Vampin Box Set (7-9)



 

  Demon Sprawl

  Vampin Book Series #7

  Jamie Ott

  Copyright 2012 Jamie Ott. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used without written permission.

  ISBN-13: 978-1467980009 

   

  ISBN-10:   1467988000 

  For all inquiries, please contact [email protected].

  Demon Sprawl

  Chapter 1

  A knock at her door brought her out of the sleep she’d finally slumbered into.

  Starr rolled over onto her side.

  “What?”

  Mica poked her head in and said, “We have another problem.”

  Using her ability to see in other places, she scanned the outside of the clinic. A vampire managed to climb over the barbed wire they’d installed a week ago. Somehow his hand hooked right onto a barb. He hung and swung stupidly while trying to yank his hand from the metal.

  “Can’t you get Lucenzo to do it?” Starr asked.

  “He’s out getting supplies.”

  “What?”

  “I know, I know,” she said. “Lucenzo’s always getting supplies, but he should before others do.”

  She closed the door.

  It had been two weeks since she’d returned from Ukraine to find the city had undergone a vampire apocalypse. Perhaps not on a grand scale as often depicted in movies, but enough so that, after witnessing a few mob scenes, Starr and the others at the clinic decided to hole up until someone took care of the mess, like the government or the Council.

  Unfortunately, stowing away in the clinic wasn’t enough to keep them from being attacked. Constantly, they were faced with the mess of killing and destroying the bodies of those who tried to break into their place.

  Starr climbed out of bed and slipped on her pink fuzzy slippers - a gift from Lily.

  Out in the dark hall, Mica stood waiting.

  “You know, you’re gonna have to start helping because I can’t do this all the time. Come on,” she said and motioned to Mica.

  She shook her head and said, “I don’t want to.”

  Mica turned to walk away.

  Starr grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her past the other kids’ rooms, out the back door and into the yard.

  “You don’t have to do it, this time, but you’re gonna watch because next time you’re gonna get bloody.”

  She slipped off her slippers and put on the blood specked rubber boots that sat next to the door.

  Hanging on a loop, above the boots, were a half dozen machetes. Starr pulled one off and walked up to the vampire. As she got closer, he started to panic and wiggled himself even more wildly in an effort to unhook his hand.

  Just like the others, he was brainless, hungry and zombie-like. From him came a funny scented pheromone, sort of like cinnamon only repugnant.

  “Now you want to position your hand upward, like this” - she motioned across her neck - “because if you don’t hit them right, and with the right amount of force, you’re going to be going back for a second and third hack. All the while, you’ll be giving them time to freak out even more, and make it harder for you to behead them,” she said, and then demonstrated by bringing the machete outward and down at a slight tilt.

  The vampires head fell to the ground and spun away; its body, still hooked by the hand, flopped like a fish, shaking the entire fence.

  “As soon as you behead them, make sure to break in the skull, smashing the brain. Last time I waited too long and the damn thing started wailing. It’s almost like they live a while after beheading, and can still communicate – warn – others. Naturally, he could have attracted more vampires. Fortunately, I silenced him before he communicated too much, I think.”

  Starr lifted her boot and brought it down fast and hard, obliterating the skull. Chunks of skull and brain blasted outwards, like stomping a tomato. Blood oozed out all over the ground.

  When she looked up, it was too see Mica with a repulsed look on her face.

  “Mica, you’re a vampire. This doesn’t look good to you?”

  She didn’t reply.

  Rolling her eyes, Starr picked up the smashed in head, holding it away from her body so the hanging skin didn’t drip onto her pajamas.

  She unhooked the hand from the wire and dragged the body over to the underground fire pit.

  Easy as breaking down boxes, she pulled his arms and legs from their sockets; each one made a loud noise like popping a lid. Then she tossed them into the pit, one by one, lifted the heavy mesh door over and secured it to the pit before flipping the switch on the side.

  Immediately, the gas hissed and ignited. She and Mica sat in the chairs and watched the flames consume the body parts. His flesh roasted and blackened; the bones charred and smoked. To people like Starr and Mica, the aroma was fragrant.

  “Still haven’t been able to reach the Council?” asked Mica.

  Starr had been trying to make contact since she returned. But something happened to them right after she left them in Romania.

  It was a setup, she told herself. We had only just rescued a dozen Ukranians from the town, Fedir.

  But if the rescue crew set them up, then why did they bother bringing all those vampires back to The Council? Why not just level them all?

  She sat up in her seat, and looked to the other side of the pit. A leg wasn’t catching fire.

  Because the Ukranians were involved, too.

  “No, the phone just rang and rang. Anything on the news?”

  “Not a word. I can’t believe it. What do you think it means?”

  “I really don’t know. You’d think there would be some report of people going mad in mass numbers, even if the government doesn’t understand that they’re turning into vampires.”

  “I still think we should call the police, even if they don’t believe us.”

  “Like I told you, I already checked out two of the police stations; they were overrun with vampires. If you don’t believe me, then you can go and check it out. I’m not going back, though, because it’s too dangerous. Some of the ones that were locked up had taken to eating each other. When have you ever heard of a vampire eating another of its own kind? Something strange is going on here, and it’s just best if we sit tight. Besides, we’re stronger if we stick together, so I urge you to stay.”

  “Then what about the Fleet, as you called them? The Council’s so called militia? Why aren’t they here?”

  “I told you; I don’t know. You can ask me a million times, Mica, and the answer isn’t going to change.”

  “I just want my life back.” She sighed long and loud.

  “Tell me about it.”

  Starr grabbed the fire poker, stuck it in the side slot and pushed the leg into the path of the flame.

  They sat in silence, watching the flames until a loud vibration disturbed the air. It got louder, and they looked around for the source. Just another helicopter they figured, but then it got closer until they found themselves backing up to get away from the blasts of air.

  The backdoor opened. All the others came out of the clinic to see what was going on.

  The engine was cut and the side door slid open. Out came members of the Council’s Fleet.

  Happiness warmed her because he was alive!

  “Chanler!” Starr said with a huge grin.

  Alin and Saul came next, followed by four other people she hadn’t met. They all wore the same black wing suits.

  Chanler walked up to her.

  “Hi,” he shouted over the dying rumble of the helicopter. “We need to talk.”

  The Fleet