American Blood: A Vampire's Story (24 page)

Nafisa squealed as she received the kick and then got to her feet. She unsteadily walked toward Calida who picked up the girl’s
burqa
and placed it over her head so she was no longer naked.

Calida felt her face starting to go as her ability to control her appearance began to fade with the arriving dawn. She could see that the Sheikh was staring at her; a look of confusion twisted his features.

“You . . . you are not Amina.”

Calida turned and looked at Nafisa whose innocent betrayal was followed by the ear shattering staccato of the Sheikh’s automatic rifle.

Calida lunged to the side as a series of three shells struck her left arm and the side of her chest. She dropped face forward onto the hard cave floor, the side of her face hit with a sickening smack.

The Sheikh walked up to Calida’s motionless body and jabbed the barrel of his rifle hard up against the left side of her face.

“Allah protects me, thanks be to Him, and I shall not die by your hand,” he said, his high pitched voice gloated over his victory.

The Sheikh pulled the trigger just as Calida chopped at his rifle with her right hand. The short burst ricocheted off the floor and cave walls causing him to dive for cover.

Nafisa collapsed into a tight blue bundle.

Calida breathed hard. One of the shells had pierced her lung. Her incredible physiology made up for the damage, at least for the moment. She tried to stand but she fell back down.

The Sheikh rolled over and got back up to his feet. He took one look at Calida and reached for his rifle. The barrel was bent. He watched as Calida tried to stand again. She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with a terrible deep pink light.

“Allah save me from this Daughter of Satan,” he yelled and without picking up his cane, he hobbled past the two woman and burst through the curtain with his arms flailing to maintain his balance.

“Help me stand,” Calida instructed Nafisa. “Don’t be afraid, I shall not harm you.”

Nafisa’s eyes were wild with fear. She was frozen in place.

“Help me up . . . I must go after him.”

Calida struggled to her knees and put her hand out toward Nafisa. The girl nodded, stood up, and pulled Calida to her feet. “That man is evil . . . maybe you are also . . . but go after him and I shall follow.”

“No, just make for the entrance and leave this place.  There are soldiers outside who will help you.” Calida held her useless left arm in her right hand and disappeared through the curtain.

There was still some strength in her legs and she stepped past the three dead guards on the other side of the curtain. Calida could hear the Sheikh laboring along the tunnel up ahead. She broke into a run and closed the distance. She came around the bend and could just see the outline of someone limping along the tunnel in front of her.

Something flashed toward her from a dark recess in the side of the tunnel. Calida ducked and spun around. A man in a white turban had nearly impaled her with a long iron spike.

The man looked at her and took in a sharp breath. “
Allah!
 It is . . . you! The woman from the boat.”

Calida’s fangs were fully revealed and began to drip with red translucent drops. “I remember you Masoud.” And her voice now had the quality of a low hiss. “You killed everyone on that boat. You’re a coward.”

“You still live, demon? No longer!” Masoud raised the long spike and thrust it toward her, but Calida managed to grab it with her good hand and twist it backward out of his grasp forcing the point upward into the bottom of Masoud’s jaw. He fell forward, almost dead, the four-foot spike holding him up for a second as his head balanced on the point, which slowly sank deeper into the man’s skull from his own weight.

Calida thought she heard someone behind her as she headed back up the tunnel. The sound of gunfire echoed down the tunnel. Calida emerged onto the main passage that led to the cave’s entrance. A dead Taliban laid on the ground, riddled with bullet holes. She hurried up the passage and came across another body.

Calida followed the desperate scent of the Sheikh. The entrance was just up ahead and she could see someone squirming thorough the narrow opening.

She focused her thoughts.

I’m following him outside . . . I’m getting weaker.

Calida made it to the entrance and passed through into the early dawn.

She looked at her hand.

Her skin began to smoke.

“S
he’s coming out,” Ryan said. “I think she’s chasing him.”

Sergeant Bob trained his scope at the base of the granite pillar. “Oh Lord, a tall man with a limp just came outside . . . I think she’s forced the target out of his hole.”

“We have to go help her,” Ryan pleaded.

“Corporal, call for our ride. I want evac from here in five minutes.”

“Affirmative.”

“Hmm, someone else just came out. Looks like a woman in a
burqa.
She’s hurt . . . it must be her.”

Ryan looked up at the mountains to the east beyond the plain. The sun peeked over the range; its light already touched the western shore of the lake.

“Corporal, can you get a shot at him?”

Squalls reattached his radio to his vest and brought his rifle up to the shooting position. He sighted down the scope. “The target ducked behind that truck Sergeant.”

“Yeah, I see . . . be ready in case his head pops into view. If you see anyone with a gun take them out.”

“Yes Sergeant.”

“Shouldn’t we go help her?” Ryan asked.

“Damn, I think another woman just came out of the cave.”

A series of gunshots carried past them.

“We got a serious fire fight going on,” Squalls said. “What the . . . two Taliban were cut down as they came out of that tent.”

“I confirm that. She’s got them killing each other. Good thing she’s on our side.”

Ryan stood up and pointed the tracker to the east. “Let’s see if this thing is working now,” he whispered to himself and resent his instructions to one of the sensors inside Calida.

There was nothing more he could do.

C
alida gained on her target. The Sheikh made it to the truck and looked back toward her. One of his men jumped out of the covered rear of the vehicle.

“The Talibi have betrayed us,” the Sheikh yelled. “They have tried to kill your Sheikh!”

At that same moment, two Taliban warriors emerged from the tent. The Sheikh’s guard aimed his rifle and killed them both at close range.

“See her! She’s an assassin! Kill this Daughter of Satan!”

The al-Qaeda warrior turned and raised his gun at the approaching woman.

“Kill her!”

The warrior’s head exploded outward to one side. His body fell to the ground, twitching.

The Sheikh spun around and looked toward the lake. He moved closer to the granite pillar keeping the truck between himself and the direction of the gunfire that killed his guard. He picked up a rock and held his ground.

Calida was now in front of the Sheikh. Her entire body had begun to smolder, and patches of her skin turned black. She was still in the shadow of the granite pillar and out of direct sunlight. She only had a few minutes left and she made a very unusual choice for a vampire. She didn’t run for cover to try to save herself.

“The Holy sunlight, the gift from Allah, burns you I see.” The Sheikh began to smile. “From what evil place did the Talibi find you?”

“I have nothing to do with those dogs,” Calida replied, and she stepped forward and stumbled, falling to one knee.

The Sheikh laughed at her. “Who sends a woman that burns in the day to kill me?” And the Sheikh, with a single step, was upon Calida. He brought the rock downward aiming for her head.

Calida desperately raised her right arm and as the rock struck her forearm, the bones audibly cracked, splintering from the blow.

Calida let out a gasp. With the last of her strength, she jumped upward and tried to embrace her foe. He slowly began to gain the upper hand; her arms were nearly useless.

“So my Talibi friends have not betrayed me,” the Sheikh said as he managed to take Calida by the throat and turn her around. “That is good to know. Before you die tell me who sent you . . . tell me where your evil blood comes from.”

Calida violently twisted around in his grasp. Her upper fangs fully extended. “I’m an American.” And she sank her fangs deep into the angle where the Sheikh’s neck and shoulder met.

He gave a high-pitched scream, but as Calida delivered the death bite, something pierced her left side. The Sheikh had buried a long knife he had concealed up to the hilt. Calida’s head rolled away from his neck. She began to slide down to the ground, coughing up a thick mix of their mingled blood. Calida knew she had lost. The Sheikh kicked her away from him. His neck bled, but he had stopped her from finishing the killing bite.

The Sheikh spat on her. “I see your American blood turns black as it spills upon the ground.” He raised his arms toward the sky. “Allah! You have blessed me with the strength to destroy this Demon of Satan! Allah! Allah! Praise and Glory be to Him! Praise and Glory—”

Calida looked up at the Sheikh as he raised his arms to the sky proclaiming his victory. In mid sentence, his voice stopped and his face appeared bewildered as a bloody object emerged from his chest. He looked down and tried to grasp it.

“Allah protect me,” a voice said from behind the Sheikh. His body jerked as the object thrust even farther out of his chest.

The Sheikh stumbled forward, his eyes slowly closed. He toppled to the ground with his face landing on Calida’s feet. A long iron spike had impaled him.

Calida looked up at Nafisa and coughed up more blood that instantly began to turn black and smoke on her cracked lips.

“Run! Run to the soldiers,” Calida said as the sound of an approaching helicopter grew louder.

Nafisa got on her knees and rolled the dead Sheikh off Calida’s feet. She placed her hands under Calida’s arms and after a struggle managed to get her to stand. “What can I do for you? How can we stop the burning of your skin?”

“—The lake . . . I must go to the lake.”

“I shall help you, my sister.” Nafisa grasped Calida around the waist and the two women started toward the lake several hundred meters away. Already half of the distance was in direct sunlight.

The speed at which Calida disintegrated accelerated with each step.

“T
he two women are coming toward us,” Sergeant Bob shouted to be heard through the wail of the helicopter’s twin turbines. “One is having problems . . . Jesus! She’s smoking.”

The Sheikh is dead . . . but I can’t make it. Come save the girl.

“She killed him!” Ryan looked over at Sergeant Bob who had tears in his eyes.

“She’s my fucking hero.”

The Black Hawk landed fifty feet away from their position. Two soldiers with their legs hanging over the side were directing automatic fire.

Ryan threw down the tracker and started to run toward the women. He turned back and shouted, “Don’t leave us.”

“All right Squalls, I want cover fire for those three.” Sergeant Bob ripped the radio off his vest. “Night Stalker Echo One, Echo One . . . we have three non-combatants on range, check your targets, repeat, check your targets.”

“Affirmative, Ghost Raider,” a voice said. “Directing fire toward the enemy position.”

“Roger Echo One. Cut those bastards down.” Sergeant Bob looked over at Squalls. “I can’t do much with this CQC but I can at least get someone’s attention.”

As Ryan angled toward the two women, he noticed that they weren’t making for the helicopter.

“You must come this way . . . do you see me?” Ryan was waving his arms as he ran.

No . . . the lake . . . I’m burning.

Ryan felt his heart drop down into his gut. He ignored the searing pain in his already overused legs. As he got closer, he witnessed something truly horrible.

Crossing into direct sunlight, Calida’s entire body flashed into a consuming flame and she crumbled to the ground.

Ryan finally made it to her. The other woman was crying. Ryan looked at her. “You must go for the helicopter, now run.” But she didn’t understand so he pointed at the Black Hawk. The girl nodded and ran on.

Calida tried to stand. Ryan rushed forward and reached down, taking her burning hand in his. The pain was unbearable, but he held on and pulled her up. “We must run to the water—we’ll run together.”

Calida’s voice was weak. “Leave me, let me burn . . . .”

Ryan began to pull her toward the lake. The smoke from the immolation of Calida’s body wrapped around and choked him, yet he kept pulling her along.

Calida’s right shoulder exploded in a spray of fire. She fell to the ground once more and Ryan yanked her back up. She had been struck by a bullet. Ryan knew it had come from the wrong direction. The lake was so close now. Ryan began to scream from the burning embrace of their hands, but he wouldn’t let go.

S
ergeant Bob shook his head and turned toward Squalls. “You hit her!”

Squalls didn’t say anything and concentrated on his next shot.

Sergeant Bob looked down range then back at Squalls. “Put that weapon down, Corporal.”

“Sorry, Sergeant, but I’ve been individually briefed.  Neither one of them is to make it back to base.”

Sergeant Bob pointed his rifle at Squalls. “Stand down; I so much as see that finger twitch . . . Corporal, that’s an order.”

“Sorry Sergeant.” Squalls in a single rapid movement brought his rifle up, but as he pulled the trigger, his chest took a short burst. The corporal collapsed backward. As he lay on the ground, Sergeant Bob could see red bubbles popping from the large hole in the man’s chest as he tried to breathe.

Sergeant Bob swore to himself and picked up the dying soldier, flinging him across his back. More men began to emerge from the cave complex. Sergeant Bob stole a quick glance toward them and heard several bullets whiz past his head. Too close. It was time to leave so he made for the helicopter. Two soldiers jumped out from the side. One ran toward him, the second went to the Nafisa who fell as she reached the helicopter.