The Corruption Within

The Corruption Within Chapter 7

The baton came from the right so fast I barely had time to react. I shuffled back a step to avoid the blow and caught a glint of metal to my left.

Instinctively I raised my left arm and the boot knife from my second opponent stabbed deep into the flesh, sliding right between the bones, slicing through muscle and piercing out the other side. Struggling to remove the knife wielders grip, I twisted my arm to break his hold.

The nightstick came in again, a low strike meant to hit the back of my knee to disable me and I raised my foot up, catching the man's wrist with a sharp kick. He staggered back a few steps and regained his composure, not letting me catch my breath for a second, he rushed at me again.

My focus on the nightstick, the man with the knife let go and brought his fist in hard, cracking one of my ribs and jarring the left side of my body. The blow only helped the man with the nightstick strike, bringing the blunt weapon down hard and catching me in the side of the head. I swear my skull caved under the impact, but I'd never be able to tell.

I went down hard, hitting the ground and sprawling out, the combination of rib, arm and head injuries causing excruciating pain. Blood filled my mouth from internal injuries and I spit out a small amount onto the ground, trying to pick myself up.

The two men took turns kicking me in the ribs several times before the one with the gun cleared the holster to draw it. He leveled the silenced weapon towards my head and was about to pull the trigger when Cassy leapt onto his back. He swung the pistol in a wide arc, his hand reflexively squeezing the trigger and causing bullets to impact into the parking lot around them.

The other Vamp sat there stunned, apparently trying to figure out what to do.

I used the precious few seconds I had to pull the blade out of my arm, feeling the metal grind on bone. My head hurt like hell and I kept coughing up blood, but I could still see and function.

Rising to my feet unsteadily I gripped the man from behind and drove the boot knife into his back, twisting the handle in a slow circle, trying to sever his spine to at least slow him down.

He let out a snarl and brought his elbow back sharply, catching me in the ribs again, this time on the opposite side of my body. I let go of the man, gripping my stomach and struggling to stay on my feet. The vampire assassin spun to face me, reaching over one shoulder to try and grab at the knife buried within his back.

I looked to my right, seeing Cassy struggle with the man she had jumped on. Her opponent was trying to grab her, but she sure liked to bite. He kept pulling his hands back with a yell every time he reached for her and I could see blood in her mouth.

I stood up, feeling my bones start to slowly repair the multiple breaks. A wave of strength flooded my system and I felt refreshed, ready to finish the fight.

The guy in front of me gave up on the knife and I sighed in irritation, realizing the blow hadn't done anything to his spine, all it did was piss him off. He dropped into a fighter's crouch and readied himself for my attack.

I moved to the right and just as he turned to face me, I brought my leg around in a sharp roundhouse kick. The blow caught him high on the hip, knocking him slightly off balance and allowing me to continue the barrage. Sliding in close, I drove the palm of my right hand under his chin, snapping his head back. Before the assassin could recover, I followed up the attack with a chop to the throat, using the flat side of my hand. The snake gagged, leaning forward and grabbing his neck in surprise.

Kicking off the ground, I brought the sharp edge of my elbow down on the back of his head, dropping him to the ground to land face down.

Stepping up to the downed figure, I placed the heel of my foot on the base of his neck and pushed down. The delicate bones of his spine all but crumbled to dust from the sheer power I was applying, and the man went limp, his body twitching slightly. That wasn't going to kill him, but at least he was out of the fight for now.