“Whatever you say.” A rhythmic clicking filled the air as the man typed furiously, his eyes flitting between the glowing screens and the keyboard, a blur of motion.
I stared at the wall of screens, each displaying various areas within The Wastes and the slow, agonizing movements of the Exiles. My head bounced between the multitude of monitors, each displaying a different camera angle—I had no idea the surveillance was so extensive. I was drawn to a bright red button,encased in a plastic box on the dashboard that seemed to mock me.
Of course it was a red button. My father is alwayssodramatic.
“All set!” The man smiled and reclined in the chair. “I’ve notified the vampire army that there’s been a breach in the security room, you both can go fuck yours?—”
Before the man could utter another word, Jude’s swift movement ended his life, the bullet piercing his temple. He hunched over, the warm blood trickling down his face and splattering onto the cold, hard floor below. I opened the plastic box and pressed the red button, my gaze glued to the flickering screen. A loud sound, reminiscent of a fire alarm, blared through the air, and white lights began blinking atop the gates to enter the city.
“We did it!” Jude smiled as he watched the screen with me. “We really did it!” He hugged me in his excitement.
“C’mon, let’s get outside and let Arthur know this war can start.”
Jude clasped my hand, and we ran through the echoing hallways of the hotel. The air felt lighter, and each step propelled us forward with surprising ease. We did it—the regime of vampires will soon be over. We pushed the doorway leading to the hotel lobby open and ran into The Wastes outside. Scaling the alleyway, we came to the main road.
I watched as Jude reached into his shirt, revealing the stick Arthur handed him. He ripped it open with his teeth, and three red balls shot into the air, leaving a bright red streak in their wake before exploding with a pop. A searing red light filled the sky as the explosion boomed, and a ferocious battle cry echoed around us.
Then the gate opened.
Chapter Thirty-Six
With the gate slightly ajar, humans slowly started trickling into The Wastes in droves. Each person wore pristine white armor, their faces hidden behind their signature metallic horse masks. Jude and I, fueled by determination, sprinted towards the gate, passing several Exiles that’d been attempting to lift themselves from the ground. Many were walking away as briskly as they could; perhaps they knew a war was imminent.
“Vincent! Jude! You did it!”
Our hearts leapt as we heard a familiar voice. The man lifted his mask, and Arthur’s face stared back at us. Relief washed over me as we ran to him, the sounds of the approaching human army a thunderous roar in The Wastes.
“Here, take these.” Arthur threw a couple of horse masks at us. “I figure you’d wear these to hide your identity from the vampires and also to let our team know you’re one of us.”
A terrifying, high-pitched screech pierced the silence as a colossal black beam shot upwards, expanding to form a net-like structure across the sky. Reaching the high poles on the city’s wall, the thick covering cast a heavy veil over the city, muffling the sun’s warmth and creating a shadowy atmosphere.
“Impressive tint your father has here.” Arthur smiled. “This must only be used if there’s an attack during the day, so the army can fight and deter us from getting inside.”
“Pretty smart,” Jude acknowledged.
“Our first wave is fully prepared to combat the vampire army,” Arthur confidently said. “Hopefully, our second wave will be enough for the secret army. Did you find out any more about them?”
Jude shook his head. “It’s a mystery.”
“I do have a secret third army to help us if we need it as well.” A triumphant smile stretched Arthur’s lips, a sure victory already tasted on his tongue as he watched the humans. “We’ll take your father’s power today, Vincent.” He clapped me on my shoulder. “And create a new world where humans and vampires live in harmony.”
Instead of reveling in the show above, my eyes remained fixated on the grim figures of the Exiles. “Something isn’t right.” Those with enough strength walked toward Elysium, while others, weakened and desperate, clawed at the ground in a slow approach. I looked at Arthur, putting on my mask. “Rally the troops, Jude, and I will check this out.”
With a curt nod, Arthur rejoined the human army, the air thick with anticipation. I cocked my head to Jude, indicating for him to follow me. With the weight of our weapons heavy in our hands, we stealthily followed the Exiles. Each one looked sicker and paler than the last, almost like zombies. They all crept toward the same direction, their movement ominous and silent, as if fleeing some unseen terror. Could it be the humans?
We followed them through the park to the courtyard where the empty fountain sat in its center, my eyes searching for Gabe. The Exiles were flocking around the fountain, some were even inside the empty basin. Familiar alarms sounded around me—the same ones I heard the night I was kidnapped. The vampiresknew they were under attack, and the troops would soon be deployed.
“What’re they doing?” Jude whispered. “It’s like they’re trying to hide.”
“Put on your mask. The vampire army will soon be coming out of Elysium.”
We secured the masks over our faces, peering through the small eyeholes, watching what happened next in stunned silence. A metallic crunching echoed from beneath the courtyard, like some trapped creature clawing at the pipes. The sound soon stopped, and the metal fountain began to shake. I braced myself for an explosion, but instead, water started spraying from its openings.
“What…is that?” Jude breathed.
I squinted at the fountain. It wasn’t water; it almost looked like rust, and my eyes grew wide once I realized what was spurting out of the top. “It’s blood.”
The metallic scent overwhelmed the Exiles as they surged towards the fountain, a chaotic mass of flailing limbs and desperate cries. Some toppled into the basin with a splash, while others carefully climbed the treacherous ladder of Exiles to drink from the fountain directly. With each drop of blood re-entering their body, the Exiles were becoming stronger. Their arms and legs, once thin and weak, began to fill out with muscle, and their pale skin started regaining a healthy color.
