Page 94 of Only Human in Strangeville

“She answered my call for help. Otherwise, I don’t know.”

“Good to meet you.” Bridger also gave her a scratch behind the ears then we fell in behind the female werewolf and headed toward town.

***

“Fuck,” the werewolf cursed.

It didn’t look good. The darkness had allowed Vito’s vampires to come out and play. All the streetlights had come on with the unnatural darkness, illuminating a line of heavily tinted cargo vans waiting in the streets of downtown. I guessed that was how the vampires traveled. Now they were loading captured townsfolk into them. Many were people I recognized from the various shops around town. They were not combatants. The screams and shouts of battle sounded from the direction of the coffee shop.

“We have to stop the vans.” I pointed at them urgently.

Before I could say more, the new dog burst into motion. She sprinted out of the underbrush we crouched in and sped toward the nearest vampire. The dog was astonishingly fast, and she skidded to a halt in front of the vampire.

He turned and glanced at her before baring his fangs. Instead of being intimidated the dog opened her mouth but instead of a massive bark, blindingly bright light poured from her open jaws.

The vampire didn’t stand a chance. He went up in flames, screaming out his death as others looked his way. At first his companions didn’t seem to understand what was going on, but after the dog unleashed her weapon on the next vampire, they clued in. ‘Panic ensued’ was a mild way of putting how the vampires amongst the enemy reacted to a dog wielding literal deadly sunlight. The less-impacted members of the party managed to switch their focus to attacking the dog, but the vampires scattered.

For a moment, I was worried about the dog’s safety, but she skillfully evaded each attack. As the vampires scattered, wolves came out of hiding and attacked. Others shifted to human form to help rescue the captives.

“Okay, so, let’s head toward the coffee shop.” I glanced at Bridger, and he nodded, so we hurried in that direction. “Wait, do they get cell reception when they’re underground?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t spent that much time texting Katsuro.”

I dug out my phone and called Katsuro.

The call went to voicemail. “Damn. Either they don’t, or Vito had one of his goons take out their connection.”

“Probably the latter. Katsuro strikes me as the type to want internet access for his people. If nothing else.”

“Yeah.” I sent him a quick text letting him know what was going on, just in case, before turning my attention back to our surroundings.

Though it was darker in this part of town, we got to Oliver’s apartments with little trouble. The main fighting surrounded the coffee shop, and we could see what was going on while remaining crouched in the shadows.

I guessed that quite a few of the enemy were inside the coffee shop trying to get through to the sanctuary. Or, at least, they were keeping the entrance blocked while the rest of Vito’s people took over the town.

While we watched, Vito himself, with several vampires and Drake, his shade, came out of the coffee shop.

It seemed as if Davin and a few of the others had been waiting for this opportunity. They charged out from wherever they’d been hiding, a few in human form, most in wolf. Oliver slipped from the shadows and launched himself at Drake.

My heart was in my throat as I watched them struggle. With their shadowy natures and the unnatural darkness, it was more that I caught flickers of them as they blocked out the light.

Davin and the other wolves went for Vito and the other vampires. I thought they were going to succeed, but then Vito pulled out a gun, and he was vampire-fast and deadly accurate.

Two of the wolves fell without a sound, reverting to their human forms. Davin took a hit and fell back, shouting in anger and pain.

“I really wish I had my rifle,” Bridger muttered.

I wished he did, too.

Vito leveled the gun at Davin. The other wolves backed off. Oliver had Drake in an arm-lock. He let the shade go when Vito pointed at them.

As though I were glimpsing the future, I could see what events would unfold if nothing changed. Vito would kill Davin with the silver in his gun, then Drake would get the upper hand with Oliver. They would find Bridger and me and kill us. Nimbus would be in danger again, and my vampires would fall. All of that would happen if I didn’t do something in the next few moments.

But what? What could I do against an ancient, powerful vampire?

I had no time to think, so I did the only thing I could. I played bait, or at least a distraction.

“Hey!” I shouted as I raced toward them.

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