Vampire's Key - Chapter Ten
Vampire's Key
Chapter Ten
“Here, let me,” Adrian said, tightening the novice’s webbing. “Keep it tight,” he advised.
“Cheers,” Jake replied, slotting his earpiece into place, before pulling his balaclava over his neatly trimmed hair. He was the youngest of the troop and looked nervously out of place in his black SAS-style fatigues. On the other hand, Ryan, the other youngster, had already been on one operation and thought he knew it all already.
“I’m actually an Electronic Operations Technician,” Jake explained. “You know cyberspace ops, tech guidance.”
“Why are you here?” Adrian asked, adjusting his mic to rest across his right cheek.
“Lieutenant Anderson said I needed field experience.”
“You’ll get some of that today.”
“Stop chatting each other up, you pussies,” Ben, their troop commander said. He was an abrasive northerner who seemed to delight in humiliating his subordinates. That was saying something, considering Carl Smith was the final member of the five-man team. But, things were as they were and if the troop worked well together, the operation should go smoothly. That would be something, considering Adrian, Ryan and Jake had only learnt about the op that morning.
A Stake agent, hidden deep within a vampire Hide, had relayed a message disclosing an imminent ritual due to take place in the Annis Caves of West Lincolnshire. According to this source, numerous missing persons had been herded together for a blood sacrifice. Exactly why the vampires were sacrificing such a large food source, the agent didn’t know, or at least, hadn’t disclosed. The Stakes’ mission was to destroy the vampires — “Every single bloody one of them,” in Lord Alexander’s words — and rescue the prisoners. To Adrian’s dismay, out of the five troops covering the mission, he had been placed in Ben’s team alongside Carl Smith and the two novices.
They’d travelled from their island base off the coast of Cornwall, through the early hours, arriving in Lincolnshire just after dawn. The sky remained grey and overcast as the troops disembarked from their blacked out 4x4 which Carl had parked at the top of the gorge.
Glad to stretch his legs, Adrian surveyed the valley. The steep sides formed an elongated V that ran north to south. Both sides were covered in bramble and gorse and dotted with giant boulders that had remained in place since the last ice age.
“Listen up, darlings,” Ben began. “No chatting. No smoking. No fuckin’ around. No wandering off for a fuckin’ piss or a wank or to text your fuckin’ mummy and tell her how scared you are. Mobile phones on silent. Not,” he scratched his crooked nose, with a gloved finger. “Not on fuckin’ vibrate. You got it?”
“Already done,” Adrian said, loosening the velcro strap over the latest version of sonar repellent. Carl had warned him about it, but it lifted easily from its housing and looked smart and efficient. He went on to double check the rest of his kit.
“Smart arse,” Ben replied. He glanced over at the two youngsters. “That includes you, you fuckin’ nerd,” he said to Jake who seemed to be lost in his own world.
The young Stake nodded nervously and double checked his phone.
Ben turned to Carl and said, “Let’s put the Yank in the middle. That way we can keep an eye on him.”
Adrian shook his head at the unnecessary remark.
“Got a fuckin’ problem, twinkletoes?” Ben asked.
“No,” Adrian replied.
“Anyone’d think this is my first operation,” Ryan complained, pacing around with his weapon at the ready.
“I don’t give a flying fuck if this is your first or your fuckin’ hundredth operation. You fuckin’ do what I tell you, is that clear?” Ben snapped.
“Sir,” Ryan said. “Just want to kill a long-tooth.”
“Right, mic check. All working?” Ben asked.
An assortment of affirmations resounded through the troop.
“Good. Off for now. Now does everyone know what they’re fucking doing?” Ben asked. “Well?” he barked when no one replied. A chorus of acknowledgements satisfied the troop commander. He flicked off the safety on his machine pistol and led the team to their starting point.
The unassuming cave entrance was barely noticeable beneath the overhanging crag. Above, scattered about the steep grassy hill, precarious boulders threatened to close the opening permanently.
“Anyway, as I was saying in the car,” Carl said, seemingly oblivious to Ben’s command of a few minutes ago, “I told Lady Mortimer, my girlfriend stays where I want her to, not where you want. That shut her up, stupid lesbian.”
“Yeah, but Mortimer’s got a nice arse,” Ben replied, ducking down as he approached the cave entrance. “I’d fuck her stupid and then fuck her some more stupid.”
“She’s too up her own arse,” Carl replied, following Ben, along the steep slope. Ahead of them, the hill veered to the left. To the right, another sharp hill of unkempt grass and ancient stone obscured the view of nearby farmsteads and a distant village.
“Don’t matter, she’s not called ‘muff-diving Mortimer’ for no reason,” Ben countered. “Okay, goggles on. Go to mics and keep it quiet, lads.”
“My hands are sweating,” Jake noted, readjusting his grip on his snub-nosed machine gun.
“This ain’t like playin’ on your PS4,” Ryan said rather seriously. “This is the real deal. Down there you’re gonna—”
“Yeah alright, alright,” Adrian said, diffusing Ryan’s attempts at scaring the IT whizzkid. “Just breathe,” Adrian whispered through his mic. “You’re doing fine.”
“Will you shut up,” Ben snapped. “Watch yourselves,” he added, dropping down and disappearing through a small hole, practically obscured by a spiteful looking gorse bush.
“Stay alert,” Carl advised, then followed Ben through the narrow opening.
Adrian went next, squeezing through the constrictive tunnel that threatened to slice into his back should he fail to hug the damp earth. He could see Carl’s boots ahead of him, wriggling and pushing the Stake forward until they disappeared around a tight corner. Adrian pushed on, grasping at the sharp walls to lever himself through the tight passageway until he felt Carl pulling on his webbing. Then he, too, was standing in the firstcave.
“Over there,” Carl whispered, motioning for Adrian to take up a position on the left.
Scanning the steep sides of the malignant cave, Adrian dropped down beside the left wall, sweeping his weapon across the area. To his right, Carl helped Jake emerge from the entrance like a black slug born from a monstrous mother. On the far side, Ben had already installed the camera and was fixing ropes for their descent into the next cavern.
“Okay, all out,” Carl announced quietly into his mic.
“Frazer, you first,” Ben ordered.
Adrian darted across the cave, sliding to a halt beside Ben. The northerner roped him into place, and Adrian peered over the edge into the cold darkness. “I can’t see anything,” he said, checking his goggles. He glanced back into the cave. Smooth surfaces formed by ancient sediments and cascading water scoured two sides of the chamber, leaving the other two jagged and untouched. “My goggles are working fine. It’s a black cloud.”
“Keep going,” Ben said. “That’s an order.”
“Matriarch,” Adrian muttered.
Jake’s voice came through the earpiece. “Matriarch?” he asked. “What’s a Matriarch? Is that bad?”
“Will you shut up, you prick,” Ben growled. “We’re here to do a fuckin’ job, now get moving!”
Backing towards the edge, Adrian peered into the black. The edge of the cave floor had been polished smooth by the passing of water through countless centuries. Adrian braced himself against the ground, leaned backwards and pushed off. The darkness swallowed him whole, sheathing his body in a robe of nothingness as he descended. A coldness washed over him and he plunged downwards until he reached the uneven floor below. He reset his goggles, expecting them to illuminate the chthonic world. Nothing happened and he spoke quietly into his mic. “My goggles aren’t working. Hold on.”
“What? What’s going on?” Ben asked, pushing his earplug deeper into his ear.
Adrian’s earpiece crackled and hissed. “Give me a minute. There’s something here,” hereplied, carefully readying his weapon. For a moment, he debated on returning to the troop above. He cast the thought aside, unclipped and stepped away from the lifeline. His left hand scraped along the cold wall while he tried to reset his goggles. “My goggles aren’t working,” he reported. “I can’t see anything.”
The fragmented sound of Ben’s voice buzzed through Adrian’s earpiece, “I’m… co… ...ing down.”
“Wait, I’m going to try something,” Adrian said, pulling a light stick from his utility belt. He snapped the stick and held it in front of him. Still, the darkness barred the intrusion of light. “Even a chem light isn’t working. Hold on.”
Ben’s words came through clearly once again. “No. I’m coming down,” he insisted. “Just wait for m—”
Adrian doubled over at the high pitched scream that cut through his earpiece. He ripped it from his ear and shook his head in an attempt to exorcise the intrusive noise. The screaming was replaced by an overpowering silence that pervaded the oppressive tomb. Adrian reached out for the rock face. The back of his hand found the hard, cold surface and he shuffled forward, sealed into the bleak misery and seeping emptiness.
He sensed the creature before he heard it. A cold wind swept over him, caressing him before it withdrew into the life-stealing darkness. He paused. “Don’t come down here,” he shouted, uncertain if he could be heard. “For God’s sake. Don’t come down here.” Adrian stumbled on, his left arm still braced against the unseen wall, his feet tentatively feeling their way across the rocky floor. He slipped almost immediately, his left foot stepping out into nothingness. He threw himself backwards, grabbing the wall in desperation. For a moment, he thought he’d done it, but the cold breeze returned and wrapped around him like a serpent intent on crushing the life from his body. With that unforgiving embrace, he felt himself rising, soaring upwards. Brutal talons cut into his shoulders, locking him in place beneath the unseen creature. They had him.
Vampire’s Key
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