The Vampire in the Iron Mask

I could hear commotion as the metal box lowered itself. A couple of vicious growls. Veronica doing battle.

Sweet Jesus…

The elevator was taking forever. I banged my gun against the walls, partly out of frustration and partly to create a distraction. Veronica was tough, but this was my fight. A lot could happen in a few seconds. Believe me.

I would have started shooting as soon as the doors finally opened, except for Veronica. She was smart enough to stay out of the way, but I had to make sure. I had the gun raised and my finger on the trigger.

Another guard evaporated before my eyes. Veronica was to my left, holding the knife that now dripped with blood. She was right in front of the chamber that held Natassa. Veronica was fighting Matrix-style with another vampire. She bared her teeth and kicked her enemy in the face hard enough to kill any mortal.

I stepped out of the elevator, pivoting first to the right and then the left, where three more of the coven rushed me. I sprayed them with staccato shots, but took only one down. Another was almost on me. I still had surprise on my side—they hadn’t quite realized about the silver. I shoved my rifle into his chest and fired. As he screamed not unlike the ones above had, the third vampire kicked the rifle out of my hands and went for my throat.

I’d been in enough fights to act on instinct. While I ducked, my left hand gripped my knife. He went for my throat but I ducked around and kicked him. The vampire disappeared for an instant, then swooped down on me from above. He knocked me over, but when he jumped on me I plunged the silver blade into his heart.

I was sweating now, but there wasn’t a second to lose. I shoved the bloody knife into my belt and drew out my other gun. Veronica was suddenly beside me, her opponent gone to the coffins in the sky, or wherever they went.

The quiet was deafening. We were back to back, scanning. But we were alone. “Seven down, three to go. Right?” I whispered.

I sensed her uncertainty. “No,” she whispered. “Four…or five.”

We spread about a foot apart, me moving toward the chamber as she checked the stairwell. Clear. She joined my side again.

“They’re in there,” she whispered. “Wait!”

I didn’t want to wait, but I was good at it. Veronica closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she said, “One of them is not an enemy.”

We moved like cats now, silently. “One of them is her,” I said.

“No. Besides her. There are six of them in there, one is her and…one is…” she didn’t get a chance to answer. We both heard the cry of pain within the chamber walls. My client was in there too. From above, we could hear the black stallion kicking up a storm.

Okay, I thought as we now faced the door. My adrenaline coursed through my veins. I was ready for anything. Itching to finish what I’d begun. Easy does it, I thought to myself. Got to be careful who we kill. It’s not a large room.

Right, she thought, the word appearing in my mind. I didn’t have time to be irritated at her telepathy. Kind of came in handy. Saved time.

We both took a deep breath as I stepped to the side. I motioned for Veronica to get behind me as I blew off the lock from an angle, so as not to injure anyone. Just yet.

The door burst open. I thought I was prepared for anything, but I was wrong. And like I said, it all happened so fast.

The four vampires facing us were expected. I didn’t expect to see Natassa hanging in silver chains that were bolted to the ceiling, with my client, I knew, in similar chains just to her left. They both looked incredibly weak, especially him. His hands were raised above his head, bound in silver barbed wire. Blood trickled down from his arms and his head hung to one side. His eyes were almost lifeless. Almost.

Natassa was bound tightly, but her eyes still shone from behind the mask. She looked at me pleadingly. “Don’t hurt him!” she cried.

Veronica and I acted as one now. Probably because she could read my thoughts. In an instant, she flipped into the air and landed behind the two on the left. She picked up my client by his feet, raising him to the ceiling. I let out another smattering of bullets, taking down the two who had been in between him and me. She dropped him like a hot potato and he screamed in agony, but Veronica flew onto the third vampire’s back as I took on the fourth.

She fought like the devil. Or a cornered hellcat.

Still reading my mind, we maneuvered ourselves into the middle of the room, separating these last two guards. My foe closed in on me but when his body connected with my firearm, he recoiled. I shot him almost point blank. AJ had been right; it was a bloody mess, but only for the few seconds it took for him to disappear.

I turned back to Veronica. She had just side-kicked the last remaining guard and he ricocheted up and across the room. He landed on me, knocking me face down to the floor, my deadly rifle under me. He could feel its presence, but he slammed my head to the floor and before I knew it I was in a stranglehold.

The guard looked up at Veronica’s frozen stance. “Who do you want more, bitch?” His voice reverberated throughout the small room. “Him?” He tightened his grip and I started gagging. “Or them? You can’t have both!”

The two chained prisoners watched helplessly. Veronica took a step toward me, and the grip tightened. But this vampire didn’t know me very well. Or Veronica either, for that matter. Nobody told me what I could or couldn’t have. Except God, perhaps. But I didn’t have time to think about my son. This vampire had a hold on me, but if I could just move a little, either the silver knife or the gun would do it.

“I’ll snap his neck!” the guard threatened.

“No, you won’t.” Veronica was vibing now, the room electrified. That’s the only way I can describe it. She locked eyes with the one who held my life in his hands and she didn’t waver.

“You would unleash her?” he hollered. “She is the devil!”

“You know,” Veronica’s tone was dead serious now, and she inched forward a little, eyes bearing down on the vampire, “I was a little hesitant at first. Just helping my buddy here. But look at what you’ve done. Look!” She gestured at the two prisoners but her gaze never left him. “She is no devil,” Veronica spat. “It is you who do evil here. Anyone who does this,” she jerked her head, “deserves the same. There is no torture more horrible than this! And you know it.”

Veronica was concentrating hard now. Thought manipulation was more difficult with a vampire than a human, I suspected. But she was making progress. She held his gaze and his hold on me loosened a little. That was all I needed. I slammed my foot down behind me, drawing all my strength to turn over. I grasped the rifle to edge it between him and me. He hissed and raised himself up. I fumbled to get the gun pointed at him.