Vince pushed me behind him and frowned. "You don't understand what you're doing," he warned the officer.
"I don't, but you're going to help me do that down at headquarters," Romero insisted.
Vince froze and his head snapped up. "Duck!" he yelled and pushed me to the ground.
I felt a wind pass over us and looked up in time to see shadows flit over us. Doppelganger shadows. The creatures sailed through the air like dark kites and sliced their bodies through the bodies of the zombies. The officers fell to pieces under the pressure and their limbs, heads, and torsos stacked high on the ground. The doppelgangers slipped into the shadows of the night only to reemerge like boomerangs of destruction to repeat their attack.
Romero and a few others who listened to Vince were unscathed, and Romero loosed Brutus from his leash. The zombie dog leapt forward and caught its strong jaws around one of the flying shadows. The doppelganger cried out in fury as it was dragged to the ground. Brutus shook his head and whipped the shadow wildly about himself. The zombie officers fired their guns and hit a few of the creatures. The bullets flew through their targets and created small holes that quickly filled in again with shadow.
"Get the blood!" Romero ordered his men.
Vince grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the car. Behind and around us the officers tried to regroup their bodies and themselves. "We can't leave them!" I protested.
"We are the reason for the attack," he pointed out.
He opened the passenger door and flung us both inside with him on the bottom and me on his chest. Outside the car the battle continued, and blood was added to the destructive mix. The officers sprayed the lamb's blood through the air and if the blood hit its target the skin of the doppelganger fizzled and smoked. The creatures of darkness screamed and flew faster through the air.
Vince scooted from beneath me and into the driver's seat. He started up the car and punched the gas.
We flew from the battle, and the battle flew with us.
Chapter 7
The doppelgangers abandoned their attack on the Parasquad and launched themselves at our car. They attached their shadow claws to the roof and sides, and climbed their way forward to the front of the car.
"Hold on!" Vince shouted at me as he spun the steering wheel sharply to the left.
His warning didn't give me enough time to obey, and I tumbled against my door. In the side mirror I saw the shadows hold on and their shadowy bottoms flailed in the air behind them. They were like homicidal streamers around the car as Vince took another sharp turn, this time to the right. I yelped and tumbled into his side.
"Are you trying to get them off or me out?" I shouted at him.
"The glove compartment!" he yelled back.
"I don't think that's going anywhere!" I growled.
Vince spun the wheel so I toppled back onto my side of the car. He pointed a finger at the glove compartment on my side of the vehicle. "In there!" he shouted.
I dove for the box and opened it. Inside were half a dozen spray bottles filled with blood. "Oh, right, I knew that," I quipped as I pulled out one of the weapons.
A doppelganger slammed its face against my window and opened its wide mouth. The mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth and it made a horrible screech like nails on chalkboards. I rolled down my window and stuck the nozzle in its mouth. "Bottoms up!" I yelled as I sprayed a healthy dose of the blood into its gullet.
The creature screamed and clawed at its mouth, losing its grip in the process and falling from the vehicle. One down, a dozen more to go. I stuck my head out the window and looked backwards. The others clawed their way forward, undeterred by Vince's homicidal driving. I stuck my head back in and looked to my partner. "Don't make any sharp turns!" I ordered him.
He raised an eyebrow. "What are you-" I didn't let him finish as I climbed out the window and onto the running board beneath my door.
I clung to the side with one hand while the other held the full spray bottle. The wind whipped at my hair and clothes, and the car bumped along the road and rattled my body and my grip. The doppelgangers saw me and climbed their way towards me. I sprayed the first unwary few and they dropped like their first companion, but the others hissed and backed off. I shuffled along the running board and pointed the spray at the crowd.
Something grabbed my ankle and pulled. I yelped, and hugged the rear door handle and risked a look down. A doppelganger lay beneath the car, and his hand was wrapped around my ankle. I leaned down and sprayed his hand, and doused myself in the process. A terrible burning erupted on my skin. It was as though tiny animals chewed and pulled at my flesh, tearing it from my body. I let out a horrible scream that mimicked the doppelganger as it fell from the car and was ran over by the rear tire. The bottle slipped from my hand and also fell beneath the wheel.
The doppelgangers saw my weakness and dove at me with their claws splayed. I held my ring above me and one of the creatures stuck their nose over the trinket. The ring glowed a brilliant blue light as I focused on creating a small barrier. The unfortunate doppelganger screamed and burst into a thousand tiny shadow fragments that were swept away by the wind around the fast-moving car. The barrier of light covered the top of me and kept away the beasts. I ground my teeth together and focused all my thoughts and strength on creating the icicles like Vince and I had done with Astaroth. The crystal-clear daggers pushed forth from the top of the barrier, and the doppelgangers scattered backwards. I launched the icicles and, like homing devices, they flew from the barrier and stuck themselves into the chests of the creatures where there should have been a heart.
The doppelgangers screamed and batted at the blue daggers. The crystal spread over their bodies and encased them in the transparent blue glass. Our foes lost their grip and fell from the vehicle to shatter on the road behind us. I dropped my arm and clung to the side of the vehicle. My whole body shook from the effort of using the ring, and from the pain in my ankle. I didn't have the strength to pull myself inside.
Vince coasted the car to a stop and flew out my door. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me from the vehicle. I fell into him and cried out when I leaned too much weight on my ankle. Vince swept me into his arms and carried me to a nearby alley. He set my rear down on a box and knelt in front of me to inspect my wound. His long fingers pulled my pants up and my sock down. Even his careful touch made me wince.
"How bad is it?" I hissed.
He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Not good."
I chanced a glance and winced. My skin bubbled like that of the doppelgangers and there were inch-deep holes where I could see a hint of bone. "Ouchie. . ." I whimpered.
Vince stood and looked around. His eyes fell on darkness behind a nearby dumpster. He dove forward and his hand whipped into the darkness. I heard a squeak and a small crack, and he pulled forth the body of a rat. Vince returned to me and held out the creature to me. "Drink this."
I leaned away and stuck out my tongue. "Um, no, but thanks-"
"Drink it, or the lamb's blood will spread," he warned me.
I winced, and reluctantly took the filthy rat from Vince. Its fur was matted, and it hung limp in my hand. I closed my eyes and chomped down on its little body with fangs that stretched from my mouth. The warm blood flowed smoothly into my mouth, invigorating me with its life energy. A blanket of warmth filled me with a heat I didn't realize my body no longer possessed. I grasped the rat in both hands and gobbled up every drop of blood from its little life.
When I knew it was dry I pulled the rat away and looked down at its thin form. Dead and drained. Past the rat I could see and feel as my skin knitted itself back together. The bubbles disappeared and the holes filled themselves in. Vince took the rat from me and tossed it into the darkness. He offered his hand to me.
"We must hurry. Bat may move on if he feels there is a danger to himself," he warned me.
I raised my shaking hand and grasped his. He pulled me to his feet and against himself. I meant to push away
from him, but my fingers grasped the front of his coat and I buried my face in the fabric to stifle a sob. I was a monster, a creature of blood. If I needed proof it was with the lamb's blood.
"Why? Why is this happening to me?" I sobbed.
Vince wrapped his arms around me and pressed me close to him. "The night isn't over yet," he reminded me.
"No, not this one, or the next one, or a thousand other nights and no day," I countered.
His slender fingers reached up and stroked my hair. "I. . .I will not allow you to become as I am. We will find Bat and learn how to rid yourself of the ring."
I sniffled and looked into his face. "But what about you? What happens if I get rid of my ring?"
He shrugged. "We will see. Perhaps nothing, perhaps I will be destroyed, but we will never know unless we find Bat, and the night is waning."
I pushed away from him and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Yeah, I guess we'd better get going." Vince led me to the car and, sans doppelgangers, we resumed our journey.
The roads on which Vince took us led us through the city and out into the country. In a few minutes I beheld the sight of a large, old barn. In the middle of the barnyard was the blackened remains of a hot fire. Tim's burial spot. Vince parked the car beside the charred pit and we stepped out.
"About time," a voice wheezed, and Bat made his appearance at the barn door. In one hand was a thick stick used as a cane. He smiled at us, but his body shook.
Vince and I rushed over to him. "Are you hurt?" I asked him.
He waved away our helpful hands. "It's nothing you can fix, either of you." Bat turned and gestured for us to follow him into the barn. He led us to a stack of bales on one side of the decrepit structure. I noticed Bat shuffled more than walked, and his hands trembled. He lowered himself to a bale with a stacked pair for backing, and a coughing fit overcame him. Vince hurried to steady him, but Bat held up a hand while he coughed into the other one. "I'm not so far gone that I need someone to hold me like I'm an infant," he protested.
"Too far gone?" I repeated.
Bat rallied himself and nodded. "Yes. You see, I'm dying." Vince started, and Bat chuckled. "You thought it could never happen, what with my blood? Well, it can. It seems nothing lasts forever, even immortality." He chuckled, but the sound ended in another fit of coughing. Bat leaned back against the pile behind his seat and sighed. "I've been dying for a while, but Tim. . .Tim's own death hastened my calling."
"Come on, you've got a few more centuries," I insisted.
Bat smiled, but shook his head. "No. A few hours, maybe a day. My heart-" he tapped his chest, "-my heart is giving out. Much as my crusty exterior hates to admit it, but my heart aches for Tim." He closed his eyes and I saw a few loose tears squeeze from beneath the lids. "A man should never outlive his son."
My mouth dropped open. "Tim was-" Bat held up his hand and opened his eyes.
"No, not in the blood way," he assured me. "He was a young man when I first met him in London. He had the plague, but such life was in him. I couldn't let him die, not in the flower of his youth, so I gave him the ring." He chuckled and turned to Vince. "I remember how angry you were with me for giving my ring to a stranger, but I know I made the right choice, and you thought so, too, after a time." Vince hung his head and said nothing.
"But we still need you, now more than ever!" I protested. I looked to Vince. "Vince, the letter from Tim."
Vince straightened and pulled the letter. He handed it to Bat, who held the slip of paper between his shaking hands. Bat's lips moved in a silent reading, but he shook his head and handed the paper back to Vince. "I'm afraid I don't know what it means. Tim was always smarter than I at these damned puzzles of his."
"So we're stuck with nowhere to go," I mused.
Bat chuckled. "Tim wouldn't make a riddle his friends couldn't solve. You'll figure out-" Another coughing fit overcame him. The fit rattled his thin frame, and my eyes widened when I beheld a dribble of blood flow from the corner of his mouth. Vince knelt in front of Bat and grabbed his arm. Bat smiled at the vampire. "Old friend, I'm sorry to leave you. This sounds stupidly selfish, but I think I'm ready to go."
Vince shook his head, and his glasses slipped enough that I could see a few loose tears of blood in the lip of his eyes. "No, old nemesis, it doesn't. Every human wishes for death at some point. It is. . .it is merely your time."
Bat smiled and turned his gaze to me. "Well, at least I'm leaving you with a competent babysitter. Tim was the best at getting you to obey without you complaining much, but I think this young lady here is the best at convincing you to do it because it needs to be done."
I snorted. "Everyone keeps telling me that, but Vince keeps proving them wrong."
Bat turned her head to Vince. "Vincent, will you leave us for a moment? I wish to speak with Liz alone."
"Me? Don't you want to talk to Vince alone?" I asked him.
Bat shook his head. "No, only you. Vincent, please leave."
Vince raised an eyebrow, but gave a nod and stood. I gave him a quizzical look he ignored as he walked to the barn doors and shut them behind him. We were alone.
Chapter 8
"Liz," Bat spoke up, and I returned my attention to him. "There is something I must tell you about the ring. About how to remove it from your finger."
My eyes widened. "So there is a way to get it off besides dying?" I asked him.
He nodded. "Yes. A selfless act will-" He winced and clutched his chest.
"Maybe you can say this later?" I suggested, but he shook his head.
"Not. . .not much time. I must tell you that. . .that a selfless act will allow the wearer to remove the ring."
"A selfless act? What kind of selfless act?" I persisted.
"One in which death is nearly certain, for love can nullify the strongest magic. I forsook a longer life to save Tim, and he sought to protect you from Ruthven's wrath when he set the ring in the box beneath his bed," he explained.
"But what happens if I don't have anyone to give it to? Won't that mean Vince is free and will try to kill me?" I pointed out.
Bat smiled and his eyes studied my face. "Do you believe he will?"
I shrugged. "I don't know what goes through that head of his. Sometimes I think he wants to eat me, and other times-" I paused and shook my head.
"And other times?" Bat wondered.
"And other times-well, other times I think he's one bat short of a belfry," I quipped.
Bat chuckled and set his hand over mine. "Whatever you decide, trust that Vincent will do what his soul commands him."
I snorted. "I don't think he can hear it all the way from the apartment."
"You would be surprised how closely attached to it he now is," Bat mused. He covered his mouth to stifle another horrible, body-wracking cough.
I felt the time was growing short when I could ask him about Vince, and me. "Bat? What. . .what will happen to the rings when you-well, when you-"
"Die?" he guessed, and he swayed his head from side to side. "I don't know. My blood inside your ring may last until it dries to dust, or you may both be freed from the magic, or you might be connected to each other forever."
I cringed. "And nothing but this selfless act would get it off me?" I guessed.
Bat opened his mouth to speak, but he was shaken by another fit of coughing. More blood dribbled from his mouth and his body shuddered. The fit passed, and he managed a smile at me. "It seems I was overly optimistic about a few hours," he mused. "Please, call Vincent back in here."
I reluctantly moved from his side and hurried over to the door. I peaked outside and found Vince standing twenty yards off. "Vince. You need to come back in here," I told him.
Vince heard the urgency in my voice and swept past me into the barn. I turned to find him by Bat's side. The old man turned his head to Vince and set his hand on Vince's. "Bury me with Tim, will you? One last favor to an old friend." Vince gave a nod and Bat chuckled as I came up to them. "Good, and don't. . .cause
too much trouble when I'm gone. I don't want-" Another fit overtook him and Bat's breathing grew more shallow. He closed his eyes, but the smile remained on his lips. "I don't want to have to interrupt my-my heavenly vacation to come down here and. . .and haunt you."
Bat's head lolled to one side. His chest ceased to move. I knelt down and grabbed his hand. Nothing moved inside the veins. The heat of life was leaving him. "Bat? Bat?" I whispered. No response. He was gone.
Vince bowed his head, and I couldn't stop a sob from escaping my throat. My partner slipped his arms beneath Bat's limp body and lifted him. He turned away and walked to the entrance where he turned his head towards me. "We must burn him as he requested."
I nodded and stood. One final request for our fallen friend.
An hour later Vince and I stood together in front of a roaring fire of dried, rotten wood. Atop the pile was Bat's wrapped body covered in an old tarp we found laying in the barn. I looked to my partner for any signs of grief. He stood stiffly by my side and his cheeks glistened with moisture that wasn't from the air.
"Are you all right?" I whispered.
"Yes," came the blunt reply.
"Do you-"
"No."
"All right, but if you need to talk," I persisted. He said nothing, and I raised my ring finger and studied the glistened trinket. "Think anything happened?" I whispered to my partner.
"No," Vince replied.
I sighed and dropped my hand to my side. "So what now?"
He pulled out Tim's note and studied the contents. "We must finish what Tim started, and hope it will lead to Ruthven's destruction."
"And if we can't?" I wondered.
"That isn't an option," he returned.
I nodded at the paper. "If we can't figure that thing out then it's the only option we have." I stepped close to Vince and leaned forward to read the message. "'Where it began so shall it end.'" I pressed my lips together and frowned. "Damn Tim and his wittiness. He was always an ass, even the first time-" My eyes widened and I whipped my head up to Vince. "I've got it!" I paused and furrowed my brow. "At least, I think I do."