CRIMSON DAYS, CH 2 #FREEREAD #ASMSG #Interracial #Paranormal #Romance #Vampire #Dystopia #FallOutBoy

Hello again!

As promised, I have another chapter of Crimson Days to share with you. As I stated in the last post, I’m writing this story as I post it, so it hasn’t been edited or doctored up. I haven’t even written a synopsis for this story. I’m literally giving it to you how it comes to me. 🙂

Comments are welcomed!

Enjoy!

If you haven’t read CRIMSON DAYS CHAPTER 1 yet, click this link: http://blog.yvonnenicolas.com/2014/10/01/crimson-days-ch-1/, so the story doesn’t lose you. 😀

**WARNING: Not suitable for the faint of heart, prudes or those easily bothered by strong and vulgar language, graphic descriptions, urban dialect, blood-lusting hotties, kickass female warriors, sword-wielding bad asses, dark smutty sex and extreme violence.**

CRIMSON DAYS

dystopian sci-fi, paranormal, erotic and interracial romance

Chapter 2

Miles from the mission site, the scent of festering flesh and boiling blood tainted the air. Locked in the confines of the aircraft, we hovered right below the clouds, and I could still smell the stench.

Suppressing the need to gag, I folded over and groaned.

“You’re looking a little green, babe,” Sanjay teased as he dangled my headgear in my face. “Need your helmet?”

I snatched it from him. “Asshole.”

Most knights didn’t bother to wear the breathing gear attached to our helmets. They were used to the demonic miasma the vampires leaked into the air. Not me though. Years ago, the scientists confirmed the vapors weren’t hazardous to our bodies in any way. Like horrible farts, the smell was putrid, but it wouldn’t kill you if you breathed it in. Didn’t matter to me what they proved; I still refused to suck that demon crap into my lungs.

I watched some of the other knights don their headgear. I clearly wasn’t the only one.

“Why are we going on a hunt this early in the day?” It was meant as an inner thought, but I heard myself say it aloud. “Most vamps don’t ease to the surface until twilight, and even then, they wait until darkness falls.”

I didn’t think Sanjay heard me over the hum of the ship’s engine, but he proved he did, when he answered, “I think the federation and the Vatican are tired of waiting for them to rise to go on the hunt. We gotta cut their numbers down, drastically, so it’s time to shake the tree. Every time someone goes missing we have to assume they’ve been turned. Have you seen the reports on how many people disappear every month? Entire families and shit…?” Settling back in the seat, he shrugged. “I don’t know all the deets. Don’t really care. I just follow orders.”

“Yes. Of course you do,” I huffed out on a sigh. “I don’t know why I would expect you to question the commander’s orders.”

Lips twisted in a smirk, he cut his eyes at me. “You know it turns me on when you get snarky.”

The aircraft shuddered as it lowered from the sky and landed on a clearing surrounded by a heavily wooded area, near the city’s sewer system.

As soon as the hatch opened, the shrieks and the sizzling sound of cooking flesh assaulted my ears. A familiar sickening feeling arose in my belly. I always got this sensation before going to battle. “Into the fray we go.”

I followed the squad through the copse of trees, watching our backs as I went. I always flanked the team. Never knew when the undead would creep up on you from the rear.

Sneaky bastards.

Sanjay usually flanked with me, but today he led the squad, next to our commanding officer, which made sense since he was the lieutenant in our division. Regardless of rank, it was better this way. I’m sure he took that spot to avoid hearing more of my complaints. To be honest, I was tired of hearing my gripes as well.

“Trouble in paradise?” Steve moved to my right side, flashing a mannish grin. Cornrows, patterned in a zigzag design, were neatly layered over his head.

I rolled my eyes and snorted. “Always. But if you ask Sanjay, he’ll say everything is honky dory.”

Steve chuckled. “That’s Sanjay for you. He’d rather pretend everything is all good than to admit he’s losing you.”

Frowning, I slowed my stride. “Wait, you know?”

He allowed the squad to trot ahead before turning to face me. “That you want out? Yeah, I know.”

Damn. And here I thought I was putting on a great façade. “Is it that obvious?”

He smiled. “Lucky for you, our commanding officer isn’t as good as reading people as I am.” Offering me his hand, he nodded toward the team. “Come on, Alex. We’ll chat about this later.”

Behind him, the bushes rustled. A snarl sounded, a second before a black blur darted from the underbrush. It moved in on us with a sinuous motion.

Gripping Steve’s hand, I yanked him against me and raised my pistol. Instead of aiming at the fast moving entity, I anticipated where it would strike and fired.

The creature hit the ground, shrieking like a banshee.

The moment I laid eyes on its pain-stricken face, I wanted to cry. It was Emily, the young bookshop owner from uptown. I didn’t know her personally, but I knew who she was. It was enough to make my heart hurt.

The bullet that caught her in the heart released ultraviolet liquid into her body. A bright light illuminated beneath her breasts. Her chest cavity caved in and began to melt away. The sun cooked the rest of her, blistering her flesh, as she writhed about in agony. No matter how strong her healing abilities were, there was no coming back from this injury.

She will die, yet again.

Despite that, Steve shot her three more times, silencing her screams. “I hate to see them suffer, especially when it’s someone I know.” A wry smile tilted his lips. “You see why we need you on the force? She would’ve had me if it wasn’t for you.”

Had him? Yeah right. I almost laughed. He and I both knew he’d been aware of the threat behind him long before I caught a whiff of the vampire. No one snuck up on the Bloodhound. “The same reason I’m needed on the force is the main reason I wanna get the hell away from here,” I countered, holstering my pistol. “I’d rather be on a beach somewhere, taking in the afternoon sun. Like the Bahamas. There are no vampires in the Bahamas.”

“That we know of.” He chuckled. “Still, if that’s where you’re headed, take me with you.” Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “Head’s up. Twelve o’clock.”

I looked up just in time to see at a large dark figure coming down on us. Its limbs were stretched out, its mouth open wide, baring its glistening fangs.

Firing upwards, Steve and I leaped back from one another.

The vampire landed between us with a thud. Pale muscles bulged everywhere. He was one of the biggest ones I’d seen yet. Even though he’d been drilled several times with lethal bullets, he still aggressed.

I backpedaled as he thundered forward, reaching for me. He was so determined to get to me, he forgot there was a knight behind him.

The sharp ching of Steve drawing his blade resonated through the area.

My palm found the grip of my dagger. Pulling the blade from its sheath, I ended my backward drift and sprung forward. I spun around the creature’s left side as Steve spun around his right side. The sound of our weapons slicing through dead flesh echoed around us.

The beefed up vampire stumbled to a stop, yet to realize he’d been bested. A crimson line appeared over his neck and another one opened across his torso. Steam rose from his searing flesh as the sun’s rays sought him out through the openings in the tree branches. Slowly, his body slumped to the ground in three bloody chunks.

“Damn, he was a big’un.” Steve flicked the blood from his sword.

I swiped away the gelled scarlet crap that had spattered over my mask. “I know right. His muscles had muscles.”

“We’re usually a little more synchronized than that. You were a step off.”

“Don’t start riding me about my technique, Steve,” I grumbled, stepping over the festering flesh pile.

“Hey, I have to since I’m the one who trained you. And for the record, your technique is not the problem. I’m worried about your declining health. The fact you’re missing meals is starting to show.”

I sighed. “Don’t, Steve. Just don’t… You can get on my case about that another day, but not today.”

“Are we clear here?” Sanjay asked, jogging toward us. “Oh shit, was that Jean?” He moved closer and stared down at the vampire’s dismembered, simmering head. “Hell yeah, that’s him. He was a personal trainer at the gym downtown. I couldn’t stand his ass. I wish I would’ve been here to see ya’ll send him back to hell.”

“Anywayz…” I brushed past Sanjay, anxious to catch up with the rest of the knights. A thought came to me, bringing me to a halt. I turned to face the guys. “Hey, did ya’ll notice they attacked us in broad daylight? Why would they take the chance of revealing themselves to the sun? Even bloodlust wouldn’t force them to do that.”

A sadistic smile shot across Sanjay’s face. “The first infantry revealed another massive resting place and forced them out from the darkness. They’ve been hiding in the sewers.” There was an eagerness in his voice that struck me the wrong way. “Come check it out.” Sanjay waved for us to follow as he jogged ahead.

“Well, that explains the shrieking,” Steve grumbled, pulling me along with him.

“And the stench,” I added.

An odd feeling came over me—the feeling of being watched. I eyed the faint patches of shadows drifting behind the trees as I kept in pace with Steve and Sanjay. I gripped my G-four gat. There was a presence within the shadows following us. Although I didn’t know how, I could feel it. But, the way the guys were moving forward, it seemed I was the only one aware of it.

Or maybe I’m imagining things.

We cleared the thicket and came upon another clearing.

I was forced to suppress a cry. “Oh my Lord…” Nothing could prepare me for the horrific scene laid out before me.