Chapter Three
Shooty Green stood in the middle of Rotary Park wearing his Afro-goth attire: black boots, black leather pants, black trench coat, and eyeliner. Spikes protruded out of his gloves, and metal plates over his knees. He attached his sword to his back. It was full dark outside, but still early, Friday, and he wanted to fight the gaggle of vampires who attacked his girlfriend, Harley Ann Cooper. It was October the fifth of twenty-eighteen, and a lot of paranormal activity happened throughout the city.
The park smelled like rotting flesh. Some animal over near the south side of the park must have died. It was bad. He looked around for a moment, but didn't see a skunk, but he smelled one. He sat on the basketball court in the hopes the blood suckers would return. He wasn't worried about the basic suck head, the one without the power of magic. The vampire responsible for Harley's death wasn't an ordinary vampire, and he knew that. Wiccan Warriors had the skills to handle any basic vampire, including the ones with magic. But the one who killed Harley had to be imbued with something extra, something beyond the abilities of the Wiccan Warriors.
Several teens walked past the park, and they appeared to be ordinary Muskogeans. Shooty waited for nearly two hours in the cool night, and watched every car, every walker, and every person roaming by the park. He hopped in his black Camaro, a souped up vehicle with fins on the back, and it roared down the street. He drove to the Bottoms, deep into the soul of Muskogee, past the heaps of garbage, and into a cave where two other Wiccan Warriors watched the city. He walked up to another warrior named Kai Vincent, a tall kid approximately eighteen-years-old with a massive muscular frame. Braided hair, black leather pants, a white shirt, and a cleanly trimmed beard.
The other Wiccan Warrior was Razor Edge, an Asian girl who Shooty discovered two years earlier. She moved to Muskogee from Tulsa, and participated in a Wiccan Coven there. They played with inactive magic in Tulsa, but Christopher Wallace and Derrick Shooty taught her how to use active magic, and she knew how to wield a blade. They attended the Christian Academy, a Catholic, private school. Shooty started calling her Razor Edge, but her real name was Tiffany Lee. She wore black, thick lipstick, black eyeliner, and had long black hair in a well-made ponytail with razors on the end of it.
"You know the vamps aren't going to show up in the same place," Razor said. She was doing homework on her computer, and smacking on bubble gum. Kai had the heat turned up, way too high, and as soon as Shooty walked into the hovel, he turned it down to seventy degrees.
"Kai, quit turning the heat up that high," Shooty said.
"Sorry,' he said, "Mister Wallace contacted Diana."
Shooty sat down in a black chair with wheels on it, and sighed. "But will she join us?"
"She's apprehensive," Kai said.
"I was apprehensive too," Edge said. She smirked. "Who wouldn't be apprehensive? I thought magic was something just to piss off my parents."
Shooty smiled. "I grew up in it. It's pretty much all I know," he said calmly. "Harley was the same way. I don't understand what could have killed her."
"Could it have been Tupacula himself?" Kai asked.
"Perhaps, but there's no proof he has awaken from his slumber," Shooty said.
"We might all be too old to fight by then," Edge said.
"Then we'll train the next generation," Shooty said. "That way the eternal soul, Christopher Wallace, won't have to face the demon alone."
Edge walked over to the other side of the room, and then said, "It's hard to believe that Muskogee is the hub of evil."
"Yeah. And don't you go telling people," Shooty said with a grimace. "It's the number one rule of the order. Nobody can know the real deal about this town. This place has every kind of demon under the sun living here, and the last thing we need is a bunch of onlookers."
"But what brings them here?' Kai asked.
"Legend has it that the Olmecs made an altar to ApepSeth where Honor Heights lies nearly five thousand years ago. They put an everlasting, magical energy into the earth, and now it feeds the vamps. It's like an artificial soul," Shooty said.
"You believe that?" Edge asked.
"They're here," he said. "Demons, vampires, werewolves, and every other nasty monster hell bent on devouring innocent souls is right here."
"They don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee," Kai said. "But we do have vampires."
"You guys have failed to grasp that one of us is dead," he said, "Killed by something that overcame our magic and training. You don't seem to be worried about that."
"Of course we are, Shooty. You don't get to tell us how to grieve," Kai said.
"You know what? You two idiots are getting on my nerves," he said, "I'm heading back out."
"Screw you, Shooty Green. You might be the best of us, but that's not an invitation to mistreat us," Edge said.
Angered, Shooty hopped into his car, and drove up to Honor Heights. The park closed after dark, and he parked down the hill, on the side of the road, and out of the way of traffic. He walked up the hill, hopped over the gate, and was deep into vampire territory. The leaves fell to the ground when the wind blew, and it was a little nippy. The smell of animal feces reverberated throughout the park. He wore his long, gothic black trench coat, and he had his sword strapped to his back. Feral vampires, the ones apart from civilization, smelled of sweet corn. To some, the smell was alluring, but to a Wiccan, it was acrid and repugnant. Some of the race traitors, the ones in the know, meandered their way up the hill, and the vampires used them as food banks. When he ascended to the top of the hill, he noticed a group of teenagers waiting around for their blood sucking masters. He hated them in a way, but loved them in another way. Maybe the race traitors were doing a service for humankind. The vampires fed on them, and it kept them from slaughtering innocent civilians. The vampires discriminated because they only turned a select few into their ranks. Tupacula-according to Shooty's training-only wanted the best and brightest in his ranks.
He walked near the water tower, tall and intimidating, and suddenly a cluster of vampires surrounded him. "Why are you here, Wiccan?"
Shooty walked up to the vampire, and looked him directly in the eyes. "Who killed Harley?" He asked.
The vampire shrugged his shoulders, and said, "We don't roll with the witches like that."
"Your name is Ash, right?" He asked.
"That's right," he said, "But you're looking for the wrong vampires up here." He paused for a moment. "We're bloodsuckers, but we can't wield magic." Shooty looked at all the vampires who surrounded him, and most of them had a blue aura that only he could see. One of the vampires on the opposite side of him had a red aura, and when he pointed to the vampire, the demon flew into the sky. Shooty leaped into the air, and grabbed him by the foot, slamming him to the ground, and then wrestling with him. When the vampire made it to his feet, he tried to shoot the young Wiccan with an energy blast.
"Your magic is weak," Shooty said. "You didn't kill Harley."
The vampire lowered his guard, and he spoke in an effeminate voice, nasally and high pitched. "Why would we kill her? An ample amount of Muskogeans feed us daily."
"Surely, this wasn't about blood," Shooty said, "It's about decimating the order of Wiccan Warriors."
"Again, none of us had any reason to do that," Ash said. "We've lived in peace with the order for the last century."
Shooty stood in the middle of the gaggle of vampires. He bawled. Ash approached him, and the young, Wiccan Warrior leaped into the air, down the hill, and was near his car. He had the power to leap about one hundred yards at any given time. All of the Wiccan Warriors had abilities, and Shooty could jump far, shoot fireballs and had extraordinary strength, far stronger than that of the average vampires. He knew he didn't have any business messing with a pack of docile night crawlers, but he felt angry. He wanted to know who killed his girlfriend, chopped off her hand, and defeated her like she was powerless. Harley had the ability to push the wind. On the surface, her ability didn't seem like anything special. However, she had the capacity to wipe out all of Muskogee with her powers, and Shooty had the ability to burn down the entire town with his.
Back Home…
Shooty lived on the South End in an aged Victorian home with his Wiccan Momma, Martha Green. The quiet, spacious home stood apart from all the surrounding houses, and in the middle of ten acres of land. A tall, tenebrous spiked fence surrounded the property, and a statue of the virgin Mary stood between the front gate and the house. Most people stayed away from the property because of its eerie appearance. The Afro Goths who were mostly Wiccans had a style about them, an appearance, a demeanor, and to most, it was off putting. When Shooty ascended up the steps, Edge startled him. She stood on the sidewalk leading up to the front porch.
"You're an asshole, Shooty," she snapped. Arms folded, scowl on her face, and then she said, "Mister Wallace couldn't find Harley's body in the morgue."
"What do you mean?" He asked. "We saw the authorities take the body."
"We did. It's even documented, but when Mister Wallace checked on her, Harley's body was missing."
He looked at the statue of Mary, and then said, "She's risen."
"You don't know that," she said. "These basic vamps can't kill one of us let alone turn us."
"There's a vamp roaming the countryside imbued with the darkness, and they can turn us," he said, "I fear it's lurking." He walked up to Edge, and then said, "If she's turned, then she'll attack the coven. Oh. And she has the ability to turn us if she's one of them. That's why we must never let these wicked beast defeat us." She gingerly walked over to the steps of the house, and sat down for a moment.
With a stressful look on her face, she said, "She knew."
"What?" He asked.
"She knew," she said softly. "That morning she told me to stay away from you."
"It happened once," he said with a grimace on his face. "It was merely a slip on my part. I didn't talk about it to anybody. Did you?"
"I didn't mean to say anything," she said.
"What happens in the coven stays in the coven, Edge!" He exclaimed. "I was in love with Harley."
"You didn't act like it when you invited me to your bed," she said. "Did I know you were with Harley? Yes! But I didn't think you'll pretend like I didn't exist afterwards."
"You're exaggerating. We practiced spells together on the daily," he said.
"Listen, Shooty. Harley's gone," she said softly. "When you recover from her loss, I'm here."
Shooty had issues and trust problems and sadness written all over his heart, and he didn't feel anything for Edge, at least not at the moment. The idea that Harley knew he had sex with Edge disturbed him because it was only a moment of weakness. Once he climaxed, he felt so badly about it that he pretty much pushed her out the house, and sent her home. Harley and Shooty had been good at sharing their feelings, and as far as he knew, she had never cheated on him. He wanted to erase the moment of weakness out of his memory, and even though Harley was presumably dead, he didn't have a desire to be with Edge. "I can't make a decision about anything right now."
"I'm not asking you to make a decision," she said softly. "At some point, you'll start looking for a new girlfriend, and I'm saying I'm opened to you looking in my direction. That's all I'm saying."
He laughed. "I thought Asian girls were supposed to be shy."
"You watch too much television," she said.
Later that evening…
The temperature dropped drastically, and the cold air caught the duo completely off guard. Shooty and Edge hopped into the Camaro, and drove to Maze Pizza for a bite to eat. It was a small eatery on York Street, and they had an extra cheesy pizza that he liked. At least once a week, the coven ate at Maze Pizza, and Shooty always paid for it. He noticed the fog crawling into the city, but he didn't think anything ominous about it. Reflexively, he placed his right arm around Edge's waist, and he didn't realize what he had done. Normally, he'd do the same with Harley, but now she was gone, and all he had was Edge. She didn't wiggle away from him at all. They sat at a corner booth in the back of the eatery, and ordered the Extra Cheesy Pizza.
"The fog is really thick," Edge said softly. "I mean I can barely see anything."
He looked out the window, and could barely see his Camaro in the distance. "It's not much going on tonight."
"What are your plans with Diana Meade?" She asked.
"She's definitely a powerful Wiccan, but it's up to Mister Wallace on how to proceed," he said. "She's exposed. I think you should go to her restaurant, and apply for a job."
"Me?" She asked. "Why don't you do it?"
"Fine," he said. "She's not a fighter like us, and can use the protection. Besides, she'll fill the void in our ranks."
The waitress set the pizza down on the table, but he didn't look up. He sat on the outside, and Edge sat on the opposite side of him, but with her back against the wall. Miraculously, the fog creeped into the eatery, and he looked down at the floor in awe because he knew a bloodsucker lurked in the vicinity. When he looked up at the waitress, he threw the money in her face, and hit her in the midsection with an open palm. She flew backwards, hit the wall, and it left a large hole. Edge leaped on top of the table as the restaurant filled with mist. He watched the vampire closely because she wore the face of Harley. A black, netted veil covered over the top portion of her head, and she scowled. He looked at her hands, and she had both of them because she had her sword in the right one. Her short hair gave way to a full, brown face, large eyes, and full lips. Her fangs displayed prominently when she slightly opened her mouth. Her ripe, olive skin was smooth black.
The owner of the facility charged around the corner with a shotgun, and Edge screamed, "Stay back." The man didn't listen. When he pointed the weapon at Harley, a sharp blast of wind exited from her left fist, hit him in the chest, and sliced him in half. Blood went everywhere.
"You didn't have to do that!" Shooty exclaimed. "He had family."
"I never liked him," she said. "I see you didn't wait any time before you hooked up with the help."
"It's not like that," He said. "She's our equal."
"I saw you two, Shooty," she said as she stood in front of him. "But it's okay. I'm on the other side now, and it's great."
"Let me end your suffering right here and now, Harley?" He asked. "I'll remove your head with my blade. It'll be quick."
She laughed. "Suffering?" She asked. "I've never been more comfortable and free in my entire existence." She raised her sword, and then said, "You're a cheat, Shooty Green. You will suffer for breaking my heart." She shot him with a burst of wind, but he blocked most of it with an energy field that he produced with his powers. Edge tried to hit her with a ball of energy, but Harley deflected it, and it knocked out part of the front wall.
When the swords hit together, it made a loud, metal against metal sound, and then Harley kicked him across the facility. He landed into some tables, and knocked them into the front windows. Everybody in the restaurant left except for the Wiccans. When he looked up, Harley had Edge on the ground beating her.
She lifted up her hips, and Harley flew over the top of her. When Edge charged her, she hit her with a wind burst that knocked her backwards onto the floor. She hit her hard enough to take the wind out of her, and Shooty knew that his deceased girlfriend was nearly impossible to defeat. She stood to her feet, looked at him, and said, "Too bad you don't have Kai."
"You can leave," he said, "You can go up to Honor Heights, find a burrow, and stay there."
She laughed. "I'm a Wiccan Vampire now," she saw calmly. "In a town of monsters, I don't hide. I rule." As soon as she said the word, "Rule," a powerful wind gust came out of her left hand, and he threw a powerful, raging fireball at her that scorched the entire building. He grabbed Edge, leaped out of the broken window, and the entire place went up in flames.
"She's too powerful," Edge screamed. Harley flew into the air, and disappeared into the mist. "How can she all of a sudden be more powerful than us?"
"We need Diana," he said, "We have to fill the void." He tried his best to understand why Harley came after him, and he expected she would keep coming until she turned him. Turning to Edge, he said, "Call Kai Warn him that Harley's gunning for us."
She walked over near the car, and the fire department pulled up on the scene. The men worked quickly into putting out the flames, but it was too late. The business was a total loss. When Detective Haggard, a tall black man with a thick beard, pulled up on the scene, he called over Shooty, and asked him about the incident. The young warrior explained the situation.
"You guys are supposed to work surreptitiously," he said. "Now, we have witnesses to a Wiccan Vamp cutting a civilian in half."
"You know I'd have done anything to stop that," he said, "Didn't you look over the body for bite marks?"
"No! I didn't think you guys could be turned," he said.
"Not by ordinary bloodsuckers," Edge said as she walked up to them. "It takes a Wiccan Vampire to turn us."
"Dammit!" He exclaimed.
"It's this simple, Detective. We have a very powerful Wiccan Vampire on our hands, and she can wreak havoc all over the city." He walked over to Edge, and placed his left arm around her. "Bullets won't stop her either."
"Can you stop her?" He asked.
"Her skills are topnotch," he said, "If I can remove her head, she's done."
"That's if she doesn't remove our heads first," Edge said seriously.