Blood And Fire

Chapter 6-Vampire Patrols

     There are four bodies dispersed between the three tents; three male and one female.  They are all completely drained of blood.  Nick is kneeling as he examines the last of the corpses.  His confused expression gradually gives way to one of realization.  He abruptly stands and spins to face Drake and Sparx.  "We need to leave right now!"

     "What's your hurry?"  A menacing voice sounds from a nearby tree.  There is a rustling coming from a few other directions.  The trio finds themselves surrounded by a gang of six vampires, their blood stained teeth bared as they close in.

     "Looks like we found the freaks!" the largest of the six jeers as he exposes fingernails elongating to viciously sharp points.  The other five follow suit, a few start hissing with faces thrust forward.

     Drake's tail whips with lightning speed as his jaw gapes wide in the opposite direction.  Two of the vampires' heads are taken off cleanly at the shoulders as the thunderous crack of the dragon's lethal tail erupts in the night.  The two creatures of the night that had the misfortune of standing in front of Drake's head burst into flames as the fire billows from his mouth.  Their screams are inhuman as they flail about, falling to the ground and becoming motionless.

     The largest vampire is between his fallen comrades.  He acts quickly while Drake is dispatching the first four.  The hulking fiend leaps into the air, landing on the dragon's back squarely between the wings.  Just as he is about to sink his sharp claws into Drake, Sparx explodes directly in front of the creature's face.  Taken by surprise by the pixie's sudden appearance and blinded by her brilliant light, the undead attacker staggers back, losing his balance.  Feeling the unsteady shift of his adversary's weight, Drake bucks his hind legs while simultaneously pumping his partially extended wings.  The result is an impressive forward flip that hurtles the disoriented undead into the air, only to be snatched in mid-descent by the dragon's snapping jaw.  The crunching of bones is sickening.  Drake drinks all of his fallen foe's lifeblood, then spits the mangled and limp remains on the river bank.

     While all this is transpiring, Nick has been overcome by the remaining blood sucker.  He suffers scratches on his face and shoulder.  His aggressor is much stronger since having recently fed.  Nick lunges forward to strike, but the vampire anticipates his move, catching Nick by the wrist and flipping him onto a tent that collapses under the weight.

     The last night creature is so enthralled in its battle with Nick that it hasn't realized that the rest of its party is gone.  Sparx flutters about the advancing night walker.  It swipes at her with an irritated hand.  She blinks out, leaving a cascade of sparkles.  Nick shakes his head to shrug off the impact of the body slam to the tent.  As he starts to right himself, his attacker swiftly kicks Nick in the ribs, sending him sprawling.

     Just as the fanged fiend is about to hurtle himself onto Nick's prone figure, a surprised expression appears on the assailant's face and the spear-ended tip of Drake's tail bursts through the vampire's sternum.  Instinctively, the shocked creature places its hands over the protruding foreign object.  With a retracting "swoosh" the tail disappears.  The vampire's eyes roll up into its head and its body slumps to the ground.  Two glowing ruby eyes fill the space behind the fallen creature.  Drake takes a step forward, his front paw covering the dead monster.

     Are you all right?

     Nick slowly gathers himself up, lightly touching his ribs and winces at the pain.  "I was just getting warmed up," he mumbles groggily.  He tries to take a step, nearly falls again, but manages to barely steady himself.   Nick glances around the campsite, taking in the aftermath.  His eyes settle on the last vampire to die that Drake is standing on.  Nick looks up at the dragon and nods his head toward the creature pressed flat under Drake's paw.  "I wore that last one out for you."  He starts dusting himself off, and then adds with a smirk, "Took you long enough."

     Sparx pops into the air and goes about scooping up some of her magical dust and gingerly applies it to Nick's wounds.  The scratches glow under the healing substance.  As the phosphorescence subsides, the gouges miraculously transform into healed skin.  Next, Sparx busies herself scrutinizing every inch of Drake to see if he has injuries to treat.

     I am fine, Sparx.  They did not harm me.

     "We should clean this up," Nick says motioning to the dead bodies strewn about.  "If vampire patrols have made it this far from the cities, it is only a matter of time before we are found."  The thought causes him to shudder briefly.  "I wonder what brought these campers out this far?  There isn't a human settlement in over a hundred miles."

     There are hoof prints leading away from the campsite.     The vampires must have scared their horses off.

     "Chirp!Bzz! Brr!" the pixie offers.

     Sparx saw them down the river earlier while we slept.

     "Tomorrow night we start searching the forest.  Sparx, please start your search in the morning and let us know what you see when we wake.  In the meantime let's not leave anything here to draw any more attention."  Apprehension shone in Nick's brown eyes.  He and his friends had enjoyed a brief period of tranquility.  He suspected that that time was coming to an end.  Tonight was only the beginning of their troubles.