End of the Line

Chapter 1-Jacqueline Crow

Jackie POV

"I can't believe you're already twenty-four years old. Time surely has passed by so quickly, my child." Father Emmanuel says to me.

I smile at the Father and reply,

"You promised me you'd buy me a drink if I lived past my 20th birthday, so I gave you four additional years. Pay up, Padre. You and me tonight. We're going to drink our asses off."

My team and I were driving toward a barren desert in Arizona. We were close to a hive colony of vampires, and the sun shone on the hot desert area. My team was following me closely in another vehicle. We then pulled up to a house surrounded by metal wiring and gates rusted from exposure to the elements. I jumped out of an armored vehicle with my gear in place. Father Emmanuel steps out of the vehicle and asks us to pray. Out of respect, the team and I kneel to receive the blessing. As the Father finishes his prayer, my crew assembles their weapons. My primary go-to weapons are a Ravin R29X Sniper XK7 crossbow, a Colt Python 357 Magnum, some wooden stakes, and a 119 Special hunting knife that used to belong to my father before he passed away.

All of the crew approached the house with cautious care and tried not to make as much noise. I open the main door slowly and see that the house has been run down and spiderwebs everywhere. Any furniture has been destroyed and turned upside down. As soon as you walked in, there was an instant smell of death. The smell of death was pungent. Some of my team began to gag. I took it like a champ. I've been smelling death since I was a kid. Once you have that scent in your mind, it doesn't leave you. As we explored the house's remains, I could hear creaking. Thinking it was the house, I tried to ignore it. The sound became too loud, and I had to investigate the noise. As my team went to explore the basement, I walked upstairs towards the bedrooms. I held my crossbow before me, ready to strike if necessary. I slowly push the door open and walk into the main bedroom. The room was a mess. The dresser was destroyed, the mattress was torn to shreds, and the floorboards were destroyed. I could see rats scurrying away from the bathroom. As I readied myself, I kicked the bathroom door and saw a dead body. It was of a woman who had been dead for quite some time. She was practically drained of any blood and looked mummified. I then hear another creak, this time from behind me. I raised my crossbow and let out a shot. I see someone ducking from my arrow and staring in amazement towards me. 

Nickolas Montoya 

"You know, you really should be careful with that. You might kill someone."

"Goddamn it, Nickolas! You scared the shit out of me! I already told you not to sneak up on me!" I say in a hushed and angry tone. 

Nickolas smiles and says to me, 

"You're beautiful when you're angry."

I playfully hit Nickolas on his arm. Nickolas is a great friend to me. He was initially set to join the priesthood, but before he was set to make his vows, he changed his mind. I am sure glad he did. I kinda like his German accent; it's sexy. 

Nickolas grabbed my arrow, which penetrated the wall, and returned it to me. My radio then makes three beeping noises. Three beeps mean a Vampire nest. Nickolas and I head downstairs and make our way to the basement. I gather close to my team and say, 

"Quick and simple: shoot to kill, no survivors, and if anyone sees the Master, you take the motherfucker down. Understand?"

As we prepare for our assault, I take a deep breath and kick the door down. 

Suddenly, a female vampire lunged at me, and I shot her. 

Chaos ensued as my team, and I began to attack the nest of vampires there. Blood was spilled from the enemy. I slashed my way through four vampires, trying to head to the main section of the room, where I assumed the Master was. Suddenly, I was ambushed by a vampire, who then threw me into another room. As I tried to get off the floor, the monster then wanted to kill me, and I was separated from my crossbow. I fought like never before. I was able to grab a stake and stab the vampire in the head. The vampire fell to the floor, blood spilling from his wound. No sooner than I was ready to run out, another vampire jumped on me and had me pinned down. The monster was snarling and hissing at me. 

"It's such a shame that I have to end you. I did want to play with you." The creature hissed at me. 

With rage boiling within me, I swung my left arm, pushing the monster away from me, and I quickly reached for my hunting knife and plunged the blade deep into his throat, decapitating him in the process. Blood sprayed on my face, and I quickly wiped the blood off. I could hear wailing from the other shitbag monsters as my team was butchering them. Then, Nickolas gave the all-clear. All the vampires were dead. I sighed in relief and looked around the room to gather my weapons. I gathered my crossbow and saw a painting on the wall as I was about to leave. I was immediately drawn to it. It was of a man with jet-black hair, pale skin, and dark clothing. 

I was compelled to touch the painting, and as my hand touched the frame, I began to see something. It was that same man, dancing with a woman in a red dress. I couldn't see the woman in the dress, but the pale man looked happy. He was smiling, unlike in the painting, where he looked sinister. 

"I love you, Jane." The man whispers. 

"Jack!" I hear in the background

I gasped loudly. It was Nickolas. He came to look for me, and I guess I was in a trance. 

"Jack, you okay? You looked like you were deep in thought."

"Yes, I'm okay. I was just...occupied."

Nickolas then sweeps another room. Without hesitation, I take the painting with me, intending to find out what happened to me and why I had that vision. I need answers, and I need them now.