PANDORA - Book 1 (NWC's 2nd place winner)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

            We run wordlessly to the stairwell leading to the topmost floor of the building. The hustle hurts my legs but it hurts Rohan’s even more. I see him cringe at very step he exerts on his injured leg. I wish I could do something for him.

            Vaughn who is still carrying Jillian is slowing down from the weight so he had to let her walk on her own. I let them take the lead. Someone has to watch the back and I’m the one who has a gun.

            We’re already at the eighteenth floor when a door leading to the stairwell slams open. Hemophages charge in from inside the building. There’s no time to panic. We just let adrenaline take over and hope it gives us enough strength to fight. The first vampire got slashed by Rohan’s katana on the chest. I shoot the next one on the head and smash the face of another with the handle. Vaughn has his knife out but he can’t really fight that well because he’s protecting Jillian.

            I shoot a hemophage on the stomach. The bullet frays through its body and hits another vampire behind. I have three ammos left. Desperation is already flooding my system, and more vampires are filing in the little space. I fight my way through the cluster of snarling vampires, getting scratched and bruised in the process. I have to get to the door.

            I make it to the door and slam it shut after clicking the lock from the other side. I just hope they’re not that smart and they won’t figure out how to turn it. Two vampires grab me by the neck and pull me down. I have no other choice but to bash the head of one and shoot the other. Two bullets left.

            “Over here!” I hear Rohan yell and I see that he already cleared out the stairs above him. The pungent smell of blood is in the air and lifeless hemophages are scattered in gory picture. Vaughn lifts his crying sister and runs upstairs. I feel sorry for Jillian. She’s too young to see this kind of evil. Four more hemophages are left in the stairwell and they are at the landing below me. Rohan pulls me.

            “Go! Run!” he shouts at me and I run after Vaughn. I catch up to him. Jillian has her face buried in his brother’s chest so she won’t see more of the violence. We reach the last flight of stairs and behind the closed door at the top of it is the rooftop. I look back at Rohan. The last four hemophages are behind him.

            Vaughn is already at the door but it is locked so he’s desperately kicking it open. Jillian is crouching beside him. Rohan sees the predicament so he turns around and decides to fight off the vampires to buy us time.

            The first one attacks and Rohan swipes his sword on its neck, opening a flowing red gash. The vampire falls on its knees and sputters more blood. The second vampire steps on its dying companion’s head and lunges at me in an unbelievable distance. I lose my balance and drop my gun. I stumble down on the long flight of stairs with the vampire, passing by Rohan who fights the last two vampires. We drop on the landing between the nineteenth and twentieth floor. The pain on my backside, limbs and neck is unbelievable, I can’t even breathe. I can’t even see properly.

            Jillian is screaming Vaughn’s name and the whole place is tilting in odd angles. The smell of rotten meat and something vile is so strong and an ice-cold body is preventing me to move. My neck is burning. Am I on fire? No. The hemophage I fell with has its teeth burrowing onto my neck. I’m losing blood fast.

            Gathering the rest of my strength, I yank out the monster’s head away from my collar. The pressure forces out a sliver of skin and I scream at the pain of ripping tissues. I expect the hemophage to attack again but it convulses and falls into another flight of stairs. I watch it in confusion as it thrashes in odd twisting movements.