THIS JOB SUCKS!

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Philtzer groaned again.

"Will you stop that?" Rami rumbled in annoyance.

"But I'm hungry." Philtzer whined. "Thomas only brought me a sandwich. One sandwich. A cold sandwich. And you didn't bring me anything when you came." 

"I am not your personal caterer." Rami shook his head as he grabbed another quiver of arrows. 

"You should be," Philtzer muttered as they moved over to the group standing by the trailer that now held Philtzer's damaged car.

Rami had gathered almost twenty men and women to help him storm Cecelia's compound. They were a mixture of vampire's and werewolves mostly Madraeus' personal body guards and those who worked closely with InfiniCorp. The witches and the pixies had refused to get involved. It might be enough if Cecelia's men had evacuated but he wasn't holding his breath for that. 

The werewolves were going to go in just as they were but the vampires needed weapons. So Rami had raided the arsenal in Madraeus' offices and brought bows and arrow and a few swords. Guns were of no use. Vampires and werewolves tended to keep going even if they had been shot. Rami always thought that it was unfortunate that the myth of silver bullets working on werewolves was just that, a myth. 

It was best to go the old fashioned route. Lop off a head and they stay dead.

The sun had set about an hour ago and although there had been no sign of Cecelia's henchmen they were being careful. Thomas had come to Philtzer's rescue hours ago. Together they had pulled Philtzer's car out of the ditch and loaded it onto the trailer. During all that time there had been no one in sight. It made Rami nervous.

Rami handed the quiver to a young vampire named Vivian and looked around at the faces of his "army." He was not cut out to be a general.

"Some of you need to circle around to the back side of the compound and cover us with some well-placed arrows. Try not to shoot any of us." Rami winked at Vivian eliciting a chuckle from several of them. 

"The rest of us will fan out through the trees on this side and go straight at the front." As he spoke the werewolves had started to undress and changed into wolf form. Philtzer was the last to change.

"I can't believe I have to do this again," he grumbled yanking off his shirt. "I didn't even get a nap."

"Stop whining," Rami said over his shoulder as he moved up the side of the ditch.

"Stop whining?" Philtzer muttered, "I'm not whining." He changed into wolf form and trotted after Rami.

Slowly they made their way up the side of the mountain. Philtzer pricked his ears listening for any sound. The only thing he could hear was the sound of their own footsteps. There were no night noises, no other animals, or even birds. Apparently Mother Nature knew something was up. Philtzer shook his fur into place and continued on. He slowed his pace as they neared the clearing.

Rami watched Philtzer's hackles rise. This was it. They were getting close. He knew they would have to wait for the others to get into position. Rami glanced to his left. Several pairs of eyes glittered in the darkness. He turned the other direction to find a few faces and more shining eyes. They were ready. Now they had to wait. The others would have to circle around behind the shaft house to the top of the ridge without being detected. At least there was no wind to give their position away.

Rami settled the handle of the sword he had chosen more comfortably into his hand. It had been a long time since he had been in battle and never without Madraeus. He was the real warrior. Rami had never had any formal training, only what his friend had taught him. He had learned well enough but he would prefer to remain on the sidelines.