Blood Vengeance [COMPLETED]

Chapter Forty-Seven - Moranimae

When the gates were blown, they rushed through, Xander leading and Selene close behind. The iron of the gates was warped and torn, blown to a million pieces.

They scampered over wreckage and rubble, the troops fanning out over the forecourt of Central Control. The soldiers raised improvised shields to protect them from the bullets that rained down on them, but some were killed nonetheless. Selene saw men, women and children falling, dying in the streets as Xander's calls of encouragement struggled to penetrate the overwhelming din.

Xander clutched at a grenade on his belt, pulling the toggle and throwing it overarm at the great black walls of Central Control.

Selene felt the blast in her bones, and shied away from the noise, but Xander was off, moving through the rubble, fighting to find the hole he had blasted in the building. Moments later he drew back again, shouting to some women who were manning one of the larger rocket launchers. He ordered them to fire where he had thrown the grenade, where the wall was already weakened.

Taking Selene in his arms he shielded her from the almighty shattering of bricks and mortar, although there was no need.

I am immortal, she thought.

But still she longed for his protection, and when he moved away again she ached for his touch.

She followed him as he crept over the broken wall, and inside the dark and narrow corridors of Central Control.

"They're in the core," he shouted over the explosive racket around them. The soldiers were blowing holes in the walls on all sides, and creeping inside like ants.

Men saluted and acknowledged Xander as they passed in the corridors: every human in the country must have been rounded up to form part of this army, Selene thought.

Xander's compassion and magnetism had convinced them all to follow him. She had never envisaged that he was capable of leading like this. An image of him with a knife to his tattooed wrist floated before her eyes, but she blinked it away.

Xander pulled out a folded piece of yellowed paper and flattened it out against a wall.

Selene peered over his shoulder.

It was a map; old and tattered, and drawn in Vampire script. But it showed every path in Central Control.

"Where did you get that?" she asked.

"We took a prisoner; it was amongst his belongings. We're here," he said, pressing a dirtied finger to the paper. "And we need to be here." He slid his finger deep into the centre of the map and prodded at it. "This is where they are."

He folded it away and put it in his back pocket, before continuing. Selene realised they were alone; none of the soldiers followed.

"Xander, we have no back-up," she whispered. The place had fallen silent as they had crept deeper into the secret tunnels and corridors.

He turned, holding her gaze. "We don't need any. This is a personal battle. This is between us, and those monsters who abused you...raped you." The last words were barely a whisper, but they hung like lead between them.

Selene pushed her silver hair from her face and tucked it into the neck of her gown to keep it out the way.

"There's something you should know -" she began.

"Not now, Selene," he whispered as he continued down the designated path. "We're close. I know it. Can you hear that?" He paused, tilting one ear in the direction of the sound.

Selene held her breath. Yes, she could hear the sound of a wild animal, roaring, enraged, murderous. And it wasn't far away.

"That's him."