Vampire Agent (English Version)

Chapter 11

Widow

I had managed to hit the hay again. However, I woke up again only a few hours later.
Confused, I opened my eyes to find out what had woken me up this time. I coughed dryly, my throat burned.
Question answered.
A pungent smell hung in the air. I sat up to look for the reason and saw thick black smoke billowing from under the door.
Were they going to smoke me out now, too?!
I stopped breathing, but still had to cough, because my airways were already irritated.
I jumped out of bed and heard the crackling of fire. With a queasy feeling, I went to the door of the room and opened it a crack. Immediately, burning hot flames were hitting on me.
I slammed the door shut again and took a few steps back.
I was on the second floor, a jump through the window I would unquestionably survive without injury.
For a few seconds I considered whether there was anything else I could do, but I was no match for a full-blown Brandt. I ran to the window and opened it. Just then I saw someone disappear into the woods.
"HEY!" I shouted in anger, not thinking twice and swinging myself over the windowsill. Deftly, I rolled off onto the damp grass and set after the figure. It was certainly not human. I smelled no adrenaline and there was again no heartbeat. With a growl, I picked up my pace, but by the time I reached the edge of the woods, there was no sign of the silhouette.
"Filth!", I hissed and looked back to the house. It was ablaze with flames. Some people were standing in front of it, shouting harsh orders to each other. Among them Jonas, who was shouting at some of those present there. I didn't think twice and went over.
"Where did you come from all of a sudden?!" he hissed at me, eyeing me as if I were to blame for the chaos. I raised my hands defensively.
"I was trying to chase that undead asshole who escaped into the woods," I said, letting my gaze slide over the people.
"Where's your dear little daughter?", I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Still in the house!" hissed Jonas, examining me briefly, "We'll come back to your discovery later."
"Why isn't anyone coming for her?", I asked as I watched the fire climb higher and higher.
"We're waiting for someone to get her out," Max said sharply, joining us, "Unless you want to take the job."
I passed over Max's comment.
"How long before help arrives?", I asked. Even if she was lying on the floor, holding a wet cloth in front of her nose, and the flames hadn't reached her yet.... She wouldn't be able to stay conscious for more than five minutes, if she hadn't already passed out. Then she would also be easy prey for the flames.
"If the fire department hurries, it'll be five minutes," Jonas muttered, pacing back and forth.
"Assuming this is a small attack by anyone of distinction, don't you think they'll possibly drag out a firefighting operation? People like that don't play fair," I said, tilting my head as I studied his reaction. Jonas cursed and continued pacing. A phone was brought to him.
He listened briefly to the message he was told and answered with another curse.
Then he hung up in a rage and roughly pressed the device against the chest of one of the attendants, telling him to get out of his sight.
He could be very sympathetic after all.
After a few seconds in which he then stood still and seemed to consider, he finally looked at me.
"Get her out," he then ordered me.
I raised my eyebrows and laughed.
"I'm not going in there willingly. Burns are the biggest shit."
"The fire department won't be here for at least ten minutes, there were problems with the water tanks and they have to send trucks from across town now, so...", I saw how it took everything he had to say that sentence, "...Please, get her out of there."
His eyes were somber with worry.
"My goodness, you Americans are really beyond help. I hope you have in mind that I don't offer my services for free.", I growled and thought for a moment how best to approach the matter, "Where does she have her room?", I then asked.
First: the facts.
"In the east wing. Second floor. If you go down the first hallway, third door on the right. Her window is there.", Jonas pointed to one of the windows at the front of the house. It was relatively far to the edge.
Well, if she hadn't called for help until now, one could already assume what her situation was.
"Anything special about the doors I should know? Special locks or materials?"
"No, simple wooden doors."
I shook my head slightly.
"Why that vampire didn't just come in to kill you with his own hands...", I faltered.
It couldn't have been a hit. Not with circumstances like this. This was a diversion.
That vampire had to have still been in the house after he started the fire.
As high as the flames were already, the fire had been going for a good twenty minutes.
Enough time to have another look around without the risk of being discovered.
"...Hey, where is the data carrier?", I asked, but I already knew the answer. Jonas cursed, tapping his pockets.
"Shit, it was in my jacket," he hissed.
"You guys are such full of shit. First you drag me here under the pretense that I'm.... Oh forget it, we'll sort it out later," I growled, then walked into the flames.
If Jennifer had already passed out, I had no time to waste.
I raised my arm to ward off the biting heat that blew at me with a gust of wind as I opened the door. The ceiling creaked and I jumped to the stairs just in time to escape a collapsing beam.
I had to make sure I stayed as far away from the flames as possible. Burns did not heal as quickly as cuts or gunshot wounds. And were nowhere near as painless.
I ran up the stairs, reorienting myself as I stood on the top landing. The hallway to the east wing was ablaze. A sea of orange-red waves surged toward me. I could only raise my arm as a shield and hiss in pain as a blast of fire caught me.
Eyes half-closed and arm raised, I then walked briskly into the fire, face turned to the side to count off the doors. The floorboards made an unpleasant sound.
Jennifers door was closed and when I tried to open it, I found it was locked. Why the fuck did some people think that fire could be stopped just by turning a key twice in the lock?!
I pounded my fist against the wood a few times, then took a step back and kicked it in.
With a crash, the door leaf flew open. As the hallway began to collapse with a deafening noise, I rushed into the room. I felt the bite of flames at my back and threw myself to the floor as a stabbing flame erupted from the rubble.
I groaned in pain when I saw my arms.
The left was almost completely engulfed by the fire, the right, looked not unlike it.
I again focused on finding Jennifer. I wouldn't be able to deal with the wounds until I was out of here anyway.
After a few seconds, I spotted her on the floor in front of the window, one hand still on the windowsill. She had probably noticed it too late.
I got up and walked briskly to her to check her bodily functions. She was breathing, but weakly.
Her pulse was still normal. I picked her up with a groan and thought about how to get out of here now. There was a covered porch on the outside of the house, we could escape over it, but I had to get there first.
I set Jenny down again, didn't think twice, and took a running kick at the wall.
The sheetrock gave way and when I stepped back I saw a hole. So the house was built according to the typical lightweight construction method. I could try to break through to the other rooms. However, I had to spur myself. Another crackling sound made me spin around. The fire was now finding its way into this room as well. I cursed softly and threw myself against the wall a few more times until there was a hole big enough for Jennifer and me. After checking to see if the next room was accessible, I maneuvered Jenny through the gap, followed her, and found that it was the last room down the hall. Now just through the window and onto the roofing.
A small explosion now sent that door flying open as well. I bent over Jennifer to protect her from the oncoming heat. Then I looked around, searching for the cause of the explosion.
My gaze caught on a thin pipe that I had exposed when I opened the wall.
I widened my eyes in horror. This was not a water pipe, as I had first assumed. It was the gas line connected directly to the radiator under the window we had to get out through. From Jennifer's room, the flames were now threatening to eat their way through that very hole.
Without further hesitation, I tried to open the window, but it was locked. With my lips pressed together, I closed my eyes as I smashed the glass with my elbow. I stifled a snarl as my already burned skin was now also cut by glass.
I set Jenny down once more to pull off the last shreds of the cardigan I was wearing and use it to wipe the shards aside.
Then I lifted Jonas' daughter through the window and climbed in after her. By now, the canopy was on fire, too, and the wood crackled worryingly under my feet.
I shoved my thumb and forefinger into my mouth and let out a shrill whistle for the others to come over and take Jennifer from me.
After all, I couldn't throw her off the roof like a sack of flour. Max was the first to arrive.
Carefully, I felt my way across the roof to the eaves and handed him the body of his unconscious sister.
He and a few other men received her and took her out of reach of the burning house.
At the moment I was about to jump down, the wood of the house wall cracked ominously.
Out of reflex I turned around and just saw the wall coming towards me.
"Fuck!", I hissed, as the roofing gave way under my feet and I was buried under the glowing debris. As the rafters hit my skin, I couldn't help but let out an angry yelp. I tried to push the burning wood aside and fight my way out into the open, but it proved more difficult than I thought. Squinting my eyes to protect them from the embers, I tried to grab something that I could lift to the side. After flinching several times as my hands encountered only searing heat, I finally found something I could grasp.
With all my strenght, I pushed the object aside and then scrambled out from under a heavy beam.
A cool breeze hit me.
I gasped for air and braced myself from a gap.
"There he is!", I heard someone shout.
With a growl, I opened my aching eyes a bit to get my bearings and saw that, thank God, I was relatively on the edge of the rubble.
With a groan, I pulled myself out from under the rest and dropped onto the grass, drained.
For a moment I lay there with my eyes closed.
Then, with a groan, I sat up.
A loud noise made me look up.
This time, however, I sent a grateful shove prayer to heaven.
A rumble of thunder.
And then it began to rain.
My skin burned with heat, and I was glad for relief when the cold water hit my face along with the cool night wind.
"Widow!", I heard Jonas come running up.
"I'm fine.", I growled and opened my eyes tiredly, only to see his shocked expression, "But someone owes me a proper meal, a bed, and a damage payment."
"I owe you a doctor first," he said, reaching out his hand to help me up. I hesitated for a moment, but then grabbed it and let him pull me up.
"And also a thank you.", He added with an appreciative nod before he then went to take care of Jennifer.
I stood there for a moment. It took a little while for that gesture to sink in.
I had already completely forgotten how good it felt to help someone.
Because fuck yes, it did feel good.