Winter Halo (Outcast 2)

He shook his head. “All we have is the generator and the light.”

“Then keep the damn light as bright as you can, for as long as you can.” I unclipped the gun we’d retrieved from the remains of the solar vehicle and handed it to him. “And keep this close.”

He checked that the weapon was fully loaded, then tucked it into the front of his pants. “You’re not coming in?”

“No. I have vampires to fight.”

“Then keep safe, and may Rhea bless you.”

It was a blessing I would undoubtedly need. As the old man shut and locked the door, I spun and ran on.

Bear returned. There’s a ladder twenty meters away, but vampires and men are fighting all around it.

“Is that the closest ladder?”

Yes. There is one farther on, but it’s also blocked by men and vampires.

I frowned. “How light is it up ahead?”

It is no different from here.

Meaning it was regular lighting rather than UV. And normally, that would have been enough to stop vampires, but something had very definitely changed in the last few days.

I leapt over several bodies but couldn’t entirely avoid the large pool of blood that was spreading across the grimy metal walkway. It splattered across my legs, its coppery yet oddly sweet smell filling my nostrils. Sharpened senses, one part of my brain noted, even as I said, “How many vamps are we talking about?”

“Three. There are eight mercenaries trying to stop them.”

I frowned. Those odds should have worked in the mercs’ favor, especially given that the vampires’ one major advantage—the ability to shadow and allow bullets to pass through them without causing any sort of harm—should have been nullified by the light. By all rights, the mercenaries should have been all over them.

So why weren’t they? What in Rhea was going on? Were Sal’s partners further along the immunity path than we’d thought? I really, really hoped that wasn’t true—that this immunity applied only to firelight and non-UV lights. We’d be in a whole world of trouble if it also applied to UVs.

There was only one way to find out. As the sound of fighting grew closer and fiercer, I pulled the flashlight from the accessory pocket in my pants and switched it on. The clean blue-white light not only illuminated the shadows hunkering beyond the containers that lined this metal pathway, but spotlighted the fierce cluster of men and vampires up ahead.

Vampires screamed as the light hit them and almost instantly, all three were little more than ash raining down on the blood and gore staining the bottom of the ladder.

One of the men—a fierce-looking black man with a platted beard longer than my arm—swung around. “What the fuck is going on? Do you know? Because these bastards aren’t here for blood.”

“No, they’re not.” I slithered to a stop and pointed up the ladder. “I need to get up there, and I need you and the others on this level to stop any more of them getting up there for as long as you can.”

“A fucking hard request, given that these bastards seem immune to our lights.”

“But not all light, as this flashlight proved. UVs still stop them.”

“Not something we have much of here in Chaos.” He stepped to one side and motioned to the ladder. “Go. We’ll do our best.”

“Thanks.” I tucked the flashlight back into my pocket, then gripped the first rung and hastily began to climb. Bear, could you scout ahead and see if you can locate Penny? She should be in Nuri’s bar somewhere.

Nuri might have said she was keeping her isolated, but I doubted, given Jonas’s determination to keep her close and his belief that it was only their presence that was keeping her grounded, that she’d be too far away from their main base of power.

Up ahead, shadows danced against a backdrop of light. Men and vampires, fighting. Cat, you want to check the exit? Make sure it’s safe?

She surged upward but didn’t immediately report back. I slowed as I neared the top of the ladder, fear beginning to slide through me. Cat? You okay?

She immediately returned, her amusement and excitement high. The ladder is now safe.

A series of images flashed through my mind: Cat had tossed the two vampires who’d been waiting near the ladder’s exit into the middle of another six, scattering them all and allowing the mercenaries who’d been fighting them to shoot the lot. I couldn’t help grinning. “Good work, Cat.”

She preened at that, but nevertheless raced ahead of me to make a final check and give the all-clear. I quickly climbed out, felt the metal walkway underneath me vibrating, and glanced right. The mercenaries were racing toward me. As I rolled out of their way, a bell began to peal loudly. It was coming from the middle portion of this level—which was exactly where Nuri’s was. I scrambled upright and ran after the men.