Reign of Blood Read Online Free PDF Page B

Some sort of hybrid?
    Shaking my head, I tried not to think about it so much, sweeping the mess of ashes and water off the driveway as quickly as I could. I had to get down into the city and search for my family again. I hated being alone, hated that my family could very well be dead now. No, I wouldn’t accept it–I knew they were still alive, I felt it inside my heart and soul. Like a fire that still blazed within, it wasn’t doused yet, like I knew it would be if our connection broke. That alone kept me focused this gloomy morning as I shoved the broom away into the garage and jumped into the van, turning the engine over and pulling out into the road towards Las Vegas.
    The asphalt rolled under the car as I impatiently drove, agitated that I wasn’t already there. I wanted to run through the streets, waking the dead. I had no plan, no investigative plot to find my family. But it was no holds barred. If I had to shake up all the hives of feral vampires to find Mom and Jeremy, I would. I would kill every last one of them if I had to.
    My right hand drifted down to feel the hilt of my blades where they were leaning on the passenger side seat. I had brought my short katana sword and one machete. My crossbow, along with a quiver of arrows, would be strapped to my back if I needed it. It was compact and lightweight. I was prepped for war and I intended to win. Rolling my shoulders, I cracked my neck and felt my shoulders pop as I fidgeted in the seat, watching the landscape pass by as I pulled closer to the city. The debris in the road made me furious; I had to slow down to dodge the scattered mess. I wanted to be running. I was itching to kill the wretched creatures that had taken the only two souls that mattered to me.
    Screeching into the parking lot of the supermarket, I jumped out of the van, strapping sheathes and daggers to my belt. Tightening the crossbow to my back, I made sure the quiver was stuffed full and the bow loaded. Last I pulled the katana and let it slide through my belt into place. It hummed in my hand and with a decisive power. The machete strapped to my right thigh and side nicely. I stuffed two flashlights into my belt too and slammed the door to the van, taking the keys with me. I wasn’t sure if I was expecting anything more than just ferals. They didn’t leave the shadows of the buildings. But something had. Something had ventured into the parking lot to take Mom and Jeremy.
    But any new hybrid vampires–if that’s what they were–would have to pull the keys off my bloody, dead body to steal my ride.
    I glanced around me; the midmorning sun was already warning me that time was running out. I nodded, acknowledging its reassuring warmth, even if it was just for my own assurance. Inside, the darkness of the buildings was always cooler than the outside. I’d take the open parking lot over the insanely claustrophobic cramped insides of the infested buildings. I started forward, walking briskly toward the road where the tire track I had found the previous day had pointed.
    Scanning the street in both directions, I again saw no other clues. I groaned, knowing the immense search in front of me would not be easy. If my family was alive they were probably not near this place but far from it. Standing up, I decided to head in the direction the tracks were leading me and begin searching the buildings. The tall, dead casinos loomed in the distance, the same direction as the tire tracks. It was not beyond me to fathom that they had headed that way. Whoever took them must have taken up residence near the strip of the Las Vegas Boulevard. I wasn’t sure, but what better place to start? It would take me forever to search every casino but I had a lifetime to spare.
    I followed the road and made it to the Mandalay Bay’s dusty, gold-hued windows. I stared up at the beautiful brilliance of its mirrored windows that reflected the sun like laser beams down onto the street. I smiled. I was willing to bet that most