The Cactus Killer (The Inglewood Chronicles) by Jeremy Croston Page A

really good, able to duck and
dodge everything the monster threw at him. I snuck around to the
back and jumped on. I dug my claws into any part of the monster I
could find. Even though the skin was tough, I was still able to rip
him up. I thought I was doing well until a giant hand grabbed me
and tossed me right on top of Reno. A few seconds later Phil landed
right beside us.
    The impact jogged my senses
and my hearing was starting to return. I had to strain, but I could
hear Reno.
    “ You don’t want to miss
this Vic, Elizabeth is one angry lady.”
    All of us were getting up
and getting ready to jump back in, but what we saw told us to wait
just a few seconds.
    “ I’m no expert on vampires,
but I don’t think that’s normal.” I couldn’t take my eyes off of
what I was seeing.
    “ No, that is far from
normal. Only the oldest and strongest of our kind can pull a stunt
off like that. Something must have sent her over the
edge.”
    For the first time, I heard
Phil’s deep rumble of a voice. “This sheriff, is called the
bloodletting. When one is old enough, they can harness the blood of
the last donor they had. But I have never seen a reaction quite
like this. I wonder who her last donor was.”
    “ Gentlemen, that was
me.”
    **Elizabeth**
    It had been decades since I
last used the bloodletting, but this creature called for such
measures. Usually when used with the blood of a human, a vampire
gets a quick boost of adrenaline. But this, this was incredible. I
had forgotten that Vic was the last person who gave me blood and
the effects were something I could never have dreamed
of.
    My senses had opened to the
world. Scents and sounds were magnified a thousand times over and
everything was much brighter and brilliant than I have ever seen.
If this is how he truly sees the world, his gift is priceless. In
addition to that enhancement, my legs felt lighter and I had a
craving for meat.
    I looked over and saw all
three boys were glaring at me. Phil Ruud should be old enough to
know what is going on, but Reno and Vic were probably confused. I
had no more time to waste; it was time to see what these new powers
could do.
    Moving with speed and
clarity like I never experienced, I lunged at the monster’s legs. I
had planned on punching him, but mid swing my fingernails extended
to something like claws and I slashed the knee in half. It howled
its horrible growl and for the first time since it arrived, it felt
pain. It tried to punch me but missed and I did the same to the
other leg. It could not keep up with my movements; so while it
grabbed at air, I continued to slice it up.
    After a few more passes, I
figured the creature would be close to death. I was wrong; yes it
was in pain and I was doing damage, but it was also no nearer to
death than when I started. I saw the boys start to come over, their
eyes full of panic and worry.
    “ Stay where you are! I will
continue to fight this abomination!”
    I had filled my voice with
persuasion; even Phil was not immune to its effects. All three
stopped in their tracks. If I could not defeat this creature, than
there was no hope. I was starting to tire as well. This power was
good for a quick boost, but never intended to be used for long
stretches. Vic said he had faith, so I hoped he was calling on it.
We might need a miracle.
    **Vic**
    I don’t know what she did,
but I felt compelled to stay where I was, even though I knew she
needed help.
    “ Don’t fight it; the
persuasion she used is strong enough to stop a charging bull, like
Phil.”
    I looked back at Elizabeth
and the wolfish features she had shown were slowly fading away. Her
eyes were no longer yellow, but had faded back to vampire red. The
claws she had produced were also shrinking back in. Whatever boost
she had received from me was no longer there. I think the creature
sensed it too. I don’t know what sort of brain function it had, but
I think I saw it smile. We needed a bloody miracle here.
    I picked up a scent,