John Steakley Vampire$ (BD) (v3.3)

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.First he slipped, in that awfully gooey stuff the monsters used for blood.Itwas a clear, viscous, odorless mucus that had been pouring from the woundsonto the cement and Felix made the mistake of stepping in it as he spun toshoot the third of the trio, which had rushed screaming out of the flare'slight toward them.When he went down, Felix's right hand went outinstinctively to catch himself and it went into another puddle of the junk andthe pistol squirted out of his grip like a bar of soap.Jack had already made his shot, the vampire already wriggling on the hugearrow, when it happened.He frantically fished for the pistol on his belt.Catdid the same and had actually managed to draw his pistol before Adam, calm andcool, stepped forward and fired his crossbow through the last monster's chest.It dropped like meat on a spit.Seconds later they were out watching another fire while Carl toweled theclinging mess from Felix's hand and gun and everyone else exchanged proudgrins with the young priest.It had been his only chance for action in hoursand he had been flawless.They felt good.Nothing else even slowed them down.And only one thing actually frightenedthem again: going down into the basement.The detectors said there were no more inside.Jack Crow believed them.Theyhad already killed twenty-four and that was something like the third highestnumber Jack had ever seen in one place.But they were still going to have to go down there and see for themselves.And while they were sitting there trying to figure out the best way of goingabout it an old man wearing a faded pastor's collar started across the streettoward them.They had noticed him before and ignored him.Just another one ofthe local biggies come to oversee.But as he got closer, they could tell this was no bigshot.The knees to hisslacks were worn through.The lining of his jacket was hanging loose on oneside.And he looked like he hadn't shaved that white beard in a week.He began to walk faster and faster as be approached them.He was carrying apiece of pipe in one hand, holding it in front of him like an offering.Jackhad stood up to introduce himself, had even stuck out his hand to be shaken,in fact, when the old man swung the pipe at his head.Jack half ducked but the pipe still banged him good on his left shoulderbefore glancing hard against his ear.Blood splattered from his ear and hereeled from the stunning ringing in his head and if he'd been alone the oldPage 91ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlman might have finished him off.But he wasn't alone.The old man was down hard on the street with the deputyhandcuffing him within three seconds.The next minutes were spent bandaging upJack's ear and screaming at the local cops for an explanation as to just whoin the hell let this crazy old fartinhere, anyway?That's just Old Vic, they were told.Who?Old Vic Jennings.He's just a crazy old coot lives down there by the railroadtracks.He's an Englishman.Uh, ya'll don't wanna press charges or nothing, doyou?Jack stood up and pointed to the bandage covering the left side of his head."I sure as Helldo!"The cops looked back and forth between each other, shrugged, and tried toexplain that "there's kinda somewhat of a problem with that."Oh, really? Team Crow asked.Jack looked down at Old Vic, who seemed delighted with all the attention.Hewas grinning a satisfied death's-head grin at Jack.The two men exchangedsilent looks while the Team heard the song and dance about being abletoarresthim, okay! We canarresthim easy.Only they couldn't put 'im in thejail on account of the jail being closed because of two prisoners we got downthere got AIDS and we don't wanna risk no epidemic thing.Jack was listening as he stared at the old man's grin and tried to keep fromgrinning back.He asked one question:By whose order was the jail closed?The mayor, he was told.Jack nodded, told them to take the old man away anywhere they wanted -- tothe Hood County Jail, if necessary -- but keep him away from Team Crow."Because," he added, "we'll be finished here in another hour and I don't wantanything to screw it up.Dig?"They dug.They hauled Old Vic, still grinning, to a squad car.He had never,Jack suddenly realized, said a single word.Didn't have to, thought Jack, finally letting himself smile.He got what hewanted, attention, without it.Thirty minutes later, Jack and his gunman were ready to hit the warehousebasement.Just the two of them.Jack had fussed and fretted over the choice but he couldn't think of anotherway to do it.He had to go; he was in charge.Felix had to go; he was toogood.But what about backup?Well, what about it? They were going after master vampires, the ones incharge, the ones who'd created the goons in the first place, and if they cameacross them in that narrow stairwell anything that was going to happen wouldcrack too fast for anyone to stop it.Jack didn't believe the masters werePage 92ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmldown there -- they were in that goddamned jail -- but if they were they mightvery well wipe out the entire Team.This way there'd at least be somebody leftto do it the old-fashioned way, with plastique.And besides, he wasn't sure he wanted a lot of trigger-happy well-meanersshooting off pistols and crossbows pasthishead.No.Just him and Felix would go down, with both halogen crosses blazing fromtheir chests.Felix first.Crow felt the last part deserved an explanation but Felix didn't need one.Felix didn't even raise an eyebrow.Gunman first made sense to him too.ThenJack tried to explain about master vampires, the real live movie types thatcould throw cars and move so fast they literally blurred, but he didn't thinkhe had the gunman's attention."You're saying they're worse, right?" Felix interrupted at last, soundingirritated and bored.Jack just nodded.Felix nodded in turn."Ifiguredthat," he whispered harshly."Now let'sgetonwith it!"They did.The rich, rotten-sweet smell of death and decay rose up to them from the darkbasement stairs through the harsh smoky halogen beams.Jack nodded one lasttime to Cat and Adam, who would wait there on the first-floor battleground forthem.Then he touched Felix on the shoulder and the gunman started down thesteps.There was no trouble on the way down, save for their occasional startsand jumps at some imagined movement at the edges of the shadows.The detectornever beeped, their radios retained clear and crisp reception.But it scared the hell out of both of them.The stairwell was too goddamned narrow and the shadows too goddamned dark andthe smell grew so strong they felt they could lean against it and their bootssounded harsh and rasping on the dusty steps and they couldn't help but noticethe scores of other footprints besides their own.The basement was worse.It was a crypt [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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