The New Night Novels (Book 1): Rippers: A New Night Novel by Ashlei D. Hawley Page A

landing of the fire escape, hands burst from the window she stood beside. Jameson, who was on the landing with her, shoved Phoebe back and broke the hands at the wrists. The Ripper inside shrieked its outrage as Jameson turned away and followed Phoebe down.
         He realized in horror that when he’d pushed her away from the Ripper, she’d fallen down the ladder. She was on the ground, breathing but unconscious.
         “Shit,” Jameson muttered as he dropped down next to her. The blood loss must have slowed her reflexes. “Leland, carry Carmen. I’ll take Phoebe.”
         They rushed around the far side of the apartment building. Jameson went first. Not only was he able to move with little trouble added by Phoebe’s weight, but he was the best chance of fighting off a Ripper if it threatened them upon reaching the parking lot. A group of them he’d have trouble with, but one or two he could handle.
         The parking lot was clear for the first few moments they ran across it. However, the group soon caught the attention of some of the Rippers who hadn’t moved to higher floors.
         Some of the apartment building’s previous residents joined in pursuit as the Rippers recognized prey on the move. They’re shrill wails and bloodied faces caused the desperate humans to move as fast as their bodies allowed.
         “Keys!” Jameson shouted to Elise. She wrestled them from her pocket as she ran and tossed them to him.
         Jameson put on a burst of vampire speed and unlocked the doors of the van. He had every door open and Phoebe resting in the very back by the time the others reached the vehicle.
         “Get in,” Jameson shouted. The Rippers had caught up with them.
         The first of the Rippers was a man wearing spectacles. His jaw dangled from his face. Part of his cheek had ragged teeth marks torn through it.
         When the Ripper came at Jameson, the vampire took him by the throat and snarled at him. The creature’s blood smelled contaminated.
         “Get in the van!” Jameson growled again as he tore through the Ripper’s throat. The creature kept coming even with the hideous wound.
         Jameson bared his fangs and snarled at the thrashing Ripper. Reaching into the mangled flesh, he grabbed for the blood-slicked bones of the beast’s spine and pulled hard. A wet, thick ‘crack’ indicated the snapping of the vertebrae.
         The Ripper instantly stopped trying to reach Jameson. The vampire dropped the limp body as two more approached with hands reaching out toward him. Jameson took the first one by its outstretched arm and swung it around with as much force he could muster into the other. They tripped over each other and went down.
         Jameson took the opportunity of their distraction to lunge for the van. Everyone else was already inside: Elise in the driver seat, Leland sitting passenger, and the kids in the back. Phoebe was still unconscious in the far rear.
         Jameson squeezed himself in the back with the children and shouted at Elise, “Drive!”
         Elise slammed on the accelerator and the van shot forward.
         “Jesus,” she murmured as they peeled out of the parking lot and away from the group of Rippers. “Holy mother of God.”
         “Out of the city,” Jameson suggested as he buckled the kids in as well as he could. He decided he would sit in the far back with Phoebe. If they crashed, he had the best chance of surviving even without a seatbelt. “We shouldn’t stay here. There are too many of those things and apparently they’re much worse at night.”
         “Do we have any idea where we should go?” Leland asked as he turned around to look at Jameson. The vampire frowned.
         “I don’t know of anywhere. The safe zones the humans were making were falling all over the place.”
         “Wait,” Elise interrupted. She weaved the van around two crashed vehicles. The warped metal