Blood and Stone (10 page)

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

The town of Piste’ was in turmoil. Fires were burning out of control, cars were overturned in the streets and a deathly silence hung in the air as dawn began to break. Garbage blew in the streets, propelled by the wind. It was one of the few things moving in the town.

Bodies lay all around, drained of their blood. Some were laying in the street, pulled out of their cars, or their homes. Their limbs were twisted and broken, riddled with holes from the many vampire bites they had received when they were living.

Tezcahtlip’s vampires had descended on the town in a whirling mob of terror. Tearing doors off hinges, flipping over cars and slaughtering the entire town in less than a half hour. Other bands of vampires had similarly attacked the nearby International Airport and the many resort hotels built up around Chichen Itza.

But as daylight began to break in the east, the vampires hurried back to their leader. Fueled by the lifeforces of the town, they rushed at inhuman speeds down the roads leading to the pyramid complex, then lined up outside the pyramid, dutifully waiting for their god to emerge once more.

Tezcahtlip could sense the presence of his vampires and emerged from the restored temple atop El Castillo. Resplendent in his white suit once more, the giant looked down at his vampire servants, then at the sun rising on the horizon.

Tezcahtlip looked up into the sky and again traced arcane symbols in the air and expended some of his stored energy. A dark cloud formed over the pyramid, some five hundred feet up. Almost like a bank of black fog, the cloud spread out, encompassing the whole of the pyramid complex and its outlying buildings in dark shadows.

Tezcahtlip then gestured for the waiting vampires, and they began to climb the stairs toward him.

When the first reached the giant, he raised it telekinetically off the stones, up to his height so they were face-to-face. Then he and the vampire opened their mouths.

Red energy crackled and sparked as it was drawn from the vampire into Tezcahtlip. He was careful not to draw too much from the creature—they were after all, the first of his new army. Once done extracting the energy his minion had gathered for him, Tezcahtlip lowered the vampire, and nodded for the next one to approach him.

One by one, the vampires climbed the pyramid, feeding their master. Once each had passed on their energy, they climbed back down and retreated into the surrounding buildings, hiding from the rays of the sun.

***

Mark Kenslir had just sat down in his apartment to watch the morning news. He had showered and changed into a fresh set of slacks and a blue short sleeve shirt. He was glad to have finally shed his combat uniform from Alcatraz.

A knock sounded at his door as he was about to take a bite of a Danish.

“Yes?” Kenslir said as he opened the door, hoping it wasn’t Laura.

“Can I use your shower?” Agent Pam Keegan asked. She was standing in the hallway outside Kenslir’s apartment, apparently wearing nothing but a bath towel and a lot of perfume and makeup.

“Pardon?”

“Someone needs to check my plumbing.”

Kenslir frowned. This was not how he wanted to start his day. “Call maintenance.”

“Oh, that’s silly,” Pam said, pushing past Kenslir. “They can get it later.”

Pam looked around the apartment, noticing the mounted animal heads on the walls, and the many, many model trains in display cases. Apparently, the Colonel was a hunter and a railroad enthusiast.

“Agent Keegan-“ Kenslir started to say.

“I won’t be long,” Keegan said as she walked away from Kenslir. She slipped off her towel as she did so, exposing her backside for a moment before she turned down the short hall leading to the bathroom.

That settled it for Kenslir—he was going to eat in the Cafeteria. Maybe there he could get some privacy.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

This was a matter for the Federales now. Communication with Chichen Itza and the towns of Piste and Xcalacoop had mysteriously ceased over night.

And there was the black cloud.

It hung over Chichen Itza like something from a cartoon. Thick, black, like smoke, but not moving. Over two thousand feet in diameter, a hundred feet thick, and four hundred feet off the ground.

Fernando Acoste steered his helicopter around, swinging the nose slightly south, so he could circle the cloud, rather than flying into it. He had lifted off moments before from the Chichen Itza International Airport, located just over thirteen kilometers away.

In the back of the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter, two four-man squads were in full assault gear, ready to respond to whatever threat was present. Fernando didn’t know whether to hope for terrorists or one of the cartels.

As they circled the site, flying clockwise, Fernando saw something emerge from the cloud. It was large, at least as long as the helicopter, and dark colored. And it had wings.

Fernando blinked. Several times. The men in the back were talking excitedly into the headsets they wore, marveling at the large, winged beast flying toward them.

Fernando immediately contacted the tower at the airport. “We have a sighting of some kind of winged creature!” he yelled excitedly into the radio, forgetting to even identify himself.

Behind him, the crewman on the 7.62mm minigun opened fire. The gun began to spray out a stream of deadly lead bullets and tracer fire—a hail of metal that swept in close to the flying creature.

The target immediately banked, then tucked its wings in close to its body. It then seemed to rocket forward, moving far quicker than a winged creature should be able to. It streaked past the helicopter, crossing several hundred feet ahead of them.

Directly in front of the helicopter, the creature stopped and unfurled its wings. It turned in the air, then headed back toward the helicopter.

Fernando struggled with the controls, banking to the left to avoid a collision. As he did so, he couldn’t help but look at the creature passing on his right. It was looking back at him.

It looked vaguely dragon-like, with a horse-sized head that was brown and covered in glistening, metallic-like scales. Feathers covered the bulk of the creature’s body and four limbs. Bird-like claws were at the end of the limbs, tipped with long talons. A brown, scaly tail trailed behind the creature, almost twenty feet long, and tipped with a cluster of long feathers. It had great, leathery brown wings, tipped with feathers as well.

The feathered dragon’s eyes flashed yellow as it passed—a bright yellow, like a flare. Fernando felt his body stiffen and a wave of coldness sweep over him. His vision almost immediately went black and he lost consciousness. In a split second, he had been turned to stone.

The aircraft continued to roll left, the stone pilot frozen in place. The helicopter spiraled down in a long, wide circle, the men in the back—those not also petrified—screaming in terror before the Blackhawk crashed into the jungle at full speed.

Tezcahtlip circled the site, smiling as best he could in his new form. He doubted anyone could have survived the impact—even those that he had petrified were likely destroyed.

He banked to his left, swinging around and flying east. He would need to neutralize the airport, before the Mexican army could use it to bring in troops. And while he was there, he was sure he could find something to eat.

***

Colonel Kenslir was on his second Danish when he was interrupted. He was seated at a table next to the eastern windows of the building’s cafeteria, watching the sunrise.

“Can we join you?” Josie Winters asked, holding a breakfast tray in both hands. Behind and slightly beside her, Jimmy was standing with his hands in his pockets, unsure what to do with himself.

Kenslir continued chewing and nodded to the two seats across from him. The company of the two teens was much better than that of the amorous FBI agent now in his shower.

Josie sat down directly across from the Colonel, with Jimmy sitting beside her. The stone man avoided the Colonel’s gaze, staring down at the table as though he were embarrassed.

Kenslir swallowed then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “What can I do for you, Josie?”

“We want to move in together,” Josie blurted out. She looked nervous and grabbed up her orange juice and took a big drink.

“Excuse me?” Kenslir asked, surprised.

Josie swallowed nervously. “We want to share quarters. Live together.”

Kenslir leaned back in his chair, giving both Jimmy and Josie stern looks of disapproval. “Why?”

Josie looked at Jimmy then grabbed one of his stone hands and squeezed it. “Jimmy’s died twice now. I want to spend as much time with him as possible... before he dies again and you can’t bring him back.”

Kenslir crossed his arms over his chest. “I think you’re both a little young to be talking about marriage right now.”

Jimmy looked up, a sheepish grin on his stone face. “Uh, we weren’t planning on getting married. Right now, anyway.”

Kenslir briefly wondered what was in the air, turning his secret military base into a couple’s retreat. “That is highly inappropriate and not good for unit discipline.”

Josie sighed. She knew the Colonel was old fashioned, but this was the twenty-first century. “Sir, people live together all the time—without being married.”

Kenslir leaned in a little closer and looked Josie square in the eye. “You live on the same floor, and spend all day together. What more do you need than that?”

Josie blushed and looked down at the table. “Uh, well, we want to spend more time together.”

Jimmy swallowed—or at least his stone throat made the motion. Even though he didn’t feel thirsty, because there were no fluids in his petrified body, he wished he had something to drink. “We want to sleep together—I mean, in the same, uh, bed- quarters!”

Colonel Kenslir did not like this particular conversation. “Jimmy has no need for sleep anymore—or anything else that involves a bed.”

“So then, what’s the harm?” Jimmy asked. “I mean, why can’t we live together?”

“It doesn’t set a good example for others,” Kenslir said. “It’s improper and gives people the wrong idea.”

Josie was starting to get angry. “You know, my dad might’ve been your clone, but you aren’t my parent!”

“No, I’m your commanding officer and I’m not going to allow this.”

Jimmy looked back down at the table. Despite his new super strength and nearly unbreakable stone body, he was still scared of the Colonel. He remained quiet.

“This is ridiculous!” Josie said. “We’re grown adults! Hell, we’re putting our lives on the line, fighting for our country, and you won’t let us live together?!”

“The rules apply to everyone in this unit, Ms. Winters. No exceptions.”

Josie pushed her tray away from her and stood up quickly. “C’mon, Jimmy,” she said, then stomped away.

Jimmy followed after her, avoiding eye contact with the Colonel as he did so.

Kenslir shook his head and checked his watch. He wondered if Keegan was out of his room yet.

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

Built to handle tourist traffic to the Yucatan region, Chichen Itza’s International Airport boasted a long runway, capable of servicing 747s and military aircraft alike. The Mexican Federal Police also used the airport as a base for flights over the region in their ongoing war on drugs and the cartels.

It was these Federal Police that had caused Tezcahtlip so much trouble.

The airport didn’t see a constant flow of flights every day. Some days there were more flights then others. Often, only a single flight came or went. Civilians were always present, to some extent or another, but it was the Federales who were always present in large numbers, operating out of several hangars and buildings north of the runway.

Machine guns and even surface-to-air antiaircraft missiles, fired from shoulder launchers, had proven ineffective when Tezcahtlip had attacked the airport. In his dragon form he had swept over the buildings, breathing out long plumes of fire that ignited hangars and air terminals alike.

Humvees with Federales had quickly deployed, trying to shoot the dragon, but Tezcahtlip had either ignited them as well, or pounced on them, quickly consuming the men in the vehicles.

A helicopter had attempted to lift off to engage the feathered dragon in the air. Tezcahtlip had simply flown close, then crushed the tail boom with his telekinesis. The helicopter rapidly spun out of control and crashed into the runway, exploding in a bright fireball.

After a very short time, the Federales were all either dead or petrified. The airport was in flames and wreckage was everywhere. Tezcahtlip then worked quickly, moving most of the wreckage onto the runway, to prevent its use by anything other than helicopters.

Then the shapeshifter landed by the burning passenger terminal and assumed his giant form. He had expended a great deal of energy on this attack, and hopefully, not all the passengers in the terminal had yet been burned alive.

***

Mark Kenslir was about to enter his quarters when the next door down the hallway opened. Dr. Olson’s door.

The vampire poked her head out and smiled. “Mark!”

Kenslir hung his head and sighed. Life was simpler when there were less women assigned to the detachment.

Dr. Olson was wearing a dark green negligee that clung to her shapely body and showed off her long legs and all her curves. Olson had cleaned up, and her long, curly, red hair hung down over her shoulders. She had on makeup and so much perfume Kenslir could smell it fifteen feet away.

The vampire hurried out her door and jogged over to Kenslir as he opened his.

“Can I join you for breakfast?” Laura asked. “I was thinking we could discuss my role here.”

Kenslir moved his hand off the doorknob to his quarters. “I’ve already eaten.”

Laura made a pouting face. “What’d you have?”

“Danishes.”

Laura shook her head. “That’s not a very healthy breakfast, Colonel.”

Kenslir started to say something, but Laura held a finger up and put it on his lips to quiet him.

“Don’t forget, I am a doctor,” the vampire said. She opened the door to Kenslir’s quarters and pushed past him. “I’ll whip you up something much healthier.”

“We have a briefing in one hour,” Kenslir said, standing in the doorway, unsure what to do.

Laura walked in, quickly looking around at the decorations. She was impressed with several of the large deer heads on the walls. “I used to hunt—when I was growing up. My grandfather took me.”

Kenslir continued on into his quarters and started to close the door behind him. It was almost shut when it stopped—someone was pushing against it. From the outside.

Josie pushed the door open and stepped in quickly.

“Colonel, I wanted to apologize about-“ She stopped when she saw Laura, in her thin, slightly see-through negligee, standing on the threshold leading to the living room.

“Uh...” Josie said, not sure what else to say. She immediately recognized the vampire from the live feed from Alcatraz she’d seen. The red head that had so passionately kissed the Colonel.

“Oh, hello,” Laura said, stepping forward and offering her hand.

Josie took the hand and shook it numbly, looking back and forth between the scantily clad vampire and the Colonel.

“You’re the vampire?” Josie asked. She just didn’t know what to say or do in this situation. Whatever the situation was.

“Guilty,” Laura said and opened her mouth. She ran her tongue over her fangs.

From the hallway leading to Kenslir’s bathroom and bedroom, the sound of a door opening could be heard.

“Mark? Are you back?” Pam Keegan called out. She came walking out of the hallway, drying her hair with a towel. “Can you help me dry my back?”

Pam stopped at the intersection of the hallway with the towel over her head, looking out from under it. She saw Kenslir, Laura, and Josie, all looking at her. For once, the petite blond was momentarily speechless and a little embarrassed. She quickly wrapped the towel around her body.

“That’s your wife?” Laura asked Kenslir, a big smile on her face.

Josie was confused for a moment, then glared at Kenslir. “The rules apply to everyone, hunh?”

Josie then turned and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her before Kenslir could answer.

“You’re the vampire—from Alcatraz, right?” Pam asked.

“Dr. Laura Olson,” Laura said, extending her left hand.

Pam took the hand and shook it. Laura held her grip and turned Pam’s hand over, noting the absence of any ring.

“Does the wife know you had a sleep over?” Laura asked Kenslir, grinning widely.

“I was using his shower,” Keegan said. “Mine wasn’t working.”

“No need to explain, dear,” Laura said.

“Ladies...” Kenslir said angrily.

“I see,” Pam said. She looked Olson up and down, particularly noting the vampire’s thin negligee. “Don’t let me intrude.” She turned and started to walk toward the door.

“Hold on, tiny,” Laura said, touching Pam lightly on the shoulder.“You were here first. I can wait my turn.”

“Laura!” Kenslir all but yelled.

”He’s cute when he’s angry, am I right?” Laura said.

Pam Keegan brushed the hand off her shoulder. “I’ll see myself out.”

Laura shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Kenslir had heard enough. He reached out and grabbed each woman by the upper arm. He led the women to the door then out, into the hallway.

“Ladies, get back to your quarters, put on some clothes and try to stop acting like a couple of hookers!”

Laura laughed and started walking toward her quarters. “Suit yourself, but I will need to be fed today.”

Pam Keegan was meanwhile storming off down the hallway, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She pushed past a very surprised Chadwick Phillips, who had just rounded the corner.

Phillips watched both women leave, then turned back to Kenslir with a big grin. “Is this one of those what happens in Miami, stays in Miami kind of moments?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in training?” Kenslir asked, still angry.

“Well, there’s a little situation brewing down in Mexico. Captain Smith told me to round you up for a briefing.”