Vanquished Page 14

  They walked through the still standing doorway into fallen concrete and decades of dirt and debris. Darquiel huddled in the corner under an unstable shelf of concrete that jutted out obscenely from what would have been the second floor. She had overturned a concrete block and used it as a chair. Opening her eyes as they neared her, she said nothing.

  Kat hunkered down against the only complete wall standing in the shade. Hades handed her a canteen and she drank lustily. She felt dehydrated from her crying. Who knew there could be so much water in one body? She handed it back to Hades who took a greedy gulp.

  He motioned to Darquiel. “Do you need some water?”

  She nodded and took the offered canteen.

  Kat watched the girl and noticed the bruises and cuts she had inflicted on her were already healing. The wounds to her lips and cheek scabbed over. And the bruising under her eyes was yellowing.

  She raised a hand to her own face. The deep scratches Darquiel had given her were sore and still tacky with blood. Kat wiped the residue on her shirt.

  “You’ll start to heal faster in time,” Darquiel commented.

  Kat glanced up at her. “Is that right?” she said sarcastically, grabbing the canteen from her. She didn’t want to hear anything the girl had to say, especially about what Kat might possibly be turning into.

  After rubbing the top with the hem of her shirt, Kat took another long swig.

  “And you’ll soon find you have a thirst that no amount of water can quench,” Darquiel remarked.

  Avoiding the girl’s intense gaze and uncomfortable comments, Kat capped the canteen and returned it to Hades. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her lips still felt dry and cracked, and her throat raw and sore. It was from the crying and nothing more.

  “How long ‘till night fall?” she asked Hades.

  “Three or four more hours.”

  “Can we make it to the center?”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to either. Ground Zero is the last place I want to be when it gets dark.” He glanced briefly at Darquiel.

  “He’s right. Full dark is hunting time,” Darquiel agreed.

  Kat stood and moved in close to Hades. She turned them away from Darquiel’s sight and spoke lowly. “We don’t need her anymore. We’re here at the city limits. It’s just a matter of time that we find what we’re looking for.”

  “It would be easier with her. She knows exactly where to go.”

  “I don’t trust her. Even more now that there’s nothing holding her here.”

  “I don’t either,” Hades agreed. “But I think she’s more useful with us then left her to her own devices. If this Baruch can feel her, she can feel him. She would be able to tell us when he is near. Like an early warning system.”

  Kat rubbed a hand over her dry mouth again. “Yeah, but will she? She could be leading us right to them.”

  “Hey, I’d rather face them head on anyway. I hate all this sneaking around bullshit.” He grinned and put his arm around her shoulders squeezing her close. “We got to go some time right, babe? Why not take out as many as these fuckers while we’re at it?”

  Kat couldn’t argue with his logic. It made perfect sense. To a crazy ass bitch like her anyway.

  “Agreed.” She turned around and grabbed one of the packs. “We should keep going until we can find a safe place to hole up.” She glanced up at the slanted concrete roof. “I don’t trust this one.”

  Hades picked up the other pack. “Let’s do it.” He gestured to Darquiel. “Can you walk?’

  After a brief nod, Darquiel stood and followed them out of the destroyed building in search of something else sturdy enough to hide them. From the things, that only she knew of that went bump in the night.

  * * *

  While the sun slipped down into the west, they found a building intact. All four walls and roof were still standing, erect and proud. The glass had been incinerated, of course, but it would provide the shelter they required. With open space all around the area, they could see what moved in every direction.

  The building had been gutted inside, except for a few broken shelving units and a dirt-encrusted counter that lined one wall. Kat unearthed a sign just outside the main door. It was big and bulky, but she could only make out the number seven. Fire and age had blackened everything else. Must have been some place important if they had built it so strong. It was the only building standing for clicks.

  Hades moved some shelves around and broke off planks so they didn’t have to lie on the dirt floor. He arranged them in a triangle. In the middle, he put the little hot plate that Nemo had supplied them. It would give off enough heat without light for them to sleep comfortably and safely.

  As the sky darkened and the air around them chilled, they sat in their little triangle and ate dried meat and fruit. Kat consumed more than her share. She felt ravenous. After her fill, her stomach still growled. She hoped the others didn’t hear. But as Darquiel smiled slyly at her, she knew the vamp knew exactly what was going on inside her.

  “I’ll take first watch,” Kat stated as she stood up.

  “No, you need the sleep,” Hades protested.

  She cocked her shotgun and glared down at him. “Don’t tell me what I need.”

  “Right. No problem.”

  “I’ll do a perimeter sweep in a clockwise rotation every twenty minutes. My primary position will be at the main doorway.”

  Hades pushed to his feet and saluted her. “Roger, chief.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned to march away. Hades grabbed her arm and swung her around. “Be careful.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Kat felt her stomach tighten and her heart flutter as he leaned down to her mouth. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her knees weakened and her thighs turned to liquid. The man had powerful hormonal stimulators.

  There was nothing more than she wanted to do but move into the warmth and security of his arms, and let him take her. She remembered clearly their time in the trees of the Neried village. She could still feel his hands on her flesh and taste the musk of his skin. It was the first and only time she had ever let go and surrendered completely to someone. It was liberating and binding all at the same time.

  She stared into his eyes and smiled softly as he pulled back. He winked at her and grinned. The man was a charmer. She shook her head and turned to go to her post at the main doors.

  * * *

  Hades watched until she was just a shadowy form outlined at the entrance to the building. He was worried about her. The change was upon her. She was fighting it, but he could still see it happen. She ate like a starved dog and still she hungered. And her thirst was unquenchable. He even noticed the scratches on her cheeks had scabbed over. Soon they would begin to fade just like the vanishing cuts on Darquiel’s face.

  He also worried about her mental state. Damian’s loss had triggered a trap door in her soul. He had felt it pour out of her as he held her tightly in his arms. He had never experienced such heart wrenching emotion before. He couldn’t believe she had been holding all that in for so long. She prided herself on being so tough and jaded, but he knew it had cost her far more than she wanted to admit.

  As he had paid his fair share, he knew the costs of this life. But one thing was certain to him now if they survived this job. He promised himself that he would take Kat away. With the money they got from the treasure, he would buy two bikes, pack it up with as much food and supplies they would need, and he would take her up north. To God’s Country to start over.

  That’s what they called it. A land where the water was uncontaminated and the air cool and breathable. Where land was available to purchase and build upon. It would be their little utopia. A place where they could be free. And maybe even raise a family.

  That last thought had him chuckling. Kids. He could just imagine how they would turn out with him and Kat as parents. He didn’t think the world was ready for that, quite yet.

  Hades turned and sat on one of the planks in t
he triangle. Darquiel was lying on her side with her legs pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was not asleep.

  “She’s changing.” Her voice was low, as not to be heard beyond their triangle.

  “I know.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” She opened her eyes.

  “You should tell Kat that.”

  “She won’t listen to me. You know that.”

  “Yeah. Can’t blame her though.”

  After a pause, Darquiel muttered, “No, me either.”

  Hades watched her as she turned onto her back and stretched her legs out. He couldn’t quite figure her out. She was like two people inside. A scared little girl and a cunning seductive woman. He supposed it was because she was that scared little girl when she was taken and turned into this…this abomination.

  “How long does it take, the change?” Hades asked.

  “A few days usually, if you don’t fight it, or have the capacity to fight it.” She turned her head to look at him. “In Kat’s case, I give her another couple of days before it really gets bad.”

  “Give me an idea of what’s bad.”

  “Vomiting after eating. Feeling weak and listless. Uncontrollable rages at night. Soon she’ll start viewing you as food. She won’t want to, but she won’t be able to fight it.”

  “There has to be a way to control it. You did eventually.”

  “That was over a long period of time, Hades. I went through weeks of terrible pain and suffering until I succumbed to my hunger and fed. After I fed regularly, it was easier to control. I could go days without blood, weeks even.” She sat up on her plank. “The only other thing that might control it is sex.”

  “Sex?”

  “Yeah, fulfilling one lust for another. At least from what I’ve seen…sex is an integral part of the Dweller system,” Darquiel explained.

  “Why?”

  “Well, needing to feed is like being on the edge of orgasm but never ever going over. It’s like being on the pivotal point of sneezing but never doing it. When you feed, it is like a powerful climax. Sex would sate the hunger for awhile. Until the build up becomes too overwhelming, then only blood can satisfy it.”

  Hades nodded. It made some sense. And gave him some ideas on how to fight Kat’s own change. She might not be receptive to it, but he would suggest it anyway.

  “But it gets hard. Especially so close to him.”

  Hades saw her shiver, and he could hear the fear in her voice.

  “Can you feel him?”

  She turned her gazed down at the ground. “Yes.”

  “Is he close?”

  She shook her head. “No…not yet.”

  “You’ll tell us when he comes?”

  She raised her head and gazed vacantly at Hades. “Yes, I’ll have no choice.”

  Nodding, Hades lay back on the board. He would get some sleep knowing the enemy was not quite upon them. There was no doubt in his mind that he would need all his strength and all his wits soon enough.

  Baruch’s mocking laughter still rang hauntingly in his head like a deadly warning.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Leaning against the doorway, Kat peered out into the dark. The moon was out and gave some light to the black surroundings. She could see dark shapes that she knew to be concrete slaps, and rocks. Nothing moved. There was not even foliage to rustle.

  She had done four perimeter sweeps. All was still and quiet in every direction. The only thing she could hear was Hades’ soft snores. Although he seemed larger than life, he was still just a man. With dreams, fears, and silly little nuisances, like snoring, that endeared him to her.

  Damn, she was getting soft! She had to snap out of it, if she wanted to keep her edge. That edge that had kept her alive for this long. Without it, she feared she would be just like everyone else…a lamb fit for the slaughter. She had to stop thinking about Hades in that way, like a hero, or her rescuer, or food.

  Kat blinked. Food? Now where had that come from? Her stomach rumbled again and she rubbed a hand over it. She could feel it contract painfully with hunger. Having eaten only hours ago, she could not be hungry again.

  But you are hungry…

  Kat shook her head and braced herself against the doorway. Dizziness engulfed her, and her head ached as if it was being crushed in a powerful vice.

  You are hungry…but not for dried fruit and meat. You want something warm and alive. Something thick and tangy. The one thing that pumps in us all…blood!

  “No,” she whispered. “No. I won’t do it.”

  “Do what love?”

  Kat turned toward the silky voice. She was no longer in the burned out building but in the cold, dank, dark room of her nightmares.

  Baruch stood before her, smiling, wearing only his long dark flowing robe. He was naked underneath and her body reacted to it.

  “I won’t succumb. I won’t be like you,” she said breathlessly.

  Baruch’s grin widened, displaying long sharp fangs. “I don’t want you to succumb, Katarina. I want you to surrender. But I want it willingly. Because it would be that much sweeter coming from you.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He laughed. The sound reverberated around the cement room and vibrated over her skin, coaxing pleasant shivers from her body. “In time. But first you must eat.” He stepped aside and swept his arm to the side.

  Behind him was a long stone altar. Someone was strapped down onto its surface. Unnervingly curious, Kat stepped forward. She closed her eyes in pleasure as a sweet scent wafted to her nose. She breathed it in and felt euphoric and lusty.

  Approaching the altar, her gaze traveled over the stone slab.

  Hades was strapped down; blood trickled from several wounds over his naked body. His mouth was stuffed with some sort of fabric, he gazed up at her imploring with his eyes. Long deep cuts marred his beautiful form. Over his chest, arms, legs, and his neck. The blood flowed the fastest there.

  Baruch stepped up next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder massaging it tenderly. “He is for you, Katarina. I know you want him. I can see it in your face, feel it in the trembles of your body. Here he is, the great Hades bowed down before you.” Baruch ran his hand up and down her back. “I know that’s how you like them.”

  Kat wanted to turn away, return to the burned out building where Hades was sound asleep snoring. But she couldn’t. The hunger deep in her gut would not allow her to. She had never felt such power before. It was unstoppable.

  She brought her hands up to touch Hades. He flinched as she settled them over his chest. She could feel his heart race under her palm. Power surged through her knowing it raced because of her. She rubbed her hands over his muscles over the bleeding cuts. Soon her hands were crimson with his blood.

  She moved them down over his stomach and lower. Touching him gently, she could feel him twitch under her caresses.

  Baruch moved behind her. She could feel his erection pressing against her ass. Giving him room to maneuver, she bent a little forward. She didn’t care. She wanted him there. Wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted it more than she ever wanted anything before.

  Baruch brought his hands around her waist and slowly unzipped her pants. He pushed them down past her ass to her knees. She could feel him rub his cock against the separation of her ass cheeks. When he easily slid into her, she moaned encouragement.

  She bent over Hades. He looked up at her, pain and betrayal swimming in his eyes. Unnerved by his gaze, Kat turned her attentions elsewhere. She still caressed him with her red splattered hands. She couldn’t help herself.

  As Baruch slid in and out of her, he pressed on her back pushing her forward. Her face hovered over Hades’ blood slicked skin. She turned her head trying to divert the intoxicating smell that enveloped her. His blood smelled like fresh churned honey.

  Kat let out a gasp as Baruch pumped into her hard and fast. He kept pressing down on her. Pushing her down. Pushing her into Hades blood.
r />   “No,” she protested.

  “Yes, my love. It is what you want.”

  Kat shook her head. “No.”

  “Taste him. Take him! You are more powerful than him!”

  She pushed away from the altar and into Baruch’s arms. He wrapped himself around her possessively. His hand cupped her breasts through her shirt as he continued to move his cock in her.

  “You are a foolish woman, Katarina,” he whispered seductively in her ear. “Now I will fuck you raw while you watch him die.”

  Two dwellers stepped out of the shadows. Damian and Darquiel smiled at her as they advanced on the altar. Talons poked obscenely from their fingers. They raised their hands in the air over Hades. They brought them down in a vicious arc…

  “No!” Kat pushed away from Baruch and reached out toward Hades.

  “Kat!”

  Kat shook her head and looked around. She was in a heap on the dirt ground. Cold sweat slicked her skin. She was back in the burned-out building.

  It had been a dream. A terrible vulgar nightmare, that came extremely close to seducing her.

  “Kat! We got company coming!”

  Scrambling to her feet, she ran to where Hades’ voice came from. He was standing over Darquiel as she twisted and turned in her sleep. She was mumbling.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Hades pointed to Darquiel. Her eyes flashed open. “He’s coming. He’s coming.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yup, and then some.” Hades bent down and retrieved his shotgun from the ground. He chambered a round.

  “I’ll sweep north, you sweep south. Anything that moves, shoot it,” Kat ordered.

  “We don’t have much ammo. I don’t want to waste it.”

  Kat patted the knives strapped to his legs. “I don’t think these will be much use if they get in close.”

  “Yeah, probably not, but I’ll bleed any fucker that gets near me.”

  She smiled. Then it faded as she remembered too clearly her waking dream. She grabbed onto his arm and pulled him down. She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him to her mouth. She kissed him feverishly, passionately. He moaned into her and wrapped a hand in her hair. Breaking from the kiss, she rested her forehead on his.