| Chapter Four: Homeward Bound By Richard LeBlanc It had taken almost two days of indirect travel for the gathering to arrive by one of the secret entrances to tunnels. Calloway, Corwin, Cathy and Catrina watched from the shadows as a rowdy bunch of thugs guarded the way in. "There are a few of them," Corwin remarked. "Probably more in earshot. Too much noise will cause them to close in and box us in," Calloway added. "Makes sense - probably rotating patrols too - maybe check in calls. You think they were expecting us?" Corwin asked with a smirk. Calloway smiled as he took his daggers out. "There is no way they could be expecting me. Cathy - Catrina - can you buy us a few moments of distraction?" Calloway asked. "How many moments?" Cathy asked. "As many as you can muster. Just keep their eyes locked on you," Calloway stated as he motioned for Corwin to follow him. The two dancers looked at the crowd that they were to - distract. "A dance routine?" Cathy asked. "They look a little low brow," Catrina replied. "Something more - tawdry?" Cathy asked. "That was the idea. I hope they aren't gay or we are so fucked. Come on," Catrina muttered as they vanished into the shadows of the night. Over by the entrance - the gangbangers were telling tall tales and other such bullshit to impress each other. "Hold up - company!" one stated - instantly all of their weapons were aimed at Cathy and Catrina. The two instantly raised their hands. "You - ladies are in a very unfriendly place. Why are you here?" one of them asked. "Uhm - well - we come here often - it's so out of the way that - no one disturbs us," Cathy began as she smiled at Catrina. "Disturbed huh? From like doing what?" another asked - two of the others present snickered. "Well - if - you let us lower our hands - we'd gladly show you. We don't mind an audience on - special occasions," Catrina replied. "What is so special about tonight?" another piped in. "The fact that you boys have all that hardware aimed at us? We don't want to fucking die," Cathy replied timidly. "What clan are you?" another asked. Calloway and Corwin stepped out from the shadows of the tunnel behind them and silently waited. "I am from the Toreador clan - my - partner here - she is a Caitiff. My sire - he would never approve of our love," Catrina replied with a twinkle in her eye. She could tell that they were already hooked. "A - show you say?" one asked. "Hey - we are supposed to be standing watch," one pointed out. "Then stand watch," Catrina replied as she slowly lowered her hands and began to unbutton her top. "I do some of my most - creative work in front of an - audience," she said as some of the others whistled. Calloway and Corwin smirked as the guards fixated on the two ladies as they began to seductively undress and touch each other. "Damn - they are good," Corwin whispered. Calloway cupped him upside the head. "Ow! That hurt," he added. "Good - focus on the task at hand - no sound," he whispered. As the two ladies - performed for their captive audience - Calloway and Corwin silently picked off the guarding vampires one by one until only two were left. It was then that the two naked women stopped laid on their bellies and smiled at the remaining vampires. "Why you stopping? It was just getting interesting?" One asked. "Show is over honey," Cathy replied with a cold smile. "What?" he began. Corwin slashed his sword across bisecting one vampire. Calloway used his daggers to silently shred the last of them. "You two took your sweet time," Catrina teased. "I think they were watching the show," Cathy added. "Mind wandered for some reason," Corwin replied with a smirk. "Get dressed girls - we still have work to do - and not much time to do it in," Calloway stated with a wink. A short while later - the two had stalked their way through the tunnels. As they reached the stretch that led to the temple - Calloway froze. Before him - were images straight out of his nightmares. The hallways were littered with bodies of the temple guards and invaders. The walls were riddled with bullet holes and scorched from where flames had kissed the painted walls. Calloway knelt down and ran his fingers through the sand that was matted with vampire blood and shook his head. "Problem hero?" Corwin asked. "All of this - I've - see it," he replied. "How so?" Cathy asked. "I've had - nightmares - bad ones as of late. Everything here - is just like in those dreams," he replied flatly. "Did you talk to anyone about these visions? They could have been warnings from Set," Cathy asked. Calloway watched as the crimson sand slipped through his fingers. "I talked to Snake - early in. he said that - everyone had such dreams. Dreams of fighting - losing - that those dreams - drove us to work harder," Calloway replied - his mind drifting between the ream and imagined. "To ensure that - such horrid things could never come to pass," he added. "Sounds like something Snake would say," Corwin admitted. "Did you see anything else in those dreams?" Catrina asked. "Nothing that made any sense. In some - the fight was lost because I was not there. In others - the fight was lost because the elders themselves came down on us. The last one - they said I was a traitor - that - all of this was because of me," he replied - his voice distant. "That's crazy talk hero. Everyone knows that no one is more loyal to Snake than you. Hell - the old boy tried having you killed and fed to lupines and what was your first instinct upon hearing about this? Rescue Snake. That doesn't sound like a traitor to me," Corwin rebutted with a smirk. "Corwin is right. Snake needs you - we all do," Cathy reassured. Just then Corwin tensed up. Calloway felt it too. "Calloway?" Corwin muttered. "I know," he replied. "Suggestions?" he muttered. "Play dead," Calloway replied as they fell lifelessly to the floor. Seconds later a patrol headed in and. "The entrance was compromised sir," one said into a radio as they stopped by where Corwin was laid out. "If there are intruders - find them and deal with them do not waste my time reporting failure," a distorted voice replied coldly. Calloway studied them from where he laid. He could see that they were armed with shotguns - only they were modified. If he were a wagering man - he would say they were loaded with dragon's breath rounds. Corwin watched Calloway and waited for the signal. Calloway nodded. Almost instantly the four leaped up to their feet and attacked the startled hunters! Corwin spun around and cleaned the arms from one vampire - as a result the weapon he had been carrying fell. "Unarmed combat?" he mocked as he beheaded the wounded vampire. Calloway managed to disarm another invader and cut him up badly in the process. Within a matter of moments all of them were taken down - or so they thought. "That the last of the bastards?" Corwin asked. "I think so," Calloway replied as he looked at the bodies of the dead - all of them were in deep torpor and were not going to be waking up any time soon. It was then that another invader rose up and dusted himself off. He too had been playing possum. Cathy watched as the vampire took aim. "Calloway!" she began as raced over. She leaped over and knocked the viper down as the invader fired. Corwin watched as Cathy's chest and neck all but exploded in a ball of white flames. "Cowardly bastards!" Corwin hissed as he threw his sword like a saw blade. It blew down the corridor and imbedded into the wall behind the vampire that had fired the shot. Calloway looked up and watched as the head of the man that had almost shot him lolled and fell to the sand covered tunnel floor. The threat dealt with - the three checked on Cathy. "She going to make it?" he hesitantly asked. Calloway looked at the damage done to her chest and lowered his eyes. "The explosion fried her heart," Catrina muttered as they watched Cathy twitch involuntarily and then was completely still. "It won't end like this. Your sacrifice - will not be in vain," Calloway muttered as he looked in the direction of the temple. To Be Continued... |