Vampire Civilization Ch. 15

"We've got them," Rayshawn said aloud, and the tall, dark-skinned African American vampire raked his tongue over his fangs, seemingly aglow with anticipation. For ages now he'd been on the trail of Lady Nadia, the African vampire matriarch who turned him into one of the undead. Rayshawn wanted nothing more than to kill the bitch and watch her turn to dust. The fate of mankind and the fate of the vampire species meant nothing to Rayshawn. The once-brilliant and now half-maddened vampire only had one thing to live for, ice-cold revenge.

Rayshawn had gone far in pursuit of his goal, and he'd made deals with devils of many sort left and right. This was the only thing which drove him forward. He wanted to destroy Lady Nadia. He'd even gone to the City of Accra, Ghana, to consult the Elders of the vampire race in an attempt to marshal efforts to stop the human armies rising up against them. In the end, revenge proved to be an irresistible motivator, and Rayshawn intended to destroy the lady who cursed him for all eternity...

Lady Nadia fancied herself a queen among the undead, and the ancient Arabian vampire overlord Hiram was her husband and protector. The fearsome African vampire warrior Erebus was raised as the pair's raging son, and he would do anything to protect them. Together they ruled a vast enclave made up of thousands of humans and hundreds of vampires. The largest remaining enclave in the continental United States, and a prime target for U.S. Army Colonel Amelia McGrath and her growing army of militiamen and militiawomen, who seemed hellbent on wiping out the undead.

At a time like this, the vampires were supposed to wise up and put aside their differences and unite against the human horde. This was the only thing left to do since the humans were close to wiping out the vampires in America. If only the undead followed the rules of logic. As a preternatural race of apex predators, the vampires have never really feared humanity, and they've grown bolder since the nuclear war blotted out the sun, creating semi-permanent darkness over the United States and turning it into a vampire's idea of paradise.

For a time, the vampires got to live like kings and queens, and the humans were either slaves or cattle for them. Vampire overlords established fiefdoms where humans were farmed for their blood. Hiram ran a very large and profitable enclave, and he was considered benign by vampire standards. He treated his human subjects like the vassals of a Medieval lord, rather than farm animals. Hiram fancied himself a benevolent undead dictator, and Lady Nadia was his queen, eternally by his side. Rayshawn wanted them both dead.

"At last, I will have my revenge," Rayshawn said loudly, and he was practically salivating at the thought of tearing Lady Nadia and her brood to pieces. In his secret underground bunker in the town of Harmony, Maine, the vampire plotted and schemed against his immortal enemies. He hoped to get to them before that female Colonel and her soldiers did. No sense letting the human soldiers have all the fun. When a powerful vampire needs to be killed, the best solution is usually another vampire. Of course, the humans would be a pesky threat to deal with once Rayshawn had his revenge, but it might just be worth the hassle...

"Affirmative, Lady Nadia has returned from the United Kingdom and is now reunited with her husband Hiram and her son Erebus, the whole clan is in Massachusetts," said Rayshawn's acolyte, a young female vampire named Becca. For months now, Becca had been ingratiating herself with the House of Hiram, becoming one of Prince Erebus chief servants. Becca aimed to place herself in the right spot to aid Rayshawn with his eventual takeover plan...

"You've done well, Becca," Rayshawn said grimly, and he smiled at Becca, whom he'd sent to infiltrate the House of Hiram ages ago. Becca, a pale-skinned, red-haired, feisty gal with a killer smile and the brains of a rattlesnake, proved to be the perfect double agent for the job. Rayshawn had thought of everything and soon he would destroy Lady Nadia, Hiram and their son Erebus. He would take their arsenal, which was said to be massive, and eradicate Colonel Amelia McGrath and her soldiers and then he would declare himself the King of the Undead.

"There are other players in this game, not just you and the House of Hiram or the Colonel and her men, the Elders are now in the United States," Becca cautioned. Rayshawn bristled, remembering his meeting with Rama, Amore and Lilac, the three dark-skinned female vampires who formed the Elders of the vampire race. They'd been around for untold thousands of years, and had much wealth, power and influence in the grand scheme of things. Rayshawn found them evasive and condescending in their dealings with him, and as far as he was concerned, the three female Elders could burn in Hell...

"Ah, yes, the immortal sisters, Amore, Rama and Lilac, I've met these ancient bitches and they're worthless, they don't give a damn about the rest of us ordinary vampires," Rayshawn said, shaking his head. Becca looked at her leader and frowned. She hadn't been a vampire very long, and was fascinated with her new status as one of the undead. Becca also wanted to know everything about the history of the vampire species, and experience the greatness of their race. Rayshawn's lack of reverence for the Elders irked Becca, though she dared not voice it...

"If the Elders ally themselves with the House of Hiram, the last remaining vampire stronghold in the United States, then your task will be that much harder," Becca added gently. Rayshawn frowned as though the idea of an alliance between his enemies never occurred to him. In the olden days in the hood, different factions or gangs would ally against a larger gang in order to take over their territory or simply remove a threat. Such things are universal. Of course such alliances can occur in the vampire underworld. Why the fuck not?

"Becca, my dear, you are brilliant, we must prepare for all of our enemies, human and vampire alike," Rayshawn said evenly. Becca smiled at her leader, silently thanking her lucky stars that he was finally starting to see reason. Rayshawn smiled and then showed Becca something he'd acquired recently. A large box containing enough explosives to take out a small city. It ought to do just fine against a compound inhabited by a few thousand humans and their vampire protectors. Becca nodded in approval, and Rayshawn sighed with contentment. They finally understood each other. There was much work to do before they unleashed hell upon their foes...