Vampire Storm (Volume 1 : The Hurricane Journals)

As the three of them, the Speed and Strength along with Reggio, exited the flooded underground chambers, they looked around at the storm around them. With one glance at the swamp Reggio saw that the flooding had worsened considerably since he’d gone inside. Where he and the Speed stood seemed to be the only dry spot around, only because all the water was pouring into the opening of the underground chambers right behind them.

  Everything else around them was flooded with at least a few feet of water, and it seemed to be deeper farther away. The wind was whipping the rain from side to side, blowing from the direction of the lake. Most of the bridge was under water, with only three or four feet of its peek poking out as waves crashed and exploded against it, one after another. And just as the Strength exited from the chambers, the ground began to rumble, nearly dropping Reggio to his knees. After regaining his balance, he looked back to see that the tree had collapsed deeper into the ground to block the entrance, and behind it, the rush of the water was washing away the dirt that covered the underground chambers, and seemed to be cracking the stone that rested beneath it.

  The underground chambers were beginning to collapse.

  Reggio wanted to do something about it, but knew he had to push the feelings of Jane Saint Marie from his mind, if only to save his own life. Even though he knew she was still down there, with no way out, he heeded her words, understanding that he had to focus on himself if he wished to survive. Then, in a sudden and rapid torrent, all the water seemed to come rushing at them at once. The rush of its force hit the Speed at the waist and began to carry his little body away. Reggio had leapt above the initial wave and reached out to grab the little guy. As he latched onto his arm and landed back in the rushing water, he tried to keep his balance, but was eventually dragged down into the water’s grasp, as well. So, as they were both toppled back into the flood, the Strength reached down and snatched them both up out of it, seeming to have no trouble walking through it at all.

  Reggio looked over at the large frame of the warlock as he was lifted out of the water. “I really don’t think it is safe out here anymore!” He yelled out to him, even though he was a foot from his face.

  The Strength just nodded as wooden branches large and small were being flung around by the wind all around them. The area around the entrance was quickly filling with water now, as all of it poured down through the newly broken ground behind them. But Reggio could see, through the downpour of rain, that farther out into the swamp, the water was much higher, meaning the trip back to the tree would not be easy. As he pulled himself up onto the shoulders of the Strength to see better, a rather large chunk of wood flew past him like a dagger and stabbed into the tree behind them, the tree marking the underground entrance. The trunk of that tree then buckled, shifting in the wet dirt, and the entire length of it sunk slowly down and then began to fall backwards.

  A chilling sound of echoed cracking – pop, pop, pop – filled the air as it did. And as it tumbled backwards, ripping out the ground beneath it and collapsing straight down through the ground and through the ceiling of the chambers with a monstrous rumble, the ground trembling beneath their feet, Reggio was left without a breath.

  He felt a sharp chill run up his spine as he stared backwards in horror, now able to see straight down into the depths of the chambers through the splits of the collapsed ceiling as water poured in like a thunderous waterfall through the newly broken holes created by the fallen tree.

  “Damn it… she was still…” His voice trailed off in horror as the Strength walked him farther away, fighting against the water and trying to keep his balance as the ground shook from the impact. Then the vampire unleashed a painful wail of anger. “AAAGGGHHH, FUCK!!! Don’t you do this to me!!! JANE!!!” He screamed out as loud as his voice would allow, only to be answered by the rumbling sky.

  The Strength paid no attention to him, though, and kept wandering out further into the raging storm, making their way back to the only safety they knew of, the tree hut of the native witches, leaving Reggio struggling to get free and rush back to the chambers. The Strength held him tight, however, not letting him free from his grasp.