Red Eye - 02 by James Lovegrove

Author:James Lovegrove [Lovegrove, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror
Publisher: Solaris
Published: 2012-09-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

COLONEL JACOBSEN STUDIED the creature in front of him, the vampire in priest’s clothing. Giacoia and Child were gripping the vampire by the arms, holding him upright. He couldn’t stand unaided. Jacobsen had made sure of that by stamping on his thighs until both femurs snapped.

“What in hell’s name are you?” Jacobsen said.

The priest vampire sneered. “I could ask the same of you. You’re neither one thing nor the other, neither fish nor fowl. Human, essentially, but tampered with. Augmented.”

“All you need to know about me is I’m the one doing the interrogating. Your life is in my hands.”

“Forgive me if I don’t cower and grovel,” said the vampire. “I don’t tend to do that to my inferiors.”

Jacobsen took a swing at him, landing a roundhouse that would have shattered an ordinary man’s skull.

The vampire shook off the blow, grinning fiercely. “I am Father Rudi Tchaikovsky. I am a hundred and fifty years old and counting. I have lived two lifetimes and met far worse than you. I do not fear you.”

“You should,” Jacobsen growled, “because I’m the guy who’s going to turn you to dust unless you start cooperating.”

“And I am shtriga,” Tchaikovsky retorted. “I could tear you apart with my bare hands.”

“Could, but can’t.”

In fairness, Jacobsen thought, Tchaikovsky’s threat wasn’t entirely an empty one. It had taken three Red Eyes to subdue him. They had had to wrestle him off Corporal Lim and pin him to the floor, Child using his considerable bulk to secure him in place while Jacobsen got busy breaking his legs in order to disable him. The average vampire wouldn’t have presented anywhere near as much of a problem to the team—but then they would have just eliminated an average vampire, whereas this one seemed worth capturing because he was so unusually above average.

“Shtriga, huh?” Jacobsen went on. “That would explain it. Kind of an über-vampire, right? Well, you gave Four a run for his money, that’s for sure.” Lim had in fact been in danger of losing his fight with Tchaikovsky until his comrades came to his assistance. “But against all of us? Crippled as you are? Really, I’m not worried.”

“I say we waste this scumbag right now,” Lim chipped in. He was nursing a sprained arm. Tchaikovsky had all but dislocated his shoulder trying to wrench the combat knife off him. “Cops’ll be on their way. We can’t hang around.”

“Noted, corporal,” said Jacobsen. “But I want some answers.”

“As do I,” said J. Howard Farthingale III in Jacobsen’s ear. “Who is he?”

Jacobsen lowered his voice. “That’s what I’m trying to ascertain, sir.”

“No, not the shtriga. The other man. The one who shot at your team.”

“I don’t know, but Red Eye Six and Seven are in pursuit. I’m sure they have him by now.”

“And I’m sure they don’t,” Farthingale said. “I’m monitoring all your feeds, remember? And I’ve lost contact with both Six and Seven. Their helmet cam signals are down. All I’m getting from either is dead air. Who is he? Ask.”

Jacobsen turned back to Tchaikovsky.

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