Goddamn it! I fumbled my phone out of my pocket, and quickly hit the answer button, all the while cursing my stupidity for not putting it on vibrate.

“What?” I hissed

“Did you get him yet?” Tom asked.

“No, I didn―oof!”

Something hit me from behind. What a surprise.

I flew headlong into a large wooden crate, smashing through the side. Thankfully, the blow had hurt my pride far more than my body. I quickly rolled over, ready to defend myself again, but there was nobody there.

Was that his tactic, hit and run?

If so, he was gonna be sadly disappointed. I’d deserved that one, but from here on out I’d be a lot more careful.

“Yo, you still there?”

I raised the receiver to the side of my helmet. “Remind me to kick your ass later.”

“What for. Did you―”

I ended the call and powered down my phone, silently vowing revenge upon my idiot roommate. Getting back to my feet, I dusted myself off and again tried to home in on any sounds, all while trying to look as lost as Little Red Riding Hood in the deep dark forest.

There! A noise to my left.

I reached an intersection among the crates and made to turn that way, only to hear another sound, like feet shuffling, off to my right.

I wasn’t sure if Reaper was using his speed to try to confuse me, or if maybe it was just the acoustics of the place.

Either way, it definitely creeped me out a bit. Scenes from nearly every horror movie I’d ever watched came racing up from my subconscious. It was not helping the situation. Fuck me. Now was not the time for this shit. My opponent was powerful, but not nearly at the level Jeff had been. He was also running scared. I needed to remind myself that I was the boogeyman of this movie. I was the Jason Voorhees here, not him.

More noises filtered through my helmet, seemingly coming from multiple places at once. What the hell?

I remembered Sally’s words that there was nothing to guarantee that this hunt need be a fair one. Had I underestimated Reaper? Had the stakes at play caused him to up his game? Was it possible that in trying to spring a trap I’d instead walked into one?

Those weren’t the most pleasant of thoughts. A part of me debated retreating, but I realized I was nearly at the heart of the warehouse. The way back wasn’t much shorter than the way forward and I didn’t care to let Reaper think he had me on the run. No. He was far more likely to be unnerved if I kept coming.

Again, I had to remind myself that I was an unknown quantity to him. He had no clue who I was or what I could do. If I kept pushing, kept up the illusion of fearlessness, he would break first.

My eyes continually searching for movement to go along with the noises, I reached the clearing that I knew lay at the center of the building. It was the exact same spot where I’d squared off against Jeff.

Note to self: once this was over and done with, reorganize this fucking place.

I stepped out and made my way to the very center, leaving a good twenty feet of open space on either side of me. I stopped and listened, my instincts telling me that if something was going to happen it would be now.

The shuffling noises began again, first to the right, then to the left, and then behind me. I realized my mistake. I’d been focusing on sight and sound alone. Had I taken the time to use my nose too, I’d have surely concluded that there was more than one scent in the building―much more.

At that moment the lights of the facility flipped on, blinding me. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need to see to know that I was surrounded.

♦ ♦ ♦

Still momentarily dazzled as my eyes adjusted to the bright interior lights, I was hit from the side. It was a glancing blow, but it staggered me nevertheless. I turned, raised a fist, and then stopped in my tracks as I saw Starlight advancing upon me. Hesitation and fear shone in her eyes, but the two by four in her hands was apparently giving her some extra courage.

What the fuck was she doing here?

Sadly, I could have asked that question more than once.

More vampires stepped out into the open space―Brian, Victor, Firebird and more: about a half dozen in total. Definitely not the full coven membership, but a lot more than I’d been expecting.

“Well, well, well, what the fuck do we have here?”

I spun to find Dusk Reaper finally making an appearance, the grin on his face so smug you’d have thought he’d just finished judging a dick sucking contest.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The vamps continued to advance, surrounding me, but not quite within my reach yet. I was still an unknown to them, or so I tried to convince myself so as to keep my knees from shaking.

“Thought you were smart, didn’t you, freak?” Reaper asked. “Well, you weren’t smart enough. Didn’t even consider the trap I set, did you?”

“Eh hem!” a voice called out from somewhere further off in the building.

I glanced in the direction it came from. A catwalk ran the perimeter of the warehouse at about the second story level, high enough to give someone a pretty good view of the whole place. It wasn’t empty.

My jaw nearly dropped when I saw Sally standing upon it, smug amusement on her face as she looked down at us.

“Suggested, of course,” Reaper corrected, “by my new second in command.”

I knew it! That fucker was neither smart nor popular enough to organize this little soiree. Sadly, my small satisfaction was greatly overshadowed by the blow of seeing that I’d been set up by the one vampire whom I’d been sure was on my side.

She smiled in my direction, a predatory grin if ever there was one. “Teach this freak a lesson,” she said, then leaned back against the wall to watch the show.

“You don’t give the orders here!” Reaper shouted at her.

Sally turned her attention to him, her expression souring. “Perhaps, but you’re not in charge yet.”

Unfortunately it was that yet part that was the kicker for me. What a fucking cunt!

“Then I shall make sure to remedy that,” Reaper replied disdainfully.

Sadly, before I could voice my opinion on things, he pointed a finger and the vamps converged on me.

♦ ♦ ♦

I didn’t see any way to avoid a major ass-beating, but that didn’t mean I was going down easy. Hell, I could always start crying for mercy after they’d pummeled me into paste. As far as backup plans went, that would have to do.

For now, I spun in an arc, swinging my bat in an attempt to keep them at bay. It worked about as well as I expected.

Starlight and Firebird jumped back, but Brian wasn’t nearly that bright. I connected with the side of his head as he rushed forward. It was a solid hit that sent him to his knees, but it killed any momentum I had with the weapon. Before I knew it, a set of hands had ripped it out of my grasp.

A second later it was returned―at full force into my gut. I doubled over, the wind knocked out of me.

More hands, these sporting claws, grabbed hold from behind and dragged me to my feet, gouging deep furrows into my shoulders in the process.

I was spun around, and caught a fist to the jaw. My helmet absorbed the brunt of the impact, but it was still hard enough for me to see stars. Thankfully, years of being harassed by jocks in high school had taught me a few survival skills. I instinctively ducked, certain another punch was incoming from somewhere. I was right. This one was from a vampire who went by the stupid moniker of Shadow Fury. He went high and I managed to get below it. I straightened my body and sent him flying over my shoulder.

Go me!

Unfortunately, that seemed destined to be my swan song in this fight as I spun just in time to see Firebird step in. Before I could raise a defense, she raised a knee… to my crotch. I knew I should’ve added an industrial strength athletic cup to my outfit.

Sadly, I hadn’t, and thus got to experience the wonderful sensation of my nuts being smashed so far into my body that I’m surprised I didn’t cough them out.

That took the fight right out of me and I went down to my knees.

“Let’s kill this fucker,” a voice from behind me growled. I might’ve cared were I not ever so slightly preoccupied with my poor crushed balls.

“Not yet,” Reaper said from somewhere in front of me. I couldn’t help but notice that of all the vamps who’d just tried to get a piece of me, he hadn’t done shit to dirty his pretty little fingers. Pussy.

“Hold him,” Reaper commanded. For a second nothing happened. Heh, what a loser. “Do it!”

That finally got them moving. I was dragged back to my feet and my hands yanked rudely away from cradling my two best friends.

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and looked around. Starlight was holding onto my right arm while Victor had my left in an iron grip.

Now that I was restrained, Reaper strode up to me. The sporting guy that he was, he took a moment to drive a fist into my gut ... hard enough to make me momentarily forget my family jewels. “I want to look into our angel of death’s eyes while we teach him what true terror is.”

He grabbed hold of my helmet and yanked it off.

“Not angel,” I said, spitting up some blood. “Doctor.”

♦ ♦ ♦

That definitely got the room’s attention.

“Bill?” Starlight asked, loosening her grip on me.

“You!” Reaper spat, quickly covering up the look of surprise on his face.

That started the crowd a muttering. Disbelief and shock seemed to be tonight’s blue plate special. I glanced up, expecting to see a similar look upon Sally’s face. At the very least, that might have given me some satisfaction before these fuckers dusted my ass. However, her gaze remained passive, her green eyes staring into mine as if I’d just announced nothing more interesting than the weather.

I swear if I get out of this…

Oh wait, I probably wasn’t going to. At least that seemed to be Dusk Reaper’s plan. He picked up a discarded two by four and snapped it over his knee, leaving one piece with a nice pointy end. “We end this now.”

“Yep.” My voice was barely a squeak, but I knew he heard me. “Because that’s the only way you’re gonna win this.”

“Silence, betrayer!”

“Betrayer?” I asked, thinking quickly. Maybe there was still a way out of this. “I don’t answer to you or anyone else here.”

“And that gives you the right to terrorize… err… attack your own?” he replied, quickly backpedaling on the T word.

“I am master of this coven. My word is law and if I decide the rest of you fuckers need a lesson in humility, then you’re going to get it in whatever fashion I so decide.”

“You were master of this…”

“I still am,” I spat, my voice stronger as I tried to project an aura of authority, “unless the rest of you prefer to follow a vampire who doesn’t have the guts to become master by his own hand.”

That definitely caught their notice. There was only one crime in a vampire coven, so far as I knew, and that was appearing weak. Reaper wasn’t the oldest in this group. There was no way he’d be able to hold onto power for long if he started his reign off on a questionable note and he knew it.

“I don’t need to prove anything to you.”

“No, but you need to prove it to them.”

I glanced around and was amazed to find most of the vamps in the room taking a step back. Holy crap, they’d swallowed my bullshit. A moment later, Victor released his grip upon me and did the same. Starlight alone remained where she stood, the expression on her face one of a deer in the headlights.

I smiled. “So, I guess the question is, are you challenging me to fair combat?”

Reaper’s fangs descended. He knew he had to put up or shut up. “I am.”

“You got it, asshole.”

With that, I reached out and grabbed hold of Starlight. Dragging her in, I bared my own fangs and sank them into her neck before she could stop me.

Vampires had a very liberal interpretation of fair, after all, and it was about time I used that to my advantage.