The Darkness Ch. 07

All characters are over 18 years old. There are no acts of sex in this chapter. Please leave me a comment, and don't forget to vote.

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Chapter Seven

May 29,

It's an all-out war. I have never seen anything like this. Someone knows all our secrets. I can't shake the feeling that this isn't a vampire. It has the feel of Mason and his crew. I can't tell Gabriel yet. I don't have enough proof. But I think I know how to get it.

"Where are we going, sir?" Alek asked. He opened the rear door and held it firmly in place until Gabriel was seated. Paul was already supposed to be here to drive them. He watched the door, waiting for the telltale sign of Paul.

"Away from here," was Gabriel's only reply. What else could he tell him? The coven had always been secure, but after the attack on the Council Hall, he was forced to move to another secure location. He had to start questioning who could attack an elder of his age and status.

Yada walked out of the apartment building and noticed a set of headlights racing down Third Ave at them. She ran to the open door of the Lexus. Alek must have seen it at the same time she did. He already had the car started and moving by the time the headlights crested the small rise. He gunned the car. But the acceleration wasn't equal to the vehicle following. Alek turned onto Williams Ave at a high rate of speed. The Land Rover chasing rammed into the passenger side. The Lexus launched into the air, rolling once before skidding for several yards and finally crashed into a retaining wall with great finality.

Yada grabbed Gabriel by his right arm and pulled him towards her just as they impacted. The side airbag deployed. Most of his weight hit the bag and not her. She lay on the floorboard watching dancing lights invade her vision. A small trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. She sat up, disoriented.

Alek was tossed from one side of the car and impacted the other in rapid succession. He felt the center shift dart through his shoulder before cracking his head on the side window. It was all he could do to fight off the pain and elude blackness. He forced himself to maintain consciousness, though the tranquility of death was enticing.

"Alek!"

He heard his name and snapped from the dizzying haze, but could not bring the courage to pull himself from the leather seat. Even when the side door was ripped from its hinges he didn't move. He recognized the voice of Gabriel and felt his body being lifted.

Yada held Alek's weight. Gabriel approached the Rover. Ripping the driver's door off and tossing it aside, Gabriel grabbed the driver. She could see a protruding bone just below Gabriel's elbow. Even with the wound he hoisted the driver and leaned him against the smashed hood. Yada produced a handgun and kept it trained on the driver. She could see his body convulse in pain, but he still managed to laugh quietly.

Gabriel was taken by this peculiar behavior. He stood with his katana drawn, and watched the driver. "This is no laughing matter!" He growled.

Through blood laced teeth the driver smiled. "Perhaps not for you, but for me," he laughed again.

"Who sent you?" Gabriel growled, pressing him harder against the side of the car. The snapping of several ribs could be heard.

"Someone seeking justice," he spat blood-laced spittle in Gabriel's face.

"Justice?" Gabriel asked, looking over to Yada and Alek. "He wants justice." Just who in the hell does he think he is? He thought.

"He will have justice," the driver laughed again.

Yada could see Gabriel's eyes were not tinged with battle lust or even blood lust. He was mad. She had never seen him this mad before. His Egyptian features were accented by the graying beard and gave him a hint of girth.

The driver reached into his pocket and removed a photograph.

Gabriel let the man slump against the car. Without compromising his sword hand he took the photo. "Who sent you with this?" Gabe snapped. "Tell me and I may let you live long enough to take back a reply."

"Fuck you and fuck House Michelson," was his answer.

"So be it!" Gabriel rolled his head across his shoulders before letting the katana loose.

Yada and Alek could both hear the sound of air escaping from the man's esophagus. She watched in horror Gabriel's mouth descending on the man's neck and he drank deep.

A crimson strand of spittle caught on the night breeze and fluttered over the body. Gabriel sniffed the air and stood full height and sniffed again. Gabriel smelt something threatening in the air and quickly returned to Yada and Alek. Grabbing Alek by his coat collar he half dragged him to the entrance of the building.

With little effort he ripped the door from its hinge and thrust Alek forward. "Quickly now," he shouted. He looked over his shoulder and slid a.9 mm from his shoulder harness. "Yada, get him out of here."

Yada snaked her way through the furniture store to the back door. She looked over her shoulder to see Gabriel disappear into shadow. She had seen him do this twice before, simply vanish. It was like he was made of shadow and darkness.

She kicked the back door open and helped Alek through.

Alek vaguely became aware of his surroundings. He gripped Yada's wrist hard and twisted her body into his. Without thought he buried his fangs deep into her throat. Holding her against his chest tight he drank until his mind cleared. Releasing her, she fell to the ground.

The combination of the collision and the blood loss made her head spin. She backed from him and rested against the cool brick. Her hand held the fresh wound as her eyes locked with his as her chest began rising and falling in rapid succession.

He began the process of healing from freshly consumed blood. Still disoriented, he searched the area for Gabriel. "Where is he?" It wasn't like Yada to leave Gabe alone after such an attack. "Where is HE!" Again he demanded.

"He ordered me to take you to safety." Yada struggled to talk. She moved her chin pointing to the building they had just departed from.

Alek was already half the distance to the door. He entered quickly.

Using what little strength she had left, she aimed her gun at the door. Yada moved her knee so it held the weight of the gun. Weaken by the sudden feeding she did not have the strength to stand. She heard three shots echo down the wall. Squinting in the near dark she saw a figure emerge from the door. It wasn't Gabe or Alek. She heard a pounding in her ears. She knew it was the sudden rush of panic. A split second later she started to empty the clip into the man. Step by step he moved closer. Each shot snapping his shoulder back. He was within three yards of her when his head suddenly rolled to the ground. Gabriel and Alek both stood behind the slumping body.

Gabriel sniffed the air again. This time he didn't detect anything threatening. But he knew the crash and gunshots would attract the attention of the police and others. Hoisting Yada by her shoulder he guided them down the alley. Using the cell phone he made a call for a car. Two minutes later Simon pulled beside them. As he drove off with the light out the faint flicker of blue and red illuminated the road behind them.

Gabriel removed the photograph from his pocket. Quietly he searched for answers. The photo should not have existed. But here it was in his hand. It was of Yada and Alek. It looked like it was taken while she was patching up an injury. He glanced at Yada. She was leaning against the cool glass. Her eyes were clouded over. He watched Alek. Alek was running his hand through Yada's hair. It was probably an attempt at an apology. Gabriel folded the picture in half and placed it in his breast pocket.

"Simon, take us to Stone Bridge." Gabe pulled Yada close to him. He bit into his wrist and held it to her lips. "You have been through so much," he whispered. He often forgot she wasn't like him. She was fragile. She was human.

"What are your orders, sir?" Alek asked. He already knew. But he needed to hear it from Gabriel. He had served with Gabe for nearly nine hundred years. With each new attack he was the one to defend the city. Somehow this attack seemed different. It seemed personal again. Alek had no knowledge of anyone stupid enough to come after Gabe personally.

"For now, we retreat to a safe house. Tomorrow night we will show them who owns this city." He stared out the window.

June 5, 2000

We have been moving from safe house to safe house since the attack last week. Gabriel believes Darius has sent Shanda on a blood spree. Shanda is a formidable force alone. I fear Mason may still be around.

I thought I saw someone last night. Someone who should have been dead. I have been known to make mistakes, but this time I fear the worst.

The limo stopped at the front door of the house. The thick cloud cover blocked any moonlight from the manor. Gabriel stepped from the car. The normal night serenade of birds and insects was absent. He noticed the lights were off. There was no greeting party present either. He had sent Carlos and Regina ahead to secure the home. Gabriel's fairly reliable personnel were nowhere to be seen. Gabriel could tell by Yada's expression she noticed the lack of reception as well.

Alek found the front door unlocked-- another oddity. Removing a handgun he entered the foyer first. Flipping the light switch, the chandelier above his head flickered and finally cast light over the front entrance. The power seemed to be on, but otherwise the rest of the manor was dark. There was a deadly silence throughout the house.

"Carlos! Regina!" Gabriel called out. He looked over his shoulder to Yada and Alek. "You two look around," he motioned to the main hall and then upstairs. Gabriel retreated to his private study. Surveying the room, he didn't see anything out of place. He rarely came to this house. But he kept his private office in order, so he could tell if there were visitors while he was away.

Alek climbed the spiral staircase two steps at a time. His back remained to the wall. He made no noise as he disappeared from sight.

Yada walked down the main hall. Slowly, she searched the kitchen first. Other than a single drop of blood on the floor she found no sign of Carlos or Regina. She thought about the staff. There were no signs of them. Gabriel kept at least three people here, always. She had been here on three separate occasions. Mister Stern and Miss Derbyshire maintain the grounds.

She entered the dining room next. In the center of the room was a torn piece of shirt. She picked it up, feeling the sticky drying blood. She realized she was still covered in blood. Most of it was Alek's from an earlier training session. Yada had finally learned to move faster than sight and bested Alek. All vampires had the ability to do this, but not all ghouls learned. Yada was different. Her blood was more potent than many. She was excited about landing a punch to Alek's nose, breaking it. When she proved herself with Alek, Gabriel took a few rounds with her. All three were coated in blood. It had been a good night of training. But those thoughts were pushed from her mind.

Alek stepped behind her. "It looks like Regina's shirt." He had seen her earlier in the evening. She left the housing complex an hour before them. He knew she was coming here. Now in hindsight, he wished he came with her. Regina and Alek were close friends. He had trained her personally.

"I'll check the basement," Yada said, dropping the shredded cloth.

Alek returned to the front door and signaled Simon. The two men stood at the front door. "Simon, check the grounds." Simon headed around the corner of the building.

Alek turned to see an expression on Yada's face he hadn't seen since the night at the Council Hall. "What did you find?"

"In the mudd room," she began. "I think I found Arnold." Arnold was a ghoul who worked for Gabriela. She had met him several months before when she was in Atlanta. He was a robust man, standing nearly six and half feet tall and weighing close to 300 pounds. His red hair was the feature Yada remembered the most.

The pair walked to where she found the body. His right hand was nailed to the wall. His left: missing. He was tied to the ceiling in a kneeling position. His throat was torn out and it appeared someone took a hammer to his face. Lining the floor around him were bits and pieces of matter and teeth. Behind him was the blood laced hammer.

Yada closed her eyes to purge the image from her mind. But it didn't work. She wanted to puke again, but this time she didn't. She walked to the body. There was something about the missing limb she had to see. The wound wasn't new. The flesh was already healing. Suddenly she remembered what Alek found at the Hall a little ago.

"Have you checked the basement?" Alek asked, turning Yada away from the body.

"Not yet," she offered.

"I'll go with you," Alek could hardly contain his rage. His hand opened and closed in an effort to calm the beast within. The scent of fresh blood was overwhelming. He knew there was another close. He went down the steps first. To the left was a wooden door. The padlock was still in place and the thick dust undisturbed. Ahead there was movement. Releasing his katana he crept silently forward.

A single light cast shadows along the floor. Hanging from the ceiling was Carlos' body. His face was missing. Judging from the blast pattern it was a shotgun at close range. His fingertips laced the floor and small table. Alek could only guess he was hung and beaten before the final blast took his un-life.

Yada found the lone shell casing near the door. She felt the room spin and tugged on Alek's arm. "I'll go tell Gabriel what we found." She sounded distracted and distant. Shouldering her weapon she made her way to his private office. Silently standing in the doorway she waited until he acknowledged.

Gabriel knew she was standing there. He always knew her footsteps and the soft brush her coat made against the air.

"What did you find?" His voice echoed through her mind. Strangely he rarely used this power with her. He preferred to talk.

"We found Arnold in the Mudd room and Carlos in the basement. Regina is nowhere to be found. And Mister Stern and Miss Derbyshire have not been located." She didn't look at him. She was too embarrassed from nearly puking after finding Arnold.

"You said you found Arnold?" His eyes lit with anger. Arnold was assigned to Gabriella in Atlanta. He slammed his fist down on a small table containing a glass chest set. The pieces soared through the air and the table splintered.

Simon stepped behind Yada. "Sir," he interrupted, "there are lights coming up the drive."

"Get Alek," he growled. "Then take a position upstairs and keep watch for any more visitors."

Gabriel knew for the first time who was behind the attacks. While in talks with Vincent, in Atlanta, there were rumors about House members making moves for high power positions. Since Gabe had handpicked most of the ruling body, he felt confident the rumors were just that, rumors. But now it seemed with the help of an unknown power player the game was on.

He looked at the chess pieces lining the floor. Adjusting his shirt, he noticed the drying blood on his jacket. It wasn't his, but Yada's and Aleks. He had planned on coming here and cleaning up. Looking to Yada he became aware she was drenched in blood as well.

He picked up a pawn and set it on the corner of the desk. Setting his.9 mm near the chest piece he motioned Yada in. He sat behind the thick oak and reflected on the pawn. Without saying a word Alek stood behind him. Yada sat in a chair on the right side of the desk. Simon moved to the top of the staircase.

Gabriel could hear the front door open. He heard two sets of footsteps. One heavy and one light, most likely the second a female. He sniffed the air. Oddly enough the scent of the vampire approaching was familiar. He reached for the pawn. It was then he noticed the bloody fingerprints. At the same moment, the office door slammed open. Seconds later Len Cartwright, sledge hammer in one hand, and an axe in the other, came striding into the study. He wore a long leather jacket over a white button down shirt and a pair of Levis. Two steps behind him, his female lackey. Gabe couldn't recall the thing's name. But she held a shotgun over her left shoulder.

"Heya Gabriel! Long time no fucking see." Len spouted out. His arm swung wide as he spoke. Three steps into the room he set the sledge hammer, business end, on the floor. The axe remained in his left hand.

Gabriel and Len were separated by the thick oak desk. To his right was Yada, and inches to his left was Alek. Oddly enough with Len just feet from him he wasn't angry. He didn't feel any rage. He didn't flinch when the sledge hammer hit the floor. He set the pawn back on the corner of the desk.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gabriel asked, using both thought and voice. Gabriel had the ability to influence lesser vampires with his thought. But Len wasn't a fledgling. He was old. Nearly five hundred years now.

"The meaning of this," he laughed. "Is that you, and them belong to me. I am here to dispatch you, as per orders from my employer." His hearty laugh carried through the room.

"Leave now and I'll spare your life." Leaning back in the chair, his eyes locked with the female behind Len. He kept her in his gaze for another second before locking eyes with Len.

"I did all of this to get the three of you here, alone and now you want me to go? Get a grip on reality Gabriel. Your Horde isn't here to save you this time."

"I'm going to say it one more time. Leave now and I'll spare your un-life." His tone carried a serious threat along with it. He began to feel the first pangs of fury rising from his center. His last meeting with Len was the night Marianna was killed. Those emotions began to slither to his mind. They came to the surface awakening his beast.

"Fuck you and fuck them." He narrowed his eyes on Yada. "You, I'm going to do you last. I'm going to take my time on you, make you beg me for death." He blew her a kiss.

Yada sat perfectly still. She didn't acknowledge his threat.

"Sexy, and well trained...I might just keep you for other reasons," he taunted.

Alek set his hand on the back of Gabriel's chair. His fingertips dug into the leather. He didn't contain his anger as easily. He watched the female bring the shotgun forward. She had it trained on Alek. Alek judged the speed it would take to move from the blast and still get Yada out of the way of swing from Len's sledge hammer.

"Actually Gabriel, I think I'll do her first. That way you can watch in horror as you lose another daughter." Len smiled. With surprising speed and strength he swung the sledge hammer at Yada's head.

Alek was already in the air and tackled her to the ground as the chair shattered. The force of the blow was hard enough the edge of the hammer jammed into the red oak floor.

Yada opened fire on the woman in the doorway. She looked over the edge of the.9 mm, which was still smoking. The thud of the woman's body hitting the floor distracted Len, allowing Yada and Alek to move a safe distance away.

Len stood tall and held the weight of the sledge and axe. Pivoting with the grace of a cat he was standing in front of the desk. He looked confused. Or impressed with the way Yada handled herself.

Gabriel, still sitting at the desk, held up his hand. "Miss Olsen-Myers and Mister Tomas, if you will kindly step into the hall, I believe this is between Len and myself." Gabriel was surprised by how calm he was. He felt rage and anger, but his body didn't reflect it. Standing slowly he removed the blood coated jacket and let it fall to the chair.