Winter Halo (Outcast 2)

They ran straight into more vamps.

As screams and gunshots began to echo, I grabbed the flashlight again and hit the switch. Its light bloomed, eradicating the nearest vampires and causing those behind the men to burst into flame. As the mercenaries finished the vamps off, I swung left into Run Turk Alley and raced toward Nuri’s. There were no men lounging about this time, no legs to avoid or trip over. There were bodies—both men and vampire—but only a couple. Maybe, just maybe, they hadn’t found Penny yet.

But even as that thought crossed my mind, I knew it was a forlorn one.

Nuri’s came into view. The claxon ringing of the bell was coming from its interior, as was the sound of fighting. I thrust the door open but didn’t immediately race in.

Safe, Bear said.

I bolted through the bar. It was empty, but it bore signs of the fight I could hear ahead—tables were upturned, chairs were smashed, and the torso of a vampire lay draped over the bar. Where his legs were I had no idea. Nor did I care.

I ducked through the second doorway and saw Branna running backward, firing his rifle at the three vampires in the room. There were another two on the floor, their bodies torn apart.

I raised the flashlight. Almost instantly the vampires became puddles of ash. Branna stopped and blinked; then his gaze rose and he saw me. Rage—blind, unthinking rage—crossed his face and he raised the gun again.

“Bear,” I screamed, even as I flung myself sideways. A gunshot rang out; the bullet whistled past my butt as I slid along the greasy, bloody floor. Then there was a grunt, and the sound of something hitting the floor hard. I pushed upright. Branna was out to it, and a chair leg was hovering threateningly over him.

“Thanks, Bear.” His energy danced around me, the chair leg briefly threatening to club me before he got it under control again. “Can you show me where Penny is? And, Cat, can you keep an eye on Branna? If he wakes, let me know.”

You don’t want me to knock him out again?

The question held a disappointed edge. I couldn’t help smiling. “If he wakes up angry, feel free.”

She zoomed off, and another chair leg was soon hovering over Branna’s prone form. If he did wake up anytime soon, he wasn’t likely to remain that way for long. Not if Cat had anything to say about it.

I followed Bear out of the room and into the walkway beyond. A short set of stairs later, and we were in an area I knew. I’d woken up in this area twice previously—once in a room that had been designed to hold vampires, and once in a basic but comfortable sleeping area.

I wasn’t entirely surprised when Bear led me to the former rather than the latter.

I tested the door handle. It was locked. “Penny?” I said. “You there? You okay?”

“Yes.” The answer was short, almost sharp, and even though it was Penny’s voice, there was something within it that made my skin crawl.

The claxon alarm suddenly cut off. Awareness surged; there were vampires in the bar. How they’d gotten past the mercenaries guarding the entrance of this lane I had no idea, but if I didn’t do something—didn’t get Penny out of here—I’d soon be knee-deep in them.

Cat, there’s vampires headed your way. Be careful. Aloud, I added, “Penny, the vamps are attacking Chaos in an effort to retrieve you. You’re not safe here.”

“I’m not safe anywhere.” She paused. “I can feel them. Despite Nuri’s spells, I can feel them in my head.”

My gut churned. This wasn’t a good development. I briefly closed my eyes, not sure whether it was better to make a stand here or get her out and run.

The choice was taken out of my hands as Cat yelled a warning and the vampires attacked. Two of them flowed up the stairs as one, a mass of stinking, snarling desperation. I raised both the flashlight and my rifle, firing one-handed even as their flesh exploded into flame. There was answering retort from behind them, and a second later the flashlight exploded in my hand, almost taking several fingers with it. As blood began spurting from the wounds, two more vampires appeared. One of them was holding a gun.

An armed vampire; it was almost too ludicrous to believe.

Bear, grab that thing. I flung myself sideways as the vampire fired another

shot. It pinged against the container behind me, sending shards of metal flying into my face and hair. I cursed, but nevertheless twisted around and returned fire. I got one of them. Bear snatched the weapon from the other, who either didn’t care or didn’t notice. He just kept on running.

I raised the rifle again and pressed the trigger. This time, nothing happened. Out of ammo. With no time to reload, I simply flipped the rifle around and raised it above my head.

But the vampire wasn’t after me. Instead, he flung himself, as hard as he could, at the door barring Penny’s sanctuary. It was a sturdy metal thing, and the vampire’s weight made little more than a dent. Bear tossed me the vampire’s rifle. In one smooth motion, I caught it and fired. The force of the shot not only pushed me backward, but punched a hole through the vampire and the door behind it.

I blinked and momentarily glanced down at the weapon. Obviously, I was damn lucky to have a hand left, let alone all my fingers still attached.

Then the importance of the hole registered.

“Penny,” I screamed. “Are you okay?”