V.A.M.P.s

Chapter 11

Carter's hover car slows as the thrusters power down, the vehicle gently lowers to the ground and settles to a stop. Matthew peers through the windshield at the apartment building. He opens the door, exits the vehicle and scans the area. The streets are empty and the night air is still. He leaves the door open, crosses the desolate street and makes his way up the stairs. Matthew presses the button for Clyde and waits. He checks his surroundings and presses the button again. Matthew checks his watch and grows impatient. He turns to leave when the doors open.

*****

"Where did you go?" Clyde stands at his apartment door in pajamas. A look of disapproval on his face.

Matthew tries to walk past him. "I need my gun."

Clyde blocks his path. "It's late and I have a guest."

Matthew loudly scolds him. "So, it's okay for you to sleep around."

"There's a difference and keep your voice down."

A feminine voice comes from inside the apartment. "Is everything okay Clyde?"

Clyde turns, "Yes sweetheart go back to bed." Matthew storms past him and notices the woman looks like the one from the picture. She stands by the bedroom door.

Clyde follows after Matthew. "You can get your gun in the morning."

Matthew walks past the woman and into the bedroom with Clyde right behind him. "What do you need it for right now anyway?"

Matthew gets on his knees and lifts the bed skirt and reaches under for his weapon. "Protection."

"You're gonna get yourself killed."

Matthew removes and checks the clip. "I gotta go. you're in trouble with me here."

"Where are you going?"

Matthew gets up. "The club where this all started."

Clyde puts his hand on Matthew's shoulder. "Then I'll go with you."

Matthew tucks the weapon behind his back in his waist band. "I can't ask you to risk your life for me."

"You didn't."

*****

Matthew peeks from the doorway. He and Clyde walk to the vehicle.

"Isn't this Carter's car?

"Yea."

"He lent it to you?"

Matthew gets in and presses the button for the passenger door. "Sorta. He's dead."

"What?" Clyde gets in.

Matthew retrieves the disk from his pocket. "He was secretly gonna have me go over this." He hands it to Clyde who loads it into his digital pad. "Maybe you should go to the police with this."

Matthew slides the shifter and the engines punch up. "They're the ones who killed Carter." The vehicle lifts and races forward. "This whole thing stinks."

*****

Matthew and Clyde sit in the hover car in front of the closed club. Matthew checks the time on the dash of the vehicle.

"It should still be open." Matthew opens his door.

Clyde grabs him by the arm. "Look Matthew there's something I need to tell you."

Matthew turns to him.

"You know the guy who saved you from the vamp. I'm one of them."

Matthew is taken aback.

Clyde continues. "They can get you off world. Out of this mess."

Matthew gets out of the vehicle upset. "No. I owe it to Janet to find out what's going on." He walks to the club. Clyde opens his door. "Be rational this isn't gonna just go away. The police are after you. Who else can you turn too?"

Matthew pounds on the door of the club. "Maybe I can go to the Bureau." Matthew notices the black hover car sits a few blocks down and points to it. "You see that car?"

Clyde looks where Matthew points. "Yea."

"It's been following me ever since I caught them going through my apartment."

The lights of the hover car turn on and it accelerates forward quickly.

Clyde grabs Matthew by the arm, "Come on." and drags him around the corner into the alley. He looks around and sees a fire escape. "Give me a boost."

Matthew provides a foot spot for Clyde and boosts him up so that he can reach the first rung of the ladder. Clyde grabs it, climbs up, reaches his hand down and pulls Matthew up. They climb the ladder to the first landing.

The hover car pulls into the alley. It moves slowly.

Clyde whispers to Matthew. "They are the political arm of the Judas clan of vamps. Whatever you have stumbled into isn't good."

Clyde pulls a small kit from his jacket pocket. He opens it, takes a syringe full of liquid and injects it into the lock of the fire door. The lock smokes, Clyde shoulders the door and it flies open with a loud sound as it slams into the wall.

The car stops and the doors open. Two males exit the vehicle they wear long black trench coats and black caps.

Clyde's digital pad comes alive with noise as he receives a text. He quickly tries to silence it but its too late the vamps look up to the fire escape.

Clyde "You gotta get outta here I'll see if I can slow them down."

"I'm not going anywhere without you"

"I'll message him to meet you out front. Go."

Matthew gives Clyde his gun. They embrace, Matthew quickly makes his way down the hallway and he hears gunfire from behind.

*****

Matthew runs out the front entrance door and down the steps. One of the vamps in the black trench coat waits for him and grabs Matthew by his shirt.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The vamp pulls a small hand sized jet injector from his coat. A device used to administer vaccinations. He presses it against Matthew's skin and pulls the trigger. Matthew's world starts to go blurry and he smiles as the sedative does its work.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Car." Matthew manages to slur out.

"What car?"

Matthew is barely able to lift his hand to point.

The vamp looks where Matthew points to and shoves Matthew out of the path of the SUV sized hover car. It slams into the vamp and he is thrown a good five feet forward from the impact. Matthew staggers forward barely able to keep his balance. The door of the vehicle opens. Artemis catches Matthew as he falls into her arms and passes out.