ALL NOVEL Chapter 19: One by One – Part 4.
-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.”