Read Online Fat Vampire (Book 5): Fatpocalypse by Johnny B. Truant - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Johnny B. Truant
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flat on the concrete step. He heard something snap and watched blood well beneath his skin. It healed. Again, it didn’t hurt.
“ Not awesome,” said Reginald. He looked up at the Chateau. He looked up and down the steps, wondering where the students were. Shouldn’t kids be coming up for class in the school above the vampire catacombs — Karl’s hideaway in plain sight of the local human population? He looked at Nikki and saw that she understood. The last time Reginald’s sense of pain had suddenly left him had been during their escape from the American Council at the time of Charles’s coup. It came and went and Reginald didn’t seem to have any control over it, but every time it had happened had meant trouble. It was his Spidey Sense, warning him of danger.
“The Chateau?”
“I can see where it’s been burned.” He pointed. “There.”
“And the school?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t see any students.”
“Hell.” Nikki flexed to run, but Reginald shouted to stop her.
“Don’t you dare go without me,” he said.
Nikki looked at him for a long moment. She was far faster without him, but he’d been giving her hell for running off alone ever since she’d run out to surveil Maurice’s neighborhood. Angry citizens and trained troops were out there killing vampires, he’d said. What would I do if I lost you? It was a weak-sounding thing to say, but he’d said it anyway, and his anger that she’d taken the risk had been real.
So Nikki again shouldered his weight, ran up to the building, and then stopped in the yard. She let Reginald down. The grass underfoot was soft and green, but one entire wing — Reginald thought it was where the cafeteria had been — had been burned. The building was open to the air, recent rain pooling in the exposed hallway.
“Should we go in?” said Nikki.
“I think we have to.”
“Karl and the others are very strong,” she said. “They either held their own and are alive in there or somewhere else, or they are dead. If there was a time for us to help them or make a difference, it’s over.” She looked at the burned wing. Whatever had happened here had happened a few days ago at least. There was no smoke, only char and ash. Reginald wondered why the incident had never shown up on VNN or Fangbook. The fact that something as monumental as a raid on the European Vampire Council hadn’t so much as been mentioned sent a chill down his spine. Either every vampire in the area who might have reported it was dead or gone, or Timken and his toadies wielded a significant amount of power over what appeared on Fangbook and what didn’t.
“No, I mean I think we have to, ” said Reginald. He pointed to the eastern sky, which was blushing red and orange, very quickly ripening into yellow.
“Shit. We could run west. Find a basement.”
“You think you can outrun the sun with a fat guy on your back?”
“I don’t want to go in there, Reginald.”
“I think we have to,” he said for a third time. The grass below them began to grow pale shadows. He was getting warm, and he could see sweat on Nikki’s brow and at the neck of her tight black garb.
He got behind her and pushed, shoving her through the fallen and burned wall. She breathed heavily, watching him, watching outside, looking at the fallen brick and plaster. But then the trees beyond the hole began to form true shadows and the decision was taken out of their hands. They stepped back from the radiation of the sun, retreating into the quiet darkness.
The entire building seemed to be deserted and silent. They made their way to the Cave in the basement, to the brick wall at its end, and found the door to the catacombs yawning open. Reginald gaped at it. How long had the EU Council structure been open to the world — to the increasingly panicked and murderous human population above? Reginald thought back to the last report he’d heard from Karl.
“ Not awesome,” said Reginald. He looked up at the Chateau. He looked up and down the steps, wondering where the students were. Shouldn’t kids be coming up for class in the school above the vampire catacombs — Karl’s hideaway in plain sight of the local human population? He looked at Nikki and saw that she understood. The last time Reginald’s sense of pain had suddenly left him had been during their escape from the American Council at the time of Charles’s coup. It came and went and Reginald didn’t seem to have any control over it, but every time it had happened had meant trouble. It was his Spidey Sense, warning him of danger.
“The Chateau?”
“I can see where it’s been burned.” He pointed. “There.”
“And the school?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t see any students.”
“Hell.” Nikki flexed to run, but Reginald shouted to stop her.
“Don’t you dare go without me,” he said.
Nikki looked at him for a long moment. She was far faster without him, but he’d been giving her hell for running off alone ever since she’d run out to surveil Maurice’s neighborhood. Angry citizens and trained troops were out there killing vampires, he’d said. What would I do if I lost you? It was a weak-sounding thing to say, but he’d said it anyway, and his anger that she’d taken the risk had been real.
So Nikki again shouldered his weight, ran up to the building, and then stopped in the yard. She let Reginald down. The grass underfoot was soft and green, but one entire wing — Reginald thought it was where the cafeteria had been — had been burned. The building was open to the air, recent rain pooling in the exposed hallway.
“Should we go in?” said Nikki.
“I think we have to.”
“Karl and the others are very strong,” she said. “They either held their own and are alive in there or somewhere else, or they are dead. If there was a time for us to help them or make a difference, it’s over.” She looked at the burned wing. Whatever had happened here had happened a few days ago at least. There was no smoke, only char and ash. Reginald wondered why the incident had never shown up on VNN or Fangbook. The fact that something as monumental as a raid on the European Vampire Council hadn’t so much as been mentioned sent a chill down his spine. Either every vampire in the area who might have reported it was dead or gone, or Timken and his toadies wielded a significant amount of power over what appeared on Fangbook and what didn’t.
“No, I mean I think we have to, ” said Reginald. He pointed to the eastern sky, which was blushing red and orange, very quickly ripening into yellow.
“Shit. We could run west. Find a basement.”
“You think you can outrun the sun with a fat guy on your back?”
“I don’t want to go in there, Reginald.”
“I think we have to,” he said for a third time. The grass below them began to grow pale shadows. He was getting warm, and he could see sweat on Nikki’s brow and at the neck of her tight black garb.
He got behind her and pushed, shoving her through the fallen and burned wall. She breathed heavily, watching him, watching outside, looking at the fallen brick and plaster. But then the trees beyond the hole began to form true shadows and the decision was taken out of their hands. They stepped back from the radiation of the sun, retreating into the quiet darkness.
The entire building seemed to be deserted and silent. They made their way to the Cave in the basement, to the brick wall at its end, and found the door to the catacombs yawning open. Reginald gaped at it. How long had the EU Council structure been open to the world — to the increasingly panicked and murderous human population above? Reginald thought back to the last report he’d heard from Karl.
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