The empowered zombies surged forward.
Weaving her way through the throng of dead, she finally reached the outer edges the horde. Cian stood over the remains of the other attacker. There was pride in Cian’s eyes as he surveyed the mass of dead attacking Santo’s minion. Covered in blood, his eyes were bright red with hunger. He was ghastly pale and his face was thinned out to the point where he resembled her zombies. He needed to feed soon.
The witch stared in horror at the crowd of zombies ripping into her companion. Her hands shook and sweat poured down her face. Afraid, she began to pull her hands down to her sides.
“Don’t you dare drop the spell,” Cian said to the girl.
“Fuck you,” the witch answered.
Amaliya could feel the witch withdrawing her magic. To her surprise, she felt it tangling with her own necromantic power. Curiosity gripping her, Amaliya closed her eyes and reached out with her supernatural senses to feel the edges of the spell. The magic must have been based on blood or death, because the spell began to absorb into her power. With a grin, Amaliya wrenched the spell away from the witch. Instantly, the purplish manifestation of the witch’s power vanished from her hands. It reappeared, swirling around Amaliya’s head like a dark halo.
“What the fuck?!” the witch cried out.
“I have it,” Amaliya said to Cian. To her amazement, she was able to hold it in place. “I have the spell!”
The witch gasped, her hands falling to her side. Her arrogance was gone as the precariousness of her situation registered. The screams of the bald-headed vampire faded as the sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bones took their place. The corpses were tearing him to little bits.
“Santos sent weaklings to test us,” Cian said, scorn in his voice.
The witch suddenly lashed out with one hand, a ball of black energy hurtling toward Amaliya. Amaliya immediately summoned her dead. A zombie erupted from the earth to absorb the blast. Amaliya felt the creature shudder, but it did not fall.
“She can’t hurt me! Her magic is full of death and blood. It’s mine!” Amaliya said triumphantly.
The witch paled, her breath ragged.
“Then she’s not necessary anymore,” Cian decided.
The horde of zombies gathered around Amaliya, filling the intersection as she stared at the witch facing her.
The girl’s eyes flashed toward Cian, then back at Amaliya. “Send me back to Santos. I’ll tell him whatever you want,” the witch said at last. “I’ll deliver your message. ”
Cian shook his head. “Unnecessary. ”
The witch spun about to run, but Amaliya unleashed her power and four zombies burst from the street to block the witch’s path.
“Don’t let her through the spell protecting this area,” Cian ordered.
“I have her. ” Amaliya said confidently. She was flushed with power and laughed with delight. She could feel the magic around her building, growing stronger. Her zombies were looking more human as they clustered around her.
“Let me go!” the witch screamed. Drawing a pistol from the waistband of her jeans, she aimed it at Amaliya. “You let me go, you stupid bitch!”
The four zombies behind the witch seized her, holding her securely. Cian drew cl
ose enough to slap the gun out of her hand. Amaliya heard the girl’s wrist shatter. The girl screeched in pain.
“What are you going to do with her?” Amaliya asked.
Cian grabbed the girl by her hair, wrenched her head to one side, and bit into her throat.
Startled, Amaliya watched Cian drain the teenage girl as she flailed against him. For a second she considered rushing in to help the girl, but instead turned away. There was nothing she could do for the witch. It was too late for her.
The zombies gently touched Amaliya’s body as she walked among them. Each drop of blood imbued them with more life. Yet, they were the empty shells of people long gone. There were no souls inside the bodies, but there were memories. She could feel the whispers of who the zombies once were. The lost hopes and dreams brought tears to her eyes.
Finally, she reached the blood-soaked area where the vampire had died. Only a few scraps of material remained. Stepping into the center of the puddle, she closed her eyes. Her vampire nature called to the blood of the vampire. It took only a few seconds for her to feel the tickling sensation of rivulets of blood sliding up over her heels to touch her skin and absorb into her flesh. Within a minute all of the vampire’s blood and what remained of his power was hers. Opening her eyes, she saw the zombies reverently gathered around her. They clutched bits of the vampire’s body.
“You did a good job,” Amaliya said to them.
The one nearest her was the older black gentleman she had summoned in the cemetery earlier in the night. As her power renewed the corpses, she saw most of them were also black, dressed in the tattered remains of their Sunday best. Touching the cheek of the old man, she said, “Rest now. ”