Bent Arrow, page 14
"So, guess it's just us now." I swallowed hard. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.
On the Trail
Whizzing through the gap between reality was out of the question. It wouldn't work with the three of us as I had no idea where to go and the panthers couldn't take me with them. The only choice we had was to do this thing old skool. On foot.
First, I had something to do.
I searched the building slowly and methodically, checked everywhere, ensured there were no Normals left inside, somehow overlooked. As I made my way, I finished off several guards, then I went to every vehicle I could find and cut the fuel lines. I took several fuel cans down to the furnace and cranked it up to the max. Then I opened the door.
Waves of heat gushed out and I retreated a safe distance then poured the fuel over the floor. With no time to waste, I legged it through the Boris-sized hole in the wall, up to the entrance to that part of the building, and slammed the door to this nightmarish place shut. I heard the whoosh even from this distance. Soon the whole area was engulfed with smoke; flames soon followed.
The cats waited patiently outside, sitting beside the entrance like sphinxes.
"Guess it's time for us to go catch us a bad guy, eh?"
They blinked at me.
"So, er, this is kind of new. Never hung out with you guys before. How does this work then? Do I just follow you? Don't forget, I only have two legs, you have four each." I gave them a lovely smile; they stared back at me, hard. Damn, but they were unnerving.
Shadow and Ghost padded around the side of the burning building. Smoke poured out from every crack.
They sniffed about, picked up the trail of the nasty boss man, then cocked their heads at me, waiting.
"What? Am I meant to do something now?" They stared, they waited. "You need to help me out here, guys, what's the deal?" Um, let's get him?" I ventured.
With that, they were off, moving fast and silent through the early morning. I took a deep breath then chased after them, getting a stitch almost immediately. Over the cracked concrete, through a gap in a fence, over another, across empty roads, through weed-infested patches of derelict ground, and skirting populated areas. On we went, moving further away from the industrial zone on the outskirts of the town until we hit a vast fenced-off area, waiting for construction to begin on a massive new housing estate.
They were popping up everywhere. These days, towns were constantly growing, surrounded by more and more nondescript houses with tiny gardens, where there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, no choice but to use your car to do anything.
We passed through silent, half-finished roads, in place before the houses were out of the ground. Huge stacks of bricks and timber littered each tiny lot. Soon they would become people's worlds.
The cats leaped effortlessly over the high fence at the far end. I clambered over with them looking on. I knew they were pitying me.
"Give me a break. I've been fighting for what feels like my whole life. I need a rest." Chest tight, I bent over and panted, trying to get my wind back; the cats sat and blinked.
"Okay, I'm ready."
We were off again, through a hedge, across a quiet road once all traffic was out of sight, then into a vast car park. But there were no cars, just vast, nondescript buildings. Like warehouses but scaled up massively. What the hell? I stopped and read the sign. Ah, made sense. This was the site for new supermarkets and other stores, there to feed, clothe, and entertain the out-of-towners who would soon take up residence. It was eerie without the shoppers, without the signs on the buildings indicating what they might sell.
Why was it so quiet? Shouldn't there be workers even first thing in the morning? What day was it? Was it a Sunday or something? A holiday? I had no idea. Wait, hadn't Francis said it was his day off? Maybe it was Sunday. That would explain why traffic was light on the roads—everyone was having a lie-in, sleeping off the exhaustion of the week just passed. Ah, what I wouldn't give for a long snooze and a lazy brunch. Maybe put my feet up and doze in front of the TV.
A wet nose pressing against my hand nudged me into the present.
"Oh, sorry, I was miles away. Where to now?"
The cats both stared at the largest building, then began walking across the empty car park towards it.
"Guess we're going shopping then." I followed them. Reluctantly.
The doors didn't whoosh open to invite us in, there was no power. They weren't locked either though. As the panthers looked on, I prized my fingers in the gap and heaved them apart enough to slide through. The cats glared at me, at the gap, and then wandered off. I slid back out and whispered, "Where you going?" They ignored me and went their own way.
With a shrug, I followed.
At the side of the building, they stopped at an open fire exit then looked back at me, smugly.
"You could have said," I told them. They sniffed the ground then entered. Again, I followed.
We were behind the scenes here, in a storeroom of some kind, yet to be put into use. I followed the two silent partners as they weaved through the maze of corridors and secret rooms all supermarkets must have but I'd never thought about before. Damn, these places were even bigger than I'd imagined. Eventually, we were at a large loading bay, where they had the capacity for at least ten large vehicles to be unloaded at any one time. Behind the loading bays were literally miles of racking right up to the ceiling, with a team of forklift trucks already there waiting for the hard life they would soon endure.
I'd never really thought about what it took to feed people before, not the scale of the operation, the amount of storage involved, how fast goods would have to come in and the distances and effort involved in getting it here. Damn, how do you coordinate such a thing?
Again, a nudge of my hand brought me back to the present.
"Okay, let's go. Where is he, eh? Let's finish this."
We left the loading bay, went through a series of doors, then were in the actual supermarket that shoppers would see.
I don't think I've ever been in such a weird place as an empty, unstacked supermarket. It was otherworldly, utterly opposite to how it's supposed to be. Eerie, like a deceased building, serving dead people ghostly meals they would never eat. That's what it felt like, anyway.
There were no sentient trolleys in this place, there were no baskets, no sale posters, no women trying to stuff little bits of sausage into your mouth. Just sterile shelves, empty meat counters, humongous fruit and vegetable aisles with not a rotting grape in sight. There must have been a thousand empty tills, and even more of the new self-service bays where you had to try to catch an assistant's eye for longer than it took to get sold your wine by a human being.
Lined up next to the checkouts were a long row of massive robots with claw hands and guns ready to shoot anyone who stepped out of line and didn't wait their turn. Or maybe that was just my imagination. Anyway, where was this drug pimp? Where were the cats? I glanced around, suddenly feeling very alone.
So strange, this feeling. Almost out of place and time. It's freaky when the mundane is peeled back to the basics, makes you feel discombobulated and like you're the last man alive in a world maybe you only dreamed of in the first place.
There was a little pop at my shoulder and a familiar voice bellowed in my ear. "Watcha. What's occurrin'?"
I peered at Pete best I could, but it's hard to look at something on your shoulder. "Since when have you got a Welsh accent?"
"Been watchin' Gavin and Stacy, innit? It's mega. You seen it?"
"I may have caught an episode or two," I lied. I loved Gavin and Stacy.
"Whose coat is that jacket?" asked Pete. I looked around, then got it. He was being funny.
"Dunno, but I bet it's mega lush."
We laughed at our own hilarity, then I remembered I was meant to be being quiet, stalking a deranged vampire of the highest order, so I put my fingers to my lips and told Pete to whisper.
"Like this?" His stupid bluejay voice rang out through the echoing store. His usually throaty whisper somehow having morphed into a shout.
"No, like this," I said, quiet as a mouse wearing ninja socks walking on a pillow.
"Oh, okay," said Pete, just below eardrum-puncturing threshold.
"How's things, Pete?" I asked. "It's been some time. Not since, er, well, I don't know, but it's been a while."
"Oh, you know, the usual. Shagging loads of birds, eating, sleeping, bit of this, bit of that. Watching the telly."
"I've always wondered, where exactly do you live? You know, around here or what?"
"No idea," Pete shrugged. "And I'm not really sure it is anywhere. I'm kind of not real, am I? Not in the traditional sense. More of a thingy." Pete waved with a wing, like that would be enough to explain.
"A thingy?"
"Yeah. Ethereal. Brought into being through the powers of magic and whatnot. Here to save the day, cheer you up when you're down, turn into a massive bird in hell and fly you to safety. That kind of thing. Plus a bit of TV when things are quiet."
"You flew straight into a bloody massive wall," I reminded him.
"It was invisible," he snapped.
"Fair enough. Anyway, I'm kinda busy. Did you want anything?"
"Just thought I'd come and help out. I saw what you guys were up to. Nasty business. Need any help? What can I do?" Pete sounded almost desperate.
"You okay, buddy?"
"No, I'm bored as hell. Give me something to do, please?"
"Actually, there is something you can do for me," I said, realizing Pete might actually come in useful for once.
"You name it! Um, as long as it's nothing weird."
"Like what?"
"Dunno, just no funny business."
Pete could be odd at times, but then couldn't we all?
I nodded anyway and he seemed to relax. I turned at the slightest of sounds and saw the panthers looking at me funny. Which was already a habit. Guess they didn't approve of me having a chat at such a time.
"Gather round, everyone. I have a plan." I gave my usual winning smile and waited for the love to come.
The bird eyed the cats, the cats eyed the bird, and I wondered if this was such a good idea. The panthers licked their lips, Pete did a little poo on my shoulder, and I waggled a finger at the cats.
"No eating Pete. Promise?" They snorted, full of disdain, then both reluctantly bowed their heads imperceptibly. "Great. Now, here's the plan." We put our heads together, although Pete kept his behind mine, which was sensible. "Pete, you fly up and search for this evil-looking vampire with a nice suit. Ghost, Shadow, you check where Pete is then when he gives you the nod you get behind the vamp and chase him my way. As soon as I see him, I'll let fly with a volley of arrows just to be sure I'll get him, and once he's hit everyone dive on him and rip him a new one. Got it?"
The panthers nodded, Pete nibbled my ear, and then he took to the air and circled the supermarket.
I'd actually done it. Had a good plan. It was going to all work out just fine.
Supermarket Sweep
With Pete fluttering about and us watching, my hopes soared like the bluejay. We would put an end to this. I wondered how it was going in other countries where the vamps had gathered en masse to eliminate Vamp2. I still couldn't believe how stubborn they'd been here, how their pride had stopped them acting in their own self-interest. And they thought they were superior! Guess we showed them.
Vamp2 was out, no matter that this boss was still alive. The facility was gone, prisoners freed, supply chains broken. It wouldn't start up again; I had faith the vampires would ensure that never happened. But there'd be something else along to take its place. Of that you could be sure. However much they wanted to distance themselves from humans, be they Odd Ones or Normals, they were human too. And you couldn't deny human nature. Some of us were addicts, others were merely addicts in waiting.
Life was hard for most, and even when you think you have it all, there's always that nagging doubt. The slide down into the depths is merely moments away. There will always be the need for an escape from reality. Booze, drugs, you name it. People want obliteration sometimes, or just a way to stop thinking and feel different. Vampires were the same, probably more so, as deep down they knew what they had become, what they once were. Some reveled in it, sure, but most didn't. And they were the ones the dealers preyed upon. As it had been, so it would always be.
But that didn't mean you didn't fight it tooth and nail for what you believed was right. Otherwise, what was the point of any of it?
Damned if I knew.
"Caw-caw," said Pete from above the frozen food section.
"Did you just actually say that? Why don't you make a bluejay sound?"
"What's that go like?" he shouted.
I thought for a moment. "Don't know. Bit late now, anyway." I nodded to the cats and they loped off, one either side of me to go and round up the bad guy.
At least he hadn't heard us coming!
It wasn't long before Pete was on the move, following the vampire as he headed seemingly straight for me. That was good, wasn't it? Had him right where we wanted him. I moved into the open in the largest section I could find, I think it was for biscuits, and readied my bow and arrow. Just to be sure, I smothered each arrowhead in Vamp2 from a vial I'd pocketed, for just such a moment of need. Then I smashed the vial on the new floor and stomped on it for good measure. Hopefully it would never be seen again.
I actually saw the panthers before I saw the vampire, and when I did he was already launching. I ducked, I fired, but it missed the mark and almost shot down Pete. Stupid bloody arrows, thought they never missed?
"Careful," came the screech from above, but I was too preoccupied to answer.
As the vampire rolled past, I hurried to my feet as the panthers joined me. We faced off against the bossman; he looked really annoyed. Like when you bite into a jam donut and there's no jam. The bastards.
"Game's up, dude. It's all finished. You're finished. Your brothers and sisters turned against you, nobody wants what you have to offer, and the facility is finished. I made sure of that."
"Fool," he spat. "I can always resume my business. You think I am the only one?"
"No, and it's the same worldwide. Don't tell me you didn't catch the news?"
He had, it was obvious. He just refused to accept defeat. "I can start over. We need Vamp2. It keeps everyone true."
"Ah, I get it. Keeps them craving humans, you mean? Well, guess your elders think vampires will be more than capable of that without your intervention. Ghost, Shadow, have at it."
Before I'd even finished speaking they were away, taking one side each of a row of low freezers. One panther hopped up onto the lids and launched, while the other ran past and came at the vampire from behind. They were good, and damn close, but he ducked one, spun to the cat behind, and caught her a nasty blow to the side that knocked her across the room until she hit some shelving.
While he was distracted, I notched then released an arrow. "Damn, missed again." He was slippery as hell, but no way was he escaping. I removed my glasses, let the anger build, and the Essence along with it. Still unruly, this new form of power was intoxicating, and I had to be careful or I'd be as much of an addict as those we'd destroyed. The power of fae and angels, devils too, surged through me with a ferociousness that terrified me. I sank deep inside myself, contained it, battled inner demons that would have me destroy the world, and left it to simmer until needed, under more control than I'd ever managed previously.
I grabbed the shaft of an arrow and let Essence crackle from my hand, blue and dangerous, dark as the depths. It sank into the wood and left it glowing like Satan's own dagger. As the panthers circled the vampire, I nodded up at an inconspicuous blue dot high up on the ducting, and then Pete let rip with the mother of all bird poos.
The vampire looked up just in time to get an eyeful of the nasty, noxious goop. He spluttered as it got into his mouth and as he wiped at his eye, distracted, I fired my one remaining arrow and hit my mark dead on in the chest. He spun three-sixty, gripping the shaft as he did so.
As he faced me, he laughed.
"An arrow? Hah, I am vampire, this is nothing." As he pulled, so the Essence sprang to life, wrapping around his hands even as Vamp2 coursed through his veins.
"Give it a moment," I told him as Pete landed on my shoulder. "Nice job."
"Thanks, I aim to please and am pleased to aim." Pete winked, saluted crisply, then was gone.
I ducked as first one arrow, then another shot past and embedded in the vampire's chest, joining the other.
"Better late than never," I grumbled, having totally forgotten about them.
The vampire yanked hard at the Essence arrow. The energy wrapped tighter around his arms, and I let my own power build and connect with the shaft. A line of light shot between us and I dragged him towards me even as he pulled the arrow free. But he couldn't let it go. It was me now, Essence and Freaky Spencer fire, and already his hand was melting, his suit burning, as his eyes began to roll up in his head.
Vamp2, a triple dose, was taking hold.
"Oh no you don't," I said, as I grabbed his free arm. Heat built, so did the pain, enough to bring him back for a while. Not long, but long enough.
"He's all yours," I told the panthers.
They licked their lips and set about their prey eagerly.
Judging by the screams as I walked away, Ghost and Shadow were taking their time. Even Vamp2 wasn't enough to save him from the miserable, impossibly painful end he deserved.
All I had to do now was find my way out of this maze of a supermarket.
Are You Kidding?
It might not have been best practice to leave a chewed-up corpse in a shiny new supermarket, but I would worry about that later. My priority was getting home and maybe putting my feet up for a few centuries. This had been beyond exhausting, and not just physically. The vacant stares of the prisoners haunted me already. It was just so damn depressing.
