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Marla nodded her head. “Only a couple of stragglers along the hall. We’re clear.” She drew a tonfa, waiting
for Larry’s order.
“Brody, take point. Marla next. Vanya, keep Morris between you two. I’ve got the rear.”
“I ain’t having her at my back,” the strongman said in a hushed growl, coming in close. At least Brody was
rational enough not to yell. We had to keep our noise to a limit to keep from breaking my work. He kept the
gun on me, but his eyes were on Larry. “Leave her.”
Our leader shook his head. “We still need her in here. So suck it up. You can take the rear if you’re so fired
up about it.” Without another word, Larry turned, heading out. Marla and Morris moved silently, but my feet
wouldn’t quite up to moving. It’d always been difficult to control neospawn and move, but I definitely needed
to do so now.
“I will leave you,” Brody prodded. I lifted my lip in an attempt to sneer, then stumbled toward the exit.
The same exit Alexander had taken.
“There’s less,” I whispered to Marla when I caught up. “You noticed that too?”
“Yeah. But one’s coming back.” Her whisper was bitter, and went straight to my heart. Too emotionally
fragile in my trance-like state.
But she couldn’t understand my need, my addiction. Necros had been opened to other forms of existence,
and we constantly sought death. Life bothered some of us, made it impossible for us to stay sane with normal
people. Vampires were one of the few creatures we could co-habitate with successfully. I’d done it once, lived
as a concubine for a few years. Then Tristan had left me, saying I was too old. I’d been looking for another
vamp to join with since.
“I’ll bring in a guardian,” I said with a dejected whisper. My words slurred together, and I started stumbling.
Morris pulled me close, keeping me upright. Reaching out to control a neospawn took a lot out of my, but I
wouldn’t make them wait on me. Tension was already high enough without causing a delay.
Controlling one of these ghouls was similar to playing a video game. I was myself, as aware of my
surroundings as I could be, but I was also aware of the creature and its surroundings. My thought processes
didn’t change, nor was I affected by their nature. But the neospawn had no willpower left to resist me, and
would do whatever I wanted.
In this case, I wanted a guardian, something to hunt down and kill the other hemophages. I planted an idea,
and pulled back. It was too treacherous for me to stay mostly in it. If something snuck up on us, I needed my
senses in the physical world so I could defend myself.
The halls were dark, full of debris, and carried noise very well. The sign out front had stated this was once a
meat packing facility; lots of big rooms and long corridors were the only signs of the building’s former life. That
maze-like quality was working for us at the moment.
But it was beginning to work against us. Alexander had trapped our party as we explored the complex, so we
had only the vaguest recollection of how to get in or out. However, we trusted Larry, and followed him
wholeheartedly. I kept moving the neospawn away from us, sweating with the effort.
Our guardian was close by, and we all heard him brawling with a straggler. Touching in briefly, I saw not a
neospawn being attacked, but Alexander. The vampire ripped the head off my guardian, and power lashed back
to me.
Groaning, I fell to my knees, blinded by pain. I normally made it my goal to stay out of the creatures when
they were killed, because the feedback was so confusing. Even altered human brains weren’t supposed to
experience death before their time. Not much I could do to prevent bad luck, though.
Everyone stopped. “What’s wrong?” Morris queried, moving back to me.
Brody was less caring. “Get the fuck up.” He kicked me in the thigh, and I lost my balance. He kicked me
again, growling. “Stupid cunt.”
“Leave off,” Larry hissed. “Get your head in the god damn game, and stop bickering with her.” My ex
moved aside, and I was able to sit up.
“They heard us,” Marla whispered. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt several of them coming.
Power reached out as I tried to lead them away.
They wouldn’t turn, wouldn’t be swayed. They were new to this condition, and still had enough willpower to
resist. My senses faded as I focused harder on them, desperate to keep them off our back.