The Red Guard: Vampire Hunters of Vatican City

Chapter Thirty-One - Invited

With the thought of keeping everyone safe that night, Chloe had gone and spoken with every Red Guard in the training room with explicit instructions to pass on the crucial message: Jessica is missing. Don't sleep. Don't be alone. Stay with you partner. There's strength in numbers.

Chloe got the message out and although her words were met with concerned eyes, it seemed to be well received. Most Red Guards were hanging out in the training area until dinner time. Even then, most of the Red Guard went out into Rome to eat, not trusting the food. If the Pope was out to get them, then nothing was safe. And if he wasn't planning to kill them then going out for dinner was not so unusual as to raise suspicion.

Feeling pretty comfortable with the temporary safety of her friends, Chloe went out to meet with Derek in their predetermined hotel room. She waited with nervous energy vibrating through her body until he arrived. She let herself take a moment to enjoy an embrace, melting into his familiar chest. But that was all the luxury she gave herself. She slowly, reluctantly, pulled away and looked up into his eyes, knowing that their next conversation was going to change everything, "What have you got?"

He smiled at her, "Right down to business, eh? Well, a large faction of the vampires believe your allegations against the Pope. They are ready to fight against him  to bring him down."

"How many?" Chloe asked.

"I would say we have about fifty," said Derek as he looked up with squinted eyes as if he were quickly counting in his head.

Chloe nodded in deep thought. It was enough to possibly deal with the Swiss Guard and maybe even hold the cardinal electors at bay while the Red Guard killed the Pope. She predicted that it would take a number of Red Guards to subdue a vampire with the Pope's apparent age and power. She wanted to be prepared.

"Can you be at Vatican City by eleven o'clock tonight? All of you?" she asked.

"Sure, we could all be there by eleven o'clock tonight, but we can't get into Vatican City," he replied.  Chloe looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know. I've never actually tried, but I've been told that vampires can't get in," he responded. 

Chloe had a thought about vampire folklore, "Has anyone ever invited you?" she asked.

He frowned, "No, I guess not."

"Maybe we should test it out. Derek, I am inviting you into Vatican City, which is where I live. I am inviting you into my home," she said the words looking in to his eyes with as much intensity as she could. She was willing the invitation to work. "Can you go now and try to get in? Then come back and let me know."

He nodded and started to walk over to their window. 

"But, Derek," she said with some emotion. He looked back at her. "Be careful, Derek," she whispered. 

Derek nodded his head with a smile as he jumped out of the window. She heard his feet run into the night.

Chloe waiting with bated breath for him to return. Could it be as simple as in invitation? She wondered. Is that what kept the turned Red Guards out of Vatican City all of these years? Such a simple thing to keep friends apart.  It was the only thing that really made sense to her, given that there were actually vampires living in the city. She watched the clock as the seconds ticked by. 

Derek was taking some time to get back, and she just started to worry when he slipped in through the window. He gave her a victorious smile. "It worked," he said.

She smiled back, anticipating that they could really win this thing if the vampires could get into the City. She just needed to invite them... Each of them... that was a lot. Fifty was a lot... but not so many, she supposed, if she had some help. She grinned again as she thought that all of the Red Guards would probably be happy to help her.

"We can do this," she said to Derek with confidence. "You bring your vampires to the City gates. We will meet you there to invite you in. Come no later than ten thirty. And then..." she whispered the rest of the plan and Derek nodded as she carried on. He took in each of the instructions, which he would pass along with painstaking care to his friends within the vampire population. By the end he felt just as confident as Chloe did.

"And the replacement?" he asked.

"We have that covered, don't worry," said Chloe.

"But they will want to know. Will it be another vampire?" he asked.

"For now, we are going to make it a human," replied Chloe. "The human will only live twenty years at best. At that time, we will be able to reconsider. We will be able to decide who the ruler should be."

Derek nodded his head in agreement, "I will pass on this information to the faction as well. I think they will accept those terms. And, Chloe, what about the Red Guards' role as enforcers?"

She shrugged a little bit, "We will still have rules, Derek. Rules that will need to be followed, or there will be consequences."

"They will want to know these rules," replied Derek. 

"We don't really have them yet," whispered Chloe.

Derek frowned, "How can we agree to a new ruler if we don't know what new rules we will have to follow?"

"I think we need to negotiate, not dictate," reasoned Chloe, although, in truth, they just hadn't talked too much about it.

"That sounds reasonable," said Derek with a nod. She smiled.

"Okay, so we will see you tonight, then," she said. They hugged. Kissed. Hugged again. She looked into his eyes as she whispered, "I've got your back, Derek. Always."

"And I've got yours, Chloe. I love you." These words were sealed with a slow kiss that burned into her memory. They separated slowly and Chloe walked to the window preparing to leave.

"I love you, too," she said quietly as she ducked into the cool night air. 

Within seconds, Chloe was making her way back to Vatican City, careful to avoid the CCTV cameras whenever she could. She had a lot to discuss with her Red Guards tonight. It was already eight o'clock. The Red Guard had a lot to discuss before the arrival of the vampires. She shivered with anticipation. It was going to be awesome.

Tonight, the Pope was going down.