Small Town Hero - #ONC 2024

Chapter 17

I was somewhere on my way back to the land of the living.

Darkness enveloped me like I had lost consciousness, but I knew my heart had stopped beating. I had felt myself slipping away, letting go, knowing death had ensnared me, and the choice to live or die was outside of my control. There was no doubt I had died. I didn't know how long I had been dead. Hopefully not long enough for the ancient vampire named Lexa Thorn to kill my best friends, Layla and Blake.

A flash of light flooded my entire body and jump started my heart. The brightness burned behind my eyes, coming from within, igniting life through my veins, bringing me back to the here and now.

After a few moments of uncertainty, mental clarity washed away the fog from my brain and I knew absolutely that the werewolf part of me had caused my death, but the vampire side, had brought me back to life, reversing the effects of the silver dust and filling me with power like never before. With this newness of life rushing through me, I stood and plucked the darts from my body and threw them at Lexa's feet; my former dream girl, the vampire who had wanted me dead. The one who had killed me but couldn't keep me that way.

Layla and Blake stood behind Lexa, tied to each other, but still alive.

"I got him," Elijah yelled.

I jerked my head around to see him dragging a resistant Agent Smith by the jacket collar. Overpowered but resilient, Smith reared back and stabbed Elijah with something. The vampire wailed out in pain and flung the agent to the ground, sending him rolling toward the cliff's edge. Fortunately, he stopped before going over.

Elijah dropped to his knees and then fell forward into the dirt and rocks, where he remained, unmoving. Agent Smith must have used Bloodlust on all the vampires, rendering them unconscious or dead. Only time would tell which fate awaited them. As for Smith, he was shifty and resourceful, but apparently, Elijah's cockiness and inexperience led to him not checking the agent for additional weapons.

Seeing Elijah's failure, the alpha rushed toward Agent Smith and leaped toward him. But at the last moment, he dove away, narrowly avoiding its claws. When the agent came out of the roll and landed in a squatting stance, he whipped out a pair of handguns and squeezed off a shot from each weapon. The darts missed high and low as the massive wolf sprang into the air to avoid getting hit. I assumed the creature would turn and fight, but it raced away, disappearing into the night, probably wanting to avoid Agent Smith's weapons and to search for another opportunity to catch us by surprise.

As the alpha darted away, Smith turned toward us, took aim and fired, nailing Coach Steele in the abdomen. He collapsed at Layla's and Blake's feet.

After a quick swap of handguns from inside his jacket, Agent Smith fired a shot at Lexa, but the vampire's speed proved too fast. Like lightning, she blazed out of the dart's path and rushed toward the safety of the darkness outside the glow of the torches.

I whipped around to see Coach Steele lying on his side, eyes fluttering back in his head.

In a blur, I sped toward him and swiped the silver dagger from the sheath on his waist. Layla and Blake, seeing their opportunity to escape, cried out for me to save them. I was there in a flash, slashing their ropes, setting them free.

"I'm going after the alpha," Agent Smith said. "Take care of your friends." With a nod of assurance, he ran off, vanishing along the dark ridge.

Layla drew closer to me, and Blake backed away when a shockwave of blonde hair and curves swooped in and hooked an arm around him, sweeping him away from us.

Lexa stopped several feet away, with Blake in her grasp. She spun him to face her and stared into his eyes. "You're my friend, Blake. Layla and Evan want to hurt me. Please help me."