The truck pulled up and killed its engine. Kenneth gestured to the dogs and they all jumped down onto the snow-covered ground and followed him as he walked away from the tree line.
Brian lowered the tail gate. Alexander could see huge black plastic boxes filling the back of the truck. There was about five or six of them.
Kenneth came back to the truck and stood up on the tailgate and threw the boxes to the vampires as they gathered around the truck. Kenneth emptied the truck of the boxes and motioned for the ones he had thrown them to, to open them.
Once the boxes were opened Alexander saw that they were filled with guns and ammo. One was full of nothing but hand guns with the bottom lined completely with full ammo clips for them; in another were compact semi-automatic carbines. There were two that were filled with automatic pistols and enough clips to keep them firing for a good long while. The last two remained closed as Kenneth motioned vampires away from those.
Kenneth stood atop the truck bed and looked toward the mountain. He closed his eyes letting the light breeze wash over him. With his eyes still closed he said, “Take what you will from the boxes. All except the two I left closed.”
There was hesitancy with everyone. Even though they had all seen the plan and listened to Kenneth walk them through what was going to happen, Alexander just couldn’t bring himself to believe that this was what was actually going to happen? He didn’t see any roads or mine shafts leading down into the mountain. Was this just another trap? Maybe there was poison on the gun handles? He had learned to never trust anything Kenneth did. He always had an angle that he was trying to work. He would not let that happen to him again.
Without warning, Carlin stepped up to the box holding the hand guns. He looked at House Brandt. “Wolfgang made his decision. I’ll go along for the ride and see where it takes me.” With a smile he pulled out two pistols that looked like forty fives. He put them both in his pants and lined his belt with clips.
That seemed to move them into action. Carlin was right though, Wolfgang had put them at Kenneth’s disposal, which Alexander knew very well that it meant they were disposable. Kenneth wouldn’t think twice to sacrifice every last vampire here if it meant reaching his goals. Alexander moved forward and grabbed an automatic pistol, a 9mm, and some ammo clips.
When the boxes were empty, Kenneth opened his eyes and looked once more at the mountain. The night sky was still dark, but there was a subtle lightening from the east. In an hour or so the sun would rise and every last one of them would be dead, unless they found shelter. But shelter from the sun was not what he sought this day.
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He looked at the vampires arrayed around the truck. All three Houses from the area were in one place for the first time in decades. It was up to him to direct their anger and not let it turn toward old rivalries. He had them though. Looking into their eyes, if they didn’t believe him, they soon would. Today the Shape shifters died.
Kenneth smiled and jumped down from the truck bed. He nodded to two members of his own house to grab the two boxes that were still closed and he strode forward up the white snow covered slope of the mountain.
They walked out in the open for several minutes. Kenneth seemed to be leading them to a small cave. Alexander could see all five dogs sitting around it. Kenneth walked up to the cave and stood next to the dogs.
No, not dogs… wolves! Alexander hadn’t paid any attention to them before now. Those were wolves. And they were as tame and loyal as any retarded house dog. What had Kenneth done to them? What had he done? The implications of this could upset the balance between the three Houses in the city. That’s why Wolfgang had allowed his house to be used by Kenneth! Wolfgang wanted his people to know what Kenneth knew or at least relay to him what Kenneth had been planning.
Kenneth led one of the wolves towards the back of the cave. There he held the wolf’s eyes in his gaze for long moments.
Alexander knew then that these wolves were Kenneth’s, just like that other person he had seen succumb to Kenneth’s Domination abilities. Alexander had trusted that one. He was a good man and didn’t mind taking risks. He was smart and capable and had proven himself to be Alexander’s friend many times, going so far as to cover him during a botched smash and grab he had run. He hadn’t thought about that man for a long time. The wolf responded just as Michael had when Kenneth turned those cold, dead eyes upon him. Michael answered everything that Kenneth had asked. His fall had been…embarrassing to say the least. After that night he had never trusted Kenneth again. He had assumed that Kenneth may have Dominated Michael before that night, when though, he had never figured out. The end would have been the same regardless. He had hoped that he wouldn’t ever see that cold disgusting ability from Kenneth again. He should have known better.
A howl shattered the silent night and split the early morning sky with an ear piercing noise. Alexander looked wide eyed at the stupid animal. Perhaps Kenneth didn’t control them as he had feared, maybe it was some kind of trick? A distraction?
Then just when he was sure that Kenneth would give up this little farce, a soft rumbling in the stone could be felt. Then a great scraping noise was heard, as if two giant boulders or blocks of stone were being rubbed together.
Alexander looked toward the back of the cave and instead of a solid rock wall, there was a gaping hole that led into bleak darkness.
* * * * *
Wolfgang looked unsurprised by the sudden attack. Ansuya knew that he would have anticipated a desperate tackle attempt, so she didn’t give it to him, stopping short of his form guarding the doorway. Instead, she flew into a wild and uncontrolled attack, throwing punches and kicks and claw swipes at him as fast as she could.