Chapter 8 - The Trapdoor

''I got a nasty feeling he ain't finished.'' Hillary said from the doorway.
The two bouncers looked at her.
''Meyark don't give up that easily.'' The silver haired vampire continued. ''He's got something else planned, I just know it.''
The flow of customers had slowed down and the club was packed, leaving the two bouncers very little to do.
''I'd like to know what he's planning.'' Shadow said.
''I do too. But I suggest you watch your backs. I've been around long enough to know that he has a tendancy to go after the guards frist as a last resort in situations like this.'' She threw her cigarette butt on the metal floor and vanished back through the doors of the club, leaving Xan and Shadow on their perches on the reinforced safety rail.


''I'll see you tomorrow night.'' Shadow said to her co-wrokers and made her way down the catwalk.
Ignoring the vacant taxis hovering patiently at their catwalk stations a little way from the club, she swung down the side catwalk she took each night to get home, where small coffee shops and bars lined either side. She looked down through the grating she was walking on and down at the maze of suspended catwalks below her, listening to the sound of chatter mixing with the sounds of the early morning traffic.

The underground city never seemed to stop, even when everyone on the surface was asleep. She put it down to the lack of natural and rubbed the back of her neck as her muscles started to ache.
She looked over her shoulder at a passing shadow then quickly rounded the corner. Shadow had almost made it to the end of the side catwalk when something solid hit the back of her head.
The bright lights and noise of the surrounding city were swallowed in darkness as she collapsed to the floor.


The strong smells of damp, rot, dirt and stale air infiltrated Shadow's senses.
She stirred and groaned as pain coursed through her body, threatening to render her unconscious again. She opened her eyes and almost panicked, thinking she had lost her sight, but calmed down somewhat when she managed to make out the sillouhuettes of of some debris around the room. The dirt under her hand felt moist with what she thought smelled like blood. She inhaled deeply, her brain picking apart the tangle of scents with ease. Two scents caught her attention. Blood and rotting flesh.
Her hand brushed something soft and flesh-like, and she snatched it back to her side, not wanting to know what it was. But she had to know.

She forced her wavering vision to focus, ignoring the gut churning smells and the pain in her muscles and ended up staring at a slumped outline opposite her. Then she knew what the various other shapes around the room were. They body parts.
Her head jerked forward again at the sound of laboured wheezing and shuffling. The figure in front of her slowly rose, swaying and staggering. The stench of rotting flesh mercilessly invaded her sense of smell and taste.
Shadow coughed heavily, trying not to throw up, and the creature let out a bone chilling snarl.

When it came further into view, she could make out the single, dead staring eye. His other eye was missing, leaving nothing but a black hole. The soft tissue of his nose and ears had rotted away, and his features were locked in a permanent snarl with losely hanging remains of his lips swaying as he lurched toward the Weredragon.
She scurried out of the zombie's way as he lurched forward, skinless fingers clawing at her. He swung around on a broken heel and hissed in gleefull maliciouseness as Shadow stumbled and tripped over the bloody remains of a torso. She rolled over onto her back, eyes desperately searching the darkness of the small room for an escape route as the zombie continued his determined lurch towards her.

A boney, claw-like hand gripped her ankle and pulled. She screamed and jerked her leg back as her muscles spasmed painfully, sending sending the zombie over backwards with an angry screech.

Shadow's back arched and her scream of agony and terror turned into an inhuman wail which echoed around the dark room. Through the burning pain of her fear driven change, she felt the same claw-like hands grip at her body, trying to tear through exposed hide and flesh. Her flailing right wing got in the way of the creature's hungry scarbbling and her left foreclaw shot towards him when he tore a jagged trail in her still forming wing leather, gauging three deep marks in the side of his head, sending him reeling in momentary pain and shock.

She rolled over onto all fours, taking in her surroundings as her dark sight kicked in, letting her see things in the picth dark that her night vision wouldn't allow.
The zombie wheezed irratably behind her and threw himself across her back, screeching in rage as he impaled himself on one of her spikes.
Shadow wheezed a Dragon's chuckle and wheeled on the zombie as he detacthed himself from her back, butting him into the opposite wall, forgetting her fear as the Weredragon in her took over.

A creaking above her made her hazard a glance up into the roof. About ten foot above her was a large, wooden trapdoor. She looked back at the zombie as he struggled back to his feet and she jumped over him when he lunged, claws digging into the earthy wall and propelled herself upwards, splintering the wooden trapdoor.
She landed on a hard linoleum floor, her nails tapping as she dislodged torn pieces of clothing from her body, ignoring for a moment, the shocked faces around her.
''GUARDS!!'' Screamed a familiar voice.

Shadow craned her neck and looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of red heel disappeareing through the open doorway of the large, dimly lit room.
A couple of men dressed too casually to be guards appeared and blocked the doorway, their small guns supported in both hands. The few other people in the room had backed themselves up to the wall, trying desperately not to be seen by the angry Dragon.
Shadow snorted impatience and a coupled of smokey whisps curled from her nostrils.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment