Reign of Blood (The Vampires of Vegas Book 1)

Chapter Six

Screeching into the parking lot of the supermarket, I jumped out of the van, strapping sheathes and daggers to my belt. Tightening the crossbow to my back, I made sure the quiver was stuffed full and the bow loaded. Last I pulled the katana and let it slide through my belt into place. It hummed in my hand and with a decisive power. The machete strapped to my right thigh and side nicely. I stuffed two flashlights into my belt too and slammed the door to the van, taking the keys with me. I wasn't sure if I was expecting anything more than just ferals. They didn't leave the shadows of the buildings. But something had. Something had ventured into the parking lot to take Mom and Jeremy.

But any new hybrid vampires–if that's what they were–would have to pull the keys off my bloody, dead body to steal my ride.

I glanced around me; the midmorning sun was already warning me that time was running out. I nodded, acknowledging its reassuring warmth, even if it was just for my own assurance. Inside, the darkness of the buildings was always cooler than the outside. I'd take the open parking lot over the insanely claustrophobic cramped insides of the infested buildings. I started forward, walking briskly toward the road where the tire track I had found the previous day had pointed.

Scanning the street in both directions, I again saw no other clues. I groaned, knowing the immense search in front of me would not be easy. If my family was alive they were probably not near this place but far from it. Standing up, I decided to head in the direction the tracks were leading me and begin searching the buildings. The tall, dead casinos loomed in the distance, the same direction as the tire tracks. It was not beyond me to fathom that they had headed that way. Whoever took them must have taken up residence near the strip of the Las Vegas Boulevard. I wasn't sure, but what better place to start? It would take me forever to search every casino but I had a lifetime to spare.

I followed the road and made it to the Mandalay Bay's dusty, gold-hued windows. I stared up at the beautiful brilliance of its mirrored windows that reflected the sun like laser beams down onto the street. I smiled. I was willing to bet that most of the tower rooms in the hotels were not infested; the amount of sun pouring into them would be unbearable for the ferals. It was the dark pits of the main floor casinos that worried me. The rank hallways and hidden rooms were numerous in these buildings– having been remodeled so many times–would be the most dangerous. I remembered the bowels of some of these monstrosities, the halls that led nowhere and the underground basements that went on for miles, full of stored slots, tables, chairs and then some.

I sighed, quickly slipping into the parking lot and down the sidewalks overgrown with desert sage and tumbleweeds that clogged up the way. I remembered this place in all its glory. It was heartbreaking to venture into its lost beauty and wasted neglect since the epidemic wiped everyone out. The land had quickly snarled its grip around the streets and concrete jungles of the city. I worked my way through the weeds and overgrown grasses that had survived the lack of water and the summer's dry heat. It had been mild but not many plants had tolerated it. None of the colorful flowers in the neatly manicured displays had lived. The place had a haunted feel to it.

I gulped as I reached the main entry to the lobby of the casino. Studying my own reflection in the thick glass doors made my heart flit in anticipation. I pulled out a flashlight and my short katana sword. I hated the dark interiors; it was like walking into a swarm of snakes. I tried to slow my breathing as I pushed the first set of doors in, ready for anything with every step.

The inner doors looked undisturbed. I wondered if the ferals even used doors. Most places I had found them had the doors hanging by the hinges or torn off. These were solid thick glass doors with metal hinges. They were dusty but intact with nothing to signify vampires roaming inside. I wasn't about to take it for granted at all, though. One mistake or let down of my guard and I might as well serve myself up for dinner.