Page 20 of Before We Burn

The dart hit him in the back, his eyes never leaving mine as he fell. It wouldn’t have hurt if he had let it hit me. I could’ve handled at least three more. I want to rip these soldiers’ heads from their bodies, but I can’t. My job is to protect these Bloodlings, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

I screamed for Alexander over and over again when the attack first started, but he never came. The only person who helped me was Sahara. She was running sedated students out of the school as fast as she could. When she came back for me, she noticed my pause before looking to the soldier on the ground.

“We can’t take him,” she says, plainly.

“Take Bunny and go.” I can’t take my eyes off the man. The soldier who shot him had started shouting, calling his other teammates there with him, and if I wait a second longer I’ll have more than three darts in my body.

I groan before moving to the fallen soldier. I’ve never actually needed to use the strength that came with vampirism, but this is one of those times I am glad I have it.

I pick the soldier up, his body not only double my size but triple my weight. The men gathered in the hallway switch out their dart guns to regular ones and are about to spray UV bullets everywhere. I struggle to run, but I’m able to get us safely to the garage where the teachers’ cars are parked, all of them linked to addresses and names which can be used to track them down.

The idea that the humans could continue to hunt the vampires who escaped the academy doesn’t sit well with me. I place the human soldier on the floor, his back against the cool cement wall. It’s dark down here, so if the humans follow me, their sight will be heavily affected. But they have sun bombs to help with that.

Sun bombs are inconvenient and extremely painful. Witches found a way to harvest rays of the sun for future use. They take tremendous power, which means they either have a lot of witches in their control or one very strong witch. Both are concerning.

With that thought, I move quickly, going to all the spots I know have weapons. There are some hidden throughout the entire academy—places New Bloods wouldn’t think to look.

I hid my own weapons in the garage, so I made sure they were heavy artillery—hand grenades and a seven-inch knife just in case I had a hand-to-hand situation. Knives are my preferred method of killing—guns are too loud and messy, but I took one off the soldier just in case.

I sling the larger weapon over my back, stick the handgun in my waist band, and strap the knife to my thigh. Moving back to the unconscious soldier, I throw him into the back of my car then quickly move to every other car in the garage, destroying the gas tanks. The smell of the gas is intense as it pours out, and I choke and gag on the fumes, immediately getting into my car. The sun has just begun to illuminate the sky, hues of purple and orange stunning me for a moment until I hear the metal door at the entrance of the school swing open. Heavy footfalls down the stairs come next. If they are trying to sneak up on me, they’re doing a terrible job. Such loud and conspicuous creatures.

Someone shouts something, but I don’t have time to decipher the words. I pull out as soon as there’s enough room for the car to fit. As an added layer of precaution, I lean out the window and throw the hand grenade.

I quickly step on the gas as hard as I can and count: One…Two…Three… BOOM!

The ground shakes with the explosion, and I look in my review mirror, seeing the entire west wing of the castle start to crumble. I pound the steering wheel with my fist over and over again. There were so many students I didn’t get to. Sahara definitely wasn’t able to grab that many, and I can’t help but blame myself.

This is the stupidest thing I have ever done. I brought a human into my room. I took off his gear, leaving him in his black cargo-like pants and a plain black t-shirt. Once I removed his face covering, I couldn’t help but stare. He is—for a human—quite handsome. He has sharp features, a full, well-maintained beard, and beautiful mahogany skin. It’s obvious he takes care of himself and spends a lot of time in the gym. His arms are a testament to that, and through his shirt I can see how built his chest is.

It’s stupid of me to analyze a human like he has some sort of potential. When he wakes up, his first instinct will be to try to kill me, even if it would be counter productive, since he jumped in front of that dart in an attempt to save me. Even if I didn’t need to be saved.

But still, I couldn’t bring myself to not care if he was alright. I guess that’s what happens when you’re used to being surrounded by murderers and killers. One selfless act and I’m already impressed. There are so few humans who would have the courage to stand against their own people like that. I can’t help but want him to go on—people like him could end the war.

I’m not one of them, though. I’m not selfless or kind. I am one of the murderers and killers, which makes it dangerous for whoever sold out the school. No one knew where it was located besides vampires. Or the occasional witch we would consult with to heal students if they came in injured. I shift in my seat, the pain from all the wounds in my body finally making an appearance.

I have one calling spell saved from Marissa. I do a favor for her, she does a favor for me. This is close to aiding and abetting, but our government doesn’t care if we do anything illegal, since they want us dead for existing. It was a true bonding moment when we finally came to this realization.

I crush the leather pouch beneath my foot, and she pops up in smoke like a bad sidewalk magician. It’s made funnier by her business-style clothing—she must’ve been at her job. She turns to me, her calm blue eyes looking me over.

“What the fuck happened? Why are you covered in dirt and blood? I don’t want to be a criminal on the run, Marz.” Marissa is certainly not afraid to voice her opinion.

“Humans.” I motion with my chin to my bed where the soldier lies quietly. Marissa quickly looks from him to me, her eyes frantic. “Before you say anything, it was an ambush and he stopped UV darts from hitting me. He’s fine. His heart is beating normally. He did take a lot of sedation from the darts, but it's nothing he can’t sleep off.”

I shrug, pain radiating up my side and into my ribs. The UV doesn’t effect me the same way it does the others, but it sure as hell hurts more than anything else. Shit, I would rather pull a stake from my body than this.

“How many?” Marissa moves closer to me, her hands going straight to my ribs and thigh where most of my wounds are.

“Easily ten. Maybe twelve. The UV burns, but it’s not nearly as bad as the ones from last year.” She lifts my shirt, exposing the torn skin now oozing white puss and turning the blood in my body black. I can’t help the excessive sigh.

“Relax, Marz. They hit you with darts that were spelled. I have to clean it, and you need to feed. Where are your blood bags?” I point to the small fridge in the corner of the room.

Marissa quickly grabs them and pours some into a cup I keep down here at all times. She brings it to me, her hands shaking as if she’s scared. I look at her, noting the worry in her expression. A grin spreads across my face as the pain makes my vision blur.

“I’m close to death, aren’t I?” I ask her quietly.

“Very close.”

“It’s not just a spell, is it?” My voice begins to sound farther and farther away, like whatever soul I had left was leaving my body.