‘They would make it back to The Hyperion. Together they would be all right.’
WE’VE NO TIME FOR LATER NOW
Wayne Mallory
It had been stupid to go out with nothing more than a folding knife, but it wasn’t supposed to be anything other than a routine trip to one of the clubs the younger wolves seemed to enjoy, with its loud music and wild, energetic atmosphere. They hadn’t thought they would need weapons. When Irina went down with a single, devastating blow to the skull that left her hair wet with blood and her face pale, Wayne had thrown himself at their attackers as the group they had been charged to protect darted back, some with cries of shock, others with shouts of panic.
The concrete beneath him was slick with blood, his body trembling and his vision swimming. Nausea rose, the taste of bile heavy on the back of his tongue. Irina was close by, unmoving save for the weak rise and fall of her chest that told him she was still breathing, at least. It was agony to move, the slightest motion triggered a fresh rush of hot blood from the wound that ran clean through his stomach. Wayne had seen the length of the blade when the vampire had pulled it free of his flesh. It must have gone all the way through. When he rolled from his back onto his stomach, the sheer volume of slippery copper fluid beneath him told the fighter that he didn’t have much time. He felt weak, shaky, close to the edge with little to keep him from tipping over.
The look of wild and unbridled panic on Meghan’s face, the terror in Sissy’s eyes, Molly’s tremor of anger and fear, Violet’s confusion and disbelief; Wayne had to move, and in the faces of the young wolves he had taken it upon himself to protect at all costs, he found the strength to push himself up from the ground. The blood had soaked through his shirt and the jacket over the top, the world spun dizzyingly when he made it to his feet, almost dropping right back down to his knees an instant later, but he managed to put one foot in front of the other, again and again and then again, staggering his way forward. When he saw the flash of that long blade and the tears that sprung to Meghan’s eyes, he forgot all about how unsteady he felt and surged forward. His own blade came free of its place at his belt with barely a whisper of metal on leather, and in the next instant he had it open and buried in the vampire’s back, once, twice, and then a third time. It wasn’t long enough to reach the heart, but the creature howled in pain and rage all the same.
“Run!” he bellowed at the fearful group of youngsters, even as the vampire threw an elbow back. It cracked across Wayne’s face, and he almost staggered. Somehow he managed to keep his feet under him, but just barely. The fading thunder of retreating footsteps told him all he needed to know about the safety of the others, but he needed to be sure; opening and lifting his eyes, he saw them running together down the narrow street and towards what he hoped was safety. They would make it back to The Hyperion. Together they would be all right.
White-hot, blinding pain struck and everything disappeared for an instant. Everything went numb. For just a moment, Wayne felt nothing at all, and then in a torturous rush it all came screaming back, gripping his body in an iron fist, crushing and twisting without mercy. There was no breath in his lungs to howl out his agony, no strength or coordination in his limbs to lash out in return. All he could do was gasp harshly and grip weakly at the blade that had punched through the middle of his abdomen, right below the ribcage. Mouth dropped open in silent shock, Wayne lifted his gaze to the vampire. The creature simply stared back at him, almost blankly.
His knees failed him then, and the vampire let him fall. Heavily and limply he landed on his back, staring up at the black night sky. The vampire was there at the edge of his vision for only a moment before he faded away. Wayne felt something against his fingers, and weakly he turned his head. Irina was right there, lying where she had fallen. Their hands were touching. They were the last thing Wayne saw before his eyes closed and darkness took him.