Fear Pt. 02

"How many have I killed, John?" Brittany whimpered.

"Stop!" John growled, "they started this, we're defending ourselves. You don't deserve to think like that. You did what you did to survive and for no other reason!"

"I could have surrendered..."

"And where would that have left you?" John pulled her tight. "Best case scenario, you'd be left in some cage on a mountain somewhere after I was shot. Worst case scenario, is we're both tortured to death by that psychopath, that started this war to begin with."

Brittany snuggled in against John's shoulder and took a few deep breaths. "Thank you."

John didn't respond, he just held her. He still remembered the first time he killed a vampire. At the time, it was all righteous fury... Afterwards was the thoughts on life and it's meanings... He could only hope that with Brittany surrounded by people that loved her, that she wouldn't fall to hard... Did I really just call these vampires people?... I'm really changing now...

The enemy managed to cut through two more doors before sunrise. John and Gregory both agreed that it was most likely that the enemy had retreated to their tunnels for the day time. But it was still too risky to check, just in case there was a guard or traps set up. After a quick meal, George designated a watch on the doors. It didn't escape John's notice that he and Brittany weren't included, and the slight nod from Gregory only confirmed that it was on purpose. A few minutes later, he and Brittany were cuddled in bed. John again wrapped in the cool arms of his gorgeous Queen.

"If we get out of this, I'm going to ask you to marry me." John said softly.

"Is that a proposal?" Brittany tried to sound put out, but she could help but slip the smile into her voice.

John grinned outright, "no, I'll do the proposal properly, I was just making my intentions clear."

Brittany leaned up, gently pressing her lips to his for a few moments. Pulling away, she looked into his eyes. "I love you John... I'll marry you as soon as we can... Just... Get us out of this."

It wasn't long until they both fell asleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The fighting had been fierce. John had no idea how this incident hadn't attracted the police, let alone the human military. Though he had a horrible suspicion that they were either bought out, or Jonah had his own people inside... Hell... He had his own people inside the council... It had been four days. The enemy was half way through the facility. They had been lucky so far, no serious injuries. Gregory had been shot in the arm, Janet was hit in the hand, John had a ricochet send shrapnel into his ribs. But it was after Brittany had a round graze her cheek, that John had put his foot down. The pain damn near made him pass out as Brittany demanded he let her pass. But a combination of knowing how much pain he was dealing with, and her common sense kicking in, she finally relented.

She now spent her time practising on the gun range, loading magazines for the others and chatting with the four youngsters locked in the armoury. The newest arrival was rather cold at first, but after she had calmed down enough to talk to the others, Brittany found her rather pleasant. Her name was Cara and she had been found in another group of young homeless people. Like them she had been turned without consent, and like them she had lost loved ones in the process. The only problem that seemed to be occurring, was her embarrassment at being locked in a cell with a polyamorous relationship. It wasn't the relationship itself that bothered her, it was their piss poor efforts to keep it down on one of their boredom educed sexual rampages. Though she did get go bright red when Brittany told her to join them.

It wasn't all bad for them however, Lucas took them in pairs to one of the nearby rooms to bathe and stretch their legs. The others had even made it a point to join them in meal times. Keeping them informed with what was going on and the progress. When Brittany saw the fear in their eyes as John described them cutting past the half way point, she knew they had no loyalty to Jonah... But as John said... Scared people do stupid things... Brittany had quietly asked Lucas to watch himself, in case of the possibility that someone would do something dumb.

It was the middle of the fourth evening, when their communications were cut. Janet had been in the process of calling Brunhilde for an update, when the line dropped out. It was immediately clear that the enemy forces weren't just focusing on the main doors, but trying to cut through somewhere else. Janet waited until the next door fell and the fighting stopped, before pulling everyone into a quick meeting. It didn't take long to explain the situation, but it was clear that they were in trouble.

"So how do we find out where they're coming from?" Brittany asked

"I'm sorry Brittany..." Gregory sighed. "We won't until they blast through. The walls are lined with concrete, they'll chisel out their side, cut through the steel and blast the rest. We won't know where they're coming from until they break through."

John took a moment to reflect on his thoughts. There really wasn't any good options at this point. "We wait for sunrise, when they leave, I'll go out and take a look."

"NO!" Brittany yelled... John cringed... Her one word, so powerful, it caused him pain. A moment later, she pulled herself onto his lap, stroking his face. The pain began to ease.

"Please Brittany... It will only take a few seconds," John added. "I can't keep you safe if we don't know where they're coming from."

"If I may?" Janet interrupted. "If John can take a look around, he can take a wireless receiver with him. If he can hide it outside, we can re-establish communications."

Brittany looking like she was about to throw up. Not able to say the words, she merely nodded, before pressing herself firmly against John's chest. John for the millionth time, wondered how he had ever deserved such a beautiful and loving woman.

Jonah's forces managed to cut through one more door that day. They started on a second, but didn't get very far before they retreated for the sunrise. Everyone waited half an hour after sunup, before John nodded his head towards Gregory. Just like back in John's apartment, somebody had to open the door, before John could pull himself into the plane of time. He turned, placing a gentle kiss on Brittany's lips. He ignored the taste of her tears, just as he was forced to ignore the gun she held, pointing towards the door. If he was going out there, she wasn't going to wait for him in the back... I love her so much...

"The moment you release the catch, I need you all to close your eyes for a second." John said firmly.

The moment the door released, John felt that all familiar tickle. Stepping into the plane of time was always a bit of a rush. It felt like he was running, but without the heat and sweat. John turned and whispered the words, "I love you," to Brittany. He calmly strolled to the door, and pulled it open the rest of the way, careful to avoid hitting Gregory, the lightest taps could be considered a heavy hit in the normal flow of time. John paused, examining the area immediately outside the doorway. Here at least was clear, no sign of Jonah's forces, no sign of hazards or trip wires.

Setting out on a quick jog, it didn't take long for John to confirm that he was indeed alone. John started taking a look in all the nearby corridors, darting into rooms in an attempt to find the one they had been digging through. It didn't take him long to make two important discoveries. The first, was a large crate of breaching charges. The second was a man sized hole carved into a wall that John believed, backed into the meeting room. That gave him an idea...

Pulling breaching charges out of the box, John began laying traps. The amount of rubble throughout the facility made them easy to hide. The charges themselves consisted of thin, tubular devices, arranged in a square, and attached by wires to a pressure sensitive detonator. It made it very east then to set these charges up in the battered hallways, with the detonators hidden behind rocks. A few he even dug into walls behind doors, with the intention that pushing them open quickly would set off the explosive. By the time John was satisfied that Jonah's forces were about to have a bad evening, he finally made his way to the exit. Outside, it seemed that everything fell into place. There was a large marquee covering the entrance, inside was two guards watching the front entrance. But what caught his attention, were the cameras. There were dozens, the area was made up to look like a movie set... That explains the lack of police...

After quickly scoping out the area, John found a place to hide. Slipping back into the normal flow of time, John reached into his pocket for the wireless transceiver. It was a tennis ball sized, metal device. Janet had told him to keep it near the entrance, but somewhere it wouldn't be spotted. After a quick look around, John decided that throwing it onto the ledge above the entrance was probably the best idea. With a deep breath, John flicked his arm over, and watched as the device landed just off centre to where he was aiming... I'd be more accurate with my gun just throwing it at them... Taking a few moments to rest, John again, slipped into the plane of time. It took longer getting back inside. He was sure the guards wouldn't notice the flash as he passed through, but he didn't want to accidentally set off one of his own traps in the process.

Walking back into the corridor with everyone still waiting, John could see their expressions. It felt like he had been gone over an hour, so he had been at least a few minutes. Stepping inside the door, John immediately moved to wrap Brittany in his arms, and flowed back into the normal plane. Brittany's reaction was the same as back at the apartment. There was no shock or hesitation, it seemed she knew immediately what was happening and crushed him into a fierce hug.

"What took so long?" She quietly demanded.

With grim satisfaction, John gave everyone his account of what happened. He tried not to gloat about the traps he had set, but he could feel approval coming from everyone for his actions, regardless. But with that, John needed to rest. He had never used his power for so long and he felt like his arms were made of lead. Brittany was the one looking after him now. She could sense his fatigue and made sure to have a meal sent to their room while she ran John a bath. As John slipped into the hot water, he was surprised when Brittany climbed in behind him. The surprise was short lived however, as he felt her soft hands slowly dig into the tight muscles around his shoulders.

The next sensation he had was of Brittany kissing him. He smiled up at her, before realising he had fallen asleep in the bath. As John climbed out and dressed in comfortable clothing, he spotted Brittany bringing him food.

"When did you feed last?" John asked her.

Brittany smiled, "I had a blood bag yesterday. I thought it best to keep your strength up."

John nodded and tucked into his meal. It was good, but simple, some steamed vegetables and a marinated piece of pork. John didn't care however, he was ravenous after the use of his powers. But he couldn't help but feel a different kind of need... John helped deposit their dirty dishes outside their room, before making his way to the bed. Stripping off, John climbed under the sheets, and waited for Brittany to join him. It was as her cool body pressed against his, that John realised what his itch was...

Reaching down, John grabbed Brittany by the hip and rolled her atop himself. He watched as her expression flicked from mild shock, to arousal and finally to worry. John pulled her down into a firm kiss. Pressing his tongue into her mouth, his heart fluttered hearing that all familiar moan of passion from his gorgeous bedmate.

Pulling away from the kiss, "I want you to bite me," John whispered.

Brittany just stared at him, her emerald eyes glowing in the faint light of the room. She reached down between them, grasping John's now erect cock and with a rocking motion, she slowly impaled herself on it. John however just lay there, admiring the beauty of the woman perched atop him. His cock twitched inside her as Brittany straightened up, giving him a perfect view of her breasts. Reaching out, John gently pawed at them, as Brittany began rocking her hips. It was a slow and gentle way to make love, and they revelled in one another's passion.

It didn't last long however, the emotional release, drove them both to orgasm with rapid certainty. A few more twitches of John's cock, and Brittany leaned forward. She gently kissed him, before moving and dragging her teeth across the nape of his neck. John's response was to grab her tightly, silently begging for the release, her fangs in his neck would provide. He came the moment he felt them pierce his skin, shooting white hot ropes of cum into Brittany's cool body. The sudden change of temperature within her, combined with the intoxicating rush of his blood, dragged Brittany into her own personal bliss. They came together, John's seed leaking out of her, as her muscles tried desperately to drag him deeper inside. But as Brittany started coming down, she quickly released John's neck. Before they both fell asleep.

Gentle knocking woke the pair of them. Gregory's voice called out that they would meet in the dining room. John took a moment to admire the gorgeous blanket still draped over his body. He wasn't inside her any more, and he was sure he could feel a sticky mess collected between his legs. But he didn't care, all that was important, was the faint smile on her face just before he kissed her.

CHAPTER NINE

John noticed the faint explosion first. There wasn't any sound, just a faint tremble through the earth. A second explosion shortly after was felt by Brittany.

"It's started then?" She asked.

John just nodded, before turning and heading towards the newly sealed doors. The meeting room was sealed up as well. All unneeded side rooms were closed off. The only rooms left available were the occupied bedrooms, the kitchen, and the dining room. The security which doubled as the communication room was now located in the armoury. Unfortunately, Janet had been so far, unsuccessful in contacting Brunhilde.

John had positioned himself by the door, waiting for the cutting to start. He wondered how many would be killed by his traps, before they would get smart and start checking their feet. But from the dozens of explosions he could hear, it was likely Jonah was just sending people to die... After all... Once the charge blew, the area would be safe again... Bastard... Sending so many to their death to save the time of digging out the traps first...

But something caught his attention. He could hear gunshots... Not just the occasional shot, but a chorus. John's eyes went wide... THE DRAGOONS!!... John ran back to Janet to share his news.

"What do you think we should do?" Janet asked, "if it is the Dragoons, they'll have to get past all your traps before they can ask us to open the door."

"Jonah's forces haven't reached the door yet, we can open it for a moment," John started. "I can cut my way through to them. Then I can lead them back."

John felt Brittany's hand tighten around his own, but she didn't speak... Even she understood what was at stake here and as much as she hated it, she had to admit their options were slim. It was decided then that John would try. Like before, everyone stood guard around the doorway, as Gregory released the lock. John followed the feeling of that all familiar tickle, and stepped up to the door. Pulling it open, he was amused to see the room beyond was empty. It took him what felt like a few minutes, to remember where his traps were located. But he moved as quickly as he could towards the exit. The first vampire John came across was a middle aged man. He looked important, so John plunged his sword through the man's chest. Moving on, he gave similar treatment to all the vampires he came across. In this place, there would be no mercy, he couldn't afford it. Stepping into a larger open space, John groaned, looking at the several dozen vampires throughout the room. Some were pushing further into the facility, some were shooting back the way they had came. John could see the shapes of military styled figures at the far end. John picked his way through the group, careful to step around the slowly moving bullets as he made his way closer to the new forces.

Getting closer, he could see the insignia of a twisted dragon, stitched into the shoulders of their armour. It would be too big a coincidence for them to be anyone other than Brunhilde's dragoons. But as he turned away, he spotted one of them about to set off one of his traps. Rushing forwards, John gave the man a gentle nudge. It would hurt, but the man would fall away from the trigger. John then carefully dug it out from under him. Carrying it down to Jonah's forces, he found the most senior looking vampire. Placing the charges around the man's neck, he pried the gun from the vampires fingers, and placed the trigger in it's place.

Heading back towards the dragoons, John found himself a spot to fade back to the normal flow, without being seen. It only took a moment, as the normal flow set in, John only counted to one and a half before a large explosion rang out. He waited a few seconds, and pushed back into the plane of time. John admired his work, the man he threw off balance was already climbing to his feet. The corridor was full of dust, but this time, no bullets. John made his way back to Jonah's vampires to inspect the damage.

The explosion had done a good job, when the man detonated by mistake, he had taken quite a few with him. The one's still alive were either knocked over and injured, or staring in shock. John had an idea then, and drawing his pistol, he fired a shot. It seemed anything he brought into this plane, followed his rules, and the bullet flew out as normal. He then continued the grim work, and put a bulled between the eyes of every living vampire in the room. Stepping aside from the entrance to the corridor, John faded back into the normal flow. He watched in horror as dozens of vampires immediately died and started turning to dust. He struggled to keep hold of his lunch... I've really changed now... Enough senseless killing already...

Remembering the dragoons behind him, John started calling out, "FRIENDLY!"

He could hear the dragoons stop for a moment, before a richly accented voice called out, "Who are you!?"

"I'm John, Vassal to Queen Hay, I'm coming out, don't shoot me."

John slowly stepped around the corner, keeping his sword and gun pointed straight up. It only took the briefest moment for the dragoons to recognise what he was wearing and lower their weapons.

"I'm here to escort you back, I've lined the passage with traps and I didn't want you to get caught up in them." John said quickly. "There may be more, I only killed the ones I came across."

A silent agreement passed through the soldiers before one, their leader said, "lead on then."

John made an effort to point out each of his traps, he was rewarded with thanks. John didn't realise he had hidden them that well, but apparently they didn't have sweep gear with them and wouldn't have suspected traps. They were engaged three more times in the tunnels. All three times were over in seconds. And finally the open doorway came into view. John could see Brittany staring wide eyed at him as he walked through the open door. But as he moved to hug her, he saw her expression fall to one of horror, before a heavy impact slammed into the back of his head... And everything went dark...