Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
With the gate slightly ajar, humans slowly started trickling into The Wastes in droves.
Each person wore pristine white armor, their faces hidden behind their signature metallic horse masks.
Jude and I, fueled by determination, sprinted towards the gate, passing several Exiles that’d been attempting to lift themselves from the ground.
Many were walking away as briskly as they could; perhaps they knew a war was imminent.
“Vincent! Jude! You did it!”
Our hearts leapt as we heard a familiar voice. The man lifted his mask, and Arthur’s face stared back at us. Relief washed over me as we ran to him, the sounds of the approaching human army a thunderous roar in The Wastes.
“Here, take these.” Arthur threw a couple of horse masks at us. “I figure you’d wear these to hide your identity from the vampires and also to let our team know you’re one of us.”
A terrifying, high-pitched screech pierced the silence as a colossal black beam shot upwards, expanding to form a net-like structure across the sky.
Reaching the high poles on the city’s wall, the thick covering cast a heavy veil over the city, muffling the sun’s warmth and creating a shadowy atmosphere.
“Impressive tint your father has here.” Arthur smiled. “This must only be used if there’s an attack during the day, so the army can fight and deter us from getting inside.”
“Pretty smart,” Jude acknowledged.
“Our first wave is fully prepared to combat the vampire army,” Arthur confidently said. “Hopefully, our second wave will be enough for the secret army. Did you find out any more about them?”
Jude shook his head. “It’s a mystery.”
“I do have a secret third army to help us if we need it as well.” A triumphant smile stretched Arthur’s lips, a sure victory already tasted on his tongue as he watched the humans.
“We’ll take your father’s power today, Vincent.
” He clapped me on my shoulder. “And create a new world where humans and vampires live in harmony.”
Instead of reveling in the show above, my eyes remained fixated on the grim figures of the Exiles.
“Something isn’t right.” Those with enough strength walked toward Elysium, while others, weakened and desperate, clawed at the ground in a slow approach.
I looked at Arthur, putting on my mask. “Rally the troops, Jude, and I will check this out.”
With a curt nod, Arthur rejoined the human army, the air thick with anticipation.
I cocked my head to Jude, indicating for him to follow me.
With the weight of our weapons heavy in our hands, we stealthily followed the Exiles.
Each one looked sicker and paler than the last, almost like zombies.
They all crept toward the same direction, their movement ominous and silent, as if fleeing some unseen terror. Could it be the humans?
We followed them through the park to the courtyard where the empty fountain sat in its center, my eyes searching for Gabe.
The Exiles were flocking around the fountain, some were even inside the empty basin.
Familiar alarms sounded around me—the same ones I heard the night I was kidnapped.
The vampires knew they were under attack, and the troops would soon be deployed.
“What’re they doing?” Jude whispered. “It’s like they’re trying to hide.”
“Put on your mask. The vampire army will soon be coming out of Elysium.”
We secured the masks over our faces, peering through the small eyeholes, watching what happened next in stunned silence.
A metallic crunching echoed from beneath the courtyard, like some trapped creature clawing at the pipes.
The sound soon stopped, and the metal fountain began to shake.
I braced myself for an explosion, but instead, water started spraying from its openings.
“What…is that?” Jude breathed.
I squinted at the fountain. It wasn’t water; it almost looked like rust, and my eyes grew wide once I realized what was spurting out of the top. “It’s blood.”
The metallic scent overwhelmed the Exiles as they surged towards the fountain, a chaotic mass of flailing limbs and desperate cries.
Some toppled into the basin with a splash, while others carefully climbed the treacherous ladder of Exiles to drink from the fountain directly.
With each drop of blood re-entering their body, the Exiles were becoming stronger.
Their arms and legs, once thin and weak, began to fill out with muscle, and their pale skin started regaining a healthy color.
“J-Jude, we gotta get out of here and warn your dad.” With the majority of the vampire army gathering, it was nearly impossible not to stammer. “This is the secret army.”
The Exiles’ hearing must have improved, for a group perked up their ears in my direction, their eyes fixed on both of us.
A piercing scream ripped through the quiet as Jude and I scrambled back towards the human army.
I glanced back and saw the Exiles, their teeth bared in snarls, scrambling towards us on all fours like crazed animals. Like Dogs.
Rounding the corner, the imposing gates came into view, and with a sense of urgency, we waved our arms, trying to get Arthur’s attention.
The intense thumping from the handful of Exiles behind us indicated others were on their way.
The human army ahead of us began sprinting toward us, weapons outstretched, a terrifying wave of shouting and clashing steel.
A war cry came from ahead, while a shriek of bloodlust came from behind, heightening our sense of impending danger.
Two sharp gunshots cracked through the air, followed by a heavy thud that vibrated through the ground behind us. I looked over my shoulder and saw the two newly grown vampires who were chasing us were shot dead. Humans, guns blazing, rushed past, spraying bullets at the vampires in the courtyard.
“Now’s the time,” Arthur boomed over the rushing humans. “Protect our families! Protect the human race!”
Doubled over with my chest heaving, gasping for air, Jude put a reassuring hand on my back. “C’mon, let’s see if we can find Gabe. He should be around here.”
My gun’s metal handle was in my hand as I regained my composure. Unicorns were still rushing by me, their white coats a dazzling sight, and I realized there were many more people in the first wave than I expected. From underneath my mask, I nodded to Jude. “Let’s go.”
We turned around and joined the throng of humans running toward the courtyard.
Now that the Exiles had time to drink deeply from the gushing fountain, many were at their full potential.
Their pale bodies were crisscrossed with long, blue veins like a roadmap, and their fingers ended in unnaturally long claws.
A bloody scene unfolded in front of us. Unicorns shot at the vampires with their guns and also used various other methods to distract them, like smoke bombs and paralysis gas. As much as the vampires may have had the upper hand with brute strength, there was much more white than red.
Dodging the pale skin of vampires and the desperate faces of humans, Jude and I ran through the thick, surging crowd until a massive explosion engulfed us in a wave of heat and debris.
A thick, white smoke surrounded us, obscuring everyone within its swirling embrace.
My lungs burned as I coughed, waving my arms wildly, searching for Jude amidst the confusing chaos.
“Where are you?” The smoke was so thick, I might be standing directly next to a vampire, and I’d have no idea.
A hand wrapped around mine. “Don’t worry, I’m right here.”
A touch to the side of my mask brought a screen to life before my eyes, its glow warm against my skin.
Faint outlines of the people around me materialized before my eyes, their features blurred except for the sharp horns on their unicorn masks.
We crept forward until a powerful force slammed me to the ground.
A vampire was on top of me, its fangs glistening even through the thick fog.
Two deafening gunshots rang out, and the vampire crumpled next to me. Through the deafening scream, I saw Jude beside me, a thin, acrid plume of smoke curling from his smoking weapon. “Th-thanks,” I whispered. “Let’s go!”
We found the courtyard’s perimeter, its rough stone walls beneath our hands as we carefully moved along, escaping the choking smoke. Splashing water and murmuring voices from the Exiles drinking at the fountain reached my ears. Gabe stood in the middle of them, his gun pointed and firing.
This may be the wrong time to say this, but he looked so hot.
Gabe was surrounded on all sides by vampires, their eyes glowing menacingly in the dim light. It seemed no matter which way he turned, there was another one there. When one vampire fell, two more took its place. Although many bodies were lying at his feet.
I pointed my gun and began running toward him, firing. Gunshots came from my weapon and from Jude, who was directly next to me. Our bullets sailed through the air, reaching both their targets, leaving Gabe to continue his fight.
“About time you guys got here!” he yelled to us with a smirk.
A small, soft blue ball appeared in Jude’s hand as he reached into his pocket and threw it high.
It clinked against the uneven stone walkway and exploded, creating another shield of smoke.
Through the fog, we neared Gabe, and I grabbed his hand.
With a powerful pull, I yanked him from the circle of deadly vampires.
“Where to?” I whispered.
“The vault.” He coughed. “That’s where your dad is.”