Fall From Grace
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| Snake Charmer Saga Fall From Grace |
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| Chapter One: The Waking Nightmare | |||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | |||||||||||||||||||
| Once again - Calloway found himself in that all too familiar place. His body racked with pain. The smell and taste of blood thick around him. Ahead - in the distance he could hear sounds of conflict. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Is - like before," he muttered as he staggered up to his feet. He looked down and saw that his body was riddled with bullet holes. He walked forward and tripped over the broken body of another member of Snake's inner circle. She was Sally LaFontaine. Of all the other - vipers - she was one of the few that was close to being his rival. | |||||||||||||||||||
| He could hear sounds of voices - the efforts to take the place - were almost paramilitary in levels of discipline and order. He slowly crawled forward - hoping to stop whoever was daring to attack the inner sanctum in such a fashion. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "You will not get away with this," he slurred as he grabbed a gun from a fallen invader. By his clothes he appeared to be Brujah - or some other ruffian kindred. He pressed on. Each step was a labored effort. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Blow it on three!" a voice shouted. Calloway rolled around the corner and attempted to fire at the invaders - but the gun didn't shoot. It was either empty or broken. "Three!" the leader shouted. A powerful explosion rocked the tunnels and sent the large iron door into the temple off its massive hinges. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Calloway was knocked off balance as a rogue shot from the defenders within slammed into his shoulder. He looked over and watched as dozens of foot soldiers rushed in. an army of ghouled snakes welcomed them. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Grenades ready," the leader called out. Calloway shook his head. "Away!" he shouted. He watched helplessly as several orbs were lobbed into the temple. A blinding flash of light engulfed the room. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Must stop," Calloway slurred. He was about to get up when enemy back up raced over him - many stepping on him - unaware that he wasn't fully taken out yet. He looked up and saw what they were armed with. "Flame throwers," he gasped. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Light the place up," the leader called out. Calloway closed his eyes and shook his head as he heard the quiet sound of the flame throwers unleashing their destructive payload at the blinded defenders. | |||||||||||||||||||
| He could hear the screams as his allies - aflame and blinded were cut down by the invaders. In his mind he could see the defenders - doing their best to defend the temple - but against such odds there was little that could be done. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "For Set!" a familiar voice shouted out. Calloway opened his eyes and looked over - Snake and several of his best defenders emerged from a secret passageway - one he didn't even know of. Calloway wanted to get up and help - but all his strength was spent. | |||||||||||||||||||
| All he could do was watched as Snake and the other defenders forced the invaders towards the temple full of flames. It was then that Snake saw Calloway on the ground. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Calloway! You have the unmitigated gall to still be alive after what you have done?" Snake demanded. Calloway blinked in modest disbelief. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "What?" he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "You fucking betrayed us! All of this was your doing!" Snake barked as he aimed his gun at Calloway. It was then that dozens of shots caused the Setite to twitch. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the invaders had more back up. "You traitor," Snake muttered as he fell lifelessly to the ground. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I never," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Kill the traitor!" one of Snake's allies shouted as they raced in to finish Calloway off. Much to his shock - the invaders gunned down the would be executioners. The wounded serpent warrior watched as his allies fell lifelessly to the ground before him. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Four of you - watch Calloway - make sure than no snake touches him. The rest of you - fan out!" the leader of the invasion stated as he walked by. Calloway tried to recognize the face - but it was concealed to him from where he was laying. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "If this is really him - I'm a fucking Inquisitor. This is a dummy. Find the original. He isn't to leave here alive - moving or otherwise," he called out as he and others hurried into the flaming temple. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Not - real," Calloway muttered. One of the four invaders helped him sit up. Calloway pushed the vampire back. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Easy buddy - we're on the same side," one reassured. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "No - not true," Calloway muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Fuck - he must have been conditioned when he was on the inside. No wonder he's so messed up," another added. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Shut up - not true," Calloway slurred. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Look at me," one requested as she knelt down before him. He looked away but she reached over and grabbed him by the chin. "Do you remember me?" she asked seriously. He studied her face and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "They must have wiped him clean," the other added. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Listen! Your name - is Jackson," she began. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I know who I am! I'm Calloway!" he rebutted. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "No! You aren't! You are a deep cover operative that we sent in. Calloway was an alias," she said but the look in his eyes was a skeptic one at best. "Fuck - they did something to him," she muttered shaking her head. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Think back - the attempts on your life? Why do you think they happened? Snake learned you weren't who you claimed to be and wanted you out of the picture," one asked. Calloway blinked and shook his head. What they were saying made a frightening amount of sense. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "A lie? All I know - all I have done - a lie?" he muttered dryly. Just then a spray of bullets took out the four. Calloway looked over and saw Snake and a few other vipers. "Snake? It isn't true," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I trusted you. I looked at you - like the son I never had," Snake said as the other vipers lifted him up. "Do you have any idea - how disgusted I am? With you - with this?" he demanded as he waved his hand around at the death and destruction around them. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "It can't be true - it has to be a lie," Calloway muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I look back - and - I wondered how it was that you survived - as long as you did against those odds. The things you knew - that I told you," Snake growled as he backhanded Calloway across the face. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "No - is a dream - must be dream," Calloway muttered as Snake moved the smoking barrel of his automatic rifle up and aimed it at the assassin's chest. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "A dream? Oh no son. This is no dream. This is a fucking nightmare!" Snake retorted as he slammed the butt of the gun into the face of the weakened vampire. Calloway staggered and fell towards the flaming temple. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Calloway winced. The flames were so hot - the light so bright. He looked over and saw Snake and the others slowly making their way towards him. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "This - is the fate of all traitors Calloway - or whoever the fuck you are," Snake spat in disgust. He raised the weapon and fired. Calloway groaned as he felt the bullets explode into his chest - carrying him down the steps into the waiting flames. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Just then - Calloway fell out of bed screaming! | |||||||||||||||||||
| Frantically he rolled around until he realized where he was and how he got there. | |||||||||||||||||||
| He moved his shaking hands to his face. That dream was far more real than anything he had ever envisioned before. He looked at the window in the other room and saw that there were still a few hours of day left. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "It was just a dream," he muttered shaking his head. "Praise be Set - it was only a dream," he muttered to himself as he did his best to force the branded images from his mind. | |||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | |||||||||||||||||||