Quick Note to start off the chapter, the video attached isn't like my usual taste in music. it's an Arabic song that I hold dear to me, the perk of this video is that the Arabic lyrics are translated during the video so watch that first. The singer's name is Abdulrahman Mohammad and his voice is divine.
Now Back to the Story!!!
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Asha felt numb. Everything around her seemed to be a blur of spaces, objects, people and voices yet she couldn't make anything out. Alex was gone again, probably dead this time around. The redhead let out a sigh as she sat among the hustle and bustle of the armory; everyone was gearing up to face whatever Gabriel had become.
It was mere minutes after Asha and Ishtar had returned that everyone was poised outside the warehouse doors, the tension was high with both the Seraphim hybrid and the Elder vampire giving off uneasy vibes.
They were urged to stay back with Bashaa and Ishtar but both women had refused vehemently, threatening to go after him themselves if they were held back.
The women, so different in species, found kinship in their shared circumstances and within the time that it took the team to saddle up, their bond grew beyond that of strangers.
What joined them now was a common quest, marred with the rage that took root within both of their hearts. It wasn't a matter of clan or crime anymore; not since the moment Gabriel had decided to harm their respective mates.
Asha and Anna had disappeared for a short while only to reappear later, the redhead with an ornate set of ivory karambits tucked into sheathes at her side, whilst Anna reappeared with two Colt 45 M1911A1's strapped to a dual shoulder holster. It was obvious to anyone that knew them, they had nothing left to lose.
Amira stood not too far away from the group, silently observing Asha with a subtle frown. If either Alex or Iris were dead, Anna and Asha would be devastated. The Arabian princess shook her head in dismay, if Alex was lost, Asha would surely break beyond repair.
The Lycan shifted into his primal form, towering above the vampires with his elongated stature. He rose to his full height, snout uplifted and nostrils flared, taking a deep inhalation letting the air filter through his nose.
The ten foot tall beast repeated the process several times, finally locking onto a scent that belonged irrevocably to his clan. Within a few seconds the entire team was on the move, delving deeper into the warehouse district. They followed the Lycan with as much speed as they could manage without losing track of Anna Lee, who was trailing behind the vampires.
Minutes morphed into hours as they canvassed through the stuffy abandoned warehouses that were overflowing with boxes and containers. The scent seemed to strengthen and wane periodically, some places the scent had been stronger than others, indicating that Gabriel had been here within the last few hours.
Hope and fear had begun to blossom in the hearts of the team, approaching a rundown warehouse near the pier, they braced themselves for the confrontation with the hybrid awaiting the worst.
Lycan and company snuck into the building with ease, most of the locks had been broken and the doors left wide open. It was obvious the place had been ransacked quite a few times, the stench of algae and rodents was barely noticeable above the stench of blood and decay that wafted from the lower levels.
One by one vampires and Seraphim hybrid trekked down the iron stairs that led downward, the darkness hiding them away from prying eyes. Gabriel's stench was all over the place but the Lycan could pick up a seventh vampire's scent, one that was not his companions.
They set foot on solid ground once again advancing slowly towards a rusted iron door, Anna Lee hurried to kick it open hearing the faint heartbeat that lay behind it.
Once the door was wide open, the Seraphim was frozen in place.
Amira and Asha peaked above her shoulder only to witness a scene so horrid, it made Amira heave and convulse.
Blood was spattered everywhere, from the walls to the ground, even the ceiling had its fair share of gore. The sheer amount of blood would mean certain death if it all came from a single creature; no one could survive such a massive bleed, vampire or otherwise.
Bloodied tools lay strewn haphazardly across the floor; some pliers looked as if they had been thrown in a fit of rage, embedding into the reinforced concrete of the walls. Piles of crates obscured a sullen corner of the rundown warehouse basement; the stench of decomposition wafted heavily from the area and Asha could feel the hope she held onto for dear life start to slip away.
As they cleared the first pile of crates, a body came into view. The nearly lifeless carcass hung by its wrists from iron bars hammered through its flesh, between its radius and ulna, into the wall. The skin was almost translucent, some strips peeled away to reveal the muscle beneath, bruises varying in size and shades of discoloration interspersed with blackened veins spider-webbed across the vast expanse of skin; streaks and blotches of dried blood spread across the surface, caked into dark hair, dripping from orifices and pooling below the body.
Lips were stretched open, held apart by hooks protruding through the skin, even more traumatizing was the lack of teeth or fangs. They could all see that the teeth weren't broken, but rather drilled away and into the mandible. Both eyes were bruised a sickening purple black and swollen shut, broken nasal and zygomatic bones made the swelling so much more pronounced.
Everyone stood frozen at the sight, eyes wide at the damage that has been inflicted on the poor woman. The ravenette was slumped forward, heaving every breath with a gurgling sound, the wheeze accentuating each exhale a testament to the truly poor shape she was in. her ebony hair was a mess of dirt and dried blood, much like every inch of exposed skin. Between bruised and broken ribs, gashes and cuts marring every inch of visible skin, shattered limbs and broken fingers, it was a wonder her heart was still beating as faint as it was.
A shrill agonized scream ripped into the stunned atmosphere snapping everyone out if their daze. Asha was first to spring forward towards the body. With one powerful jump, she pushed herself off the ground taking hold of the iron bars and forcefully yanking them away. Gordon and David had already surged forward to catch the collapsing body and set it gently onto the floor. Anna Lee had unceremoniously collapsed to her knees, wailing in agony whilst Amira stood rooted in place, neither vampire nor seraphim could force herself to move forward.
Iris laid still, heartbeat fluttering with each shallow breath that she took, as both Sekhemet and Asha kneeled above her. A split second decision was made and with one furtive glance between both elders, they had agreed.
Asha and Sekhemet understood quite well that Iris could very well die right there, sprawled on a dirty floor in an abandoned warehouse unless she fed. Yet they both realized she could no longer feed on her own, not for a while anyway. So with a determined nod both Elders had exposed their wrists, making deep incisions and presented the dripping blood to the dying raven haired vampire.
The rest scrambled to secure the floor, Gordon and Geneviève took to the left while the Lycan and David took to the right, they swept the area methodically, each quadrant at a time.
The blood trickled slowly down Iris' throat without immediate results but slowly the color seemed to return to her features. The deepest gashes were knitting themselves back together slowly but understandably so. Anna still on her knees, breathing in between sobs, was trying to regain some sort of composure that eluded her incessantly. Amira ran a soothing hand in circles along the seraphim's back, but Anna Lee was fixated on the image of her dying mate unable to move.
The warehouse basement was quiet, spare the wails and sobs and muted footsteps that barely echoed in the distance. It was clear as day that the mission that they had come here to accomplish fell short. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, Alex hasn't even been at the warehouse and Iris had nearly died before they got to her.
The failure only steels Asha's resolve to decimate Gabriel, now witnessing firsthand the atrocities he was capable of, she felt no remorse for him. All she felt for that worthless being was hatred; hatred for the things he had done to Carmen before she was turned; hatred for what he had done to Alex that night in the club and most of all, pure disgust at what he'd done to Iris.
There was no telling what he would do next, this beast that he had become makes him unpredictable at best and Asha dreaded the thought of leaving him alive. This time around she would be the one to sever his limbs from his torso and ship each appendage to a seperate corner if this earth.
Brutality proved ineffective the first time around, so the vampire elder would have to rely on surgical precision if she wanted to insure this monster wouldn't rise again.
Iris had begun to heal, miniscule changes unnoticeable to the human eye, but everyone in the warehouse could hear her heart beating more rhythmically. The wounded vampire's breathing became deeper and more regulated, allowing everyone to relax slightly now that imminent death was not upon her; Anna Lee managed to pull herself to her feet with Amira's help shuffling closer to the badly maimed Iris.
"I-I'm so so sorry Iris, I promise you I'll make him pay, we'll make him pay for every bruise and every drop of blood I swear but just come back to me" the seraphim whispered pleadingly, unaware of rhe sympathetic looks being cast her way by the rest of the team.
Sekhemet, Asha and Amira moved away quietly leaving the soulmates to share a moment.
"Alex isn't here and Gabriel hasn't been here in a few hours" Asha's voice a soft whisper "i think we should split up, take Iris back and continue the hunt for that monstrosity" she suggests with a frown, barely noticing the eerie quiet that had surrounded them like a thinely vieled storm brewing on the horizon...