CHAPTER XXXI

Gretchen swings her blades stylishly like the center of attraction in a choreographic display.

She moves as fast and gentle as the wind and her blades create sounds as they cut through the air, missing her target, Gabriel's head.

Gabriel dodges her attacks; he is at a disadvantage as he finds little space to return an attack of his own.

His glowing blue eyes move left to right, creating little traces of light in this dark building, their fight looks like a dance similar to the Chinese martial arts dance, one dodging and the other attacking.

The werewolf charge toward Marcel who dodges his attacks and lands a blow to its midsection and Warren tosses a brick at it, hitting his mark on its head.

The werewolf is enraged but Marcel shows no fear.

Before his betrayal he had been in so many fights alongside Count Dracula, a measly dog like the one before him is nothing compared to the horrors he has seen in his lifetime.

The werewolf jumps over Marcel and lunges at Warren, the detective struggles but the werewolf holds him down to the ground.

Marcel comes from behind and pounds the werewolf's back before kicking its side and tossing it against the wall.

"This will be our strategy, distract and attack" Marcel says and Warren nods in agreement.

Warren finds a piece of wood he can use as a weapon and charges, the werewolf easily dodges Warren's attack and kicks him in the chest.

The detective falls backward and Marcel appears with his fist driving its way towards the werewolf's face.

It catches Marcel's fist and uses his claws to slash the vampire's chest.

Marcel groans in pain and the werewolf slam him against the wall.

He tries to bite Marcel but the vampire matches his strength and holds him at bay.

Warren stabs it with a dagger and the werewolf scream and wriggles in pain as it struggles to touch its back.

Marcel looks at the human, "Silver dagger," Warren says, a common weakness between vampires and werewolves.

Gabriel lets out a terrifying roar, igniting fear in Gretchen, not enough to stop her attack but enough to make her lose a step and that is all the sphinx needs.

He disarms her and slams her against the ground.

She produces a dagger from the side of her hip and stabs Gabriel in the chest and he roars at her again.

He sinks his teeth into her neck and bites off her flesh.

She tries to cover the blood flowing from her neck as she struggles to move.

Gabriel looks down on the woman, his face growing darker as fur slowly grows on his face.

He pulls out the dagger from his chest and throws it to the ground.

Marcel hears the bones of the werewolf begin to crack as it wriggles around in pain, "We have to kill it now. The damn thing is transforming".

He tries to hold the werewolf down but it pushes him off.

Its backbone expands and its spinal cord increases as it transforms.

Its bones push out the dagger from its back.

The werewolf stands on all fours now.

It looks like a wolf the size of a healthy lion, its golden eyes glowing in the dark as it looks at the two men who are now very cautious with their steps.

The werewolf hears the sound of tearing flesh and turns its attention to Gretchen.

She is dead and her lifeless heart is crushed in Gabriel's hand.

The sphinx growls and the werewolf howls before it charges toward Marcel, the vampire readies himself but the werewolf diverts to the staircase and makes a run for it.

"Chicken," Warren comments and the immortals glance at him.

"You have some explaining to do, detective" Gabriel says as he tosses Gretchen's heart away.

The detective swallows his saliva as fear drowns his courage, now the sphinx has his attention on the cop.

CLOUDS.

Samuel and Rachael rush downstairs where the partygoers are dancing and enjoying the blissful waters of the DJ's rhythm.

They meet Elma at the bar, "Come, we have to go.

Emily is coming" Samuel says, "Who is Emily?" Elma asks as she gulps down a glass of liquor.

"The vampire that attacked me," Rachael says, "Oh, looks like that bitch is coming to die.

Why are you shaky? You alone can handle her" Elma says to Samuel, "Of course but she knows that as well.

There is no way she is coming alone" he says, "Then we better get going," "To the basement," he says.

They start to rush towards one of the guarded elevators.

Samuel pauses as they reach the front of the elevator.

He can feel her presence, he can smell her and he can smell them.

She brought trackers, werewolves.

The elevator door opens, "Let's move," the haste in his voice is not hidden.

The elevator door closes; "She is here, isn't she?" Elma asks, "Yeah, she is. And so are the Trackers".

Again?

"We shouldn't have come here. This place isn't safe", Rachael says as she clenches her fist.

"She is right, you know" Elma supports, "I will protect you, Rachael. I promise" he says and for a split second she feels safe again.

She wonders why they keep coming to the club even though they know it's not safe for them to be here.

Wouldn't it be better to run away? No.

If she ran away, how would she get her revenge?

How would she get Count Dracula for what he did?

He took everything from her and he has lost nothing, he must pay.

"Promise me we are going to kill Dracula," she suddenly says.

The two immortals stare at her in surprise, "Well…well…well, whatever is going through that head of yours must be something" Elma says with a smile, "Promise me, Samuel" she says.

Samuel looks at her in awe; I don't need to make that promise to you.

I've already made that promise to myself, he thinks to himself.

He almost forgets the troubles to come as he smiles.

But then again, he knows that there are no monsters worse than him in this building.

"There is no need to make such a promise, Miss McQueen.

Killing Dracula is the only goal I see".

Rachael isn't sure if she should be glad or scared.

The elevator reaches the basement.

Samuel starts to direct them towards a door at the end of the basement, "There is a room there, come on let's go".

His ears pick up on the growls coming from the staircase, "I suggest we start running," Samuel says and the group begins to run toward the door.

Rachael runs as fast as her legs can go, she glances over her shoulder to see three furry-looking men running on all fours, charging towards them.

They are catching up.

Of course they are, werewolves are physically superior to humans.

In a flash Samuel runs past Rachael and Elma, he inputs the security code to the door and opens it.

He turns and begins to walk towards Rachael as a werewolf gets closer to her.

Rachael sees Samuel coming close, his eyes turn blue as he gets closer and he moves past her.

She hears a thud on the floor behind her and turns to see Samuel on top a werewolf, "Run" he shouts.

Samuel slams the werewolf against the ground and snaps its neck.

He stands up to face the others that come towards his direction.

"You don't know, who you are fucking with", he charges at the first werewolf to approach him.

Dodging its attack and he uses razor sharps claws to tear out its throat.

Samuel keeps on attacking them but he can't be everywhere and a few get past him.

They charge towards the door, which is now shut closed, banging at it and trying their best to destroy it.

Samuel roars and charges towards them, breaking their bones and ripping out their hearts.

He smashes a werewolf's skull against the ground and bites of the throat of another.

Fear crawls underneath their hairy skin as this monster unleashes his rage on them.

"This is why you were once called Mortem, death" Emily says.

She cat walks seductively and claps her hands together while the werewolves stop their attack.

"I've missed you, babe" she says. Samuel spits out the blood of his kills, "I've missed you as well, my love.

You know, your head will make a good taxidermy".

"That way I can watch you every single day," "That's just creepy," "Come with us and I will grant the human a quick death," Emily says.

"If you go, I will spare you" "You know I can't do that, babe".

"I know you are scared of my father.

If you run away, I will kill him and you will never have to worry about him coming for you"

"Will you run with me or are you going to stay and protect that human?"

"I like crazy girls on a good day, on a bad I may consider well-grounded girls and on my worst day I will take almost any creature I can get.

But no matter the day, I will never be with you.

Moral lesson is, you suck".

Cracks begin to appear on Emily's face as her anger is no longer restrained by a cocoon of self-control, "I will kill you and everyone you care about,".

Emily charges into Samuel, driving him through the door and bursting into the room where Rachael hides behind a marble countertop and Elma stands with a sword in her hand.

Emily stands; her eyes are as black as night as she turns her head to Elma's direction.

"Kill them all,".