After The End by Melissa Gibbo Page A

I could make out his silhouette as he
stopped mid-flight and pulled a shaky U-turn. Cal tried to calm the
agitated tourists, his efforts thwarted as his protégé landed.
    “What happened? Is everyone all right?”
Daemon asked, his face awash in puzzlement.
    Maria shouted and thrust her shovel edge at
the bridge of his nose in response. In the same instant, the
fledgling moved to his right and Cal was at his side; it seemed
like he’d materialized from the air itself.
    The Roman snatched the weapon from the girl
and bared his fangs with a hiss reminiscent of a cat being bathed.
The shovel was embedded deeply into the ground as Daemon recovered
from his astonishment and took a fighting posture. Their eyes
burned a furious green as they snarled at the assault.
    Everyone around the dying fire was poised
with arms drawn. Maria stepped back and flicked out a small
pocketknife as she muttered viscous foreign words at our
detail.
    “Cal, what the hell just happened and what is
that bitch saying?” I asked through clenched teeth.
    Although my vision was tinged with crimson
and my heart thundered in my ears, I tried to restrain myself from
gutting the girl who I’d argued to protect a moment prior.
    “Apparently, these brats were unaware of our
kind. They are now under the distinct impression,” he paused as he
threw their leader a disgusted look, “that the entire society we
have here is composed of demons. She also claims this meeting was a
trap to devour her and her companions. They reacted by denouncing
our survival and attempting to remedy the situation.”
    The posse of teenagers began chattering
amongst themselves. The lone male baby-stepped to his left and
leaned down, hefting a bag onto his shoulders. The other Brazilians
followed suit and gradually loaded their belongings before edging
backwards from our crew. No weapons wavered.
    The diminutive Maria spoke at Cal; disdain
and hatred dripped clearly from each word thrown at him. The elder
vampire retracted his fangs as he sneered his response. He
translated as the wandering pack of teens retreated haltingly into
the trees, disappearing into the inky obscurity.
    “The head urchin said they don’t want help
from abominations like us. They’re leaving and refuse to consort
with damned beasts or worthless traitors to the human race. Maria
added her intent to cleanse the entire community from existence at
the first opportunity. She also tossed around some other threats
and insults I will not deem to impart.”
    Chase and Randolph moved towards the tourists
at the threat on our loved ones.
    “Personally, I would like very much to rip
her self-righteous tongue out of its cacophonous hole, and rend her
apart until her blood ceases to gush and there is nothing left for
the mindless Dead to ingest. However, it is your decision.”
    The fury seethed off of Caelinus in droves,
each wave tactile as it rolled through the vicinity. The miniscule
hairs on my neck stood at attention, an army prepared for war. I
still struggled to maintain composure and think clearly after the
initial assault.
    She nearly killed Daemon.
    I felt myself moving towards the tour group’s
exit route but halted the advance after only three steps. We needed
a plan. I wanted to hunt them down and destroy them, but that
wasn’t the best course to take.
    “No. We’re going back to the fort. We’ll put
out this fire, go tell the others what just happened, and add some
precautions to our routine. Daemon and Cal, you’ll both need to
sleep either within the wall or just outside where we can protect
you during the day. We haven’t been holding up our part of the pact
and I’m sorry.
    You’ve been left unguarded when you are most
exposed. We can add a cabin if it makes things more comfortable,
but I won’t let anyone slaughter you while you sleep.”
    The team withdrew a bit and the Roman eased
his stance.
    “If these punks are foolish enough to cross
our paths again, do whatever the fuck you want to