Preys and Predators Part 1 Chapter 30

 

30

 

Count Vlad leapt at the one holding the double barrel shotgun. The double shotgun is a break-action shotgun with two parallel barrels, allowing two single shots that can be fired simultaneously or sequentially in quick succession. It was deadly short range, but the length of the shotgun was restrictive in the room. He grabbed the barrel when the triggers were pulled. The blast, however, took off the plaster at the ceiling. The gunman was stunned momentarily, and the count forced the shotgun at the gunman’s chest. With his strength, the force of the blow was to propel the gunman into his friends.

Two others rappelled in from the roof and smashed through the windows. It was Rosa who went into action. She rushed at the one on the right with her improvised ‘chasse’ kick technique—the front kick at the opponent—but she did it with a forward jump. The toes of her right feet impacted the intruder on the face and sent him out of the window. She landed on the toes of her feet and swung out a side kick, the fouetté swing kick at the other intruder in the back. The intruder was drawing his revolver and ended up on his face.

“Get to safety, Doctor.” The count called out and then rushed to the wall beside the doorway. He did that to avoid the sunlight that could burn his skin. He heard the drawn trigger and leapt aside. The gunmen had shot at the wall beside the door. The count was wounded on the left forearm, but he was missed by the multiple shots.

“Count, you are hurt!” Rosa called out. She had retrieved the fallen revolver of the fallen intruder. It was a Webley revolver. She cracked the skull of the intruder with a blow to the back of the head. She then held the revolver at the door, and just then the count was wounded. She pulled the trigger and fired at the open doorway. He heard the screams, but her concern was with the doctor. He had rushed into the lab.

Henry was safe.

Doctor Jekyll slammed the door of the lab shut. It was not able to be locked with part of the hinges loosening. He rushed to the nearby table for cover. He was in a state of panic.

“I must stay calm. I cannot be in rage.” Doctor Jekyll muttered to himself. He knew that if he was in rage or lost his calmness, he would spill into his alter identity of Hyde. It was Hyde who protected Darling, whose family opposed their friendship. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, they did not commit suicide; they eloped and lived happily. It was not known as the play was not staged.

“I must stay calm.” Doctor Jekyll was in a state of frantic, and he eyed the vial. He picked it and looked hard at it. He knew that the serum would calm him, but the last episode did not augur well. He felt his personality dragging at his mind. He felt that he was a weaker man; he was a nerd to many. He wanted to be more masculine and a fighter than just a lover. When he was approached to develop the super warrior serum, he did the tests, and it was inconclusive. When the death numbers piled, he became the test specimen. The previous serum he injected that used to calm him was added the new properties. He had bouts of aggression and designed the chair.

“The flowers...” Doctor Jekyll had the recall that the item was given to him. He had kept the flower properties in the vial stored on the shelves. He was to try it, but the count arrived. His work was focused on the count. He had merged the chemicals of recent, but his lapse of memory eluded his recollection.

That was one of his ailments beside his personality; he was affected by loss of memories.

“No, I cannot do it.” Doctor Jekyll cried out.

Rosa tossed the revolver when the bullets were spent. She rushed to the kitchen, and it was then the surviving intruders rushed in. She jumped into the kitchen with the bullets impacted on the living area. Rosa was not without her choice of weapons.

The ‘churi knives” was her choice. The Romani Churi is a recycled knife made from an old knife, and those were, and still are, old table knives of the "bone" handle variety. It was not any specially designed knife but homemade from salvage blades and attached to the wooden or bone hilt. It will be used for many purposes, from cutting the branches to slicing the meat. She used hers for the latter purposes.

Rosa grabbed the belt that held her seven knives and slung it across her chest with the seven knives displayed at the front. She reached for the first knife at the belt with her right hand and held it with the hand grip. The masters also taught her the knife fighting techniques when she was young.

Rosa ran to the doorway and stayed at the left side wall. She was listening for the intruder’s approach. The one that stepped had his revolvers lined for the shot, but the slash on the back of his right shin caused him to yell out in pain. The second slash was at the right kidney, and he crouched in pain, which was then the third slash slid his throat. It was called bringing the predator to the ground. She then rolled over to the far side when the bullets from the other intruder fired at the door frame. The gunman stepped in, looking at the spot where Rosa was. That was the moment for Rosa to throw her knife at the gunman’s right arm holding the revolver. She then rushed at him with a body slam into the living area.

The count was in action when he leapt at the third gunman from his hidden position behind the shelf. He knew that exposure to the sunlight would hurt him, but Rosa was his concern. His jump was high and he landed on the gunman with his jaw opened. He bit into the gunman at the throat and severed the jugular vein there. It was his first taste of blood for some days. He had refrained from consuming blood to avoid his host’s interest, but the call was deemed needed then.

Dracula lived then.

The fresh blood helped him to heal.

The burned wounds on the skin began to heal.

Rosa had then sliced the third knife held in her right hand at the side of the gunman. She rolled off the gunman when the shots were shot. The fallen gunman was hit by his peers in the chest. Rosa tossed her third knife at the firing gunman but missed when she was impacted by the bullet at her left shoulder. She screamed out in pain; it was her first bullet wound.

The last gunman then stepped up towards her, but he was then seen tossed by a huge frame.

“No one hurts Daisy!” The huge frame called out. It was Mr. Hyde. He stood at almost seven feet in height and held double the dimension of most men.

“I will kill you!” Mr. Hyde grabbed the gunman and tossed him against the wall. He then proceeded to grab the injured gunman by the left leg and tossed him once more across the room. He was approaching the broken gunman when Rosa called out to him.

“Let it be. He is near death.” Rosa spoke. Mr. Hyde stopped and turned to look at her. She saw then the gleam in his eyes and the tears that were weeping out. He approached her and crouched her.

“You are hurt by him, Darling. I will always protect you.”

“I know, Hyde. I know.” Rosa reached out with her left hand towards the monster she had called Hyde. “I know.”

Mr. Hyde leaned forward to lay his head against the hand. He was content to be at her side. He then fell on his side, unconscious.

“Henry!” Rosa reached out to him. She saw his body frame become back to normal, and it was her love then who greeted her sight.

“He will be fine.” Rosa heard the count. She looked over and saw the count was wiping his mouth of the fresh blood.

“Master!”

“It is alright, my dear. I did what my other self was used to. I am fine now.” Count Vlad sat back on the flooring behind the divan. “We may have to leave now. We are compromised here on our safety.”

“What about Henry?” Rosa saw the count was hurt, but he shook her off his wounds.

“He goes with us. I know of a safe house where we can get protection. My wounds will heal there.”