The girls of Ohmer Chapter 10 Dance of the slaughter

The Girls of Ohmer Chapter 10
Dance of the slaughter

There was no bear, there was no dog, there was no little girl. Only the vampire remained. Icy death in clotted  veins, a cold shriveled unbeating heart incapable of love or compassion. No feeling, no remorse, no joy, only the lust for hot blood remained. Only the urgent need to spill the crimson life from pulsing arteries. And to wreak vengeance on those who stole her innocence!

The vampire streaked out of the door screaming with fury, hatred,and thirst. Far too long had she stagnated, dormant. For months she had hidden in the recesses of the innocent. Thirsting, waiting, watching...

The first soldiers to meet her didn't even comprehend that they were going to die. Flashing clawed fingers sliced through necks, showering gouts of blood on the front steps. She bathed in torrents of red mist, glorious showers of life giving blood.

The vampire was a whirlwind of death, striking her fist into the heart of one then pulling another down by his hair and biting through his throat.

The blood drought was ended. Now she was deluged, flooded, overflowing with phenomenal power. The power to crush, rend, rip...murder.

she delighted in the manic dance of the slaughter. Spinning and reeling from one doomed suitor to the next. She made her way through the group pramanading through slick puddles of gore.

The behemoth was too slow to notice her until she grabbed the shaft of the spear in his gut and ripped it out of him in a sideways arc that trailed his intestines like ribbons. The giant fell forward with a wet smack.

She spun the spear as she slashed and tore through the terrified formation. None were spared the fate of this force of unnatural fury. A tempest of retribution collecting the long overdue payment for the suffering these dark riders brought to the people of this land.

The vampire charged after the fleeing few. Shish kabobing two with the spear and jerking the head right off of another.

Blue had gained his whits and was ready to join the fight again,but when he saw the vampire he was spooked, charging back into the building, streight through the back wall.

Hilario was out cold, had he been conscious he would most likely been brought down with the rest. Not one remained.

The vampire stood in the middle of the slick street, soaked through and through with sticky blood, steaming from her body on the heat of the massacre. She lifted her face to the night sky screamed in triumph!

Tom looked on slack jawed in amazement. In just over a minute the vampire had reduced this formidable fighting force into just so many steaming piles of dead flesh. A troop of thirty marauders ground to bits and bled out.

Nina cried out the girls given name"Sarah!"

The vampire looked up, noticing the warm living flesh in the doorway. She grinned an evil grin licking her lips. "Prey" she said almost seductively as she began sauntering toward the pitiful beings huddled together on the foyer floor. Like lambs waiting to be led to the killing floor.

Nina wept as Tom tried to shield her from the approaching horror. Erika was laying on the floor behind them , with Vay holding her hand, trying to comfort her.

The vampire stopped, eyeing her new victims.

Just then Vay stood up, she looked the vampire directly in the eyes. "Beaya? I wuv you Beaya."

The vampire stared at the little girl, as a familiar voice rose up inside her. Deep beneath the cold heart a little light flickered, warming and kind, foreign to this bloodthirsty killer. The light grew until it sparkled through her eyes and a whisper escaped the red lips. "Vay?"

The vampire trembled, as if frozen with indecision. Two personalities struggled inside, two opposing factions of thought. One that would spill blood the other that would love.

Despite the surge of power provided by the gluttonous blood feast, the vampire was no match for the girl who combated the evil with pure shining love.

The vampire was banished from this form never to return. As she fled from existence it was not the coppery taint of blood that she smelled but an overwhelmingy sweet fragrance of honeysuckle.

The girl pitched forward landing on her hands and knees. Sicking up clotted blood and crying over what she had done. She was herself again, but a coldness lingered deep inside her, a vacuum where something precious used to be.

++++++++++

In the aftermath of the battle Tom worked quickly to revive Hilario while Nina did her best to administer to the Girls. Vay was Ok, remarkably so considering the living nightmare she had just witnessed. She was obediently collecting the girls few belongings and placing them in a sack.

Nina had cleaned up Bear Dog ( who immediately upon recovering her senses, had renounced her vampire moniker.) Now Erika was being tended to, she had some bruises and scratches but had fared pretty well considering. Although a dark bruise around her neck would be visible for some time.

Tom shook Hilario " Hey friend!  Wake up! We must be going."

Hilario slowly opened one eye and then the other." Hey mister, you see me ride dat big blue? Oh he like to run over people, he like it too much."

Tom reached down and helped Hilario to his feet. The little man was unsteady at first but was improving rapidly. His carefree attitude didn't suffer a bit. " Hey mister, you got something to eat?"

"There's no time for that. We must get away from here. More troops will come for the girls." Tom stopped in contemplation."They'll probably be looking for us too. I'll have to change my appearance" he said stroking his braided beard. "Go find Blue and meet me behind the shop."

"OK mister. Where he go?

"Try looking through that gaping hole." Tom pointed behind Hilario toward the ruined wall where Blue had fled from the vampire.

Tom provided Nina with a wooden staff to lean on, and then he went down to the basement to grab some supplies.

Nina and the girls went out back to find Tom's carriage, which he said would carry them all with a little help from Blue.

The carriage was really a sideshow hawkers wagon. On the side was stenciled "Toms Tonics! a cure for every ailment" in gaudy gold paint. In all actually it was an armored box on wheels. Comfortable accommodations for two adults traveling with valuables.

Nina hobbled up to the back of the wagon and tried the door. It was locked tight. " hold on girls, Stay here while I help Hilario hitch up Blue." Nina began hobbling forward when she heard the girls laughing and she heard Tom shout.

"Ho Ho Hold on there Nina! You should sit and rest! Tom was standing there with a large sack of supplies slung over one shoulder, wearing the most ridiculous pointed red hat, andthe a belted bright red coat to match! Bright red with white trim. Wentworth perched on his shoulder wearing the same, only tiny and sleeveless.

Toms beard was unbraided and combed out to a bushy mass that covered his chest.

"What is this?" Nina groaned "we're supposed to be on the run, and here you are dressed up like a lunatic." The girls giggled wildly at this comment.

Tom was abashed."What do you mean? This is a fine traveling coat and hat. We'll be traveling to the mountains and it will get very  cold. As a matter of fact..."

Tom dropped the bag and began rummaging through it. "Hilario! Come here I have something for you."

Hilario stepped around the wagon but stopped in his tracks and began laughing at the site of Tom. " Oh mister I bet you do! Ha ha ha, you look alike krispy kringal, ha ha ha! You wanna me paint de ram nose red? Ha ha ha!" Hilario fell down laughing and rolling on the ground. The others had no idea what he was talking about but laughed along because the joy was infectious.

Tom wasn't so amused. " well, you'll be bagging for this later" he huffed as he stuffed the green coat and hat back into the bag.

Hilario stood up, wiping tears out of his eyes. " Come on mister Kringal! I been such a good boy! Ha ha ha.." Hilario burst into another fit of laughter as Tom unlocked the wagon and tossed the sack inside.

Minutes later they were rolling down a path that led away from the village. An orange glow lit the sky behind them as the fire Tom had set engulfed the menagerie.

The girls were in the wagon with popsicle and wentworth, while Hilario sat next to Tom playing "feliz navidad" on his flute. Every time he moved a little gold bell on his hat jingled.

Tom looked down at his driving companion, pleased that the green coat fit so well. Tom clucked at Blue and hummed along with the flute as they rode towards the mountains.