VAMPIRUS

BATTLEGROUND

When Isabella stepped foot back into the club, she immediately drew her swords and poised herself for defense.

The entire scene was terribly chaotic.  Those who were closest to the front entrance were the fortunate ones, as the doors were the very means of escape for them, being their only dire option.

The rest, however, were a different story.

A horde of freshly-turned vampires invaded the place, attacking numerous patrons within minutes of their arrival.  An insurmountable amount of blood had been spilled, and many of the victims were dismembered, ripped open and skinned alive.  Yet despite the number of victims, there were that many who immediately took on their new rogue natures, regardless of their bodily conditions.  Even those beheaded by the murderous blood-suckers moved about the premises and killed randomly as if their heads were attached to their bodies.

Isabella knew enough that that was out of the ordinary for vampire kills.

Her younger brother Jacob was alongside Blake, his own weapons of shiny metal swords brandished and already smeared heavily with blood.  Broderick and Danny were not far away, they too having already annihilated many of the invading rogues, drenched in blood and craving for more.

Isabella snapped to her senses and began swinging her swords, the tainted metal sinking effortlessly into those enemies near her.  Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed Broderick pushing Danny closer to Blake and Jacob then leap into the air to join her, slicing away with his elongated fingernails at any rogue who dared to confront him.  He landed to her right and she thanked him with her eyes, his own blood-red eyes glaring back into hers.

"Stay close!" he commanded.

Isabella nodded and impaled an immortal attacker creeping up behind her with an under-handed upper cut swing of her blood-drenched sword.

The music stopped earlier when a rogue jumped over the double turntable equipment, knocking the vinyl albums askew and biting into the dee-jay's throat, ripping the entire neck muscle open, the young man's body slumped over the victrolas but now energized with immortal life pumping through his veins.  He set his eyes on Danny and lunged over the sound system, seizing the young man by the shoulders and lifting him off of the floor.  The disc jockey attempted to sink his cuspids into Danny's abdomen after spinning him around to face him but Danny brought both his hands down in judo fashion, cracking the skull of the dee-jay then pealing the skull back, causing the brain to flop out onto the floor.  Danny landed on his feet after his kill then jumped back into the fray.

Jacob's jacket was ripped away from his body during a struggle with two vampires, his muscle-toned skin covered with the blood of his then double kills.  Blake's own clothing was shredded, having torn through the massive throng of bodies, sweat and blood clinging to his frame.

By now, most of the patrons had lost their lives, a few still alive attempting desperately to hide but to no avail.  They were quickly discovered and massacred, only to return to life within seconds of their death.

Within minutes, Blake and the others, attempting to form a stronger front to ward off their numerous attackers, were gradually hemmed in, the circle of rogues circling Blake's small band.  He had an idea.

"Everyone.  Bow the knee," he demanded.

"Blake?" Isabella questioned.

"Bow.  The.  Knee." Blake stressed.  "And cover your faces."

Isabella and the rest complied.  When Blake sensed their safety, he closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing up all of the strength he could muster.  When he reopened his eyes, they were the deepest blood-red color.  He bared his fangs, deeply drawing in strong breaths, then releasing an eerily demonic scream.

The crescendo from Blake's inhuman howl took out the legion of evil rogues, knocking them over in dead heaps, many of their bodies ripped apart from the force of Blake's power.

Broderick was the first to look up, surveying the blanket of torn bone, flesh and ligament around them.

He whistled.  "Damn."

The others followed suit and slowly stood.  The silence clung eerily to the atmosphere.

Danny was the first to notice Blake shuffling away from them, huddled over and struggling to walk.  "Blake?"

Blake took two more steps before he collapsed.

Broderick quickly minced his way through the mangled bodies and knelt by Blake's side.  He placed a hand on his beloved's shoulder and winced, sharply feeling Blake's brokenness and pain.

"We got to get him to the house!" he yelled, tears close to breaking.  "Now!"