to me because I didn't hear a response.
"She needs a medic, crazy woman saved my ass and killed as many as she could –"He didn't get to finish his sentence as Dimitri ran in my direction.
"Rose?" He knelt beside me and pulled up my shirt.
"Shit, what the hell did you do?" He asked with a growl and deep concern.
"Remember that special grenade I was telling you about? Well it came in handy." I said smirking.
He shook his head and called over the medic that usually accompanied him and his men.
He knelt down beside me and examined the spikes in my stomach and leg, he tsked in annoyance.
"I can't safely remove these without a sterile environment, we're going to have to take her back to camp." The medic said.
"Is she safe to move? The trip is at least a day." Dimitri replied.
"It won't be the best idea but it's her best hope." He said.
"Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not here? Just take me back to camp I'll be fine." I said.
"Roza-"
"No, Dimitri I got myself in this mess I can sure as hell make it a day back to camp. We need to get Robert somewhere safe and being out here in the open is not safe." I told him giving him my best logic.
He nodded and bent down to pick me up; I grimaced as my skin tugged on the spikes and held back a tear.
I would not let anyone see me like this, there was no way.
His men tore off on their bikes back in the direction they came and I winced as I was tucked behind Dimitri on his motorbike.
Robert was placed behind a man and I asked someone to ride my motorbike home.
It was my baby after all.
The trip was agonizing and the majority of the trip and breaks we took I was either fighting to stay conscious or just simply unconscious.
Dimitri would tap me awake sometimes and give me water, but right after that I would simply fall unconscious again.
The next time I am conscious I feel the sensation of being carried, I recognize the sight of 420 camp base. This was a camp specific for stocking up on items and getting medical attention if required, it had the best medical facility.
I was put on a table and all I see around me is white, a mask is put over me and I instantly fall into a deep sleep.
D.P.O.V
When I received the owl from Rose I almost chocked on my dinner.
She's taken the Spirit Wielder mission? Needs immediate backup? Heading into the fortress alone?
Oh god this woman will be the death of me.
I shot out of my chair and immediately called on my men telling them to get their things and hop on the bikes.
They didn't ask questions and I raced my way to the coordinates Rose had given me.
During the ride all the worst possible scenarios went through my brain, each one ending in finding Rose's dead body.
After an agonizingly long time I saw a man in the distance and signaled to my men to slow down, I immediately recognized Rose's bike and a limp figure.
The man waved us down and introduced himself as Robert Doru, Rose had actually managed to save the Spirit Wielder.
Pride welled up within me and I asked him where she was, he pointed in the direction of her bike and I saw her.
My heart did a leap.
I rushed to her side and checked her shirt, what appeared to be spikes were lodged in her abdomen.
"Shit, what the hell did you do?"
"Remember that special grenade I was telling you about? Well it came in handy." She said giving me that damned smirk of hers.
I did remember that grenade and I remember specifically warning her about using it and reading the warning labels that came with it.
I called over the medic to examine her.
"I can't safely remove these without a sterile environment; we're going to have to take her back to camp." The medic said.
"Is she safe to move? The trip is at least a day." I replied.
"It won't be the best idea but it's her best hope." He said.
The trip was going to take too long, but I knew she was a fighter.
The next 24 hours we agonizing as I tried to wake Rose up every now and then to give her water, I was immensely relieved when we got to the camp.
I picked up an unconscious Rose from the bike and took her immediately to the clinic and placed her on one of the tables.
She was rushed to surgery and all I could do was wait.