Death Bite (Peterick)

Part 22: Headfirst into Danger

Patrick's POV:

There was a lot I didn't want to ever change about how I had gotten to know and understand Pete, starting from the very first time he talked to me. I didn't believe it until after he was gone, but I knew that I loved him. He would never hear it from me, though, never realize how much he meant to me because the war was over, and our destinies were uncertain. William's wretched face appeared on the screen as he sat in the desk that had belonged to those now buried in the Earth. Joe and Andy were on either side of me, their faces scrunched into disgusted expressions.

"Hello, citizens of America. You must be wondering who I am and what happened to your beloved Mr. President. Well, he gave up his power to me once he knew he was outnumbered, and as of two weeks ago I'm your new leader, William Beckett. Now don't be alarmed. Yes, I am a vampire, but I don't wish immediate harm to you, humans. In fact, you will be serving a meaningful purpose here on this planet. I'm going to be reading off a list of changes that will be effective immediately."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Joe growled.
William was handed a piece of paper along with a cup of tea from someone off-screen and began to read.
"Anyone with a beating heart will be rounded up for blood tests to ensure good health. If you are unable to offer your blood you will be executed as you serve no use to the dominant species. Those cleared will be taken to designated camps located throughout your area and will live out the remainder of their lives as slaves to the cause. 

"If you refuse to oblige by any of these rules you will be executed without question. Thank you for tuning in, and further news will be broadcast in the near future. God bless the new era, ladies and gentleman, and God bless me."

The television went black, and Andy stood up, grabbing his bow and arrow from the corner of the room. Joe followed his lead and obtained his bag of weapons.
"We're not going to sit around, and do nothing about this," Joe said.
"What can we do? Lindsey hasn't given us any orders since the president was killed. She said we're supposed to let the D.C. hunters handle it," I countered.

"What are those dipshits going to do that we can't do ten times better? They failed trying to save the president. They're going to fail trying to kill William. The only way we can win this thing is if we all join arms and go there ourselves," Andy replied.

"How're we supposed to get there?" I asked, "The vamps are going to be knocking down our door soon."

"We just need to get to the warehouse. That's where most of the hunters will flock to for safety. We need to convince Lindsey to approve of the attack. If she backs us up we'll have better chances in the long run," he told me.
I walked to the weapons lying around and picked out a pistol loaded with those special bullets. Shooting wasn't my strong suit, being that I'd never fired a gun in my life, but I trusted myself with it and knew with a little training I could take down some vampires.

Pete crossed my mind as I checked the rounds on the gun. He was safe. His hands had been the ones giving William the paper and tea. I could tell from the tattoos that had decorated those arms, and though I knew not about how he still had William's trust, I did know that he had a plan in place. The three of us headed to the warehouse, avoiding the vampires we came across by hiding inside of vacant buildings on the way over.

Others seemed to have gotten the same idea, as Andy had predicted, and were already gathered inside. The woman in charge was at the podium, trying to calm everyone's nerves, but her attempts went unnoticed in the sea of panic. Stress showed through her puffy eyes and frustrated scowl, and I felt for her with the awful burden that was suddenly dropped upon her back. She was only doing her best for the locals, but her strategy was flawed. D.C. hunters didn't have the abilities and skills to carry out such a task as to take down the most influential vampire to date.