Something of the Night (24 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Nine

At last, the wheel cleared the ramp and Ben was able
to push The Ray of Hope into the crate. He snatched up a length of rope and
tethered the searchlight to the sides of the crate, holding it in the centre.
Quickly crossing the platform he stopped at the coil of cable that Hutson had
lost. He paid little attention to the weight of the thing, just scooped it up
as if it were nothing and then raced back to the crate. There, he threw the
cable inside, then lifted the ramp and secured the crate.

He stood back and looked up.

Black Bird hovered above.
Through the glass cockpit, Ben could see Tate struggling with the flight-stick.
The constant swirl of changing wind was making it almost impossible for Tate to
hold the Huey steady.

A powerful gust swept across
the observation deck, pushing Ben towards the balcony’s railings and casting
Black Bird out into darkness with violent disregard. The helicopter reappeared
instantly, Tate forcing the controls of the Huey to counter the turbulent
airflow.

The rotors clattered noisily,
adding to the already deafening pitch. Rotor-blades cut through the darkness
and Tate was forced to use all of her skill to remain above Ben’s head. A rope
with a hook attached dropped down and stopped inches above his head. Taking it,
he clambered on top of the crate and hooked the cantilever into place. He double-checked
its strength. He gave Tate a signal and another length of rope fell from the
Huey. Ben had just enough time to jump back before a rope ladder uncoiled
before him. It snapped from left to right with the same fury as an angry snake.
He reached out, his intention to take it, when the ladder flicked backwards,
battering against the underside of the hull. He understood instantly why they
had been forced to climb 86 levels instead of being dropped off onto the
observation deck. Even the smallest gust could have ripped them from the
ladder, sending them spinning to their deaths.

Unexpectedly, from behind, a
hollow boom of wood sounded. Ben spun round in time to see the access doorway
swing outwards.

Vampires.

Lots of them.

He stepped closer and heard their
wicked chatter from the dark landing. The Browning caught his eye, a dull gleam
of metal and mayhem. He retrieved the powerful machinegun and returned to the
door. Time for a bit of payback, he thought. About twenty rounds remained. Make
them all count, he told himself. In the next instant the open doorway became a
mass of squirming bodies. About six vampires swarmed through the opening. They
tried to scatter, but Ben gunned them down before they had chance to clear the
entrance. Another wave came and another wave fell to the platform writhing in
agony, their limbs torn off or holes the size of fists punched through them.

“Yeah …” Ben whooped. “Rain
dance!”

They fell over themselves,
first to get at Ben, then to escape from the pain he bestowed upon them. The
assault was short-lived. Almost as quickly as it had started the sound of
gunfire ceased. The firing-pin hit an empty slot.
Clunk!
The ammo-belt
was spent. An eerie silence followed. Then a vampire poked its head round the
door. Two more heads appeared and their jaws spilt wide. They sensed the attack
had ended so stepped out one by one.

Ben gave them his best snarl.
He roared with the passion of a lion, and then threw the weapon at them.
Wasting no time, he spun around, sprinted for the rope-ladder and then launched
himself towards it.

In the next instant he was
airborne.

***

The beast had slowed. The crisscross of girders had
gotten narrower. Jacob slipped between two bars and fixed himself to the face
of the lightning rod. This high up the wind tried to prize him free with icy
fingers. He held on tight and continued to climb. With more space and
manoeuvrability on the outside, he made better progress, reducing the distance
between him and Hutson by nearly half.

The creature found itself
wedged within the metalwork. It grunted and looked down. Its head shook angrily
as it roared with disapproval. Jacob continued to follow. Still clutching
Hutson under one arm, it swung onto the outside of the rod and then began to
climb towards the summit.

Jacob watched as the beast
scaled higher. He had to try and stop it from reaching the top. Better to keep
it lower and confined between the girders. He slipped the rifle off his shoulder.
Then took aim. He fired a shot three or four feet above the beast’s head. It
stopped dead. He fired again, this time risking a closer shot. The bullet sung
off the beam inches above its head. Jacob seized his chance. The thing was
plenty big enough for him to get a direct hit, but he didn’t dare shoot it for
fear of the lieutenant being dropped.

The tracker pulled the rifle
tighter into his shoulder. He focused through the scope and trained the
crosshairs onto one of the animal’s ears. The wind raged and he felt the end of
the barrel waver slightly. Quickly, he calculated an allowance for the strength
of the wind and the distance to his target. The muzzle shifted to the left and
upwards slightly. Jacob’s calculation and skill were perfect: the bullet ripped
away a chunk of black flesh.

Terrified now, the creature
swung back inside the lightning rod. Unable to climb higher the beast sat there
for a moment, confused. Then it pulled the lieutenant free and forced her to
take hold of the metalwork. She held on for dear life. Feet that were more
versatile than any human hand held the thing steady. It roared at the man below
before beating out a warning against its chest.

Jacob roared back.
“LIEUTENANT, ON MY MARK,” he yelled. He saw her shake her head. “HUTSON, CLIMB
UP TO THE TOP. AS
FAST
AS YOU CAN.”

Again she shook her head.

Fear had riveted her to the
girder.

The tracker climbed a few
feet higher. “KATE,” he boomed. “YOU’VE
GOT
TO GO. I’LL KEEP YOU
SAFE
. I PROMISE.”

Her eyes fixed on his. From
somewhere she tapped into a hidden reserve of courage, finding the strength to
nod her head.

“OKAY.”

“GOOD GIRL,” Jacob called. “
NOW
, ON MY
MARK.” He flicked the M16 to automatic and rested it against a horizontal
strut.

“GO!” he ordered.

Hutson exploded into action.
She sprang upwards and reached for a beam above her. Her fingers wrapped around
cool iron. She kicked out with her feet and folded her stomach in half. The
momentum carried her out into the night. The beast snatched at the trail of her
hair, but a rain of bullets blocked its attack. Hutson’s legs swung upwards,
above her head, and she somersaulted over before finishing half-balanced on the
beam, the metal cutting across her waist. She threw her leg out and climbed up
onto the flat strut.

“GO! GO!” she heard Jacob
chant.

She did exactly that.

Jacob watched as she quickly
climbed through the centre of the lightning rod. He took a step lower and the
beast followed. Its attention firmly fixed to him now. It swung down, quickly
reducing the distance between itself and the small irritation below. A blast of
air pressed hard against Jacob’s back. He tried to pull himself away, but the
invisible hand held him fast. Twisting around, he found the dark outline of
Black Bird just above. The rope-ladder dangled tantalisingly close. Tate and
Jacob made eye contact. Her visor was up and her eyes looked full of fear and
anxiety.

One gloved thumb jabbed
upwards.

Jacob nodded. He understood
what needed to be done. The rotors were already mere inches away from the
metalwork. Tate had steered the Huey as close as she could. The ladder was
still too far away. He gave her the thumbs-up and Black Bird tore away,
disappearing into the darkness above.

He pushed himself out and
looked up. The rod vibrated violently as the beast descended. It was coming
fast, rage pushing it on. Jacob checked his weapon. He’d already spent over
half the magazine. He flicked it over to single-fire and held his ground, and
his breath.

Jacob held his position right
up until the last second. The thing landed on the girder just above his head. A
deafening toll rang out. The dull ring capitulated to the sharp crack of
gunfire. The M16 recoiled against the tracker’s shoulder. In a shower of red
gore, a huge chunk of flesh ripped away from the beast’s shoulder. Jacob wasted
no time. He ducked inside the metalwork and jumped across open space.

***

Hutson’s vision was reduced to less than two feet. The
metal tower had punched through the clouds and a thick swirl of dust made it
difficult for her to breathe. Nevertheless, she pulled herself higher, the fear
of the beast driving her on. The rod reduced in width and eventually she was
forced to climb on the outside, now finally reaching its summit.

The dust parted, as if the
sky itself had sighed heavily, and Black Bird appeared like some huge, majestic
beast. The Huey dropped closer and the rope-ladder dangled just above Hutson’s
head. Looking higher, she saw Ben gesturing urgently towards the ladder. He
opened his mouth and spoke, but the words were drowned out by the thunderous
clatter of rotor-blades. Still, she understood their meaning. She reached up
and her hand found the first rung of the ladder. Her hands climbed higher, rung
by rung, until her foot stepped onto the ladder. Ben reached out, taking her by
the wrist. Then, as if she weighed no more than a child, he pulled her
effortlessly into the safety of the cabin.

***

Jacob landed heavily on the opposite side of the
lightning rod. He felt the assault rifle slip from his grasp. Gravity and fate
conspired against him, and the weapon pulled itself free from his hand. For a
second he watched hopelessly as it bounced and clattered its way to the base of
the tower. Then a triumphant roar pulled his attention back to the beast before
him. Its jaws opened and four huge canines snapped together. A swipe of its
hand almost took Jacob’s head from his shoulders. The tracker jolted back, the
attack missed, barely, and the tower rang out as his head connected with it
like the hammer of a bell. Bright stars burst before his eyes. He kicked out
blindly and his boot met something soft. His vision returned and he found the
beast clutching between its legs.

The thing’s head shook
violently. It roared in a fit of anger.

“No hard feelings?” Jacob
asked, hopefully.

The beast responded by
snapping its jaws an inch from his face.

“Guess not.”

He reached up, ready to pull
himself higher. It mirrored his movements. He stepped lower and again his
actions were shadowed. Now understanding its prey was trapped, the beast
struck. It launched itself through the air towards him. Jacob did the one thing
he could. He pulled in his cheeks, drew a mouthful of phlegm, and then spat
out. The globule of spit arced out and met the beast halfway. The saliva
spattered into the thing’s eye. And there it felt like liquid fire as it burnt
at the tender orb. Landing on Jacob’s side, the beast trapped him in a blind
embrace. Jacob’s knee shot upwards and he caught it in the groin for a second
time.

Teeth smashed down at the
side of his head. They connected with solid iron and one tooth shattered in an
explosion of bone. Tiny fragments stung at the side of Jacob’s head. Seizing
his chance, he folded in on himself and slipped backwards, through the
crisscross of girders. Something dangled at the corner of his eye. He turned to
find the rope-ladder hanging near. From behind, the beast roared with pure
hatred.

“Fuck this,” Jacob grunted.
He folded his arms inwards, crouched low and then sprung out into the air.

He missed the ladder by a
mile.

He hung in darkness for a
second before tumbling towards the earth. Yet he only fell for a short moment
before hitting something solid.

The crate.

Amazingly, he had landed on
the crate!

He rolled onto his back and
laughed out loud. He made eye contact with the gunner above him. Ben shook his
head disbelievingly. Jacob grinned back.

A bolt of light flashed, ripping
the dust clouds apart and the forked lightning connected with the tower in an
explosion of sparks. The resultant light played starkly across the beast’s
face. Its single eye pinned Jacob to the crate. He shuddered. They had had a
lucky escape. The beast roared mightily - a fist pounding against its chest.

Jacob offered the magnificent
beast a salute, then held on tightly as the Huey dropped the crate towards the
rushing earth.

They’d made it.

Just.

Chapter Forty

Black Bird dropped gracefully from the sky. The
rotor-blades thudded with a rhythmic clatter and the Huey appeared out of the
clouds. The aircraft banked to the left and dropped towards a natural basin. It
disappeared into the depths of the valley for a few seconds before shooting out
at the other end, taking its valuable cargo further southwards. The Ray of Hope
was firmly fixed to one of the Huey’s skids, the pilot at its side now steering
it towards its ultimate objective.

Tate flipped a switch and the
outside world became a landscape of green hills. The infrared system revealed a
desolate and barren landscape, one that had not felt the warmth of sunshine for
nearly two whole decades. She pulled back on the flight-stick and Black Bird
climbed back towards the dust above. At her side, Jacob yawned and rubbed away
the crust of sleep from the corner of his eye. Tate’s metallic voice scratched
at his ears.

“You were out of it for a
while there.”

He turned to her, but the
dark bowl of her visor concealed her face. He’d spent the last three hours in a
near-coma. “I had a somewhat busy day,” he told her.

She laughed, a genuine sound
of amusement. “Seems like everywhere you go, trouble follows.”

“Comes with the job
description,” he said.

She laughed again, and Jacob
thought it was a sound that should be heard more often. It gave him hope and
the feeling that not all had been lost.

“I still can’t convince you
to stay with us?” she asked.

He shook his head, and then
understood the slight gesture would have been missed as Tate concentrated on
the world ahead. “No,” he replied, simply.

“Okay, but I want you to know
that it isn’t just your battle. You can’t win this all by yourself. Everybody
needs help, even you, Jacob Cain.”

“I’ve got help,” he
responded.

“Who?”

“Our friend in the back.”

“You mean, Pet?”

“Yeah.”

Tate turned to him and her
gloved hand pushed the dark visor away. She looked at him with affection, but
said, “You’re a fool. That thing will get you killed within three seconds of
entering the vampires’ camp.”

“Then I’ll have to make sure
I achieve my goals within two seconds.”

She opened her mouth, but her
argument failed to form. He wasn’t going to be talked out of it, no matter
what. She sighed heavily, and Jacob hoped her laughter hadn’t gone for good.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re a special man, Jacob
Cain. We need you.” She meant the human race as a whole. “Don’t go and get
yourself killed, or I’ll be really pissed.”

“I do have a vested interest
in just that,” Jacob told her, and the welcome sound of her laughter returned.

“I guess you do at that,” she
agreed.

They flew in silence for a
few minutes, each occupied with their own thoughts. Up ahead, just on the
horizon, a slight glow began to burn away the darkness.

“There it is,” Tate said.
“Ezekiel’s camp.”

Thousands of torches burnt
the night away and it looked as if sunrise was about to break on the horizon
and push the suffocating darkness to the four corners of the Earth.

“We should set down here. We
don’t want to get too close,” Tate suggested.

“Okay,” Jacob agreed.

In synchronised unity, both Jacob
and Tate lowered the helicopter to the ground. This time, however, there was no
repeat of their earlier near misses. Instead, they brought the Huey gracefully
down first time.

“We’re getting good at this,”
Jacob commented, pleased with his landing.

“Don’t make it our last,”
Tate told him.

“I’ll try not to,” he
promised.

Tate reached up and killed
the power to the main engine. Slowly, the rotors came to a full stop. They
unbuckled their safety belts before climbing into the rear cabin. There, Ben,
Nick and Lieutenant Hutson were already making their way outside. Pet, the
vampire, remained tethered to the chair. It was almost time for him to make a
star performance. Jacob stepped outside and the bitter chill stole the warm air
from his lungs. He took a breath and the cold sent a shiver through his body.

“You’re not gonna change your
mind?” Hutson asked.

He shook his head. “Got to
go.”

“Okay, then I should come
too. Like we originally planned.”

“No. Everything’s changed.
You need to get Black Bird to Major Patterson, and make sure Squirrel develops
the searchlight.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Jacob reached out to squeeze
her arm. “Thanks.” He turned back to the cabin and frowned. What the hell was
he going to do with the vampire?

Reaching in, Jacob began to
work the vampire’s bonds loose. The thing’s feet were released first and then,
climbing inside, Jacob freed Pet from the flight-seat. He looked at the thing
straight, said, “Okay, we’re gonna get on just fine, me and you. So I don’t
want any funny business, right?”

Pet’s eyes twinkled with
excitement.

Jacob took a length of rope
then quickly tied it into a long leash around the vampire’s wrists. The vampire
climbed awkwardly down from the cabin, leaving the remnants of his boots
inside. He pulled Pet away from the Huey and led him towards the small
gathering.

“Aren’t you forgetting
something?” Ben asked.

“What?”

Ben climbed into the cabin
and began to lift the seats up. Underneath was an assortment of odd items.
“Here you are,” he said, finally retrieving a handful of small, cylindrical
canisters. He jumped down from the cabin and called Jacob over.

“What is it?” the tracker
asked.

“Over here,” Ben stated, in a
conspiratorial whisper.

“What?”

“Quickly,” Ben said, with an
urgent flick of his head.

The tracker handed the leash
to Hutson before joining Ben at his side. “What the hell’s the big secret?”

“Quiet,” Ben whispered slyly,
“I think you’ll need these. For your plan, that is.” In the palm of Ben’s huge
hands, two in each, lay four fragmentation grenades. They looked no more lethal
than a small spray can or tin of food; and the only thing that gave away their
potential for destruction were the letters:
ARMY
ISS. XI
FRAG
. Each grenade had a small pin at the top, which activated the timer
and set the detonator to anything from mere seconds to a maximum of two
minutes.

“Good man,” Jacob said, and
took the frag grenades, quickly dropping two inside either side pocket of his
jacket. He retuned to Hutson, gave her a knowing wink and then retook Pet’s
leash. He looked at each of them individually. Then, without further comment,
he turned towards the burning horizon and took the first steps towards the
heart of the vampires’ lair.

The roar of thunder grew from
behind. Jacob looked up and watched as Black Bird disappeared over the swell of
dark hills. He wished them well. Then concentrated on the task at hand. With
the vampire in tow, he slowly made his way closer to the flicker of lights. As
the distance shortened, he began to make out the vague shapes of guards or soldiers,
hunkered in shallow trenches or hiding from the wind in makeshift shelters.
And, rather than trying to sneak past these lookouts, Jacob instead pulled his
shoulders back and began to whistle a tuneless melody.

Jacob led Pet closer to the
sentry box. Two puzzled-looking vampires had taken position at the front of the
wooden hut. One appeared old and grizzled, while the other looked as if he’d
been stuffed into his uniform, which was two sizes too small. His jacket looked
as if it had been stapled tight at the front, in the hope that his rolls of
flab would not spill out over his waistband. His pants looked as if they’d been
painted over chubby legs. The overweight vampire looked at Jacob through two
pinpricks for eyes, poked into a mould of ruddy flesh.

“Where are you going?” the
large vampire asked. His voice was high and wheezy, and full of
self-importance.

The whistling stopped and
Jacob flashed them a cocky smile. “Hi, how’re ya doin’?”

“Got ourselves a wiseass,”
the older vampire said. In comparison to the other’s high, reedy voice, this
guy spoke in a thick Italian slur. It had been the worst wise guy impression
Jacob had ever heard.

The tracker eyed the scraggy
gangster wannabe. “What’s up, pal?”

Old-Bones turned to his
comrade and huffed in annoyance. “Well?”

“Well what?” the large
vampire asked.

“Aren’t you gonna whack him?”

The vampire’s chin wobbled as
he twisted his head to the side. A single rifle lay propped up inside the hut,
against the wall and well out of reach. “
Oh shit
,” he moaned, in a high-pitched
squeal. He turned back and his gut quivered with nerves.

Jacob raised both hands in a
show of peace. “Nobody needs to whack anybody. I’m just taking my prisoner here
over to the holding pens.”

“Prisoner?” Old-Bones asked.
His thin lips parted and a pointed tongue darted out to lick over the two
strips of flesh. “Is it human?”

“Yeah, what is it?” the
overweight guard asked. He seemed to swell with excitement and the buttons of
his jacket threatened to pop open. “A meal?”

“Neither,” Jacob responded.
“Unfortunately.”

“Then what is it?” the guard
asked.

“It’s a scout I found just
north of here. One of Raphael’s bastards I caught sneaking around.”

“Raphael?”

“Yeah.”

The fat guard’s pinprick eyes
narrowed until they were almost sealed shut. “I don’t buy it. Why would he have
been caught in the north, when we all know Raphael’s camped to the far south?”

Jacob shrugged. “I don’t
know, because of this?”

The guard looked down and at
the object that had suddenly appeared in Jacob’s hand. “What’s that?”

The tracker held it up, and
said, “A knife?”

“And what’s that for?”

“Ah… I don’t know. This?” The
knife flipped over so the sharp end pointed towards the vampire’s chest. Jacob
stepped forwards and the blade disappeared into the thing’s flesh.

“
Ooohhh …
” the vampire
sang in surprise. He looked at Jacob and genuine bemusement pulled his flabby
face upwards. The tracker stepped closer. Then wrapped his free arm around the
thing’s body as if in embrace. He twisted the knife deeper and he felt the
vampire’s legs buckle.

Old-Bones spun awkwardly, and
then lunged towards the rifle. Jacob sidestepped around the overweight vampire,
pulling the blade free in a shower of gore. He took aim and threw the weapon
towards the guard’s back. The blade thudded between two bony shoulder-blades.
Old-Bones stopped dead, the rifle now instantly forgotten. He twisted in the
mud and skeletal hands tried vainly to pull the knife from his back. For a
couple of seconds he danced a merry jig, arms and legs flailing about. He
finished, however, slumped inside the sentry-box. The overweight vampire fell
to the earth with a thud, face first, ready to join his comrade in the
after
-afterlife.

Jacob scanned around,
checking for any unwanted movements. About a hundred yards away he saw another
crooked sentry-post and beyond that, nothing but trees and darkness. On the
opposite side a couple of shallow trenches scarred the earth at random
intervals. Heads bobbed about intermittently. But so far his little act of
aggression had gone unnoticed. He bent and grabbed the fat vampire’s ankle,
then attempted to pull the body into the shadows of the wooden hut. He pulled,
but the body stayed fixed to the ground. He pulled harder and one of the
guard’s boots slipped away, leaving a pale, dough-like foot behind.

The missing boot gave Jacob
an idea.

Dropping to his knees, he
quickly undressed the corpse, eventually leaving a half-naked whale of bloated
flesh. He lowered his own pants, thought better of it, and then began to pull
the baggy pants up over the tops of his own. They still felt two sizes too big,
even with a second pair underneath, but at such short notice they would have to
do. He slipped into the guard’s jacket, careful to avoid the wet blood stain,
and then buttoned it up. Then taking up the boots, he handed them to Pet. The
vampire looked at them stupidly.

“Take them,” Jacob ordered,
with a quick nod.

Pet reached out, his hands
tethered together and took the pair of scuffed boots. He looked at Jacob and
his face acknowledged a slight understanding.

“I’ll untie you in a minute,”
the tracker said. “But first, I need to undress him.” He stepped over to the
skinny vampire and began to unbutton its jacket.

Within a couple minutes he’d
successfully stripped the uniform off the guard. Now, a small pile of clothing
lay at Pet’s bare feet. Jacob took the rifle and joined him at the body of the
overweight vampire.