Suburban Vampire Ragnarok

Chapter 21

Of course, Scott didn't tell Dawn that he was going out that very evening for a night of rogue vampire slaying. He knew she would want to tag along, but also that she wasn't ready for combat. Sure, she may have been taking Tae Kwan Do, but Scott wondered how effective such an art would be against sixteen scared and hungry vampires. Besides, he thought that neither Jeremiah nor Elizabeth—especially not Elizabeth—would want a human with limited training and little fighting experience to join in. Of course, Dawn had more experience fighting and killing vampires than most humans Scott knew (okay, so she was the only human Scott knew who had racked up such a score against the undead), but he still didn't want her along. He didn't know if it was because he was a bit sexist and didn't think Dawn could handle herself, or if it was because of his feelings for Dawn and the notion that she could face death again so soon. Scott ended up justifying himself by thinking that there would be three vampires—Jeremiah, Elizabeth, and himself—and she would be the only mortal, and would probably feel like the odd person out. Maybe there were going to be some jokes that only made sense to vampires that she wouldn't be able to get. Yeah, that's it, Scott concluded. I don't want her feelings to get hurt. That's the ticket.

Elizabeth met Jeremiah and Scott not at St. Michael's (Jeremiah offered, and Elizabeth responded negatively. Very negatively), but at the dojo where Jeremiah trained him in various fighting styles. They loaded into Elizabeth's Hummer and headed off into far Northeast Portland, toward the address given to Elizabeth by the Black-Eyed Kid, Jeremy. The neighborhood was adjacent to an industrial district on a dead-end street. The short row of houses, all small, single-level ramblers built during the '50s, sat abandoned and condemned. None of them were lit, as electricity had been cut off to those homes long ago. A solitary street lamp illuminated the entry to the small, ghostly neighborhood, its light not reaching the far end of the street.

Elizabeth had the good tactical sense to park around the corner from the dead-end street, under a willow tree that shaded them from the street lamps. The three vampires jumped out of the Hummer and headed toward the back, which Elizabeth then opened.

"Okay," Elizabeth said, "the address is the third house down that next street. I don't need to tell you guys that stealth and surprise are essential. I'll take point; Jeremiah, you cover me. Scott, you take the rear of the house."

"By myself?" Scott asked. He really didn't think confronting so many vampires by himself sounded like a good idea.

"Do not fear," Jeremiah replied. "We will be there should you need us."

"Yeah, well, I'll probably need you."

"Oh, I'm counting on that," Elizabeth said as she opened a large metal case from which she drew a Heckler & Koch UMP45 with a Gemtech suppressor. She rammed the twenty-five-round magazine home and placed three extra magazines in a pouch on her vest. She then chambered a round and placed the weapon on safety. She also took out her beloved falcata and placed it in a kydex sheath on her belt.

"You needn't worry about me this time," Jeremiah said as he lifted his leather jacket to reveal a Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum revolver in a shoulder rig. "It is loaded with warheads, as well."

"A bit of overkill, don't you think?" Elizabeth asked as she opened a second metal case, this one containing a Heckler & Koch Mark 23 pistol with suppressor. "A bit loud, too. You'll want something a bit more discreet." Jeremiah gratefully accepted the weapon, screwed on the silencer, then chambered the first round.

"Hey, wait," Scott said, "Don't I get a gun, too?"

Elizabeth reached into the trunk again and pulled out a short sword, a replica of a Roman gladius, and handed it to him. "Here. Go ahead and help yourself to some stakes, too."