From downstairs, Three’s voice, a low murmur at first, then rising to a call, cut through the quiet of the house. “Roll call.”
“Vincent and I are fine up here,” Eleven yelled as she sidled down the staircase.
“I’m here,” Twelve’s voice shouted.
“Oh shit!” Eight shouted. “We’re fucked! Grab your weapons!”
What about Jude? Why didn’t he answer during the roll call? I heard the frantic patter of feet running back upstairs, which only added to the suspense I felt. I braced myself as the door burst open, revealing Eleven, her eyes wide with fear.
A thunderous bang shook the house, originating from downstairs, and then the horrifying screams of several men pierced the silence. There were gunshots, but even scarier, there were barks. The girl next to me was trembling, and her head stood at attention with every growl emitted from the Dog. “How many are there?”
With a shrug, she tightened her grip on two knives clutched in her fist. Her chest heaved, shallow gasps escaping her lips as her body shook uncontrollably.
“We need to help.”
The girl next to me shakily grabbed my wrist. “W-we c-can’t.”
“What are we going to do? Stay in this room until the Dogs find us and die like the family that lived in this house? Not me. I’m going to help as best I can or die trying.” I would’ve gone down when the humans ambushed us, but there wasn’t enough time before guns started blazing. These were beasts I knew.
I eased the bedroom door open and peered outside—the coast was clear. I took one step, and a floorboard creaked beneath me. With a shake of my head, I knew the creaks of the old house would give me away.
A screen door at the bottom of the staircase hung slightly ajar, revealing two glowing red eyes in the inky blackness beyond. They turned right in a slow, deliberate motion, then left, before finally locking onto me. The Dog, accompanied by some friends, let out a bone-chilling howl before bounding inside.
I had nothing to defend myself with. What was I thinking going into this blind? I watched as the Dog’s eyes flashed from a furious, bright red to a cold, hard white as it bared its teeth in a menacing snarl. The next thing I heard was a whimper, a tiny,pathetic sound, as two blades whistled through the air behind me, sinking into the creature’s eye sockets with a sickening thud.
I swung my body to look behind me. “Thank you.”
Eleven shrugged. “I couldn’t just let you die.”
“No?”
Before she could answer, more yells rang through the house. “Get outta here, you filthy animals!” My heart inflated—that was Jude’s voice. He was safe, and I needed to get to him. He needed my help.
The house shook with the renewed barrage of menacing barks and gunshots. With a whirring of hydraulics, a Dog turned its head towards me and its mechanical legs carried it swiftly up the stairs. Using both hands, Three clasped the metal tail and heaved backward with all his might, launching the Dog into the air. With a ferocious snarled response, the creature twisted its neck and sank its teeth into the large man’s face, the sounds of tearing flesh and desperate cries echoing in the air.
Three’s lifeless body slumped to the floor in defeat.
With blood dripping from its metal mouth, the robotic Dog sprang into the air toward the staircase. As the beast soared through the air, I leaped beneath it, feeling the wind rush past me as I pounded down each step. Three’s body broke my fall, and all I saw was Eleven’s ghostly pale face. I didn’t pause to think as I reached for the gun on Three’s shoulder, firing five shots until it shared the same fate.
“Th-thanks,” Eleven breathed.
“We’re even. Let’s go.”
A deep scream from Eight sounded from the kitchen, and together, we ran to see where we could help. With a foot hanging out of its mouth, the Dog stood on the cracked tile floor, while the large man’s face reddened as he clutched his leg. The beast twisted its head with a snarl, spitting the appendage out, and then thrust its paws against Eight’s chest, pinning him againstthe wall. It surprised me that the metal animal could push back such a large man, but I suppose, without a leg, what more could he do? In a flash, the Dog’s claws tore across Eight’s body, tearing fabric and flesh before he fell limply to the floor.
Eleven had her jacket around her shoulders and reached into a pocket. The whoosh of a dagger as it flew from her palm missed my ear by mere inches. The blade tore through the Dog’s pixelated eye, a distorted yelp echoing as it fled into the dark snow outside.
A weak moan came from the man at our feet. Kneeling, I supported Eight’s massive head, feeling his breath’s frantic, shallow rhythm against my hands. Gashes lined his body, deep claw marks oozing blood, soaking into his shirt; the crimson stain pulsed with each new bubble of blood.
Every exhale Eight breathed was filled with blood, and his internal injuries were rushing to the surface. His eyes, wide and glistening with unshed tears, turned to me in fear. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he was able to croak, “Run.”
My nose twisted, and my brows furrowed, scrunching my face. Was I about to cry? Rarely did vampires cry—maybe these humans were rubbing off on me. This was all too much. Where’s Jude? I turned to Eleven, who stood frozen beside me, her eyes wide with a silent shock from the night’s events. “We need to find your sister.”
Racing outside, we saw a crimson trail in the pristine snow, leading directly to the van. Two silhouettes huddled in the front seats, barely visible in the car’s weak interior light. Dogs circled the van, biding their time and looking for a way inside.
Eleven’s breath hitched, a ragged plume of icy air escaping her lips. “Jude and my sister are in there.”
I nodded. “We need to create a diversion to lure the Dogs away so we can get in and leave.”
