Los Angeles defector

Thirteen vampires

Quietly, not a breath of wind stirred, the dew condensed into droplets, covering the leaves of the wild grass, weighing them down until they bent over, slumbering in the dark desolation. To the east, on the distant horizon, a faint fish-belly white emerged, heralding the imminent arrival of a new day.

Four vague figures, crouched in the wild, crawling through the overgrown grass. The blades brushed against their cheeks, icy cold, but they paid no heed to this sensation, only focusing on the slowly approaching flicker of fire, holding their breath, avoiding making any sound, inching forward step by step.

One vampire stood guard with a bayonet-tipped rifle slung over his shoulder, facing north towards the trees, his legs crossed. Twelve vampires sat around a campfire, helmets propped on the fire, cooking porridge. The firelight brought warmth, and the rice porridge dispelled the cold. Vampires were not human, yet they were human too, enjoying the peace before dawn.

Less than twenty meters from the firelight, Jason quietly halted, gently positioning his rifle forward, silently taking aim at the first target on the left. Everything that needed to be arranged had been arranged, everything that needed to be communicated had been communicated; whether they would succeed was up to fate. Soldiers had to believe in fate, because those who didn't had long since perished.

The big guy saw Jason stop and take position, so he also stopped, extending his g*n, aiming a few times before finally pointing it at the back of the seated vampire who was on alert with crossed legs. This was arranged in advance by Jason: Jason was responsible for the left, Brown for the right, and the big guy, with the worst marksmanship, had a clear shot at the vampire in the middle. After a round of shots, they should be able to take down three, then they would charge forward. While running, they would chamber another round, firing a second shot at close range, likely taking down another three. After that, it was all down to luck—three against seven. They would leave it to fate and let the foolish lad take advantage of the chaos and charge ahead first.

At a distance of less than twenty meters, illuminated by the flickering flames, the vampire's back was so broad that it exceeded the scope of the sights. The big guy squinted his eyes, thinking to himself, "They always say my marksmanship is poor, but can you blame me? There's always wind; what can I do about it?" Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a loud bang—Jason had fired his g*n.

The bullet pierced through the ear, the eye, passed through something resembling mush, and then flew out from the other side of the ear, carrying something with it. In that moment, aside from the sound of the gunshot and the debris flying out of the ear, it seemed like nothing had happened. The vampire still sat cross-legged, holding a hot meal box in their hands.

Bang—Brown's bullet pierced through the vampire on the right.

The big guy immediately pulled the trigger, shattering the vigilant vampire's heart, causing it to fall headfirst. With both hands gripping the g*n, the big guy leaped forward fiercely towards the flames. As he ran, he pulled the g*n lever with his right hand, ejecting the spent shell, and then chambered the next bullet. When he raised the g*n again, the vampires, acting on instinct, had all already gone prone.

However, the distance was too close for going prone to make any sense. With the enemies so close, they had no choice but to try to make another move and stand back up. Bang, bang, bang—three more gunshots rang out, right by the bonfire.

The closest vampire picked up a dagger and climbed to his feet from the ground, charging straight at the big guy's chest. Damn it, there was no time to chamber another round, so the big guy had to hold up his rifle horizontally and brace himself. Click clack, the two weapons clashed, causing the vampire's dagger to veer off its intended path, grazing past the big guy's neck. Then, with a thud, the force of the vampire's charge was so strong that both bodies collided directly into each other.

The impact was strong, and the figure in front was incredibly robust, only taking a couple of steps back without falling down. Despite feeling a sense of fear, this was a moment of life and death. The vampire, without hesitation, threw away his g*n, crouched down, and firmly grabbed the big guy around the waist, holding on tightly and refusing to let go.

The big guy intended to raise the g*n stock and smash it onto the vampire's head, but then he saw the second dagger coming in at an angle. Being held around the waist by the vampire and unable to dodge, he had no choice but to swing the g*n in his hand. With a loud c***k, it struck the incoming dagger's blade, shattering the g*n's wooden stock due to the immense force. The vampire was directly shaken loose and fell to the ground.

The third dagger swiftly followed, stabbing horizontally. In order to fend off the second dagger, the big guy's g*n had already swung to the other side of his body. With the third dagger approaching horizontally, the big guy had no way to block it.

In the warm glow of the firelight, the dagger shimmered with a faint yellowish warmth, soft enough to not resemble a deadly weapon. As it swiftly pierced into the big guy's side, he didn't feel pain. Instead, he sensed all the air and strength in his body being instantly drawn away, flowing along the dagger, no longer belonging to him.

The big guy was afraid, not of death, but of losing his strength. "If I have no strength, I am no longer the big guy. If I am no longer the big guy, then I am nothing," he thought. This instinctual fear compelled him to tightly grasp the dagger still embedded in his body, holding onto it with all his might. He knew that if it were removed, his strength would be completely drained.

In that moment, time seemed to freeze. The big guy felt a sudden quietness around him, where everything in the firelight became unusually slow, each detail exceptionally clear. Slowly turning his head, he looked to the other side of the firelight where Jason was using the butt of his g*n to forcefully knock down a vampire, then deflecting a dagger with a swift movement, stumbling back and falling to the ground in a clumsy roll. The third dagger narrowly missed him, plunging fiercely into the ground...

The big guy continued to turn his head slowly, looking towards the north, in the direction of the forest. Brown's figure running away was gradually shrinking, slowly fading, becoming more and more blurred...

The vampire, who had the big guy in a bear hug, felt his satchel being tugged at. After a moment, with a clang, he sensed his steel helmet being struck. Involuntarily, he lifted his head and looked at the massive figure in front of him, only to discover that he was already clutching a grenade. Lowering his head again to look at his satchel, he realized it had somehow come open...

Boom—steel fragments violently broke free from their constraints, joyfully scattering in all directions.

Jason lay on his back, gazing at the still dark sky. Am I dead? Have I finally died? Why is the sky still dark? Why does my head still ache so much? It wasn't until he felt a hand touch his body that Jason abruptly turned over, grabbed the person and pulled them down, his hands squeezing the person's throat.

"Cough, cough, brother, big brother."

"It's you, you foolish kid," Jason gasped, releasing his grip. "Didn't I tell you to run over while chaos reigned? Why are you still waiting here to die?"

"I ran, I ran halfway when I heard the explosion here. I, I just came back to make sure. I, I..."

Jason pushed the foolish kid away. "Confirm?! I don't need to confirm whether I'm dead or not. If there's a next time, I'll kick your damn a*s, you brat. Hurry up and get up, follow me. The vampires from both sides are about to arrive."

In the distance, the chaotic sounds of footsteps could already be faintly heard, closing in on their location. Jason didn't dare delay any longer. He grabbed the rifle that had fallen to the ground and ran towards the northern woods...