While Vivienne knew that she might be needed to assist Casey and Sylvie with Brian, she also learned from the contents of the crop circle that she would have to overcome this obstacle first. Every time the corn stalks rustled or the leaves shifted, Vivienne was reminded of a crowd watching a spectacle within an arena or fighting pit. “Clever.” Vivienne muttered and started taking in all of the details of the ring and its contents with her deep-set blue eyes.

Starting with the mass of dead things in the center of the ring, Vivienne could almost feel and see the skull and crossbones warning her of possible contagion. The hill of animals pulsed with a hideous green light with wisps of ashen-colored smoke pouring out. -Biological, diseased.- She thought to herself and kept scanning. Camouflaged so that the normal eye couldn’t see the devices, Vivienne spotted three explosive’s nestled in the flattened corn by their metal spikes that emitted the same lime green light that the carcasses had. -Claymore?-She confirmed it when she saw the hallmark wording on the front, ‘Front Toward Enemy.’ Vivienne felt that the number of mines didn’t work to cover the ring and looked over her shoulder and spotted the last one. Taking a few steps forward and situating herself in the gaps where she reasoned the blast would do the least damage, Vivienne took a deep breath through her nose to confirm the last piece of the puzzle.

-Bitter Almonds and heavy garlic.- Vivienne recognized the different chemicals as very deadly versions of cyanide and arsine. Inherently knowing that her body wouldn’t react to the blood agents that filled the air of the ring, Vivienne started confidently walking to the woman at the other end. “I surmise that you are some aspect or manifestation of war.” Vivienne extended her long claws and held up one razor sharp talon. “You and your ilk have done everything you could to get my attention, so you have it.” Vivienne half growled and quickly assessed what the woman had available to her.

Captain Kino was covered from head to toe in various items that seemed to tell the tale of a warrior through time itself. Dressed in the familiar square digital pattern of green, black and brown her initial uniform looked like that of the modern soldier attempting to be both hidden from others and satellite detection.

Emulating the way a knight would have been outfitted, Kino had small gray metal plates sewn into the flat parts of her uniform. Solid gray steel covered her thighs, shins, part of her forearm, and biceps. Her shoulders had the same metal molded in such a way that it provided protection without giving up full movement of her arms.

Adorning her head, Captain Kino wore a black Kevlar helmet that sloped down to protect her ears. Attached via a green band, three feathers jutted up from the rear with a bright orange plume in the center, giving her the look of an American Indian brave. Completing the look on her visage, Kino bore a tight-fitting mask with dark round goggles that gave her complete vision and covered her nose and mouth from the toxic fumes from the ring via a set of canisters attached by each cheek.

Strapped to her uniform, the warrior had a noticeable .45 caliber pistol strapped with nylon to her left hip and thigh. Hugging the Captain’s waist was a standard load-bearing belt and straps that revealed at least four grenades and two more magazines for her pistol. Adorning her back was a black spear of dark wood that had a warped and wavy gleaming silver blade honed to a perfect edge. Completing the visual, the warrior had a sword sheathed on her right thigh that bore the design of a Roman gladius.

“That was the intent, to expose the queen bee.” Kino’s voice echoed deeply from the depths of her protective mask. “Look at how effective it was. You came to us.” Without warning, Captain Kino’s right hand flashed green and her left hand drew her pistol and squeezed the trigger seven times in rapid succession.

Vivienne was faster. Her lighting reflexes allowed her to dance to the side and still maintain a distance from the clearly hidden mines. Thinking she was safe from the bullets, Vivienne stopped her quick spin and fluid movement just to be tagged by all seven bullets. Enhanced by Kino’s magic, the bullets weren’t stopped by Vivienne’s carefully designed kevlar and steel suit and drove themselves into her skin. Associating the effect of this magic to the feeling of when vampires would claw and bite her, Vivienne had begun to devote some blood to the repairs when she heard an audible click.

Changing her plan, Vivienne knew that a rapid succession of events would occur. First there would be a quick flash, next a shockwave and finally, a barrage of lead pellets meant for her. Counting the milliseconds, Vivienne suspected that every part of this triggered mine would be laden with magic much like the bullets and dissipated herself into her blue-black cloud. Loud and deafening, the explosion sent a gout of flame tinged with green rippling across the floor in a wide cone. Just as Vivienne predicted, the shockwave came after and then the mass of pellets. When the event was over, all that remained were tiny amber flames that flickered ominously across the ring. Unhappy about having to use more of her dwindling blood reserve, Vivienne quickly found a relatively safe spot and shifted back to her standard form.

Residual smoke from the small flames wafted through the air and oddly began irritating Vivienne’s eyes. -What in the?- She asked herself as she tried to watch her opponent and figure out what was going on at the same time. Taking a swift and shallow breath, Vivienne felt the air in her lungs start to burn and ache much like the scorching of her throat that she lived with. -Radioactive.- Vivienne’s spine tingled and alerted her to the presence of the magic mixed with the contaminant within her chest. -More blood to cleanse this.- Devoting the precious fluid, Vivienne cleared the burning in her chest and removed the blur from her vision. -They aren’t trying to kill you. They are trying to drain you.- Vivienne determined as she squared off with Captain Kino once more.

Kino started laughing and holstered her pistol before she pulled the spear free from her back. “I thought you’d be more of a challenge, but it turns out that you are about as dumb as the rest of your kind.” Kino watched the dark cloud reform and Vivienne appear just out of reach. “Gaia, guide my spear into the heart of the beast’s darkness.” Kino’s rune flashed and sent a green light to encase the dark wooden shaft just before she threw it at her target.

Detecting the same homing magic that the bullets had before, Vivienne didn’t bother to try and dodge the incoming missile but instead caught it without any issue and snapped it in front of the metal-clad warrior. “My turn.” The ancient vampire’s light French voice heavy with malevolence echoed. Vivienne felt the rush of the hunt flood in her veins much like how a great white would rush towards its intended prey. Baring her fangs and whipping her claws before her, Her lithe form breezed past Angelie twice before she came to a halt behind the warrior. Vivienne held the mask in one hand while her other claw dripped half-coagulated blood from the other. Upon seeing the vibrant orange plume, Vivienne plucked it from Captain Kino’s helm and shredded it.

Angelie felt her torso open and spray her dark blood across the dead corn stalks a moment before the string of her intestines plopped on the ground with a wet smack. Captain Kino fell to her knees and tried to take a breath. The chemical soup within the ring caused her lungs to seize and the brave woman began to convulse uncontrolled. Captain Kino’s brown eyes filled with blood as she lay on the ground, shaking her way to her death. “I…hate…you…” Angelie spouted her venomous words the best she could as she suffocated.

“I know.” Vivienne calmly responded and watched as Angelie kept trying to raise her hand.

“Darla…Denise…” Angelie sputtered and coughed, her vision clouding as she faded.

“I..tried…”

Vivienne had seen this exact exchange of confessions and pleading throughout her long unlife. Countless times she’d held the hands of her patients as they passed into the next realm. She didn’t know what the journey held for her opponent and she didn’t care. Humanity had always found a way to kill itself in the most horrendous ways and this woman dying was the very essence of that. Vivienne watched for a few seconds as Anglie’s hand kept trying to find something to grasp. -This fight is over. The debt is paid.- Vivienne told herself and took a step forward and grasped the dying woman’s hand tightly for the few seconds that passed before death claimed her.

Vivienne dropped the former warrior's protective mask and hand at roughly the same time. “Now to find a way out of here.” She calmly walked and studied the ring’s design and where the fog seemed endless. “So.” Vivienne studied the wispy green plumes hovering around the creaking corn. “Are you playing on fear, or is there something to you?” Vivienne knelt down and pulled the gladius from the dead woman’s hip and started poking at the thick branches. Hissing and giving off the scent of heated metal, Vivienne got her answer. She pulled the blade free of the mist and saw that the blade had warped and had small divots on the once sharp edge. “Acid.” Tossing the blade on the ground, Vivienne found herself standing over one of the two mines that were still armed. Picking up the explosive device, Vivienne saw where the detonator was screwed in place and removed it, making the mine mostly inert. Still looking for a way out of the ring, Vivienne stopped over the last claymore and disarmed it before placing both of the explosives behind Kino’s lifeless body.

“You don’t want me to leave yet.” Vivienne openly commented. “The only thing left is the pile.” Vivienne walked to the pile of dead animals and started shifting and moving the carcasses until she found what she was looking for. Underneath all of the cows and sheep, another small ring of four claymore’s faced out towards where most of the animal pile had been placed. Unlike the other devices, these were all wired in a concurrent ring with a digital clock in the center.

Counting down.

“Casey.” Brian smiled and opened the door wider. “Come in, please.” He took a couple steps back and showed Casey the living room. “I am so glad that you came with them.”

A few seconds passed before Casey realized what was happening. Time seemed to slow down from the moment she heard Sylvie’s warning not to open the door and coming face to face with Brian once more. Flashes of their last encounter dotted the landscape of her memory hardening her resolve to not go inside the home. Keeping her eyes trained on her exboyfriend, Casey took a couple steps backward and let the storm door close in Brian’s face. “Staying out here, thanks.” With Brian safely behind the outer door, Casey looked around trying to find a way out. Casey had just resolved to walk through the eerie leaf-colored fog when it dawned on her what Vivienne had done and what she was talking about. “Acid.” She muttered as the small metal door opened and Brian walked out.

Clearing a few strands of her auburn hair from her eyes, Casey turned to face the man she once loved. Initially what she knew about the six foot man held true. His body was as tightly muscled as ever, rippling as he moved beyond the door. Visions of his bulky arms encasing her and keeping her safe blended with the confusion of the almost seamless way he trapped her in quicksand. Pushing the images from her mind, Casey continued her assessment. Illusions of his last few days peeled away from Casey’s eyes as she noticed the way his goatee had streaks of gray and his cheeks were more pallid than she’d remembered. Beautiful onyx hair had been replaced with a duller version that had an unsettling appearance of Casey’s own red that outlined the tips and made it look like the embers of a dying fire. Nothing about his dress was unusual, as he was wearing a set of jeans and a simple red t-shirt. Casey did note the subtle way that the clothing no longer hugged his giant body but how they hung baggier than she recalled. “Brian. What have these people done to you?” Casey offered as she saw the last demonic looking change, his eyes. Nibbling lightly on her lower lip, Casey thought about how Brian could settle her or drive her into a frenzy with a single glance of his green eyes. Many nights had passed where she’d fallen asleep happily gazing into his lovely eyes. Yellow irises gleamed with hunger as though a can of red paint had blended with the green and created the unnerving look Brian currently sported.

“This isn’t about me, Casey.” His yellow orbs dimmed and he pointed into the house, “I am doing what I must, so you are saved.” He started walking toward Casey. “Come along without a fight and we can fix everything.” He half smiled as his right hand glowed with its lime-green light.

“Don’t go in that house!” Sylvie screamed from beyond the fog. “Casey, I am trying to get to you now, hold out a little longer.”

Grumbling with frustration, Brian swung his hand and aimed it at the ground where Sylvie was standing. “I’ve had about enough of you.”

Sylvie felt the ground start to rumble and the dirt lost its strength, opening a hole where she had been standing. Just as the opening appeared beneath her feet, Sylvie shifted into her bird form. Going from the deep caramel color of her native skin, her feathered form changed into tufts of white and blue, leaving a small bluejay beating its wings furiously to avoid falling into the created pit trap. Sylvie flew away from the farmhouse and towards the woodline where the group had begun.

Hearing a slight creak of wood, Brian swung his hand at the wooden deck and made the planks warp and twist to catch Casey by her legs as she tried to defend Sylvie. “You stay put.” Satisfied that Casey was safely held captive, Brian noticed that the bluejay now had momentum and was trying to head to freedom. With a simple flick of his wrist the green light traveled once more through the ground and timed it where a large rock shot upward from the earth, causing the bird to ram head first into the thick stone.

Grunting heavily, Casey fell face first onto the porch and hit hard enough to knock the wind out of her chest. The thick wood curved and first encased her waist and ankles, before moving up the rest of her body. Thankful that her arms were still free, Casey realized that her situation could be resolved with a simple turn much like she would do when doing a backstroke at the end of a pool. Using her body weight and ward strength, Casey performed a quick turn and snapped the weathered wood from her waist. Relying on her own experience and Vivienne’s commands, Casey didn’t panic and thought about regaining her breathing much like taking a shallow dive while snorkeling. Cresting through the water in her mind, Casey took a deep and steady breath before snapping the wood that held her legs and feet captive. Freed from her makeshift prison, Casey power jumped to try and knock Brian back through the door, intending to give Sylvie enough time to figure out a way to the house.

Stone cracked and slightly gave to the vampire turned bird, and caused her to bounce and land on the ground. Changing back from her blue feathered form, Sylvie stood up just in time for another rock to come slamming in from the side and crush her into the first stone. Uncomfortably stuck between the two rocks, Sylvie was glad that the laws of physics didn’t quite apply to her. While the stones were firmly connected as though they’d melted into each other, her body had crumbled the stone around her making a little form fitting bubble. “Well, this sucks.” Sylvie expressed with a huff. Sylvie knew she could get free with very little fanfare, but she debated on what aspect to take. Deciding on the path of conserving the blood she still had, the younger vampire pushed out her elbows and moved the heavy stone enough so that her hands were free and able to provide more leverage. Opening about a three-foot space between the two massive barriers of black and cracked stone, Sylvie finally had the room to punch her way free of the obstruction. Reducing the obstructions to a pile of rubble, Sylvie darted back along the open path and stopped at the edge of the hole that had been opened. “Perfect.” She knelt down with the intent to dig her way under the fog so she could come up under the porch and aid Casey. “Never thought I would be digging myself out of the ground. This is such…” Sylvie crawled into the empty space and started clawing her way through the dirt like a drill. “...a cliche way of being a vampire.”

Brian didn’t have time to register that Casey had vaulted herself at him before the impact came. Feeling like a giant hammer hit him in the stomach, Brian was slammed back and through the storm door. Splashing through the glass and tearing the flimsy aluminum door into jagged metal ribbons, Brian felt his thick arms start bleeding where the razor edges of the door scraped across his skin. Pain scattered his focus for a couple of seconds causing him to forget the defensive spell he’d been taught earlier. “Ow, fuck!!” He howled and rolled to his side then pushed Casey from him as hard as he could.

Without time to react after crashing to the floor, Casey felt her light form get launched through the air and careen into a wooden table, breaking it into splinters much like the front desk of the Ocean Lily a few days before. Lying within the mess of broken wood, Casey knew that she wasn’t seriously injured and felt the few cuts that were on her hands and neck start to close. “You call this fixing everything?” Casey muttered before feeling the back of her head and pulling back to see a thin line of blood making a trail down her finger.

Years of football had Brian’s reaction time honed nearly perfect and he jumped to his feet without any real effort. “If you’d just listen and do as you were told, then it would fix everything.” Making his rune flare back to life, Brian sent green flames from his rune to trail up his arm until they started cauterizing the wounds he’d sustained. Watching as Casey began to clear the remnants of the table from her, Brian recalled the defensive spell that he wanted to use prior. Rock started to form and mold to his muscled body to emulate a geared football player. Hardened plastic had been replaced with interlocking glowing green stones that covered Brian’s shoulders, legs and hips. “You insist on staying obsessed with your mosquitoes and that mindset needs to be corrected.” He heavily stomped over to where Casey was and grabbed her by the leg and started dragging her into the kitchen. “Even if it means that I have to be a little tough on you.”

-How the fuck am I getting out of this?- Casey calmly questioned herself as she was being dragged across the floor. Sharp pain spun along her spine as the pointed edges of the glass embedded themselves in the open spaces where her armor didn’t cover between her stomach and waist. Pain tried to feed the flames of fear, but were quickly extinguished by the icy command that Vivienne had implanted a few minutes earlier. Confidence replaced doubt and Casey found the strength to kick her free leg as hard as she could into her rocky ex-boyfriend. Connecting with his uncovered and vulnerable hand, Casey felt his grip release and she scrambled backwards across the floor like a crab.

“Damnit!” Brian screamed as he looked at his hand and two dislocated fingers. Pulling on the two digits, the tendons and bones echoed an audible crack before reseating. Flexing his fingers to get the pain to turn to numbness, Brian turned in time to see Casey skittering away from him. “Where do you think you are going?” Thrusting out his runic right hand, green tentacles snaked their way across the floor and latched onto Casey’s throat. “This should take the fight out of you.” He angrily commented and squinted his eyes as he forced the appendage to squeeze tighter to cut off airflow.

Without warning a crash came from below sending dirt, dust and floor fragments all across the living room. Sylvie’s form clawed and crawled its way up Brian’s thick form and to his exposed neck. Her fangs already locked in place; the vampire aimed for Brian’s jugular vein. Her fangs hit true and she delved into what she thought was his neck. Unlike the flesh she’d expected, her mouth had filled with parts of stone that disintegrated into sand on her tongue. A moment later, she felt a big hand encompass her face and squeeze on her temples just before a shock akin to a bolt of lightning riveted through her head and shot her into the kitchen where she destroyed the stove with the impact from her body.

Vivienne blinked a couple of times as she watched the red digital counter count backward towards zero. Currently the number had landed on twenty-six seconds and was close to tripping to twenty-five when the ancient vampire expressed the same sentiment as her fellow blood drinker. “Fortune has dictated to me a situation that is similar to your own, Miss Miakoda.” The clock struck twenty-four. “This indeed does suck.”

Factoring in the biohazardous animals, the explosive cone and the amount of radioactive material that spread across the ring from the one claymore, Vivienne knew that she could easily survive the detonations, but the whole area would be doused in enough radioactive fallout that would kill anyone that came close to the farm. Her immediate thought went to Faye and Casey. “No, Casey couldn’t make it even with her enhancements. Faye, depending on her blood levels..” She hummed lightly to herself and delved deeper into the setup. She climbed between the small ring and gently lifted the timer to get a look at the wiring and sighed. “Faye, my love…” Vivienne watched the numbers keep dwindling. “...I have to agree with you on something. I am no comedian. However, it would appear that I am being told to learn more about electrical components. Circuits to be exact. I was perplexed by the box at the theater. Now I am looking at a tangle of black wire about to turn this area into a no-fly zone.”

Unable to discern the exact method of pulling the correct wire, Vivienne set the timing counter back where it was and began following the myriad of wires until they seemingly disappeared into the vegetation that littered the ring. “What in the..” She dug away the corn stalks and saw the wire as it double backed on itself and looped around the spikes that held the devices. “Another maze.” Vivienne gently tugged on the wire and found the first splice. “Lovely.” A slight snicker from Sylvie caused Vivienne to roll her eyes and keep to her investigation. Tracing the splice to its end, Vivienne uncovered another ring of mines that formed another loop, but contained eight mines. “Cascading explosions.”

While the numbers kept ticking towards zero, Vivienne pulled herself free of the spaghetti looking wires and ran through her only real options. She knew that while tossing the string of mines a safe distance from her was an option, three things made that a bad choice. First, by moving them she could set them off while in her hand. Second was the radioactive fallout and third was the effect the explosions would have on the fog that surrounded the farm. “Kino is the key.” Vivienne exclaimed and darted over to the lifeless body of her opponent.

Hovering over Angelie’s lifeless body, Vivienne glimpsed the soft and pleading way that Angelie’s green magical lifeless eyes looked up to the stars as well as the subtle way her mystical lips formed a slight sly smile as though a mystery lingered through death. Detonator. Look for the detonator.- Vivienne quickly thought as her hands moved in a blur to check every pocket and hidden space on the dead woman. Every space that Vivienne inspected came up empty for a device. “It has to be here.” She mentally counted that she was dangerously close to the timer going off, when it occurred to Vivienne that she hadn’t completely rolled Kino’s body over, but only enough to check her rear pockets. Spotting the fact Captain Kino's opposite hand was hidden, Vivienne jerked hard on the corpse and watched the little device go flying into the air.

Moving fast enough to cause a loud pop where she shattered the sound barrier, Vivienne grabbed the falling detonator and in one fluid move flipped the switch to the ‘off’ position. She came to a stop just before reaching the edge of the green mist and squished her heavenly blue eyes closed as her internal clock for the timer passed zero. Waiting a few extra seconds to be sure, Vivienne felt a genuine rush of relief and heightened excitement that she’d not experienced in close to a century. “I feel alive.” Vivienne declared and made her way over to the clock. “With three seconds to spare.”

With the mines safely able to be handled, Vivienne clawed out a deep depression and began to disarm the claymore mines. “Nothing wrong with being prudent. Yes we can mark the area, mon amour.” Vivienne avowed as if reading Faye’s mind. She’d managed to bundle up the lengthy wire and stack the mines safely in the hole when she heard a loud crash of breaking glass southwest of her location. “Glass, Let’s assume that was the house so that puts the barn just a little southeast of me.” Vivienne nibbled on her lip and guessed at the distance. “Two hundred meters?” She closed her eyes and played the terrain in her head in relation to the barn.

About the time Vivienne had reconciled the fact she would have to brave the fog to reach Faye, She heard Sylvie start to panic and scream. Vivienne looked dead south then back to her southeastern target before making her decision. “I still feel you, my love…You wouldn’t want me to leave her in this to suffer.” Vivienne’s eyes sparkled with determination, “They can’t keep me from you forever…I will have you back in my arms.” Feeling her hand start to shake once more, the appendage stopped Vivienne in her tracks. -Not now.- Clenching her fist a few times, Vivienne commanded her hand to stop its twitch and she readied herself to brave the acid smog and save her new friend.

Wind from her take off blew Vivienne’s long black hair free so it flowed like gentle waves behind her as she plowed through the corn in the effort to save Sylvie. Moments after she was deep within the crackling stalks, she once more heard the all around voice of the person controlling the mist.

“Burn, baby blue eyes burn…” Raollet laughed maniacally.

Impending damage to her skin and armor were a given based on what Vivienne learned about the corrosive mist with the sword. Vivienne had prepared herself mentally and thought the use of speed would offset any major damage. Immediately after the proclamation from Raollet, Vivienne felt the air shift and the dank green turned into a thick soup. Acid started to form little puddles on her armor and she felt it slowly peeling away. Blended cotton and spandex burned and melted first as the vitriolic gas ate away at the fibers, exposing Vivienne’s extremities.

“My, my you are fast my little blue eyed girl.” Raollet echoed. “You’ve had it easy so far. Let’s add some strands to the web, my little fly.”

Tingles turned into pinpricks as Vivienne registered that the acid was starting to eat away at her skin, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t reverse with a little blood. Blood. A precious resource that she’d found herself using in great quantity fending off these diversions without any real way to replenish her reserve. Vivienne heard the cackling from the man’s voice all around her just before the foul cloud that encased her changed again. Subtle little strands began to connect in the open sores where the acid had already eaten away her pale skin, delving deeper into her tissue and beginning to eat at the muscle. Vivienne found that the strands were easy enough to break and kept darting to her target.

“Vivienne?” Sylvie called out half panic stricken. “I…can’t see… burning…” Sylvie tried to desperately wipe the flesh eating liquid from her. “I…its everywhere.” Sylvie felt herself get heaved up and once more get thrown through the dense air like a toy. Until that moment, Sylvie never knew that her one hundred and twenty pound form could be thrown with such force that it made the droplets of acid fly off and provide a measure of relief. Breaking free of the foggy cornfield, Sylvie bounced twice and landed at the edge of a murky black pond.

“I am not finished with you Pocahontas.” Raollet laughed, “Let me finish with your hive queen and I will give you my full attention.”

Webbing that snapped easily in Vivienne’s rush, changed once more and it gained the consistency of sap slowly crawling down a tree. When the pollutant stuck firmly to Vivienne, she smelled the mixture of scents that were heating and burning as she made her way to the pond. Silky and smooth jet hair smoldered, metal from her chest plate heated up and smelled like white hot iron being struck by a hammer and the kevlar mesh withered and gave off a heavy plastic odor.

-Amber.- Vivienne thought as her legs grew heavy in the wake of the solidifying resin. Dedicating more of her dwindling blood reserve, Vivienne powered through and escaped with a loud crack as though super cooled ice had shattered in front of her. Creating twin holes as she hit the ground, Vivienne was reminded of the short run she and Faye had on the beach where she felt the ground give way once before. “Faye…” Vivienne quietly murmured to herself before being jarred from her memory by Sylvie screaming. Vivienne could tell that she was short on blood as it also equated to her being short with her temperament. “Sylvie.” Vivienne tried to get her fellow vampires attention to no avail. “Miss Mikoda. You are free, calm down.” When the crying and pitiful screaming kept coming, Vivienne grunted and walked over to her friend and jerked Sylvie to her feet and shook the younger vampire. “Luna! Blood, use your damned blood.”

Pulsing with a red ring in her mystical blue eyes, Sylvie saw the near hateful look in Vivienne’s eyes. “Y…yes..okay…” She rambled for a few seconds and dedicated her own blood reserve to fixing her burning body. A cool rush flooded her damaged body and started regenerating the flesh and muscle that had been eaten away by the toxic fumes that were now a solid crystal keeping them in place. Relief provided the means for Sylvie to start making sense of the situation. “I..um, thank you for rescuing me.” Her eyes shifted from half-moon to pitch black. “Brian flung me through the window once I could move again.” Sylvie quickly faced the direction of the house. “Damn, I have to get back to Casey…she’s alone with him.”

Slowly and methodically Raollet’s tar like black form started to rise like a summoned demon from the pond. “Why would I allow any of that to happen?” Raollet mouthed as the sticky strands seeped away from his lips. “I have to deliver only you..” Raollet’s dripping messy finger pointed at Vivienne, “...Blue eyes, to The Loved One.” His messy visage focused on Sylvie, “You..I can have fun with.”

“Plague.” Vivienne half heartedly commented. “The acid is just a new version of what you are. You are more of a pollutant. How very modern.” Vivienne snorted. Interjecting herself between Sylvie and the amorphous oily mass that was still forming a man, Vivienne gently pushed Sylvie away from the water’s edge. “Sylvie, the water under him is clear, you see that right?”

“Yes. What are you thinking?” Sylvie inquired and meekly peeked over Vivienne’s shoulder. “How do you fight that? It’s a mass of..something I don’t think we want to be covered in.”

Stepping free of the water, Raollet’s full form stood before the twin vampires and smiled. “You are running out of room to back up.” He turned his oil coated Cubs cap with the bill down, “You thought the mist burned? Try one little touch of my beautiful wall there.” He outstretched his right hand and his rune began to glow green. “Give her to me and I will even let you drink some of her blood before I take you to The Darla.” Gelatinous and foul, ropes of slime sprayed in front of where Raollet walked, turning the soil and sand into barren waste.

Echoing and eerie laughter droned on as Vivienne steadily walked backward around the pond. Raollet nodded and knew by the way one vampire protected the other, another of his offers had been rejected. More vitriol sprayed on the ground before he spoke, “So much for the easy way.” Ralloet twisted his neck and made it crack, “How does it feel to be slowly hunted to no escape?”

Short on patience as well as blood, Vivienne knew that she had to figure something out before she ran out of open ground. Raising one of her long black eyebrows one word popped into her mind. -Neutralize.- Years of chemistry scrolled through her head and she realized she needed some kind of base to counteract the acid that was currently burning the ground in front of them as well as the wall behind them. Almost as Vivienne figured out what she needed, a small tap on her shoulder came from behind. Half turning, she saw Sylvie holding a vial that she’d just opened.

“Try this.” Sylvie smiled and winked. “I said I didn’t know if it would be useful.”

Vivienne gently took the vial and snapped her fingers to get the unused doses that Sylvie had stored. “I am inclined to disbelieve that you didn’t see this exact scenario happening.” Vivienne popped the covers from the remaining capsules, crouched and sprung.

Raollet’s runed and murky hand tried to follow the blurred vampire as she cleared a vault over his head. Another second later he felt a small stream of broken glass and fluid land in his mouth and slide down his larynx. Sharp shards of Pyrex stuck in place and Raollet reflectively grabbed his throat as he watched Vivienne land safely with a flip on the other side of the pond.

Spinning on the remains of her combat boots, Vivienne quickly faced the man that had been stalking them. “Come on, work damn it.” Vivienne flicked out her claws and took a defensive stance as she waited for any sign that her concoction would take effect.

Uncomfortable sounds of crunching like chains snapping free echoed all around the pond as the green light began fading from Raollet’s hand. White foam effervesced then poured from Raollet’s lips just like someone had shaken a soda can and popped the lid. Bubbles of radiating purity clawed their way across the dead ground, first eating the slime on the ground then rolling into the crackling wall. Amidst the turmoil that was slowly being reversed within him, Raollet felt free for the first time in many years. One sloppy and disintegrating brown eye began to shine from his bleached face. “Denise..I love you…” His words curdled and popped more of the sudsy substance before his body finished consuming itself, leaving a little red heart trinket in the middle of the milky detergent.

Retracting her claws, Vivienne silently walked over to the heart and picked it up and crushed it in her hand. Slapping her hands clean of the little trinket, Vivienne pointed at the solid waste that was disappearing rapidly. “I am going to save Faye.” Vivienne stated firmly, “Be careful with the last one, Sylvie. If I am right, then he will have something you haven’t been exposed to yet.” Vivienne held up four fingers. “Our mystery Denise or Darla has created a version of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse. We have had Death, War and a version of Pollution or Plague.”

Sylvie ran up and hugged Vivienne tight, “You go get Faye.” A pair of blood-tinged tears slipped down her caramel-colored cheeks. “I..know..your heart hurts.” Sylvie felt Vivienne return the hug and a soft warm pulse caused Sylvie to freeze for a few seconds. “Aimez-vous, rentrez chez vous.” Sylvie mindlessly spoke and found the strength to pull away.

A dreamy glaze washed over Vivienne’s penetrating blue eyes, “I was unaware that you spoke French.”

“I don’t.” Sylvie added and winked. “The message was for you not me.” Bowing to the ancient vampire, Sylvie darted for the back door to the farmhouse.

With the toxic haze gone, Vivienne realized she was nearly beside the entrance to the barn. Comforted by the feeling of Faye so close, Vivienne pushed her deepening hunger down and marched for the open doors of the stable. “I am coming, my love.”

Gasping for breath from the tentacle choke hold, Casey watched as the shadow of unconsciousness started to cloud and darken her vision. Devoid of panic or fear, the young ward’s mind started flashing a myriad of past memories. She saw herself with her college colors on, face painted with Brian’s number twenty-two outlined in gold and cheering her big man on as he grabbed and tackled a runner with a football. Cheers of success warped into the passionate and blissful screams of being penetrated and feeling Brian’s thick chest in her hands, clawing him as he lifted her higher into ecstasy. Open mouths of orgasm faded and Casey saw herself laying silently atop his big form, slowly kissing him until she felt her heavy eyelids begging for sleep.

-NO!-

Clarity pushed the fog of sleep from her mind long enough to remember that she was being held against her will and the softness she wanted was the furthest thing from what was occurring. Vile green vines tightened and Casey felt she was slowly losing her once gentle giant to his need of forced compulsion. Blind obedience of his will, not listening or caring what her personal needs were. Time had ceased to be a luxury for Casey and could feel her body losing its ability to fight on through the lack of air. Dropping her hand to her side, Her weak fingers grazed the hilt of one dagger glued to her hip. One fluid move, Casey’s hand grasped the weapon and using all the strength she had left in her fading body, she hurled the blade at her ex-boyfriend.

Confusion wracked Casey as the vines holding her captive faded and she was able to take in a huge gulp of air. Hitting the ground with a heavy thud, Casey piecemealed the events by sound. She’d heard Brian scream something about being bitten then the sharp tingling of glass shattering and wooden walls snapping. The last thing she recalled before her sight restored and her ears stopped ringing was hearing Brian scream out in pain and yell, “Owww Fuck!” Casey took a couple more deep breaths and glanced up in time to see the hilt of her knife falling to the floor and a bright red mark on Brian’s forehead.

“You bitch!” Brian roared and launched some of the smooth stones that made up his shoulder pads.

Spotting the blade from her knife flying to an open space close to the brick that made up the fireplace, Casey forced her body to move and she scrambled to reach the broken knife just as the stones drove themselves into her face and eyes with enough force to crack the bones in her cheeks. One eye began to swell closed and Casey fell backwards, yet somehow managed to clasp her hand around the remains of her weapon.

Brian reached up and felt the gash at the base of his neck where Sylvie had managed to get a single bite and slight tear in. “Annoying fanger.” Brian lifted his runed hand to the injury and his green light pulsed for a moment for the scent of searing flesh permeated the air. “Captain Mattson will deal with her.” Brian saw the glint of metal in Casey’s bleeding hand. “Not twice.” With a slight hunch, Brian pushed off and ran for Casey much like he was aiming to stop a quarterback from escaping his clutches. Quickly closing the gap between the door to the kitchen and the hearth, Brian reached Casey before she had a chance to move and stomped on the hand holding the remains of the dagger.

Bones cracked and crunched under Brian’s weight, causing Casey to yelp in pain once more. Tinkering of metal on rock echoed as her mangled fingers helplessly opened and rendered the shattered knife useless. Determined to give her body enough time to start its regeneration, Casey kicked out as hard as she could and connected with the back of Brian’s knee. A rush of satisfaction pulsed in her veins as she heard the tendon pop and Brian fell backwards howling in pain, freeing her broken hand. Scooting back once more, Casey spotted the stairs leading further into the house and away from the kitchen.

Scrambling up the stairs the best she could, Casey yelled back at Brian. “What the fuck has gotten into you!?” Casey panted as she crawled her way up the steps in the effort to reach the top. Casey sighed as her fingers began to pop back into place and her hand regained feeling. No sooner had she started flexing the repaired hand, Casey felt an iron grip on her ankle and a heavy jerk.

“I am not the one that is charmed by a damned vampire.” Brian said after he pulled Casey free of the stairs and flung the smaller woman into the wall close to the front door, breaking the drywall in the process. Brian limped heavily over to where Casey lay half dazed on the floor, “You are making me do this, Casey. You think I like this? Humm?” Brian stood still for a few seconds waiting for Casey to move. “Obey me and this all ends. It is my job to save you from yourself.”

“I’m not the one that needs saving, Brian.” Casey weakly mumbled trying to give herself time to recover.

Brian yanked Casey up by her hair and looked into her single damaged chocolate eye. “I always know what you need, Casey.” He started to drag her once more across the living room floor. “Sometimes love has a price to pay.”

Unwilling to suffer more damage, Casey flicked the last dagger from her side and cut her curly locks so that she slipped free of Brian’s unwavering grip. Free once more and her legs in perfect working order, Casey jumped and hopped across the sofa and landed at the foot of the stairs. Expecting another volley of rocks, the young ward hunched down just in time to watch a few embed themselves into the wall.

Grunting as he dropped a handful of Casey’s blonde-auburn hair and missing with his second wave of stones, Brian gave chase the best he could with his heavily swollen knee. He’d reached the base of the stairs when he saw Casey crest the final step and crawl to her feet. He held up his hands and slowly started making his way step by step. “All I wanted was to have a glass of tea and discuss things, Casey.” His voice took on its soothing psychiatric undertones, “I love you. You know that.” He waved his hand to get Casey to lower the dagger. “Look at yourself, You are healing.” Brian tapped his chest lightly. “I can’t. You and your bloodsucker out there have wounded and hurt me.” He hobbled up a few more steps, “All because you won’t listen to reason.”

Repairs had begun and the swelling under Casey’s eye diminished so she could use the damaged eye once more, restoring her depth of vision. -A little longer, Rivers.- Casey told herself and took a couple steps backward deeper into the hallway of the second floor of the farmhouse. “You must think I am crazy, Brian.” She pointed the dagger at the man as he kept working his way up the stairs. “Discuss what? Which attack would you like to discuss, Brian?” Lacerations across Casey’s waist stopped bleeding and sealed shut. When the ringing in her ears stopped, Casey heard Sylvie screaming for the first time since the fighting had begun. “You have a choice, Brian. You could just stop.”

Pressing forward like an unstoppable stone-based tank, Brian lumbered his way up the steps. “I am not attacking you, I am saving you.” Watching as Casey’s wounds slowly closed, Brian knew that his possession was stalling for time. Twisting and flicking his wrist, the limelight from his rune sent a wave of pink-white salt in chunks hurling through the air. Subtly moving his hand to control where the crystalline shards would impact Casey, he aimed for her eyes and the remaining open wounds.

Deflecting the bigger chunks with her dagger, Casey realized the folly of standing and defending rather than moving instantly. Flying shards turned to a powder and caused small clouds of salt to embed themselves in her eyes, blinding her once more. When the other clumps pounded into her body, Casey was forced to stumble backwards just before the stinging pain of salt radiated in her open sores. Assisted by Vivienne’s mandate, she fought through the pain and crouched to jump for the room where she’d spotted the window moments before. Without warning, Casey felt the carpet slide then her feet going airborne just a second before she hit with a heavy thud. Mind numbing stars pulsed through her salt-stained vision and scattered Casey’s thoughts when her head slammed into the floor.

“Going somewhere?” Brian mockingly questioned as he used Casey’s hair to batter her skull until she went limp. “Finally, when you wake up…everything will be wonderful.” He stood up and pulled Casey over his shoulder and started for the steps. “I’ll even summon some pretty flowers..all this will be a memory.”

Bright flashes of blurring light gave way as her body’s defenses cleared the spinning feeling in Casey’s mind. Vaguely aware that her hand still had managed to maintain a grip on her knife, Casey quickly jammed the thick blade into the back of Brian’s thigh. Airborne for a split second, Casey slipped off of Brian’s shoulder and destroyed a banister as she landed. Sharp and immediate pain shot through Casey when a thick splinter bore its way through the weaker part of her leather and deep into her side. “Fuck your flowers…” Casey grunted and started to crawl down the hallway. “Water.” Casey told herself and started to sniff the air as she heard Brian rolling down the steps like a boulder. “Rivers, clear your eyes..get this thing out of your side..” Sighing a shallow breath of relief when her hands touched tile, Casey felt her way along the wall until she found the sink and turned on the faucet. Grimacing as she pulled he wood fragment free of her side, Casey took a measure of comfort when the open hole started repairing itself. Knowing that she probably only had a few seconds, Casey tilted her head to the side and flushed her brown eyes clear of the salt and quickly wiped her face, allowing the water to trickle from her puffy cheeks.

Squeaking metal and a rush of water permeated Brian’s ears bringing the football player back to reality. Brian felt a rush of adrenaline and a jolt through his body just as he sucked in a deep breath of air. Brian pushed himself up from the base of the steps and was reminded by the sharp pain emanating from his leg that there was a knife deeply embedded and oozing blood. “It’s okay, Casey…I know you don’t have control over yourself and you don’t know what you are doing.” Brian hissed under his breath and twisted until he could see the hilt. Lowering his magical hand to the grip, Brian visualized the blade as glowing with a tinge of red and the edges ash white. “Heat..more heat.” Flashes of green jumped across the metal and brought the steel's temperature well past boiling and staunching the flow of blood to the injury. Needing the dagger free of his leg, Brian attempted to pull it free and another shot of pain ricocheted from the wound. Recalling his first encounter with his magical ability and how without a thought the condiments and cups lifted off the table in the coffee shop. “Telekinesis…first manifestation..” Wendy’s voice echoed in Brian’s mind and before he could complete the thought, the knife pulled itself free and fell harmlessly to the floor. Hobbling quietly as he could, Brian made his way to the kitchen and poured peach tea into an empty milk jar then secured it with a quick twist of the tiny metal cap. Slowly rubbing his swollen knee, Brian happened to catch the smooth feeling of a rock in his pants pocket. Nodding with determination he pulled the kyanite free and glanced first to the ceiling and then to the back door of the kitchen. “Time to take your medicine like a good girl.”

Icy water flowed from the little tap and into Casey’s cupped hands. Leaning over the porcelain basin, Casey slowly sipped and let the cool feeling wash down and refresh her dry throat. Quickly grabbing a nearby towel, Casey wiped her hands and face before turning the squeaky handle. Leaning heavily on the sides of the sink, she let the wave of turmoil swim through her mind. -Is this really all my fault?- Casey asked herself and replayed the last few days in her head. -I kissed her, drunk. I woke up, patched up. I was out with another vampire.-Casey took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the events still playing out. -Did Vivienne charm me or did I charm myself?- Casey shook her head and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. -The band's music started it. Maybe this is my fault.- Slamming her fists on the side of the sink, Casey felt the heat of her anger pulsing in her veins. -No.- Casey clamped her hands on the back of her head and walked a few steps. -Vivienne offered me the choice. She would have let me go. Brian and I made peace.- She opened her eyes and looked into the mirror that hung on the wall. -I confessed to him everything I could.- “I loved him.” She told herself as the bones in her cheeks fused back into place removing the blemishes. “Nothing gives him the reasoning to do this.” Nodding to herself, Casey studied the rest of the bathroom noting the cast iron bathtub and the window covered with green. “Outside isn’t an option Rivers.” Peeking her head out of the door, Casey saw the long rug and how it was still in a small ball at the edge of the steps. “Let’s look around while he’s out.”

“I’m not out.” Brian casually mentioned before grabbing Casey with a stone fisted hand by the neck and slamming her head against the sink, cracking the porcelain. “What I can’t seem to understand is why you keep forcing my hand in this.” Brian released his grip and watched the young woman fall to the floor, her head bleeding profusely. “Sorry, I had to Casey, you left me no other choice.” Brian twisted and sent his magic across the bathroom and sealed the portal he’d used. Brian placed the bottle of tea on a small shelf near the sink before picking up Casey’s limp form and carrying her to the tub. Positioning Casey so that her head was laying gently on the back of the tub, Brian walked to the mirror and pulled on it to open the cabinet hidden behind it. Poking around until he found some gauze and tape along with a small capsule. “Ammonia. Thank you, Loved One.” Brian knelt down and cleared away the blood that had drained from the wound to her eye socket. “Good. Closing up like it never happened.” He snapped the small module and waved the pungent pellet under her nose. “Wake up and take your med…”

Awake the second that the glass cracked, Casey swiftly balled her fist and waited for him to get in range. Enhanced strength and reflexes surged and she swung her fist with all her might, connecting with the bridge of his nose. The crack echoed in the small room and blood poured across her knuckles as Brian fell backward and grabbed his nose in pain. Casey hopped to her feet, “Medicine, fucker.” Pushing herself up, Casey felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck when thick black mud bubbled up from the drain forming a hand and stuck itself to her feet. Clamping her hands to the side of the tub, Casey pushed with all her might in the effort to escape the filthy sludge. While the tub bent and buckled under the force of her strength, she found herself sealed to the tub with the muddy grip now encompassing her calves.

Glue and mud were the two words that sprung into Brian’s mind as he fell backwards holding his nose in pain. He was aware that the magic flared from his hand and hit the tub, but he couldn’t see due to his fuzzy vision. “You broke my nose!” Brian angrily growled. Hearing the metal of the tub whining, Brian commanded the muck in the tub to lash out and cover Casey’s hands.

“Fuck!” Casey exclaimed and fruitlessly tried to free her hands from the solid goop.

Slow to get to his feet, Brian swayed for a moment to get his bearings and wiped the tears from his eyes so he could see again. Surging forward, the large man grabbed the wads of gauze he’d intended for Casey’s forehead and stuffed them up his nose, staunching the flow of blood. “This is for your own good, you just don’t know it.” Brian’s alien voice muttered through his clogged nose. Grabbing the bottle of tea and in one fluid move, twisted the lid free. “Checkmate.” Brian half smiled and jerked Casey’s hair and forced her head back. “Open wide, this won’t take long.” Brian watched as Casey clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes while trying to wiggle free. “I love you, Casey. Sorry it came to this..” He grabbed her jaw and pressed until her lips popped open.

Glass shards went racing through the air along with pieces of copper pipe and splintered wood as Sylvie’s blurry form hit Brian with the force of a truck. Sylvie’s claw swiped Brian’s hand and the tea bottle slipped from his grasp shattering on the tiled floor, its tan peachy flowing harmlessly away. Planting her other claw into Brian’s shoulder, Sylvie pushed off and the two went crashing through the wall and rolled into the neighboring bedroom.