FicWad

Chapter 10



Draco received the call not too long after, and he was livid. "I told you what you might be facing!" Draco thundered through the phone, "Now you have everyone hurt, and possibly alerted to our intent! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't send a crew down and literally bleed every man in your outfit dry?"

"Ay, and give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell da whole woild about your ting dere?" was his reply, "I contact the right people, and you're thru!"

Draco smirked and laughed, knowing that it would not do much good, but he did say, "You know, that's why I keep you around. You don't have any quit. However, I would not advise going back right now, because..."
"Ay, dis goes beyond your deal now!" snapped back the lead man, "Da family has been fronted, and we are going to show dat gorilla he don' go messin' wit us!"

"That 'gorilla', as you say, is more powerful than you think," said Draco, "And he has very powerful friends. Again, I advise you to wait for consultation from Amayah before you..." but there came a click of disconnection, and it became obvious that this idiot was suicidal. Even if these were foes they fought, and things he felt inferior to his own kind, he also had enough respect to understand that there was something vampiric about them, which made them powerful enough to be shown some respect and caution. Draco figured that this could possibly be the only time that he would be thankful for his foe, because his foe was about to save him all kinds of problems!



Back at Clan Tower, the Hand, along with Victor, were issued Uzis with silencers, while Ai, Chiyuki, and Elda preferred to use swords, considering any firearm to be too bulky and clumsy. Everyone was in their combat clothing, and the ward was set to cloud the minds of anyone who came out of a limo from even getting near the building. Of course, this would prevent normal patrons who were coming in limos from approaching the restaurant, but if a few lost customers meant that the area would be safe again, then it would be worth it. Everyone was set up in the trees and brush in the part of the park not too far from the tower and across West Drive, and they straddled Central Park Driveway. It was not until 3 A.M. that they finally arrived, hoping for the least amount of witnesses and people there. Jean-Claude found a tree with athick bough, and went to sleep, knowing that his team would alert him, and so he would be fresh for his job the next day. About three limos and a van pulled up, and out came about 50 men. They were all in black suits, carrying pistols, high powered rifles, two-by-fours, and baseball bats. However, thanks to the wards, they were all flummoxed. They knew that the building was right next the Trump building, but they all parked in front of that one and they could not figure out why. In the meantime, it seemed their target was surrounded by adense fog. Why, they did not know, but they knew the enemy was there, and they all headed for the fog. To them it seemed like moments, and they were right back where they started. However, what they did not realize was that they had walked all the way around the block and back to their starting point. They were all growing frustrated as they did this three or four times, not understanding why they just could not walk up to what they obviously knew was there. Anjou could see this from her position, and then adjusted the wards. The next time they tried to approach, they found themselves in Central Park, and near the killing zone.



As they looked around, they did know where they were, but how they got there and why was lost on them. Some were becoming clearly afraid, while others were becoming downright terrified. "Boss, let's just go!" said one.

"They's devils, I'm tellin' ya!" said another.

"Shaddup!" shouted the boss, "It's just a trick! All we gotta do..."

"Hello, prey!" said a familiar voice out of the darkness, "You asked about our security, and now you are about to meet it!"

The sound echoed all around in the darkness, the only light being provided by the streetlamps and the occasional passing car. Men were actually beginning to shiver in fear. One said, "You can stay if you want, but I'm gettin' outta here!"

"Get back here before I put a cap in you!" snapped the boss, but this was answered by giggling and laughter from all around them. It was disorienting, and they were beginning to move like spooked cattle ready to stampede. Another voice came out-gentle and female-who said, "How does it feel to know you are about to die?"

Despite the fear, the boss was not acting scared, but more annoyed, feeling that all they were doing was playing some tricks. If they kept under control, it would be okay. He defiantly said, "You talk tough! Why don' chu come out here and face us, instead of actin' like a bunch a cowards?"

Victor then said, "I did not live to be this age by being 'brave.' Too bad you shall not see the end of this night to learn the lesson."

"Ay! You don' scare me wit dat..." and the boss was cut off as a man right beside him dropped dead with a bullet square between the eyes. That did it. In a panic, all these men began to scatter in every direction, bumping into each other, being confused by the mix of darkness and street lamp every now and again. Into this descended the hand. The suppressors kept their weapons from being heard, but that did not stop the screams of terror from the men. They were being shot, cut down, and chopped up, only able to see movement in the shape of silhouettes, never really being able to see what was cutting them down. They were so panicked that they neither could fire a shot, nor put up any offense. The boss was whirling about like a dervish, not sure which end was up. Still, he was screaming orders at the men, trying to pull them back together, and not succeeding in the slightest. He heard men crying in terror, screaming like women, some begging for their mothers, while others were heard to beg and plead like desperate men preparing for the gallows, "Please don't bite me! Oh God! Please don't bite me!" accompanied by slurping sounds. After they were fed upon, their lives were then snuffed out.



The boss knew a losing situation when he saw one, and figured that it would be a good idea to get out of there while he could. However, before he could get to the tree line in front of Central Park West, Jean-Claude jumped down in front of him. The boss screamed as he started to pull out a pistol, but it was slapped from his hand with great force before he knew what hit him. Jean-Claude's eyes were now glowing yellow as he picked up the boss with one hand and peeled down his scarf with the other, fangs exposed. He cried out in terror as Jean-Claude said, "You should have listened to your men!"

With that, he sunk in and drank. The scream went to a squeal and the sound of a man crying as if he knew he was about to die horribly, but knowing that there was nothing that he could do about it. After about a good five minutes or so, Jean-Claude pulled out, and then put a hand on the man's head and started to shape his memory, saying to the boss, "All you will remember is terror and confusion from this night, and you will never know what attacked you. All you will know is that something is out to kill you, and it is always just around the corner."

He set the boss down by the tree, knowing that he would be up in about twenty minutes, and knowing that a scream of terror would mark his awakening as he fled the area. In the meantime, Jean-Claude said, "Clean up all the round casings and load up the bodies in the vehicles. Take them to Staten Island to the city dump. If it would be too conspicuous, then take them to the estuaries north of the old Fresh Kills landfill and lose vehicles and all in some deep patches of quicksand. The tide should be out, so that should make it easy."

Everyone did as they were bidden, and that left Jean-Claude, Elda, Karin, and Kenta. Soon, the bloodcurdling scream could be heard as the boss woke up and ran in terror to God knows where. As they vehicles were getting ready to go, Anjou spotted this, and she gave command that some bats should follow him.



Back in the park, the remaining ones looked over the situation, and they began do discuss some of what had happened and why, and Jean-Claude said, "Let's just go back and talk about it tomorrow. I have work in the morning."

"Wrong," said an angry voice, "I saw what you did, and none of you are leaving intact!"

They all turned around to see Blade standing in one of the lamps, his sword out, looking ready to fight. He then said, "I figured that if I followed you after your work that I would be able to catch you in action. I wasn't sure what you were going to do with the mobsters, but after I saw what you did to those men, especially you, I knew you couldn't be trusted. A vampire is avampire, no matter what you call yourself. I just hope I can break Crystal of the Thirst again before she goes on a killing spree."

Jean-Claude rubbed his eyes, and Elda wanted to move in, but Jean-Claude said,"Go back, I'll deal with this."

However, Blade, possessing his own lightning speed, intercepted the crew, and he said, "I said none of you were leaving!"

Jean-Claude was about to move in, but Elda pulled her own weapon and said,"Leave this to me, grandson! The youngin, as you say in America, needs aspanking."

She got that glint in her eye, and it showed that she was not going to pull punches. Blade was quick with his sword, and the two collided. With the speed that only two vampires could possess, the two dueled furiously. They moved all around the area, into trees, back to the ground, large leaps through the air, all the while crossing blades, the echo of which could be heard for a distance. Blade said nothing, preferring not to banter during a duel. He wanted to keep his focus on the fight. However, Elda was talking to him the whole time, and even keeping at least a grin on her face as they did. "Silly boy," she said,"You have been trapped in the world of the undead for so long, you have no idea of the true world of vampires that has escaped you."

Again, Blade said nothing, not wanting her banter to distract him. Yet, she went on, "Boy, you may think you know persecution, but you have not seen anything compared to what Jean-Claude has seen, or what I have seen. Iremember the purges of Europe, for I was one of those purged, and all because of hate. Some came here, but it went on. The undead houses here went after the intruders, and made matters worse. They had no idea that they were looking at the creatures that were partly responsible for their existence, and the undead could have been wiped out if my kind had not had to hide so much. I'm sad for what they did to you, your mother, and your family, but that does not mean that all are evil. Do you think for one instant that all of us have no care for human life? Do you think that we all want to kill humans? Only the undead you fight want that. We want to help you. Did what happen to you mean that you had to take it out on the world? You are what my grandson would have been if he had not fallen in with the right crowd. Let us help you!"

Blade was not having it, but he also saw that she was an even match for him. He was thinking about disengaging when their vampiric hearing began to detect the approach of about three police officers, and Blade knew that it was time to get out of there. Blade left, saying, "The next time, you're all mine!" and he split. The remainder hid in the trees, waiting for the police to go away.



When the police got there, they were confused by the sight. They saw the blood staining the sidewalk, but that was all they found. It had been evident that something had happened there, but they could find no bodies, no limbs, no shell casings, they could not find anything. They started to make their report, and that was when the rest took the chance to head back to the building. Soon, more police officers were coming to investigate with the forensics team, trying to piece together just what had happened, but they were not certain. The wards were lifted off the restaurant, and they went in to find out if they had heard anything. Karin was in her chef mode by that point as the rest had retired to the upstairs. She said that she had heard the sounds of a scuffle, some yelling and shouting, but she did not see anything. She came out to the front in time to see some vehicles pull out, but they had already headed out before she could get a good look at them. All she could catch was that they were black. They were heading down Broadway, but that was it. They reported it in, but there was not much they could report, and knew that it would just be another mystery stacked upon the heaps of mysteries for which the city was renowned.



In the meantime, Blade wandered the city, still wanting to deal with this Clan, because, from his point of view, and by their actions that night, he was more convinced than ever that they were just another house that had to fall. The only problem was that he just had that nagging feeling that what that vampyra had told him was the truth. She acted like vampires had the ability to make moral choices, but his experience only showed that, the longer a vampire continues to hunt for blood, the less human they become, though they think themselves superior, and they see humans as nothing but animals upon which to feed. They may be trying to set some kind of new standard for vampires, but he knew it was just a play for power. All the houses had wielded against one another warfare to try to be on top. This was no different. However, he feared that this new house may be more powerful than any he had ever faced, because they obviously were behind why it was that stopping the houses had become easier and easier as time passed. The only reason why they were helping him was because they must have been following the premise that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." In fact, the only reason why he could see why they were trying to recruit him was to make their own task easier. There would be no telling what they would have in mind after that. Then there was the matter of Crystal. That she had changed could not be questioned. However, what they had done to her seemed to erase what it took to get her to retain much of her personality and humanity. Now that may be gone, and they wanted to do the same to him. For him, that would make him just as bad as what he hunted, and that had to be avoided. He knew that he would have to rehab her again, and he was not sure that was possible. He would have to find out what Spector had discovered, because he may shed some light on how to defeat them, because they were more powerful than any vampire he could have ever recalled fighting.



At that moment, Marc Spector was winging his way to Japan. After he had done some more snooping around, he realized that the Arlington Magic Society was just a branch connected to the Greater Japan version of the thing. He was going to have to find out what they knew about this "Clan" because he had heard rumors that it thrived in Japan to sizeable proportions. If this magic society was protecting some clandestine group bent on conquering and then enslaving mankind, then they would also have to be destroyed as a threat. It could not be ignored or avoided.



At the time Blade was going back to the Bronx, the mob boss tore towards the headquarters of Amayah, leading a company of bats along as he went. Anjou watched closely through them, hoping that he may flush out their headquarters, but it was not to be. He started to approach the area, but familiars, who knew this mob boss, and undead patrolling the area, saw the now hysterical man charging down the street, not even able to make coherent sentences. One of the undead got on the phone and quickly put in a call of what they saw and who was heading their way. Charlotte had received the call, knowing that this man might be leading the enemy right to her, so she looked at William, and his newly arrived brother, Joseph, and asked them if they were hungry. When they said "yes," she said for them to intercept him and to put him as far from there as possible, and then feed to their hearts content. Anjou saw the two large Samoan men catch, him pick him up, throw him into a limo, and drive off to God knows where. There was no need for her to track him now, because she knew his grizzly fate, and she was not sure she wanted to see his end. She pondered these things, and she wondered when they were going to go on the offensive. She then decided to go into the confiscated files to try to see what she could learn about Amayah, because she knew they would not go down without a bloody struggle. With that, she got to work.