Blood Apocalypse - 04 by Heath Stallcup Page A

handed it to him. “The stock can be broken down to be made smaller or extended out larger for a man your size,” he stated proudly as he handed the weapon to him.
    Viktor lifted it and was impressed with the lightness of the weapon. He gave Rufus a curious look, “Does it have the strength required to fire a bolt to any distance?”
    Thorn smiled at him and turned to Dr. Peters. Evan stopped slicing the wood and turned off the band saw. “Actually, we test fired it with a reinforced wooden bolt that is very similar to the ones we hope to create from the pieces of the cross here,” he said, indicating the wood he was slicing. “I think you will be satisfied with the performance.”
    “What distances can you achieve with it?” He sighted along the bow and adjusted the height of the reflex sight mounted on top.
    “It’s quite accurate well past a hundred yards,” Dr. Peters stated. “We would have tested it further, but that was the furthest we could shoot while still indoors.”
    Viktor nodded in understanding. “And this test was done with wooden bolts?”
    “Ah, yes. Resin reinforced wooden bolts, but yes. Wooden bolts were used in the test firing,” Evan clarified.
    Viktor seemed pleased. He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and moved about to see how restrictive it proved to be. He seemed satisfied with the results. “Impressive for such a short amount of time.”
    “I had begun the prototyping before we left,” Evan said. “Monsieur Thorn helped me finish it once we arrived and got the lab set up.”
    “And now what are you working on?” Viktor asked.
    “I was just about to cut the blanks for the bolts,” Evan i nformed him. “And, as we discussed, I plan to keep the saw dust and see if we can extract the blood from it and mix it with the resin to give it a one-two punch.”
    Viktor approached the area Evan was working from and noted that he was wearing full length coveralls and welding gloves. His eyes covered with goggles and a filter mask sat b eside the saw. “Precautions?”
    Evan lowered his eyes and Viktor swore he nearly blushed. “Just being cautious.”
    Viktor nodded as he studied the blank that had been sliced off. “Where will you be turning them?”
    Thorn stepped forward. “There is a lathe over here. I believe it will be sufficient to turn the blanks to a suitable shaft.” He i ndicated with his arm the small lathe set up on a bench. “And we have the materials to finish the bolts ready. Silver tips, fletching…everything we need to complete them.”
    “And once I can extract the blood from the dust, I’ll inco rporate it into the resin and we’ll coat the bolts with at least two coats,” Evan added.
    Viktor seemed satisfied with their work so far. But he was more curious of their plans for the silver coin that he had brought back. He still feared that stealing it may have been a moot point if they couldn’t use it as a bullet. “What of the coin? Have you devised a plan for it?”
    Thorn smiled as he wrapped an arm around Viktor’s shoulder. “ Mon ami , you should see what the good doctor has in store for your silver coin.” He patted his shoulder softly. “The man is a genius.”
    “Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Evan nearly blushed. “Rufus is the one who gave me the idea when he asked if I could put it on a chain.”
    Viktor stared at the two vampires waiting for one of them to explain it to him. Finally he simply asked, “So what did you do with it?”
    Evan startled. “Oh!” He jumped to the table holding his notebooks. “It’s just a preliminary drawing and sets of plans, but I think you’ll like the idea.” He flipped through the pages until he found his sketches and laid the book out for Viktor. “Silver chain, as Monsieur Thorn requested. The silver coin in the mi ddle.”
    Viktor studied the drawing, his eyes growing wide, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth. He tapped the page vigorously with his finger. “And you can build