THE VAMPIRE UNDERGROUND

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Five strands of thick rope surrounded Anaya’s waist, but, even though these vampires apparently had access to lighting equipment and sound systems, they didn’t seem to know where to find better resources for tying people up; the knife cut through the rope like butter.

It’s working, Brin thought, as she looked to her left to see Paul breaking Dylan free from his chair.

 “So tell me, Clint,” Droz said, pointing the microphone at the vamp in the front. “What’s your human’s name?”

“His name is Dylan,” he said. The audience erupted into applause before he added, “and he’s young!”

Brin couldn’t even hear herself think as the crowd’s cheering and clapping reached a zenith of a decibel level. She cut through the third strand. Two more to go.

“Come on, come on,” she whispered.

“Now Jackson and Rex,” Droz said, “would you two please come forward?”

The two vampires standing behind Lavender vacated their spot and sauntered up to Droz, one stumbling and almost falling on his face in the process.

“Oops!” Droz shouted. “Looks like someone’s excited!” Laughter echoed through the large room as Droz shoved the microphone in the first vampire’s face. “And what’s your lucky guy or gal’s name?”

“He-he, he-he,” he said. This creature didn’t seem to know the English language.

“OK, let’s try the other one… Rex.”

The other vampire smiled. “Her name is Lavender. Like the color. And she’s even younger!”

More applause. More cheers.

The idiotic vamp shouted, “Yum-yum! Yum-yum!”

“Agreed!” Droz shouted. “Yummy, yummy, yummy!”

As the brightly lit exhibition of fools continued on the right of the stage, the center with all the humans was still black as night. Droz would apparently not reveal the four vulnerable victims until the last possible second, and good for Brin and Paul; this use of cheesy showmanship was allowing them to conquer their plan.

Brin cut through the fourth rope. She turned to the left. Paul had already cut Dylan completely loose; now he was kneeling behind the second chair and working through Lavender’s ropes.

“Next!” Droz screamed into the microphone. “Michael and Mickey!”

The two vampires standing behind Chace made their way past the blackness and over to the harsh light hitting Droz and the other four vampires in waiting. Brin couldn’t believe her eyes: it was so dark around her that they couldn’t see what she and Paul were doing.

Brin struggled with the last rope—it was the stiffest, most problematic of the five—but she finally cut Anaya free.

She turned to her left. Dylan, while no longer tied up, was still hunched over and not moving. When Brin looked forward to see the freed Anaya slump over, not in any way wanting to flee from the large herd of bloodthirsty fiends, Brin realized this rescue mission was going to get a lot more difficult before it got easy.   

They can’t get up, Brin thought. They’re sedated. They’re completely out of it. What if I can’t wake them out of their daze? What if there’s nothing Paul and I can do?

She couldn’t worry any longer. When Droz shoved the microphone up to the next two vampires, she knew that time was almost out.

Brin crawled to her left and started working on Chace’s ropes. He had seven instead of five. As she cut through the first strand and started working on the second, she realized it was going to be near impossible to finish freeing the pretty boy in time.