Within an instant, the entire club was in chaos. Gunfire erupted beneath them as Soldados poured out of the van. Claudia’s guards were already returning fire, and for just a brief moment Arthur saw vampires moving at incredible speeds. It was too hard to keep track of who was where in the opening moments, and suddenly after a spray of bullets shattered the office window. Arthur dove into Claudia, knocking them both to the floor out of harms away. Arthur hesitated on the floor, a grim moment coming to him to remind him of how the Soldados had killed Aiden in a very similar manner. A surprise attack, with no remorse. He wouldn’t let the same thing happen this time. He pushed Claudia forward and she scrambled to the back of the office, closer to the door, away from the window. Every few seconds more bullets flew dangerously close inside the office. Arthur didn’t want to know what being shot felt like, even as a vampire.
Arthur got up and ran to the door, pushing it open only to immediately close it again seeing two more Soldados rushing down the second story hallway with guns drawn. He turned back to Claudia, who was curled up in the corner with her hands over her ears. She was good in a knife fight, but clearly hadn’t been exposed to a gunfight of this severity before. Arthur swore, drawing his handgun. His acute hearing picked up the rushing footsteps out the Soldados, who were shouting in their direction now. Arthur put himself between the door and Claudia, crouching behind the couch, gun at the ready. It took him a moment to realize she was yelling something as him, and pointing to the desk, which now was perforated with bullets and had sent woodchips spraying all over the room.
Arthur looked at her, then the door, then sprinted over to the desk. He looked back, as Claudia was making a motion with her hand, like reaching under. He felt around underneath, until he gripped something, yanking it out from underneath the desk. Arthur didn’t have time to make it back over to the other side of the room as the door burst open and a gun swung through first, followed by a Soldado. By the time he saw Arthur, Arthur already had the shotgun pointed at him. There was a boom, and the vampire went flying backwards out of the room with a loud crashing sound. Arthur hit the floor as the second one started spraying bullets inside the room. He heard Claudia screech, before popping his head back up as the second Soldado had now entered and was preparing to shoot her. He pulled the trigger again. The buckshot made his head look like a smashed apple, brain matter, skull and flesh spraying across the ceiling.
Claudia screamed. Arthur double checked the door, breaking the shotgun, as he did. He yelled at Claudia for more shells, but here eyes were squeezed shut and her hands still over her ears. The gunfire below hadn’t stopped yet, and he could hear screaming, shouting, and agonized roars as the vampires below tore each other to pieces. He couldn’t be certain Persephone was even still alive at this point, so instead he pushed up against the couch and violently rammed it up against the door, barricading it. Arthur moved to Claudia, gently taking one of her hands away from her ears.
“You’re ok! Claudia, you’re ok! Is there any more ammo!?”
Claudia was shaking, but looked up as Arthur spoke. It took her a moment to process what he was saying, before nodding and pointing at the desk again. Arthur rushed over to it, Claudia directing him towards the lower drawer. Inside was a small box with maybe twenty or so shells in it, never opened. Arthur ripped the box open, slamming two fresh shells into the shotgun and cramming as many as he could fit into his pockets.
“What are you doing?!” Claudia shouted.
Arthur ignored her. He got low, making his way over to the shattered window. Below, the firefight was raging. Arthur couldn’t count how many were left on either side, but there were plenty of bodies scattering the floor. Arthur didn’t see Santiago anywhere immediately, having to duck again as bullets ricocheted near the office. When he looked back down there was a lull in the fight. Two men were slowly advancing towards the back of the club where Arthur saw Persephone, Lewis, and three guards hunkered down behind various objects. They were completely surrounded.
He aimed the shotgun towards the nearest Soldado approaching the back, and pulled the trigger. Arthur barely even noticed the recoil, his new, blood enhanced strength able to control it easily. Even from this distance, almost all pellets went where he aimed. The Soldado swore as he staggered backwards, still on his feet. Arthur pulled the trigger again, this time knocking the Soldado off his feet, though still not dead. Arthur threw himself to the floor as they returned fire, one bullet catching him in the hand. He barely felt it, the bloody chunk taken out of his palm a minor concern as he fumbled for more shells.
A moment later, more gunfire screeched his way as the roar of weapons picked up again and bullets began to riddle the office around them. Due to their height on the second floor and the angle of the window, all of the rounds missed their target, but suppressing the entire area. Arthur hastily crawled behind the wall, swearing. As he looked back down at the main floor. He peeked around the corner, his momentary distraction having given Lewis an opportunity.
The giant man moved at an blinding speed. Faster than any human ever had moved. Faster than a motorcycle could accelerate. Faster than a hummingbird. He moved so fast from a still position that he looked blurred, appearing almost instantly in front of the nearest guard. The guard swung his gun up but Lewis’ arm shot out in a heavy strike, sending the man flying backwards, violently slamming him into the bar with a loud crack. The Soldadoss turned their fire towards Lewis, who once again moved at an incredible speed, diving behind cover.
It was as if in this moment all the remaining vampires in the room decided to use their Potential all at once. Multiple of them zipped around at high speeds crashing into each other, gigantic speakers and pieces of heavy furniture were being flung around like toys, and both sides were trying to shout commands and reorganize themselves. Arthur turned the corner again and pulled the trigger, but the target he’d been aiming at suddenly turned completely invisible and disappeared. Arthur didn’t have time to be amazed, re-adjusting and firing again at a different Soldado.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The chaos turned to pandemonium. Too much was happening all at once. The only thing that was clear in this moment was that there were many more Soldados than there were of the Baron’s people. If something decisive didn’t happen, and soon, they were going to die.
Arthur looked at Claudia once, who looked back at him. She had gathered herself somewhat, but still clearly had no experience in a fight like this, lost at what to do besides hunker down. In that moment, all Arthur could think about was Lewis’ warning. Don’t be a hero. Claudia was staring at Arthur, her hair disheveled, the blood of the Soldado spattered over her face, her clothes torn, squeezed up into a ball in the corner of her own office.
“Fuck it.”
Arthur shoved two more shells in, turned away, and jumped out the window, sailing down before landing on the floor. He landed upright, slammed the shotgun closed, and fired at a nearby shooter poking out of cover. He screamed as the shotgun put a hole in his torso and fell backwards, crashing into a chair. Arthur whipped around, firing at another Soldado who had just appeared out of thin air a few feet from him. The Soldado threw himself to the side, dodging the shells. Arthur tried to grab more shells out of his pocket, but the Soldado was on top of him. He raised his own gun getting ready to smash Arthur in the face, but was riddle by bullets from someone behind Arthur, before falling over. Arthur turned, once again scrambling across the floor, trying to stay as low as possible. It seemed like he had bought them just a few more moments, though there were still numerous Soldados closing in. He turned and dove behind the same cover Persephone was behind.
Persephone had her back to the wall, and was putting another magazine in her own pistol after having unloaded on the vampire attack Arthur. She glanced up at Arthur briefly, slamming the magazine into her gun.
“We’ve got to move!” he shouted over the continuous chaos.
Persephone shook her head at him like she disagreed. Arthur ignored it, scooted across the floor to grab her and drag her. One of Saint’s goons came around the corner, gun raised. Arthur didn’t have time to think, but dove forward, using his own body to cover Persephone. Bullets roared around them, and in that moment Arthur learned that at least some part of his nervous system still worked. Intense, searing pain tore through his back and leg as he cried out in pain. The sheer force of the impact sent him sprawling forward. Persephone looked at him in horror as he fell. Arthur was dazed, the blood inside him broiling to try to keep his dead body functioning and his wounds from incapacitating him. His head was swimming, screaming and running at all once, and as he looked behind him on the floor he saw yet another figure, unable to make out if it was friend or foe. He tried to level the shotgun at him, but his arm wasn’t responding at all.
“Stop,” Arthur tried to call out, his voice coming out strained and cracked, trying to summon all remaining power in him to command the man. The Soldado raised his gun, not aiming at Arthur, but aiming at Persephone.
“Stop!” Arthur choked out, desperately trying to drag himself up as the mans finger squeezed the trigger.
“ENOUGH!”
There was a sudden roar of power in the middle of the room. It took Arthur a moment to realize it hadn’t come from him. He completely froze, the compulsion from the command arresting any action of his. The man behind him had completely frozen too, his gun still aimed at Persephone, his finger twitching on the trigger.
Arthur strained his neck to look up. Persephone was standing up out of cover, he gaze pointed to the middle of the room, raw power emanating from her in a visible, shimmering aura of deep red. He could see the veins underneath her skin throbbing with blood, beckoning at her command to cause the entire room to do her will. Arthur realized that the fighting had stopped. There was no more gunfire. Though, there were a few men who had seemingly been able to resist the command, who were in a state of struggle with their own mind against the supernatural power, desperately trying to raise their guns.
“Kill them!” Persephone snarled, her voice taking on the strange, supernatural tenor when using the Potential. The closest club guards stood, and like soulless automatons raised their guns, dumping their entire magazines into the nearest Soldados, executing them in a brutal display.
Arthu tried to look up over the cover, but his vision was blurring. Perspehone turned towards the Soldado nearest them who still had his gun pointed at her, was still struggling to pull the trigger.
“Kill yourself.”
The command was followed. The Soldado complied.
Persephone walked around the cover, Arthur dragging himself up to look over the cover. Three Soldados remained, and five club guards. There were probably twenty dead in total. Persephone looked at two of the Soldados who were standing near each other, gripped in total terror, their muscles strained and shaking trying to resist the command. Persephone gave them no chance to, ordering them both to kill each other. Without hesitation they raised their guns and shot each over and over until both collapsed. The final man, the one who was standing in the middle of the room, had bloody red tears beginning to stream down his face as he watched his allies fall, unable to do anything to resist.
Arthur didn’t know a vampire could cry, but it was a strange, terrible sight. His free will removed from him, Persephone slowly made her way towards him. Arthur called out her name, but she ignored him, her eyes displaying nothing but fury. As she walked, she bent down and unsheathed a knife from the hip of one of the club guards. The Soldado was making some kind of noise through his unresponsive lips. Begging, probably. Without a second thought, Persephone rammed the knife through his eye into his brain. She stabbed him with such violent strength that the entire blade of the knife disappeared into his skull and the handle was sticking out of his eye socket. He slumped onto the ground, going still.
She turned to the rest of the club, surveying the scene. The remaining club guards were all still under Persephone’s command, so she released them. Simultaneously their bodies relaxed, some slumping into heaps on the floor. Persephone looked back at Arthur again, who was staring up at her, terrified. She only looked at him for a brief moment, concluding he wasn’t in any danger of dying, before dispassionately turning her attention way. She moved to the opposite side of the room. Arthur dragged himself up off the floor, the bullets in his back and leg dragging him down, staggering to see what Persephone was investigating. She crouched down next to a corpse that was unmoving near the bar.
Lewis’ entire upper body and face were covered in blood, and even through the dark clothing Arthur could see bullet holes all over him, including two through his face. Persephone muttered something Arthur couldn’t hear, as she pulled his eyelids closed over his face. Moments later Arthur heard glass crunching behind him, whipping around, half expecting another Soldado sneaking up on him only to see Claudia, standing at the edge of the window above. He let out a sigh of relief, before he allowed himself to slump down against the makeshift cover he was leaning on and pass out.
