Always Hate Me

6. A City Under Threat

Ryder groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. He needed to stay awake. He reached out for the radio -wanting a distraction- and hissed, using his other to hand to clutch at his side. Pain rippled down his torso. His fingers trembled as he turned the dials. They didn't work. Gritting his teeth, he slid awkwardly over the gear stick and into the driver's seat. Devi had left the keys in the ignition and Ryder turned them. The engine purred into life and he resumed fiddling with the dials – this time with more success.

"...we are, all of us, fighting an endless war." Jordan's voice filled the jeep and Ryder sat back, his head against the head rest – as he listened to the Father of Vampire's. "It is a war very simply – between good and evil. Everyday we make choices that dictate which side we are on. The side of good or the side of evil. This is not a choice that is made for you – like being a mortal or being a vampire or being witch – no, because that does not determine the side you are on. This is a war that we all have to decide on – for ourselves."

Ryder sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes dismissively. Good and evil – things were a hell of a lot murkier than that. "These days, these more testing days, that have weighed heavy for us all – have seen the greatest TRIUMPH for good." There were cheers, echo in quality as they came through the speakers. "We have had to shed the blood of our own. But in doing so we have won the city for GOOD. General Seo and his evil colleagues nearly destroyed all that we have built. The confessions that we are left with, recorded before their executions, confirm the hell that they were planning to unleash."

"Confessions – bullshit," Ryder muttered. He didn't know the full story, but Ryder was adept enough at reading between the lines. Good and Evil – it was a neat way of justifying your actions. It made things simple, easier for the public to digest. They didn't need to worry about being ruled by vampires, as long as they were reassured that these were 'good' vampires. But listening to the radio was working, he was no longer tired.

"Good is winning. Good will always win. Our forces are closing in on the Wabyt and her demons. Everyday, we are closer to freeing our brothers and sisters in the camps. And we have had some measure of justice for them."

Ryder's lips tugged down into a petulant scowl. He supposed that he was about to hear general boasting over his own defeat and execution. Ryder rubbed his side tenderly. He'd get a lot of smug satisfaction when he revealed himself to them - risen from the dead. 

"The monster Ryder, the gorgon hellhound and it's whore - have all paid for their horrendous crimes." The crowd went wild and Jordan had to shout over them. "And Wabyt will pay next!"

Ryder's body went stiff and he stared out through the windshield. "She will die, as they did, and GOOD will have won!"

Ryder's eyes lost focus, filling with tears. His friends... 

He was already... 

...too late.

                  Devi approached a broken-down jeep. It was the same model as her own. And, like hers, the windshield was smashed. The ground was uneven and she had to take a big step over a ditch. Peering, she saw that nobody was inside the vehicle. Her brow was furrowed anxiously. The jeep hadn't crashed into anything, it had been attacked – like her's had. What had happened to the driver?

She approached the jeep and saw that the driver's door had been wrenched from its hinges. She ducked her head inside. The seat was covered in broken glass shards. Opening the glove compartment, she fished out a laminated ID badge. Kamil's face smiled up at her, his name and identification number in bold print. Kamil worked at the Czerwony, he was a new starter there – just like she was. She'd thought that he'd gone with the others to the celebrations.