The Rising - Chapter 110: Emergency Lane

I turned round in my seat and looked out of the back window. The helicopter didn’t look like it was heading towards us, but the shock came when I saw a body fall from the main cabin. It fell towards the ground but stopped before it hit the grassy field next to the road. I knew who it was, the only person it could be.

Stein. He knows I’m here.

Not wanting to stick around and wait for him to find us, I hit the accelerator and swerved over to the emergency lane. I knew my actions would alert him to our presence but I saw no other option.

Get the hell out of here.

I saw a flash of white in the rear view mirror, followed by another, and another. A second later, more vehicles were following me down the emergency lane. I drove as fast as I could, knowing that some of the commuters behind me would get caught in the hail of bullets raining down from the helicopter.

I was certain that Captain Stein had escaped from the clutches of The Brotherhood. Were they taking him to be killed? Whatever their reason for transporting him in the gunship, they were surely regretting it now. He was free, and the more they tried to neutralise him, the more attention they were drawing to themselves and the fact that there was a vampire flying around a freeway intersection filled with normal people who had no concept of what was going on around them.

The windscreen wipers were going as fast as they could but it was still difficult to see through the torrent of rain ahead at eighty miles an hour. I took a deep intake of breath as a car in front of me pulled out into the emergency lane. I jammed on the horn and narrowly avoided smashing into the back of it as it pulled back into its place in the traffic jam.

One look in the rear view mirror told me that Stein was getting closer. The gunship was larger and flashes of gunfire were still falling down towards the road. I heard a screech and looked again. The car that was following me skidded and flipped over onto its roof, smashing into several cars in the process. I was certain I could see bullet holes in its bodywork.

‘What the hell’s going on?’ asked a voice from the back seat.

‘Dave!’ I exclaimed, ‘Are you okay?’

‘I think so,’ he said and surveyed his surroundings, ‘Where am I? Why are we going so fast?’

‘We’ve got a vampire on our tail. The Brotherhood are trying to kill it, and probably us as well. Can’t explain any more right now.’

There was a loud thump from the back of the car. Dave looked out of the back windscreen. ‘Holy shit! I guess this is the vampire.’

Almost crashing into another car, I turned round. Captain Stein was lying along the back of our car. He looked frantic. I heard a voice echo deep within my mind.

Ryder. I’m going to kill you.

Pieces of the road ahead flew into the air and landed on the bonnet. The gunship was directly above us and they were taking pot shots at the vampire that was clinging on. I knew I had to get Dave away from this situation. He would be the one that Stein attacked first and I couldn’t let that happen.

‘Dave, climb over here and take the wheel!’ I shouted.

He squeezed his ample frame between the seats into the passenger side. I hit the horn again to stop another car pulling out in front of us then turned to Dave.

‘Take the wheel,’ I said, and let go of the steering wheel when he gripped it with both hands.

‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

I checked that I still had the silver-plated dagger tucked in my belt. ‘To get that bug off our car,’ I said and jumped out of the driver’s door.

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The Rising - Chapter 109: Stein

Captain Stein was ravenous. Twenty-four hours as a vampire hadn’t been kind to him.

Whether it was the burning in his stomach that went away then came back twice as bad an hour later or his so-called brothers taunting him, he had no one who knew what he was going through and no one on his side. Everyone he knew was trained to kill him.

They had held him in a bare hall, chained to the thick heating pipes. When the sun rose, the soldiers entered the room and opened the blinds and windows. All day long he had to watch the sunlight edge its way across the laminated floor towards him. It was mid-afternoon when one of the more sympathetic members of the squad entered the room to bring him a bottle of water and shut the curtains just before the deadly sunlight reached his body.

The same soldiers that taunted him were sitting across from him in the helicopter as it floated over the trees and fields of the countryside towards the freeway intersection. They all stared at him with fear and hatred all over their faces, their hands gripping their automatic rifles, ready to take him out with a single shot should he make a move they didn’t like. Most of them had known members of the crew on board Alpha One and Alpha Two and now that Alpha Three was airborne, they swore they wouldn’t let another vampire take down one of their gunships.

Stein was certain they would kill him as soon as they discovered him at the mountain base after the detective and his friends escaped. It was only after they realised they could use him as a sniffer dog that his life was spared. For what it was worth.

The detective.

The motherfucker who turned me into an animal.

Stein knew that where they were going he would be dumped with the rest of the rebirths, the people who would think themselves lucky when they realised they hadn’t perished in the plane crash but would soon wish they were dead. He looked down at his boots. His new feet had finished growing back just after they arrived at Hartley House. It amazed him how similar they were to his old feet that Detective Ryder sliced off in the base the night before.

He thought of the mission ahead for everyone else aboard the helicopter. It was a joke. He couldn’t believe how far The Brotherhood had strayed from their true intentions. The intentions of the founding members hundreds of years ago had been to protect the human race from the vampires at any cost. Now that had been lost in five hundred years of bureaucracy. The treaty. The Costas report. Nothing but bullshit that got in the way of ridding the world of pure evil.

All this talk of coexistence was crap. The Brotherhood had not put enough effort into the treatment that would kill every vampire. They had become almost subservient to the vampires and now, there they were, on their way to perform their role in the next phase of the treaty.

Baby-sitting.

As the gunship glided over the crowded road below, Captain Stein was hit with a familiar feeling in his mind. It was something that he hadn’t felt since the night before, when the detective had bitten him and turned him into a vampire.

The detective.

Stein felt a warmth flow into his arms. He yanked his arms up and tore them free from the handcuffs that were holding him in his seat. Before the soldiers could fire off a shot, Stein had thrown himself free of his captors and was falling towards the ground below.

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Anthology update

At last - any update on the *.fiction anthology! Formatting is complete and the proof copy that I've just got my hands on looks pretty good.

Stay tuned...

The Rising - Chapter 108: Back To Civilisation

We made our way out of the mountains and back towards civilisation without incident. As we neared the freeway, I stopped the car at the side of the road and got out to check Dave for injuries.

I opened the door and found him still unconscious on the back seat. I checked his pulse again then ran my hand round his neck. I was confident he hadn’t been bitten at the hotel but I needed to check. No blood on my hands confirmed my suspicions. I searched in his pockets and found his mobile phone.

Full signal, full battery.

Thank God.

I called Doctor Owen’s number. ‘Yes?’ was his curt answer.

‘Hey Doc, it’s me, Tom. Are you okay?’

‘Oh my God, Tom, I wasn’t expecting you. Where are you?’

‘I’ve been all over. I’m just coming back to the city now. Are you watching the news?’

‘Yes. The plane crash is all they’ve been talking about.’

‘It was them. I was on the plane. Have they recovered any bodies?’

‘No, they haven’t mentioned anything about any survivors.’

‘Shit. I don’t think they’ll find any. Where are you? I’ll come and pick you up.’

‘No, there’s no point. We’re about to leave to get Emily and Doctor Forrest. Meet us at the Morningside Mall, in the car park by the north entrance in an hour’s time.’

‘Will do. I tried to find your wife but searching the mountains is like looking for a needle in a haystack.’

‘Don’t worry. They have her but we should have her back soon.’

‘Is Jane okay?’

‘Yes, she’s fine. Is Skinner there with you?’

‘No, but Dave is. Skinner can’t get away from the vampires. I’m not sure when we’ll see him again, they’re keeping him on a short leash. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.’

We exchanged farewells and I pocketed the mobile as I sat back down in the driver’s seat. I hit the accelerator and took us onto the freeway but had to slam on the brakes as soon as we reached the top of the ramp. Ahead of me a queue of bright red brake lights stretched out into the orange glow bathing down from the streetlights hanging overhead.

A few spots of rain hit the windscreen. It was only a brief warning before the heavens opened and the downpour started again. I turned on the radio and heard the travel reporter saying that all flights had been cancelled. Everyone who had been waiting on a flight was now trying to get out of the airport and go home.

‘Stay off the freeway,’ was his advice. I could have done with that just minutes earlier.

I sat with my hands on the steering wheel and allowed myself to calm down a little. I felt like I had been running all day.

Syringes, little girls, a plane crash and a hotel full of vampires had made this the craziest day of my life. And I could fly. I expected to wake up at any moment. Ever since I had woken up on the bed at Hartley House I had wished the whole thing was a terrible nightmare that would soon be over, but now I felt different. I hoped it wasn’t a dream. I hoped I wouldn’t wake up in my own bed and have to go back to being a detective.

I’m on the inside of the biggest conspiracy the world has ever known.

I’ve seen things almost no one else in the world has ever seen.

I can fly.

I’m a vampire.

And it feels amazing.

A loud whirring noise invaded my moment of peace. I turned round and saw a helicopter in the background edging its way along the growing queue of traffic, not twenty metres above the vehicles.

I recognised the helicopter. It belonged to The Brotherhood.

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The Rising - Chapter 107: Disciple

Steve Ellis sunk the last mouthful of his cup of coffee. It had been a very long day and he’d lost count of the number of coffees he’d consumed since sunrise.

Ever since he had received the call from Marcus, he knew he couldn’t go home. This was one day he’d prepared for but sometimes doubted whether he’d ever see. He was one of the few people who knew the real details of the treaty. Since assuming the role of Operations Director, he had worked every hour he could to enable the true intentions of the humans and the vampires.

He wasn’t a vampire but he did everything he could to make sure they received the place in society they believed they deserved. The vampires called him a disciple, one of their followers who would benefit from their eventual power and wealth.

It was the wealth that Steve was most interested in. Vampires did not believe in money as a societal driving force but since the humans did, the disciples would automatically receive a share of all monies generated from the Rising. This was on the condition that the humans forfeit any political power over the size of the vampire community. The population levels had been agreed fifty years earlier but the humans had decided to trade certain rights, effectively selling out their species.

This didn’t bother Steve. He knew that now the Rising had begun, there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Within days every government around the world would be crying out for the one thing that would slow down the spread of the virus.

Stockpiles of Virex were positioned all over the world in anticipation of this day. Controlling the flow of Virex to the infected would determine which territories were most heavily affected, but most importantly it would control what each territory paid for their supplies. It was a perfect plan and he would soon be reaping the benefits.

The phone on his desk rang. He answered it and was greeted by Roxy. She spoke quickly and hung up as soon as he acknowledged her orders.

‘Morningside Mall. Five o’clock. Seal all windows and cover all exits. This is a population expansion exercise. Use deadly force for containment only. We suspect your missing agent will be joining our targets on site. Extract her and leave the other members of her team behind. Understood?’

‘Yes.’

With that, she was gone. Steve kept the phone in his hand and dialled the number to reach General Graham. It was time to call in the troops.

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The Rising - Chapter 106: This Is How It Begins

Doctor Owen had tossed and turned all night.

Okay, so Becky Clarkson had been trying to lie low for the past two years and soft furnishings hadn’t been top of her priority list, but God damn it, this sofa’s lumpy.

He’d managed a few hours of sleep but never more than thirty minutes at a time. As he struggled to find a comfortable sleeping position for what felt like the millionth time, he decided that his chances of getting any more sleep had passed. Not only was the sofa restricting his slumber but more importantly he couldn’t get thoughts of Emily out of his mind.

Where is my wife?

What are they doing to her?

Will I ever see her again?

He knew these thoughts were unhelpful but he couldn’t shake them. Trying to turn his mind to something else, he sat up on the sofa and rubbed his eyes. He saw Jane sitting close to the TV, watching the news with the volume turned down.

‘Hey,’ he said, ‘What’s going on?’

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ Jane said, ‘so I turned on the TV to see if there was anything more on the news about us.’

‘Was there anything?’

‘No, nothing about us any more. There’s been a plane crash and that’s all that’s been on the news since I woke up.’

‘Really? Where?’

‘Here. Just off the coast a couple of hours ago.’

Jane turned up the volume and they listened to the reporter’s voice from the helicopter circling the wreckage of the plane that was floating in a choppy sea.

‘The wreckage is being searched by the coastguard who arrived on site first. From up here I can’t see any signs of survivors but it’s very difficult to see anything with the weather as bad as this. The pilot has just told me we have to land the helicopter now before the storm gets any worse.’

The reporter continued her conversation with the news anchor in the studio but it just became background noise as Becky entered the room.

‘I just heard on the radio. There’s been a plane crash, hasn’t there?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ said Jane, ‘You don’t sound too surprised.’

‘I knew something like this was coming. I just hoped it wouldn’t happen so soon.’

Doctor Owen frowned in disbelief. ‘You mean this is related to us?’

‘That’s right. It’s one of the stages.’

‘Stages of what?’

‘The Rising. The wheels are already in motion. We need to get ready.’

‘Ready for what?’ Jane asked.

‘War.’

Doctor Owen spluttered a nervous laugh. ‘War? Come on, that’ll never happen. What about the treaty, the Costas report?’

‘Haven’t you learned anything today? That’s just a smokescreen. It’s all bullshit to make you think we were going to be okay. Only a few key people know what is really going to happen.’

‘And you’re one of them?’

‘No, but I do know that it will all begin with a strike on the general public. A huge event made to look like an accident or a natural disaster.’

They all focused on the TV screen again. The picture from the helicopter was becoming shakier as the weather outside got worse. With no new information, the reporter continued to do her best to string out what little she did know.

Doctor Owen’s phone rang. ‘Hello?’ he said as he answered the call from a withheld number.

‘Doctor Owen. This is Roxy. Pay attention. You will meet us at the main south entrance to the Morningside Mall at five o’clock. Bring all the samples and documents and you will get your wife back.’

‘Is she okay?’

‘She is fine. She will be with us.’

‘Let me speak to her again. Please.’

‘No. I don’t have time for all that again.’

‘Look, if you don’t let me speak to her then…’

‘Then what?’ she barked, ‘Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? We’re not negotiating. It’s simple: do as I say or she dies. End of story. Goodbye.’

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The Rising - Chapter 105: Ashes To Ashes

Now Skinner was really worried. Bad feelings hung in the air and as he followed Roxy down the corridor, he weighed up the possible outcomes.

He hoped Emily had successfully escaped from the lair but suspected she hadn’t. After all, it was a difficult climb all the way up the stairs and she had to get out without being seen. If she had been seen or caught while trying to escape, it seemed likely that she would give away the name of the person who had helped her, either consciously or subconsciously.

Someone could have tipped Roxy off to the fact that he and Tom were more than just brief acquaintances. Now that Tom was on the loose, they might suspect him of being an infiltrator from The Brotherhood. Of course there was a slim chance that Roxy wanted to congratulate Skinner for a job well done and show him the plans for the next attack.

So there were two possible outcomes: Skinner would either live or die. Skinner was no pessimist but it didn’t feel like the odds were in his favour. Either way, he was sure he was in trouble.

They reached the door to Doctor Forrest’s lab, but Roxy pointed to the metal door on the other side of the corridor.

‘In there please,’ she said.

Skinner apprehensively turned the handle and edged the door open. The room inside was dark, almost pitch black save for the torch light that spilled through the crack in the door.

There was the faint sound of whimpering from inside. Skinner opened the door to reveal Emily, gagged and tied to a wooden chair. She was terrified. Tears streamed down her face over the industrial tape that stopped her screaming at the top of her lungs.

Skinner turned to look at Roxy. He was ready to make all kinds of excuses for her attempted escape but didn’t get the chance to say a word. Roxy punched him square on the nose. He lost his footing as he stumbled backwards into the room and sank to his knees. Roxy grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut.

Skinner jumped to his feet and tried the handle but the door was locked from the outside. The faint sound of him banging on the inside of the door was barely audible from the corridor. The darkness of the room meant he was only just visible through the small window in the door, but he could clearly see Roxy staring at him with the cold, lifeless eyes of a murderer.

The door behind Roxy opened and Doctor Forrest appeared behind her. He walked across the corridor and hit a button on the intercom panel next to the door. The fuzzy sound of Skinner shouting filled the air.

‘You don’t know what you’re doing! This is a mistake! Please, let me out!’

‘I know exactly what I’m doing, Skinner,’ Roxy began, ‘You tried to help Emily escape. Your friend is missing and we believe you have something to do with the problem on the plane.’

‘You’re wrong! I don’t know what happened on the plane!’

‘I can’t believe anything you say any more, Skinner. Not even that bullshit you gave us about what happened at the base. I know you won’t tell me where we can find Doctor Owen and it’s not really that important. We’re close to finding him ourselves, which makes you useless to us.’

‘No, wait! What are you doing?’

‘I’ll make it as quick as I can,’ Roxy said and hit another button on the wall.

The faces looking through the window in the door glowed purple as ultraviolet light illuminated the room. Skinner punched the door in vain. As the first specks of dust fell from his face, the tape over Emily’s mouth broke free and her screams pierced the air. Roxy turned off the intercom.

She watched in silence as Skinner ran aimlessly around the room, searching for shade that he would never find. Exposed areas on his hands and face were slowly dissolving into ash, leaving a dusty trail behind him. Smoke rose from his open wounds and filled the air. Emily struggled to breathe and coughed furiously as she took lungfuls of black dust.

The chemical reactions took hold and Skinner’s body started to burn faster. Ash poured from all over his face until his head had completely disappeared. He sank to his knees and tumbled onto the floor. The pile of clothes lost their shape as the remnants of his body dissolved. Roxy turned off the ultraviolet light and left Emily alone in the darkness, coughing and screaming.

‘Shouldn’t we get her out of there?’ Doctor Forrest asked.

‘No,’ Roxy said without a hint of mercy in her voice, ‘She’ll be leaving here for good very soon so leave her where she is. We haven’t got time to baby-sit her. I’ve got a call to make.’

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