Re-Vamp

Chapter 23: Hidden 2

Arnaud clenched his jaws in fury, every cell of his body burning with the urge to attack those two wretches who dared to profane his temporary refuge. It would take just one swift movement to tear out their throats and dismember them effortlessly.

They still did not perceive his hidden presence down there, which gave him the advantage of surprise. A sinister smile curved his lips at the thought. Yes, he could pounce on them, drink their blood and tear them apart mercilessly...

Suddenly, a different thought appeared, making him furrow his brow. It was the doubt of whether he could win in this small place against more than 20 enemies; he knew they were armed by the dense and unmistakable smell of gunfire. A new wave of caution invaded him, mitigating his murderous urge.

He listened intently as the two men above continued to converse loudly. They were just a small vanguard of the rest of the villains. From what he could make out, there were at least 2 armed men.

Arnaud frowned, reconsidering his position. One wrong move and he would be terribly exposed to a barrage of those deadly weapons. As long as they didn't hit him in the head, it was easy to counter the damage with his abnormal regeneration. If he consumed their blood it would be even easier, but the sun would be a problem and it was likely a bullet would hit his head in such a confined space.

He was disgusted at being cornered in his own lair. But the most prudent thing would be to remain hidden and silent until they left.

On the other hand, there was good news; a flash of relief crossed his features as he realized he had not detected any trace of Arturo or Juana's scent among those villains. At least that meant they had not been captured, but had surely fled in time. He clung to that idea forcefully, determined to resist there until everyone had left so he could then resume his search for his little friend.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a violent thunderous boom shook the walls. Above, one of the guys had just unloaded a burst from his rifle directly at the wooden floor.

"Well, let's make sure."

A piercing scream was about to escape his throat when one of the bullets hit him in the side, burying itself deep in his flesh. He felt his guts burn and tear from the impact, but clenched his teeth until they ground together, holding back his scream.

From above, the two men stood motionless and silent after the burst, straining their ears for any sound. When they perceived nothing, one of them shrugged.

"See, you piece of shit. I told you there was nothing down there but rats," his companion mocked in a nasal voice.

The other grunted something threatening under his breath, but didn't argue further. They began to take a few steps closer, their boots creaking on the wood. Arnaud then heard the unmistakable squeak of rusty hinges opening, a sign they intended to go down into the basement to check.

However, just as they were about to descend...

"Did you find anything?!" One of their companions asked from the doorway.

"No, we were just..."

A booming voice stopped them.

"Hey, you pair of pendejos! What the hell are you shooting like morons for?"

Both men froze in their tracks and turned slowly. There, advancing with a menacing stride, was Zapata with the heavily armed group of thugs.

"Uh... Zapata, man," one of them stammered, swallowing hard. "It's just that we thought there was something down here and..."

"And you decided to empty your fucking rifle like a pussy instead of peeking first?" Zapata cut him off with a withering look. He stepped closer and snatched the gun from his hands with a rough jerk. "Do you want the target to know we're here, you animal?"