18

he wind picked up around the forest as a preset to an approaching storm. This was the chosen night. Not for the possible threat of a storm, but the absent moon from the sky.
Keelan stopped walking as he came to Eden’s cemetery. The wind stirred up a collection of scents. He tested the air, picking out the unmistakable scent of werewolves. The vampires were harder to pick out. Reading the movements of the werewolves, he knew that time was against him.
Keelan began to make his way toward the estate’s outer wall.

Evonne stared up at her dark ceiling. She tried her best to sleep, but her mind was overrun with a barrage of thoughts.
David wasn’t wrong in taking her to see Zachary, at least that was how she saw it. She was still getting use to the idea of having a brother. But when her father caught her speaking with him, she could tell he wanted that part of his life to remain buried.
As Evonne continued to scold her restless mind, her eyes moved to her window and caught dim flashes of lightning. Maybe the storm will help me sleep.
Then a random thought struck her. This was the night. It had to be. The more her mind rolled over the idea, the more it made sense; why she couldn’t sleep or remain focused. It was Keelan trying to call out to her through their weakened bond. He was warning her.
Evonne turned on her bedside lamp and pulled herself out of bed. She began to dress, her clothing nearly identical to the ones she wore the day she ran away. She carried her holster, as well.
When she finished dressing, the distant sound of the dogs barking entered her quiet room. This was actually happening. She was really going to leave.
Evonne’s shaky hands gave way to trembling knees and a fluttering stomach as nervousness and anxiety meshed into one force. She felt like vomiting.
One by one the dogs stopped barking.
She moved to the window and looked out. With a flash of light from the approaching storm, she saw an empty yard. The door to her room lightly opened and closed.
Evonne turned to see Keelan standing by the doorway.
“Is this what you want?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Turn off the lights and step away from the window,” he instructed.
Heading over to her bed, she reached for the lamp. The light went off before she could touch it. Confused, she looked for Keelan in the darkness.
“They’ve turned off the power,” he calmly said. He walked over to the window and peered out. Several dark figures ran through the yard and toward the house.
“Shit,” Keelan scolded. “I thought I had more time.”
Evonne stood beside him. “How did you get in?”
“The attic,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the moving shadows.
“And before that?”
“Your window.” Keelan stepped away to think. He knew he was pushing it to get here before they did, but he had no idea that they would be charging in this fast.
Evonne looked outside. “How about we try the window. It’s only two stories up. I can make it.”
“We can’t,” he said, sounding worried. “They will be on us once we hit the ground.”
“Well, how about the attic?”
He shook his head. “Too dangerous. It’s one of the entrances they’re planning to use.”
Evonne listened to the sound of yelling from inside the house. It was coming from the main floor. The voices sounded like David and her father.

“You can’t see the harm in it?” David honestly asked Alex. He stood in the office, arguing over the lapse in his poor judgment.
Standing across from him was Alex, who had been adamant in proving to his assistant that he had no right to go behind his back just to suit himself.
Marie sat in Alex’s chair, loving the argument as it played out before her. She was hoping to see David knocked down a peg for a second time.
“She’s not your daughter,” Alex quickly shot back.
“And with the way you treat her, she seems more like a prisoner.”
“You are not here to give me parental advice.”
“Someone should,” David coldly stated.
The lights went out as well as the computer on the desk.
Alex and David grew quiet.
There was a shuffling from the desk as Marie located a flashlight. She clicked it on and searched for the laptop on the table near Alex. The computer was linked up to their system and ran on a fully charged battery. She flipped the monitor up.
“Why aren’t the generators coming on?” David asked.
A low rumble of thunder filled the room.
“Everything’s offline,” Marie reported.
“It’s happening,” David said to himself.
“Quiet,” Alex ordered. “We don’t know that.”
“It could be the storm coming in,” Marie agreed.
“And it took out the generators?” David pointed out with skepticism. He went over to the table and grabbed the flashlight from Marie. He then headed out of the office.
“Where are you going?” Alex yelled from the door.
“To check on Evonne,” he called back.
“Head downstairs first,” ordered Alex, “and get a status report.”
Still fuming from their argument, David rudely replied, “Yes, sir!”
The worry had yet to hit Alex. He calmly retrieved his handheld radio and called for the front gate. He walked to the doorway and waited for a reply. If something was happening, they would be the first to know.
There was no answer.
He tried again and waited.
No answer.
Alex switched the channels on the radio and called for Jonathan.
“Hello? Jonathan?”
A voice came through with a carefree manner. “Uh, Jonathan isn’t here at the moment. Something about a life and death battle. Do you want to leave a message?”
Alex’s composure changed abruptly. “Who is this?”
“Remember Charles Adams?” the voice said. “Loyal, obedient, never second guessing an order? Yeah, you’re speaking to him.” He stopped talking to allow the sound of gunshots and screaming to be heard. Adams continued, “What was that quote—that clichéd thing to say at times like this. Oh, I remember, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ ”
A swift force struck Alex from behind, smashing into his head. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

David rushed down the stairs, heading for Level 1. It was another reason to cut the power. No elevator meant no other means of escape. The stairs had become the only gateway between the main house and the levels below.
He stopped before opening the door.
Loud gunshots and yelling poured from the other side. There was no window to look through, but David could imagine the scene within.
He turned and rushed back upstairs to warn Alex.

“A snowball, I say.”
Alex heard Marie’s voice ringing in his ears. The pain in his head was great, almost like a large elephant trying to its way break free. With the pain came the feeling of nausea and dizziness. He sat up and placed a hand to the back of his head. He felt the blood dampening his hair.
The room was still dark. The only light came from the laptop on the table. He glanced around and saw that the door had been closed.
“You?” Alex asked as his mind began to catch up with what was happening. He looked at his desk and saw Marie typing at the laptop.
“Me, what?” she said, her eyes glued to the screen. “Oh, the spy? No, I’m not their spy. I work for someone completely different. Or should I say, something.”
Alex winced as he touched his scalp once more. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, sending all of Watchtower’s little secrets to a new home. Just a copy, though. It was the last thing I needed.”
“Who do you work for?”
“The Brotherhood, of course.” She typed in the last command and leaned back in the chair, eyeing Alex carefully. “Actually, the full title is The Brotherhood of Osiris. Not that we believe in the god, it’s just that whole cool Death-image thing we’re going for.”
“Never heard of it,” Alex admitted.
“Doesn’t surprise me. We don’t go around flashing our business cards.” Her tone grew somber as she continued to speak. “When the mortal world was coming into its own, and little necromancers were playing with dead chickens, The Brotherhood saw first light. It is you who are the children in this game. Newbie, I think is the right word.”
“So you deal with zombies,” he assumed.
“No, not just zombies,” Marie corrected, biting the side of her lower lip. “But they are funniest things to play with. Our horizons have expanded these days.”
Alex shifted his weight and struggled to stand. “Why not take what you needed from the beginning?”
“We needed to keep a close eye on you. Plus, I had to wait until the last possible moment to snatch Watchtower. It had to be as up-to-date as possible.”
“Why Watchtower? It doesn’t contain the secrets to the house.”
She tried to break it down for him in a manner he could easily understand. “You are the exterminator. We are the pet shop. Is that simple enough for you?”
Alex quickly thought over her analogy. “That’s why you wanted it.”
“I like to think of it as an address book.” Marie stood up and grabbed a gun from the table. “There is one more thing I would like to know before the carnage spills up here… The shaman. Tell me how it was done, the little trick to keep you so young and so vigorous.” She gave a devilish smile upon saying the last word.
Alex said nothing.
Stepping closer, Marie raised the gun and aimed at his head. “Come on. I won’t tell. I’m good at keeping secrets.”
The door opened.
Alex kept his eyes on Marie, not even turning to see who had entered.
Marie’s attention, as well as the gun, moved to the door. “Goodbye, David.” She squeezed the trigger.
In that fleeting moment, Alex leapt forward, colliding into Marie, sending them both to the ground. The gun fired as their bodies hit.
Alex twisted Marie’s hand, prying the gun away. With all of his strength, he threw his fist into her face, knocking her out cold. He stood up and looked for David.
Slouched in the doorway, David sat. Alex ran to his side. Blood covered his shirt from his right shoulder and down his sleeve. The bullet struck him below the collar bone.
A pair of hands grabbed hold of Alex’s shoulders, pulling him back into the room. Marie wasn’t finished with him.
David remained motionless. His breath came to him in shallow gasps. His mind went from his own well-being to Evonne. He had to see if she was safe. Ignoring the fight between Alex and Marie, David forced himself to stand. He shuffled for the staircase.
Marie rammed her fist into Alex’s jaw then went for the gun. She tried to rip it from him but Alex held tight. With one quick move, she pushed against him, their bodies hitting the floor once again. Keeping her body over his, Marie continued to struggle for the gun.
A second shot rang out.
Marie stared down at Alex. Her body collapsed on top of him.