Ratter Ch. 04

"Thanks for the night out Ryan. I had a great time."

"Really?"

"Of course!" she laughed.

"Then how about going out with me again?" he grinned a million-dollar smile.

"Sure." I could use a distraction.

She jumped when she heard a crash from inside the cabin. It was then that she noticed the broken glass under the front window. What's going on? It occurred to her that she probably shouldn't go in there alone. Oh yeah, ask him to go come inside and meet your friends, she thought, A Jinni, three shape shifters and a jerk from some unknown universe. Maybe we can all hangout. She plastered a smile on her face and laughed. "They're probably drunk and jumping off the furniture."

He smiled and turned towards the window. No, don't look. "Hey!" her call startled both of them. But she recovered quickly. "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?"

He beamed at her and leaned forward. His lips were cold and persuasive as they coaxed her mouth open. He lingered there for a moment, sucking on her bottom lip before flicking his tongue like a lizard, inside her mouth. She almost sighed in relief when he came away.

"So I'll see you the same time tomorrow?"

She plastered that stupid smile on her face again and nodded. He was a nice guy, next time she'd control the kiss. Maybe he'd catch on. Though every part of her doubted it. You can't be this desperate for a distraction. He stared at her happily for a moment before walking to the car and driving off. Bracing herself, she turned the doorknob and walked inside.

* * *

The scene would have anyone running for the hills. April simply stood there gaping. There were twelve men alive and another six bleeding or dead on the floor. Rane was stewing in the corner, marching back and forth in irritation. He took a swipe at one of the men attacking a wolf and was sent flying back by a burst of energy.

The wolf had to be Charity. But it looked all wrong. While it moved and was generally shaped like a wolf. It was twice the size. Its black fur looked like crude oil on her back, and her teeth were ivory with black tips. Her eyes were as crimson as the blood dripping from her jaws.

She located Michael. He looked exactly the same as he always did. Except bigger. He towered over seven feet. His limbs looked like tree trunks. The problem was his speed, and while April watched, a vampire dodged his fists and cut into him with a sword. She gasped when the vampire's head came off and toppled backwards. Behind it was Seere. He was smiling with shard of glass in one hand and a fire stoker in the other.

Wade had just come into the room. He was staring much as she was at the scene from the other side. Grim determination spread across his face and she watched with interest as he started to fade. His body turned transparent. Then it shifted and grew. It hardened into a shadow and kept changing and becoming a living form. When it finished, Wade had disappeared. In his place a beast stood 6" high. Flesh had thickened into pure muscle. Ruby, emerald and amethyst scales covered him from head to toe. His face was a dragon with quicksilver eyes. Eyes where the color swirled and shifted like a kaleidoscope. Long silver claws stemmed from the tips of his fingers.

He entered the room slashing back and forth. He bit into one of the vampires. The vampire looked at the wound and laughed, lifting the sword over his head. It froze in mid air as ugly green veins suddenly snaked over his skin. He fell to the floor still clutching the sword. Wade shrugged, a very human like gesture for the creature he was now. Another vampire came up behind him and stabbed him through the chest. He roared in pain and April made a mad dash from the room.

Where is it, where is it she chanted as she ran through the cabin. She hit the room where Rane had accessed her mind and swore. Retracing her steps, she went down another hallway and came to the training room with the weapons. She ran towards the table against the wall and picked up two of the katar daggers and the khukuri. She found a leather strap on another table and tied it around her, slipping the khukuri in the side knot. She flicked her eyes towards the guns on the wall and shook her head. She'd never fired a gun in her life and it was too easy for her to hit the wrong person. At least with knives they'd stand a chance of surviving.

She ran back to the room and almost cried when she saw Wade crouched on the floor. He had three large wounds on his back, and silver blood pooled around him. A vampire stood over him with a sword in hand and an eerie fanged grin on his face. The sword already coated in Wade's blood.

April wrapped her fingers through the horizontal handle of the katar and rushed forward. The vampire gasped in surprise and jumped back. Daggers in hand, she punched forward. The count her brothers would give her when teaching her how to fight echoed in her mind and she slid the blades in and out to the rhythm.

The creature laughed at her and bared his fangs. She almost laughed right back at him. Seere had this guy beat in ferocity hands down. She lodged one of the katar's deep in the creatures' stomach. It didn't even flinch and lowered its head towards her. She pulled on the dagger drawing it up and splitting him open. He fell back with a look of shock and she turned away, gagging.

Something gripped her left wrist and she swung around with her right. Seere caught the blade half an inch from his face. He didn't look happy, "you shouldn't be here," he growled before looking behind her with a sadistic smile. He flung her to the side, grabbing the khukuri from her belt as she fell. With perfect precision he slit the vampire's throat, wrists and stabbed it through the heart.

April watched the flurry of activity around her. There were only two vampires now, but there were only two people fighting. Seere was darting around one swinging two swords in his hands. Charity was losing the fight to the other wielding a Morning Star and a Khopesh. April stood and ran over to Wade as he sunk the rest of the way to the floor. The blood seemed to have slowed and she didn't know if that was such a good thing. He looked at her and the quicksilver danced in his eyes.

"Are you going to be ok...?" She gasped at the sudden shock of cold. She looked down to the khopesh through her stomach. Wade roared and stumbled to his knees. He reached past her and dragged the vampire forward, biting him on the shoulder and tearing at his chest. April sat on her knees, her eyes fixed on the blade. It was such a strange sight to see metal poking out of her chest and blood streaming to the floor. I didn't know it could come out that fast, she thought before passing out.