I spotted Stein standing on the roof of a car two lanes across from me. I didn’t have time to make a jump for him before I heard the rattle of bullets tearing through the bodywork of the car I was standing on.
I rolled over the side and crouched down, out of the line of sight of the gunner on board the helicopter above. As I hoped he would, the gunner turned his attention to Stein and started to fire at will in his direction. As far as The Brotherhood were concerned, we were just two vampires and we had to be killed at all costs, no matter how many humans were injured or killed in the process.
When the shooting stopped for a few seconds, I heard the screams of the people stuck in their cars. Glass and bullet casings peppered the road’s surface. I could feel the pain of everyone around me. Too scared to leave their cars, too panicked to stay still, they didn’t know what to do.
The passenger door of a car in the next lane flew open and a young woman in jeans and a white t-shirt made a run for the emergency lane, hoping to find some protective shelter among the trees that lined the edged of the road. Her companions in the car were shouting at her to come back but she didn’t listen to them. She made it to the barrier and jumped over, but she never landed on the other side.
In a flash, Stein flew from his hiding place and plucked her out of the air as she jumped. Her screams became lost in the sound of car horns and the pouring rain as Stein carried her high into the air, tracked by a line of gunfire from the helicopter.
I lost track of them. So did The Brotherhood. The gunship had changed positions and I was now a sitting duck. I made another leap for cover, this time behind a large van that I hoped was empty as its rear compartment was torn apart by a hail of bullets, narrowly missing me as I darted behind.
I knew the van would only offer cover for a matter of seconds before the gunship moved again. Looking around for suitable cover, I spotted a tanker a few vehicles ahead with a badge on the back that signified a non-hazardous load. I took a step forward but I was stopped in my tracks.
A body hit the ground at my feet with an almighty thump. It was the body of the young girl, only her jeans and white t-shirt were soaked through with rain water and her own blood, which was pouring from a gaping wound in her neck. Her eyelids flickered and with her last breath she gargled blood in her throat.
I looked up and had no time to move out of the way. Stein’s hands caught me firmly on the shoulders and the force of his falling body hammered me into the ground. I would have cried out in agony as my left arm popped out of its socket but the force of Stein’s knee crushing my chest forced the wind out of me. He began pounding my face with his fists.
‘Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!’ he chanted maniacally as he unloaded his rage on me.
My thoughts went to the silver dagger tucked into the back of my belt but I couldn’t reach it with my right hand and my left arm was limp and useless. I felt and heard the horrible crunch in the middle of my face as his last punch broke my nose.
Over Stein’s shoulder I saw an arc of yellowy-white bullets cut through the air and rattle through the van next to us. Stein sensed the danger immediately and let go of me, flying away into the traffic behind. With the pressure on my chest now gone, I had just enough time to take a deep, wheezy breath and roll to my side before the tarmac where I had been lying was shredded to pieces. The pain in my shoulder was magnified a hundred times as I rolled onto my left side. I shrieked in pain and tears welled in my eyes.
With no agility or poise whatsoever I threw myself over the bonnet of the car next to me and crouched down. My eyes were fixed on the tanker once more, but my plans had changed. I no longer wanted to use it as cover. Getting to my feet and ignoring the unbelievable pain in my shoulder and face, I took two powerful steps, feeling my blood flow from my legs into my torso.
Narrowly avoiding another barrage of bullets, I threw myself forward with all of my might. I was airborne, no more than four feet off the ground, heading directly towards the tanker. I looked ahead, making sure I was on my intended course then closed my eyes. I told all the blood in my body to head for my left shoulder and winced in anticipation of the pain that was to come.
My shoulder hit the tanker square on the edge. I heard the pop as my arm reconnected to its socket and screamed in agony as a bolt of electricity shot through my spine to my brain. I blacked out for a second but the impact of crashing headfirst onto the surface of the road brought me back to consciousness.
The warmth of my blood spread all over my body as I wobbled to my feet, using my hands to steady myself against the side of the tanker. I rolled my arm around to confirm it was functional again.
Burning with unbelievable pain but functional.
I took a few seconds to compose myself and heard the thunder of gunfire once more. I looked at the gunship and saw the line of bullets raining down in the direction of Stein, one lane across and two or three cars down.
I took a step sideways and looked round the side of the tanker. I could see Stein darting from one car to another, dancing around the certain death of the trail of silver bullets that was following his every move. The shooting stopped and I began to run. I was almost on top of him when he turned round, but there was nothing he could do to stop me.
I grabbed him by his shirt and head butted him on the nose. When he instinctively lifted his hands to his bleeding nose, I reached for the dagger with my left hand and quickly drew it forward, slicing through his right hand and severing his little finger.
He screamed and looked at his hand. His little finger had almost completely dissolved into ash before it hit the ground. Frozen with the terror of knowing he had only a few seconds left to live, Stein was mine to do with as I pleased. Still gripping him by his shirt, I jumped high into the air, taking his shaking, decomposing body with me. Moving faster than the gunship could rotate, I flew round to the opposite side to where the gunner was stationed and threw what was left of his screaming carcass into the cabin.
I made my escape and searched the traffic ahead for Dave’s car. I looked back only once, to see the gunship flailing in the air, attempting to land in a field. I spotted our car less than a mile down the road. With the adrenaline subsiding and the reality of what had just happened to me setting in, I started to feel faint as I fell towards the rear windscreen.
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