Fic: [Original] Midnight on the Dead Earth
Title: Midnight on the Dead Earth
Type: Original
Links: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2659692/6/
Midnight on the Dead Earth
Chapter Six
"They did WHAT?" Paul Ferris, the new Mator of what was left of Vancouver demanded. The black haired man had been a business man, once upon a time, but after the monsters rose up he fought for his life. Putting his organizational skills to work he managed food and arms, and eventually rose to deputy mayor. Then the mayor was murdered, dumping the job on him.
Irene Parker, the current head of the police force, looked deeply uncomfortable as she said, "The reports are sketchy, but it looks Janet Fox made contact with the resistance out in Langley. She assisted them on a raid on the farms, but it was a trap."
"Shit," Samuel 'Sam' Ericson cursed softly, the head of the militia having known Janet a long time. She was one of his people, and he hated to imagine what she had been through. "Losses?" he asked flatly.
"Near total, according to the scout that brought the report," Eloise Scott said with a bit of regret. She walked over to where her boss was standing as she added, "There are indications Janet deliberately lead them into the trap."
"No way," Sam said flatly.
Irene sighed softly. "Don't be a jack ass, Sam. If she was captured on the way, they could turn her. Especially if the reports that Butcher is a elder vampire are true."
Sam made a growling noise deep in his throat, but he didn't argue with her. Vampires had a little understood ability to bring people under their control. Some said it was scent based, others thought it was hypnosis and a few crackpots thought it was telepathy. Whatever it was a vamp could entrance someone to the point that they would do anything their master asked.
"And the Langley enclave?" Sam asked bleakly.
"They were hit after, they were hurt bad. Lots of deaths, and the survivors captured," Irene said grimly. They couldn't afford to lose an allies in the war with the monsters, and Langley had been their closest support.
"I guess there's no way to rig up some kind of poison pill for our agents?" Paul asked with a sigh, the Mayor feeling a headache coming on.
"Nothing I'd trust with my life," Hank Jenkins noted, the rangy outdoorsy type looking uncomfortable in their meeting room. The leader of the scouts looked tired, bags under his eyes and growing in a raggedy beard.
"How much did she know about our defenses?" Paul asked reluctantly.
"We rearranged patrols after she left, as usual," Hank noted dryly.
"Standard operating procedure at this point," Sam agreed with a sigh. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, "Would there be any point in a rescue op?"
Everyone looked at him disbelievingly. "For the Langley survivors or for Janet?" Eloise had to ask, frowning.
"Either or both," Sam shrugged.
"We don't have the people or weapons to even attempt it," Irene started.
Paul held up a hand, shushing her while studying Sam thoughtfully. "What's this about, Sam?" he asked him quietly.
Sam hesitated, then the older man shrugged slightly. "How well did you know the previous Mayor?" he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"I knew Heather pretty well," Paul admitted, "we worked together. Well?"
"Heather believed that our first obligation was to protect the survivors and hold the vamps off," Sam said calmly, "it was one of the things we disagreed on."
"Oh?" Irene asked, studying him.
"I think we all know we aren't winning the war against the monsters," Sam conceded, "but we have no chance if we just stay on the defense. They'll wear us down with pure numbers, ultimately."
"You think we can actually fight them?" Paul asked, studying the militia leader thoughtfully.
"I think we have to fight them," Sam shrugged, "or all of this will end up being fucking pointless."
The emergency meeting staggered on for a bit, then they headed off to do their various jobs. Paul made his way to his new office, in the new City Hall. A former armory they took over it was more secure, hopefully, especially with the solar lamps to burn vampires at night. He sat behind the desk, sighing softly.
Sam was one of the rocks he relied on. He needed to trust the man, and usually he knew he could, but this... there was just no way they could fight the monsters. Yes, they knew the weaknesses of some of them and could maybe kill them, but seriously? In a stand up fight they'd be slaughtered.
Paul opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He had a lot to think about, and right now he could use a stiff drink.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Rachel Butcher watched the slaves thoughtfully, hidden in the shadows. Her long black hair would have gleamed in the moonlight, but she hid herself with the experience of years. The men and women were heading in for the night, having worked long past twilight into darkness.
Like all vampires Rachel had once been human, but it had been a long, long time ago. Inhuman hungers and drives had taken away simpler human pleasures, and overall she felt she had gained more than she lost. But with age she had lost much of the memories of her human life, which made understanding them difficult.
Rachel watched the farm, noting the fields of wheat and pens with domestic animals. The farms were spaced out and each guarded by a vampire or were warden, who made sure they worked and produced food for the slave farms. In temperate regions around the world similar men and women worked, buying their survival with food.
Yet every year a small percentage of slaves rebelled, abandoning relative safety for dangerous and often lethal rebellion. It made no sense! Why would they willingly give up safety and food for the possibility of being ripped in two by her kind?
Turning from her cover Rachel stalked away, moving from the trees that had provided her cover and stalking down to the house. Calmly she walked up to the door, then thumped on it with her fist. "Who is it?" the voice demanded.
Rachel had chosen her disguise carefully, wearing the same rough clothing as a slave-worker, as well as dirtying herself up to pass. "Please," she begged weakly, "I ran away from a farm a few hours from here. I just need someplace to stay for the night."
The door opened a bit to reveal a older man, one eye scarred shut while the other glared at her suspiciously. Still, maybe her words reached him, or maybe how shapely she was under her rags, for he pulled the door open. "Get in," he ordered, "hurry."
Rachel hurried in, taking in the small living room they lived in. There was a older woman looking at her fearfully, while the attractive blond haired daughter looked at her with cool curiosity. Sniffing the air covertly Rachel caugh the man's sex scent on the girl and woman, and quickly decided she probably wasn't his daughter. Co-wives?
"Damn it Clyde," the older woman hissed, "you promised me you wouldn't help those fools from the underground anymore!"
"But she's in trouble," the older mad growled, "you can't ignore a woman in trouble, Lud. It'll make us as bad as the monsters."
'Lud?' Rachel did her best to keep her amusement at the name off her face. Someone in this day and age with a name like that? It nearly made her laugh aloud. Schooling her expression to appear meek she murmured, "Oh, thank you so much."
"We'd better hide her before the overseers come," the younger woman said flatly.
"Right, Beth," Zeke agreed as he tugged her down the hall, "who are you, girly? What are you running from?"
"Ray," she lied as Rachel studied the poor home. A living room, kitchen and a few bedrooms were all there was, and there were only minimal furnishings. "I just got tired of slaving away," she said glibly, "we deserve to be free."
Zeke snorted with amusement as he opened a door, revealing a unused room. "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose," he said, "a wise woman once said that." He pushed her inside, "Stay here, the overseer will be coming soon. Once he's gone we'll figure out what we can do."
"Yes sir," Rachel said meekly. Once he left, Rachel sat down by the closed door. Rachel's hearing was much better than a human's, and just by sitting by the door she could hear them talk as if she was in the room with them.
"Where do we send her, huh?" Beth demanded. "The Langley cell is done, I heard, and Aldergrove ain't got the room."
'Aldergrove?' Rachel made a mental note to check into that. She wasn't even aware there were free humans out there.
"Send her up to Mission, those crazies will take anyone," Lud sniffed. "Or we could just kill her and eat her like that spy we caught a few weeks back."
"You think she's a spy?" Zeke asked, sounding doubtful. And well he should, since he had already fallen a bit under her influence.
"She's too clean to be a runaway," Lud said stubbornly, refusing to be swayed.
Rachel cursed softly. She really should have gone farther than a surface dirty, but she had really not expected them to look that closely. Clearly, she had underestimated their caution.
"Let me take a look at her," Beth volunteered, "if she is a fake, I'll... deal with her."
Hearing the girl coming Rachel quickly shuffled away from the door, sitting in the middle of the floor and pretending to be oblivious. As Beth came in she got up awkwardly then hurried over to the young woman, "Is everything all right?"
Beth stiffened in surprise as Rachel pressed against her, shaking with fear, then her arms automatically went around her. "There there," she comforted her, stroking her bare neck and cool skin.
Rachel let her breath tease the girl's neck even as she faked tears. "I'm sorry," she blubbered, "but I was so scared here, all alone."
"It's fine," Beth found herself reassuring her, "I'll take care of you."
Rachel could feel the girl falling under her spell, but she just reached up to cup her chin even as she asked, "Really?"
"Yes, yes I will," Beth promised, her eyes glazed just a bit.
Rachel kissed her, and instead of surprise Beth just leaned into the kiss. Their tounges danced across each other as she let her hands roam, feeling the woman's ripe body. Her hunger stirred, but Rachel contained it as they drew back, panting breathlessly.
"Go tell the others you believe I'm a runaway," Rachel purred into her ear, "and when everyone has gone to bed I'll reward you."
"Yes, mistress," Beth breathed out.
'This is going to be a very fun night,' Rachel thought as Beth walked away.
To be continued...
Type: Original
Links: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2659692/6/
Midnight on the Dead Earth
Chapter Six
"They did WHAT?" Paul Ferris, the new Mator of what was left of Vancouver demanded. The black haired man had been a business man, once upon a time, but after the monsters rose up he fought for his life. Putting his organizational skills to work he managed food and arms, and eventually rose to deputy mayor. Then the mayor was murdered, dumping the job on him.
Irene Parker, the current head of the police force, looked deeply uncomfortable as she said, "The reports are sketchy, but it looks Janet Fox made contact with the resistance out in Langley. She assisted them on a raid on the farms, but it was a trap."
"Shit," Samuel 'Sam' Ericson cursed softly, the head of the militia having known Janet a long time. She was one of his people, and he hated to imagine what she had been through. "Losses?" he asked flatly.
"Near total, according to the scout that brought the report," Eloise Scott said with a bit of regret. She walked over to where her boss was standing as she added, "There are indications Janet deliberately lead them into the trap."
"No way," Sam said flatly.
Irene sighed softly. "Don't be a jack ass, Sam. If she was captured on the way, they could turn her. Especially if the reports that Butcher is a elder vampire are true."
Sam made a growling noise deep in his throat, but he didn't argue with her. Vampires had a little understood ability to bring people under their control. Some said it was scent based, others thought it was hypnosis and a few crackpots thought it was telepathy. Whatever it was a vamp could entrance someone to the point that they would do anything their master asked.
"And the Langley enclave?" Sam asked bleakly.
"They were hit after, they were hurt bad. Lots of deaths, and the survivors captured," Irene said grimly. They couldn't afford to lose an allies in the war with the monsters, and Langley had been their closest support.
"I guess there's no way to rig up some kind of poison pill for our agents?" Paul asked with a sigh, the Mayor feeling a headache coming on.
"Nothing I'd trust with my life," Hank Jenkins noted, the rangy outdoorsy type looking uncomfortable in their meeting room. The leader of the scouts looked tired, bags under his eyes and growing in a raggedy beard.
"How much did she know about our defenses?" Paul asked reluctantly.
"We rearranged patrols after she left, as usual," Hank noted dryly.
"Standard operating procedure at this point," Sam agreed with a sigh. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, "Would there be any point in a rescue op?"
Everyone looked at him disbelievingly. "For the Langley survivors or for Janet?" Eloise had to ask, frowning.
"Either or both," Sam shrugged.
"We don't have the people or weapons to even attempt it," Irene started.
Paul held up a hand, shushing her while studying Sam thoughtfully. "What's this about, Sam?" he asked him quietly.
Sam hesitated, then the older man shrugged slightly. "How well did you know the previous Mayor?" he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"I knew Heather pretty well," Paul admitted, "we worked together. Well?"
"Heather believed that our first obligation was to protect the survivors and hold the vamps off," Sam said calmly, "it was one of the things we disagreed on."
"Oh?" Irene asked, studying him.
"I think we all know we aren't winning the war against the monsters," Sam conceded, "but we have no chance if we just stay on the defense. They'll wear us down with pure numbers, ultimately."
"You think we can actually fight them?" Paul asked, studying the militia leader thoughtfully.
"I think we have to fight them," Sam shrugged, "or all of this will end up being fucking pointless."
The emergency meeting staggered on for a bit, then they headed off to do their various jobs. Paul made his way to his new office, in the new City Hall. A former armory they took over it was more secure, hopefully, especially with the solar lamps to burn vampires at night. He sat behind the desk, sighing softly.
Sam was one of the rocks he relied on. He needed to trust the man, and usually he knew he could, but this... there was just no way they could fight the monsters. Yes, they knew the weaknesses of some of them and could maybe kill them, but seriously? In a stand up fight they'd be slaughtered.
Paul opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He had a lot to think about, and right now he could use a stiff drink.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Rachel Butcher watched the slaves thoughtfully, hidden in the shadows. Her long black hair would have gleamed in the moonlight, but she hid herself with the experience of years. The men and women were heading in for the night, having worked long past twilight into darkness.
Like all vampires Rachel had once been human, but it had been a long, long time ago. Inhuman hungers and drives had taken away simpler human pleasures, and overall she felt she had gained more than she lost. But with age she had lost much of the memories of her human life, which made understanding them difficult.
Rachel watched the farm, noting the fields of wheat and pens with domestic animals. The farms were spaced out and each guarded by a vampire or were warden, who made sure they worked and produced food for the slave farms. In temperate regions around the world similar men and women worked, buying their survival with food.
Yet every year a small percentage of slaves rebelled, abandoning relative safety for dangerous and often lethal rebellion. It made no sense! Why would they willingly give up safety and food for the possibility of being ripped in two by her kind?
Turning from her cover Rachel stalked away, moving from the trees that had provided her cover and stalking down to the house. Calmly she walked up to the door, then thumped on it with her fist. "Who is it?" the voice demanded.
Rachel had chosen her disguise carefully, wearing the same rough clothing as a slave-worker, as well as dirtying herself up to pass. "Please," she begged weakly, "I ran away from a farm a few hours from here. I just need someplace to stay for the night."
The door opened a bit to reveal a older man, one eye scarred shut while the other glared at her suspiciously. Still, maybe her words reached him, or maybe how shapely she was under her rags, for he pulled the door open. "Get in," he ordered, "hurry."
Rachel hurried in, taking in the small living room they lived in. There was a older woman looking at her fearfully, while the attractive blond haired daughter looked at her with cool curiosity. Sniffing the air covertly Rachel caugh the man's sex scent on the girl and woman, and quickly decided she probably wasn't his daughter. Co-wives?
"Damn it Clyde," the older woman hissed, "you promised me you wouldn't help those fools from the underground anymore!"
"But she's in trouble," the older mad growled, "you can't ignore a woman in trouble, Lud. It'll make us as bad as the monsters."
'Lud?' Rachel did her best to keep her amusement at the name off her face. Someone in this day and age with a name like that? It nearly made her laugh aloud. Schooling her expression to appear meek she murmured, "Oh, thank you so much."
"We'd better hide her before the overseers come," the younger woman said flatly.
"Right, Beth," Zeke agreed as he tugged her down the hall, "who are you, girly? What are you running from?"
"Ray," she lied as Rachel studied the poor home. A living room, kitchen and a few bedrooms were all there was, and there were only minimal furnishings. "I just got tired of slaving away," she said glibly, "we deserve to be free."
Zeke snorted with amusement as he opened a door, revealing a unused room. "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose," he said, "a wise woman once said that." He pushed her inside, "Stay here, the overseer will be coming soon. Once he's gone we'll figure out what we can do."
"Yes sir," Rachel said meekly. Once he left, Rachel sat down by the closed door. Rachel's hearing was much better than a human's, and just by sitting by the door she could hear them talk as if she was in the room with them.
"Where do we send her, huh?" Beth demanded. "The Langley cell is done, I heard, and Aldergrove ain't got the room."
'Aldergrove?' Rachel made a mental note to check into that. She wasn't even aware there were free humans out there.
"Send her up to Mission, those crazies will take anyone," Lud sniffed. "Or we could just kill her and eat her like that spy we caught a few weeks back."
"You think she's a spy?" Zeke asked, sounding doubtful. And well he should, since he had already fallen a bit under her influence.
"She's too clean to be a runaway," Lud said stubbornly, refusing to be swayed.
Rachel cursed softly. She really should have gone farther than a surface dirty, but she had really not expected them to look that closely. Clearly, she had underestimated their caution.
"Let me take a look at her," Beth volunteered, "if she is a fake, I'll... deal with her."
Hearing the girl coming Rachel quickly shuffled away from the door, sitting in the middle of the floor and pretending to be oblivious. As Beth came in she got up awkwardly then hurried over to the young woman, "Is everything all right?"
Beth stiffened in surprise as Rachel pressed against her, shaking with fear, then her arms automatically went around her. "There there," she comforted her, stroking her bare neck and cool skin.
Rachel let her breath tease the girl's neck even as she faked tears. "I'm sorry," she blubbered, "but I was so scared here, all alone."
"It's fine," Beth found herself reassuring her, "I'll take care of you."
Rachel could feel the girl falling under her spell, but she just reached up to cup her chin even as she asked, "Really?"
"Yes, yes I will," Beth promised, her eyes glazed just a bit.
Rachel kissed her, and instead of surprise Beth just leaned into the kiss. Their tounges danced across each other as she let her hands roam, feeling the woman's ripe body. Her hunger stirred, but Rachel contained it as they drew back, panting breathlessly.
"Go tell the others you believe I'm a runaway," Rachel purred into her ear, "and when everyone has gone to bed I'll reward you."
"Yes, mistress," Beth breathed out.
'This is going to be a very fun night,' Rachel thought as Beth walked away.
To be continued...