The Secret Sea - (Chaptered Version)

* 24

I was a chubby kid during most of my grade school career, which subjected me to a lot of bullying. Even though I won a few scraps, I don't have the spirit of a warrior. Since jogging away my extra weight, I prefer flight over fight. Sadly, there's nowhere to run on this mountain.

I watch a dozen strange men sprint down the side of a rocky precipice in billowing cloaks topped with pointed hoods. Their jet black uniforms are emblazoned with a lavender pitchforks. Swords and oversized hammers are strapped to their backs.

"They look like ninjas crossbred with Klan members," I say, sinking to one knee and lifting my gun. "Goddamn it, I'm not ready to shoot people!"

"They're vampires," says Eve. "Don't hesitate." She starts firing as the mass of attackers swarm to the mountain path, crisscrossing across the rocks in erratic patterns.

I don't even question how vampires could exist. "Don't we need wooden stakes or something?"

Jesus pulls a large oak crucifix from the inside of his robe. The bottom of it is sharpened to a point. He tosses it to VarnLiqin. "Hey little buddy, I'll knock 'em down and you finish 'em off."

The raccoon jumps up and down excitedly. "I stab!"

"They're getting closer!" yells Eve, twisting her head toward me. "Start shooting, dummy!" I follow her and Jesus as they rush from the cave, firing wildly. My ears are ringing. A shell casing bounces off my cheek.

Eve's bullets send two of the—ninjas? Vampires?—falling down the igneous slope, but they're still stirring. VarnLiqn rushes ahead of us on four legs, holding the wooden crucifix in his mouth. He leaps on top of the closest cultist and assumes a bipedal stance on the fiend's stomach. After spitting the crucifix into his paws, he drives it into the chest of the vampire. The thing's eyes grow wide before it screams and explodes in a messy cloud of sparks and black dust. The raccoon shakes the grime off his body like a wet dog then jumps to another fallen enemy. More dust and sparks burst and blow away in the breeze. I'm shocked by my furry compatriot's efficiency.

Despite our barrage of bullets, the cult continues to advance. A bloodsucker comes within reach of Eve and swings his bulky hammer, giving her barely enough time to duck. I shoulder check the bastard, knocking him over the lip of the volcano into the steaming crater. "Thanks," says Eve.

I resume firing, but it's no use. There's still too many of them. We have no choice but to retreat to the cave.

"Get back! I got this!" yells Jesus, waving to us.

The eight remaining cultists rush. We do our best to cover Jesus as he remains outside, standing solidly with a tight grip on his pistol. He peppers the oncoming attackers with perfectly grouped shots but they're not falling fast enough. His face doesn't even flinch when a spear of iron pierces his side, dropping him to one knee. "I've been through a lot worse, fuckers," he cries out, blasting a cultist backwards.

VarnLiqn refuses to give up, deftly dodging hammer drops and swords swings, waiting for opportunities to sink his wooden blade into each prone vampire. A black booted fiend finally catches the racoon off guard with a savage kick, knocking the crucifix out of his paw and into the ravine. I fight the urge to rush to VarnLiqn as he rolls away in pain, knowing I'll only get killed if I go back for him.

A few more bullets spark along the narrow pathway between the cave and the edge of the mountain before everything goes eerily quiet. There's no more sign of the cultists. "Where are they?" I ask, stepping tentatively to the mouth of the cave with Eve.

A stiff wind roars through the crags, nearly lifting us off our feet. The gust clears away the dust and sends the empty rags of the fallen vampires sailing across the ravine into the sky. I think it's over, but it's not. Eve screams as a pair of hands reach down from the edge of the cave, pulling her from my sight. "Eve!" I scream, as I roll outside. A blade swings near my face, slashing away part of my earlobe but thankfully nothing else. Tilting my gaze upward, I see a cultist perching atop the cave entrance. He presses the pitted sword that nearly took my head against Eve's neck. His other arm crushes around her middle.

The fiend's eyes glow hot. He shifts his attention toward Jesus as the messiah draws closer. "You, drop the weapon!"

Jesus throws the gun to his side and raises his hands. "Easy. Let go of her. The Lord forgives."

The vampire returns his focus to me. "Now, you, lift your gun and place it against your temple." Seeing the terror in Eve's eyes, I don't hesitate for a moment. She's screaming something, but her mouth is covered by her captor's gnarled hand.

"Pull the trigger now, or she dies!" orders the vampire. The blade starts to dig into Eve's neck.

"Tim, you can't!" yells Jesus.

I'm wondering if Jesus still has enough magick to resurrect me, Lazarus-style. The tone of his voice leaves me doubtful. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I'm waiting for a brilliant plan to coalesce in my mind as my finger trembles on the trigger. Something. Anything.

A guttural scream pops me back to alertness. The vampire's piss-yellow eyes are plates. His gangling arms splay wide and Eve falls toward me. I catch her and we both tumble to the ground. I look back up and see terror in the cultist's face. A long stick plunging through his middle suddenly pops open into a spinning disc of tan and crimson. The twirling stops, revealing a winking eye.

"Karakasa-Obake?" I mutter, watching the umbrella's tongue wave proudly.

The vampire explodes, revealing VarnLiqn standing triumphantly atop the cave with the unsettling umbrella beast held in his paws. "I stab!" he squeaks. Karakasa-Obake's canopy folds as the yokai hops down to a clawed foot. A black wave of detritus cascades around Even and I as we stare up in awe.