The Chaos Order (Fanghunters Book Three) (6 page)

“Eddie’s gonna send someone over to check on Trixie,” Dom said to Vincent as he went and stood next to him.

Vincent briefly turned to face him. “Good. I think you should go and get some rest too. You need it after last night’s exertions.”

“Rest? How can I sleep after last night? I was almost killed about fifty times! I’m wide awake!”

Vincent chuckled. “I know what you mean. I’m feeling rather energized as well.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe Leviah is actually dead. It’s almost surreal.”

“He’s dead all right. I watched him burn with my own eyes.”

“Yes, but the gravity of such an event is immense. What happened last night will send shockwaves throughout the vampire world.”

“Yeah, in what way?”

“They’ll now realize they aren’t as untouchable as they previously thought. The time is coming, their demise is near. The problem from their point of view, is that they don’t see it as a demise. Their hubris blinds them. They’ll see this as an opportunity to further their own ends.” He sighed. “The other orders will be alerted by Leviah’s death and will look to act upon this.”

“How?”

Vincent nodded his head toward the TV. Dom turned to face it. A news report was playing. Coming live and direct from the I-Sore Tower. Reporters were scrambling left and right amongst the cops who’d cordoned the area off. The camera kept panning up to the upper floors where the windows had been blown out. The storm was still raging and the streets were rainswept, the cops having a hard time keeping the public and the media under control. It was a zoo.

Dom shook his head. “What’s going on?”

“They’re saying it was an act of terrorism.”

“Terrorism? But it was Trixie.”

Vincent shrugged. “To them it’s the same thing.”

Dom watched and listened to the report for a minute. “I don’t get it,” he said with a shake of his head. “They’re saying it was the drug cartels. Look, they’ve found dead cartel members near the I-Sore Tower.” He turned and stared at Vincent. “The cartel? I never saw any cartel there, only Blacklake mercs.”

Vincent turned his mouth downward. “It’s clearly a fabricated story.”

“But who’s fabricating it?”

“The various orders have their hidden agents. Very resourceful agents who can manipulate media perception. This is their response to the fall of the Blood Order. But, who exactly...” Vincent tapped his fingers on his chin while he contemplated. Then, his eyes lit up. “Benedict!” he uttered with a knowing nod of his head.

Dom frowned. “Who’s Benedict?”

“Benedict. The head honcho of the Dragon Order; the European order of vampires. The Blood Order had strong allegiances with the Dragon Order, a kind of transatlantic pact that protected one another from the Eastern orders. The Dragons no doubt have their agents operating here in the US. Yes, they’ve taken control of the situation, and are trying to steer it in a certain direction. They may well have had those bodies planted and any Blacklake removed from the scene.”

“But why the cartel?”

“Well, they could hardly admit it was vampire hunters, could they?” Vincent said with a wry grin.

“I suppose, but the cartel? In Chicago?”

“It’s a new threat. Don’t you see? Something new for people to be afraid of. The Order like to keep the public in a perpetual state of anxiety and fear.”

“Why?”

“That way they’re easier to manage. They cease to be a threat. Now, this cartel business is interesting. If my suspicions are correct and Benedict is running the show from Europe, the South and Central American scapegoat suggests—at least to me—that the Dragon Order fear the rise of the Chaos Order and are pre-emptively attempting to diffuse it. Now that there’s a power vacuum in the States, there will be a struggle to fill the void. And as the Chaos Order have been at loggerheads with the Blood Order in the past, then it makes sense for them to attempt a coup, to take the throne left by Leviah for their own. Obviously, this is a threat to the other orders. The last thing they’ll want is for the Chaos Order to have its hands on nukes and the most crippling financial instruments ever known to mankind. Benedict wants that all for himself.” He sighed. “I see bad things happening over the course of the ensuing weeks and months. Trixie was very ill-advised in destroying Leviah. Things could get out of hand very rapidly if we aren’t careful.”

“What do you mean ‘we’? I say let’s just stay out of it and let the orders destroy each other.”

Vincent groaned. “Young man, if only it were that simple. The higher echelons of the orders are not fools.
They
do not fight their battles, they send in their gophers to do their bidding for them. That’s how vampires operate. In the shadows, in the darkness while the duped masses lose their lives carrying out their orders. And besides, I’m afraid we’ve suddenly become major players in this fiasco now that we’ve acquired the Eye of Moroz.”

“The what?”

“The Eye of Moroz. The relic Leviah was so keen to reclaim. The one that Trixie
thankfully
didn’t destroy. If she had, the world would right now be bathed in blood.”

“Why?”

“Because the orders would have nothing to squabble over and they would self-destruct. But in the process they’d destroy everything with them. Just like a spoiled child.”

“What is that thing, Vincent? What does it do?”

Vincent’s face turned grim. “It does many things. It, among other such items
,
allows the children of Moroz to communicate with their dead father. He guides them in their quest for domination, and the relics are the key to his resurrection.” He shook his head. “There is much to explain. When Trixie recovers, I will fill you both in. Until then, we have to tighten security and keep a keen eye on developments because eventually someone will come looking for the Eye. Be mindful, Dominic. Don’t believe everything the idiot box tells you. Remain skeptical. Keep an open mind. Many tongues are forked in this world. And you can find yourself easily deceived if you don’t pay attention.”

Dom nodded.
Yeah, that was very true.
He was getting that vibe more and more as the days went on. Trust no one. Just like Fox Mulder.

“Looks like interesting times ahead,” Dom said.

“Indeed. An old Chinese proverb says, ‘may you live in interesting times’. It looks like we’re the blessed ones to be alive right now. Or we’re cursed. We shall find out as time unfolds.”

The doorbell then sounded out.

Vincent frowned.

“That’ll be the med guy Eddie sent over,” Dom said.

“Good. Let them in.”

N
urse Rhonda Jones pulled up a chair next to Trixie’s bed. Trixie was still in a deep sleep. Rhonda reached out and took hold of her hand. The ragged, blood-soaked bandages she’d wrapped around it in the I-Sore Tower were hanging off. Rhonda delicately peeled them back, exposing her wounds. On seeing them, Vincent winced. He was towering over Rhonda, his gaze fixed on Trixie’s hand. He stared at the livid cuts crisscrossing her palm with lament; he only now realized just how painful they had to be. He then noticed that part of her little finger was missing. “Oh my goodness,” he gasped.

Trixie murmured in her sleep.

“She’s been hurt bad,” Rhonda stated. “But we should be able to fix her up. I can smell disinfectant, so she must have applied some back at the tower. Smart move.” She held Trixie’s palm up to the light emanating from the lamp on her bedside cabinet. “There are a few fragments of glass still embedded in there.”

“Can you get them out?” Vincent asked with concern.

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Rhonda picked up a pair of tweezers from the tray of implements she’d placed down on the bed and got to work. While the rain patted light against the bedroom window, Rhonda pulled out as many bits of glass as she could. Vincent stared at the tiny, bloodstained fragments on the tray with mournful eyes. Trixie’s pain was his pain.

When done, Rhonda placed the tweezers back down and picked up a bottle of disinfectant and cotton ball. She then dabbed disinfectant on Trixie’s wounds. Trixie winced and groaned in her sleep.

“Shh. It’s okay, Trixie,” Vincent said in a quiet voice.

Following that, Rhonda took some gauze and placed it carefully over the cuts and stump of her little finger. She then proceeded to wrap fresh bandages around her hand.

“She’ll be okay,” Rhonda declared soon after. “A few cuts that’ll heal in time.”

“And the finger?”

“The missing section will heal over. She’ll have to live with it as it is.”

“I wonder what could have caused that.”

“Who knows? Sounds to me like it was a rough time in there last night.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

Rhonda glanced up at him. “What now?”

Vincent sighed. “Who knows, my dear? This is where it starts to get... interesting, so hold onto your hat.”

CHAPTER SIX

D
om and Vincent got to Sun with the storm still ongoing, but it was not nearly as bad on the outskirts of Chicago as in the Loop. Security had been beefed up as Miranda had promised. Dom was glad of that; he wanted Eddie to be safe. They pulled up to the gate and one of the many guards on duty approached them.

Vincent wound down his window; the guard stopped in his tracks once he spotted him. He gave Vincent a smile and a nod. “Hello, Mr. Beauchamp.”

“Greetings, young man,” Vincent retorted.

The guard ushered him with his hand. “Go on through, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The barrier was instantly raised. Dom drove through and parked up in Vincent’s reserved space right next to the main entrance. They got out, the drizzle immediately plastering their hair to their heads.

“When’s this rain gonna end?” Dom lamented.

Vincent turned his head up to the leaden sky. “Not anytime soon, I’ll wager,” he answered. He marched up to the front doors, Dom following up behind him, every security guard acknowledging them as they passed. They entered to find Eddie waiting by the reception desk, his face riddled with anxiety. On seeing Vincent and Dom, his expression brightened into a wide-eyed smile. He dashed over to them both.

He threw his arms around Dom and bear-hugged him. “Man, it’s so good to see you!” he said.

Dom squeezed him back. “Same here, bro. I told you I’d come back.”

Eddie let go. “Yeah, like always.” He then turned to Vincent and gave him a brief hug. “It’s good to see you too,” he said.

“Likewise, young man,” Vincent said, patting his back.

They pulled apart. “How’s Rufus doing?” asked Vincent.

Eddie’s face turned grave. “You better see for yourself.” He led them down the corridor, out of the reception area and to the medical department where Rufus was located. Doctors, scientists and geeks were darting left and right, trying to get stuff done. Change was in the air and everyone had been alerted.

The trio entered the medical department where things were calmer. The clean smell of disinfectant took over. Eddie led them to the window of Rufus’ room. He stopped and sighed. “There he is,” he said.

Dom and Vincent stared through the glass. Rufus was lying in his bed, a multitude of tubes and wires hanging out of him. His chest was rising and lowering at a steady rate. Nurses were tending to him, cleaning his wounds.

Dom lowered his gaze. “Christ,” he said.

Vincent gave him a rueful smile.

“They took out four bullets, all in the chest area,” Eddie said in a voice devoid of any credulity, his absent stare fixed on Rufus. “But somehow, somehow, they missed all his vital organs. How he survived is a miracle.”

“It wasn’t his time,” Vincent said. “Rufus still has his role to play in this world.”

“You really believe in all this destiny stuff, don’tcha?” said Dom.

Vincent looked up at him with stern eyes. “Indeed. Rufus should be dead.” He sighed. “And in all honesty, so should Trixie.” He rubbed his head. “Can’t you see that?”

“All I see is good fortune,” Dom retorted. “Damn good fortune. It’s all about luck, Vincent. I used to be roulette player, and they got a saying down at the casinos: ‘luck is a wave’. When your luck’s in you ride, but when it’s not you get the hell outta there or you’ll drown.”