Top of the Town

Top of the Town
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 545

Randall loaded a fresh bolt in his crossbow and aimed it at the dark figure perched on the gargoyle across the road. From the top of apartment block, Randall could see the three vampires positioned atop each building at the intersection, and chose the one he knew to be the leader to take out first. Using the night scope on the crossbow to line up the vampire, Randall gently pressed the trigger and breathed out as the bolt cleared the edge of the building.

The bolt hit the wall where the vampire had stood a second ago. Randall reached into his heavy leather trench coat and pulled out wooden stake before he pivoted and hurled it at the head vampire now standing a few feet behind him. The vampire flung his arm up to hit the stake aside. It pierced his palm and pinned his hand against the vampire’s chest.

Randall leapt forward and took the vampire’s head off with one quick stroke from his machete. The body fell to the ground and burst into a bright purple cloud before disappearing into the night.

“One down...” Randall began to say before being kicked in the centre of the back. He stumbled forward and crashed into satellite dish perched next to the air-conditioning vent.

Randal ripped the dish free from the tangled wires and swung it around just in time to deflect another kick from the second vampire. He pushed the dish upwards and knocked the vampire off balance, then hurled a stake at the tumbling figure. It hit the vampire in the back, tore through its ancient flesh, and ruptured its heart. The vampire toppled to the side of the building and over the side.

With two creatures of the night taken care of, Randal only needed to take care of one more for the hit to be finished. He looked at the roof of the building to the left and then to the right before seeing the remaining vampire running towards the fire exit. Randal rushed to his crossbow and reloaded it. He took a deep breath, aimed, then fired. The bolt hurtled across the gap between the two buildings and pinned the vampire to the door of the fire exit by the shoulder. Another quick shot pinned the last vampire to the door through its heart.

“Deed is done,” Randall said into his Bluetooth headset.

“I’ll come up and help clean up,” Randall’s partner, Geoff replied. “I’ve already tidied up the other body down here on the street.”

“Meet you downstairs in a few minutes.”

Randall retrieved the charred remains of the wooden stake on the rooftop and twisted it slowly. Inside of the stake was a small, titanium tube with a retractable needlepoint. Randall pulled the tube out and clicked the needle into place. He stuck the needle into his arm and injected the small amount of vampire blood into his vein. It was enough to sustain him for a few days. Randall knew he had to capture a vampire to find a cure for his condition, before it killed him or turned him into a full-blooded vampire.

THE END