Death Angel

Chapter 34: Vampires versus Robot Knight

The sea of vampires below us was captivating - an unnatural abomination that was at once horrifying and beautiful. All around the city, the flood of pale emaciated Class-D vampires poured in like a raging torrent, engulfing the city. And yet there was order to the madness. This was no mad scramble, no panicked stampede. Rather, this was a highly coordinated and well-planned exercise that was executed with military precision.

I turned to Death, concerned for the people of Chicago.

“Relax, love,” said Gregor Vincent. “The vampires have been expressly instructed not to sate themselves upon the hapless population.” He smiled to me, with all the youthful charm his exterior allowed. “The humans will not be harmed. The Brood is not foolish enough to incur the wrath of Death and his Angel.”

Gregor jumped above where I was hovering to a high building and beckoned for me to follow. I flew to the top of the building, settling comfortably beside Gregor as we surveyed our surroundings. I could see the ‘L’ tracks circling the loop. The trains had stopped running long ago, and apart from the sea of vampires, it was hard to tell if there was any human life in the center of Chicago’s business district.  The normally bustling Wacker Drive was completely dead, as if Death himself had unleashed his Nether Void upon the city. The waves of the Chicago River were the only thing that broke the monotony.

The historic LaSalle Street and Union Station were both completely devoid of passers-by.  Gregor pointed to a section of downtown, towards Adams and Wabash. “See that section where the Class-Ds are headed? Elite members of the Brood are guiding them. I have Class C’s positioned carefully throughout the city. They act as my lieutenants, beacons that guide the Class D’s toward their destination and their mission.”

“You’re sacrificing your own?” I asked. “Why would you do that out of the kindness of your heart?”

“Not out of the kindness of my heart, I’m afraid, Vanessa,” said Gregor. “It’s more like we share a common enemy. Ridding ourselves of the man that sought at one time to purge the vampire nation is only fitting.”

“My father sought to purge the vampire nation?”

“Your father needed a testing ground for his abilities. The Class D’s were a rather convenient target, I should say. Though as the reigning patriarch of the Vampire Nation, I take personal offense to it.”

“So my father angered you enough to act,” I said.

“Lest you forget, dear Vanessa, it was I who guided you toward your mother.”

“And I won’t forget that favor,” I said.

“Ah, you two appear to be getting cozy,” said Death with a wide grin on his face. He had switched back to his human form, looking impeccable as always. “Fortunately, I am not the jealous type,” he said with a smile. “Or am I?”

“What’s the objective here?” I asked, conveniently changing the subject.

“We hope to overwhelm the giant knight with our numbers. We don’t really know if the massive form has any weaknesses, but we hope to try and exploit any openings we find, nonetheless.”

As if in response, I noticed the vampires began to climb the robotic knight, scampering up its legs from the ground beneath it. It was as though a swarm of tiny ants began to lay siege on the robotic knight. The knight paid the attack no heed, swatting hapless vampires away like insects, where they fell to the ground below or were smashed into the concrete, their remains leaving a splattered mess upon the streets of Chicago.

“Not exactly a strategy that befits the Brood,” I retorted, smiling a little at Gregor.

“No it is not, but then again, centuries of war have done nothing to prepare us against such a foe,” said Gregor smiling back, his boyish charms an almost unnatural contrast to his wise words. “Your father was special, Vanessa, as are you. To take down such a foe requires sacrifices. And we are prepared, Death Angel for when the time comes that you set your will against us.”