Blood Heavy: Ascension

By Sam Shortt

Daniel Jericho is a your average teenager. Outgoing, curious, smart, friendly, likes cars, rock music, movies, drinks, smokes, is moody at times, a few parental issues, girl troubles, has supernatural blood, decapitates monsters in his spare time...you know, the usual.

It's been three months since he found out that vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches and pretty much every other horrible thing you've ever dreamt about are real. That was around about the same time he decided he was going to protect as many people as he could from them.

Backed by his best friend Goose, his uncle Joe, the vampire vixen sisters, Cass and Claire, the annoyingly mature fourteen year old psychic Rachel and the peaceful super-vamp Sophinia, Jerry is going to school during the day and hunting evil at night all the while desperately searching for answers about his unnatural blood.

When large groups of supernatural creatures that were targeting him start getting massacred without warning, Jerry thinks it's possible that he may have an ally out there protecting him.

Unbelievably powerful, undeniably intelligent and indescribably beautiful, Aria isn't just an ally, she's every teenage guys greatest fantasy. Not to mention the fact that she has a thirty foot wing span. And when she offers Jerry protection and answers to all the questions that have plagued him since this began, he thinks his dreams have come true.

So why are his instincts telling him that this woman is more dangerous than anything any of them have ever seen before?

Most preternatural creatures just want to eat people.

Aria wants to play...and this is a game like no other.

Start playing and start praying.

Let the games begin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sam Shortt
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476483450

Book preview

Blood Heavy

Ascension

By S.L.J. Shortt

S.L.J. Shortt

Copyright of S.L.J. Shortt 2012

Smashwords Edition

Prologue

1 – Scorched Earth

2 – Mind Games

3 – The Norm

4 – The Ninja Thing

5 – Case Workers

6 – Bullet Ballet

7 – A Bust

8 – Giblets

9 – Lovers In League

10 – Meet The New Boss Same As The Old

11 – Car Trouble

12 – Avenging Angel

13 – Bang-Flash

14 – Heaven and Hell

15 – Have Faith

16 – A Monsters Worst Nightmare

17 – Keep the Faith

18 - Lock down

19 – Back to Hospital

20 – Scanners

21 – The Devil You Don’t Know

22 – Mood Swings

23 – Battle Plans

24 – Submission

25 – Blood for Blood

26 – The Game

27 – The End Of Normal

PROLOGUE

Outside Galena - Alaska

The high winds and heavy flurries made visibility poor but Sasha knew she was being followed. Super strength and speed didn’t mean much when you had to trudge your way through three feet of snow. That combined with the fact that she hadn’t fed in two days was making it easier for the mystery man to catch up with her. Her dark hair was matted and frozen from snow and even had small icicles in it.

If this guy was looking for a fight it wouldn’t go well. Out in the open in the middle of a virtual blizzard would make any kind of battle difficult. She needed to get the terrain on her side.

She pushed forward heading towards the dark rocky outcroppings in the distance. Getting close to the mountains would at least shield her from the wind and make it easier for her to focus on the man behind her. She ended up getting luckier than that.

As she approached the rocks she noticed a small opening about the size of a train cart. The cave was probably occupied by a polar bear or something which was also good because it meant she might be able to have a quick snack before confronting the person following her.

There was zero light inside the cave but that didn’t matter to her. She hurried in, getting away from the wind and blowing snow. She listened out for any signs of life but found none. Obviously the animal that lived there wasn’t home right now.

She ventured in about twenty feet and turned, watching the entrance. A few seconds later she heard the crushing sounds of feet stepping on snow. A moment later a man arrived at the cave entrance. He was covered in furs and rags and his face was shielded by a hood and a scarf that was pulled up to his nose. The cold didn’t bother vampires but humans couldn’t say the same. The low thumping nose that was coming from his chest confirmed her suspicions. He was human.

He didn’t enter the cave, instead he pulled a small plastic bottle from underneath his furs and tossed it inside. It rolled in front of her and her eyes immediately locked on to the red substance inside. She was so hungry that she didn’t hesitate in grabbing the bottle and twisting the cap off. She took a quick whiff of what was inside. It wasn’t human, smelt more like cow or pig but it would do. She chugged down the blood and instantly started to feel better.

The man in the entrance watched closely as she drank. After a few moments of staring at each other and the man entered and walked towards her. He crouched down and removed his hood. As he did, a rosary slipped out of his sleeve and hung from his wrist. I’m not here to hurt you, he said.

He was in his mid or late thirties with messy stubble covering his jaw. He had a few small scars on his face and piercing blue eyes.

As if you could, Sasha snarled.

I’m no stranger to vampires. I know your kind well. What I’d like to know is why that mark on your face isn’t healing, he said, not intimidated.

Sasha turned away trying to hide the horrible burn streak on the left side of her face. It ran from her forehead all the way down to her chin. I don’t know, she grumbled.

Well, let me take a guess. The person that did that to you was a woman?

Sasha didn’t respond but the look of fear that suddenly flashed across her face was enough.

And she was about the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen? She had powers way beyond anything you know?

Sasha nodded, remembering the woman that scarred her.

Why did she let you live? the man asked. She hates vampires, well; she hates everything that isn’t human. And us, well, she thinks about us in the same way that we think about puppies. Cute and fun to play with.

Sasha took another swig of blood before answering. She wanted me to give a message.

To who?

Everyone.

What message?

Daniel Jericho belongs to her, she said.

Who’s Daniel Jericho? he asked looking very interested.

He’s a kid. His bloods got something in it, something that makes us stronger.

He took a moment to think and the answer was obvious. Wherever the kid was, that’s where she would be.

Where can I find him?

CHAPTER 1 – SCORCHED EARTH

St. Cloud – Minnesota

Down on the Street by The Stooges was playing inside the Nearly Departed. At this time of the day, it was pretty quiet. There were no dancers on stage and only a few patrons (ones that could walk around in the day) sitting around.

One of them was Frankie Marks, a thirty-five year old exterminator originally from South Boston. He was African-American with black hair that was starting to form an Afro and a large scar underneath his jaw that ran down his neck. Battle scars from a long career. He was sitting at a table enjoying a cold beer.

About five minutes later, two men that he knew quite well entered the bar. Work colleagues. Usually exterminators worked alone or with people they trusted but occasionally they teamed up on jobs that required a little more fire-power. Otherwise, they didn't play well with others. Too many conflicting methods and egos, but he had worked with these two a few times and they'd gotten along okay.

They smiled and walked over to him. Harry Denton was the older of the two. He had brown hair and was wearing an old worn out coat while the man next to him, Ellis Adams, had sandy blond hair and was sporting a combat jacket. They were both in their thirties.

Hey Frankie, Harry said taking a seat next to him.

Fellas, what bring you two here? Frankie asked.

We got the call about a wraith somewhere in Iowa, Harry said.

Yeah, Red Oak I think, Ellis nodded.

Right, Frankie nodded, I got the same call. Afraid we’re a little late.

Huh?

The wraith’s dead, he said simply.

Dead, how, the call only went out like three days ago? Ellis gawked.

The boys took it out.

"The boys, what is that code or something?" Harry asked.

Jericho and Gibson, Frankie said.

Wait, those two teenage mooks playing cowboys and Indians?! he said angrily. Those two yahoos are gonna get themselves killed!

Don’t be so sure, Frankie shrugged. They may be young but they’re carving themselves out a pretty heavy rep. You musta’ heard about that Strigoi nest down in Waterloo.

I heard the whole place got shot to shit and blown up, Harry said. Wait...that was them?!

Frankie nodded.

What happened? Ellis asked.

Well, the grapevine tells me that these two guys don’t handle grief very well. After what happened at Newton High School, they were looking for something to take their anger out on and Soph handed them the Strigoi. Five of them went down there and met up with Eddie, but after two weeks of searching they found nada. Strigoi musta’ seen em comin’ because they cleared out of there in a hurry. So they call it a bust and head back to St. Cloud. And As soon as they’re gone, the Strigoi climb out of the shadows and start munching on people again. Big mistake.

Why?

Because Jericho and Gibson never left. They just wanted them to think that they had. Dumbass bloodsuckers led them straight back to the nest. So the boys case the place and call for backup because there’s like twenty-five maybe more in there.

That's a pretty heavy nest. What went wrong? Harry asked.

Nothing. The boys just got a little...impatient.

10 WEEKS AGO

Waterloo – Iowa

Inside the condemned building, three pale skinned Strigoi were finishing off some poor victim when something pulled their red eyes away. Suddenly two canisters came flying through the boarded up windows of the abandon office block. They exploded sending out blinding light and a deafening crack. Flash-bang grenades!

The Strigoi took cover and shielded their eyes, there enhanced senses working against them in this instance just as the sealed up entrance was blasted open. Kindling splashed across the floor as one of the bloodsuckers peaked over the ledge they were hiding behind. The doors were simply gone and smoke filled the hole that now stood there. The vampires looked on in shock as they heard someone yell: WOOHOO!

Two dark figures appeared and came out of the smoke like ghosts...or reapers.

"Word has it that Gibson prefers serious ordinance. Grenades, heavy machine guns, you name it."

Goose was wearing two bullet proof vests as was Jerry. He was sporting his favorite M-240 machine gun with drum clip, had two pump action shotguns over his shoulder and a range of different grenades attached to his belt. Over his other shoulder was a large metal canister with a big warning label on it.

"Jericho prefers a more hands-on approach."

He had custom holsters on his back and on his waist, both of which held a pair of silver shock machetes. His sawn-off double rifle was strapped to the left side of his belt just above the handle of one of the blades like a true gunslinger. He also had heavy caliber pistols under each arm and signal flares attached to his stomach.

Evening ladies, Jerry smiled.

The Strigoi snarled and lunged at them but Goose was ready and cut them down with rapid fire from the M-240. Their enhanced speed was no match for the silver tipped 7.62 millimeter bullets traveling at two thousand feet per second. Empty shells ejected into the air as the bullets tore them to shreds. The rounds wouldn't kill them but the marble sized holes they left in their bodies not only hurt but also slowed them down, especially when a bone was shattered or a tendon was cut. They'd heal up quickly, but not quickly enough. Amidst the gunfire, Jerry walked straight towards them, unsheathing the two machetes attached to his hips.

He went straight for the wounded vamps that had fallen to the floor and with one single motion, cut the head of the nearest one clean off. Goose continued to spray the room with bullets as more Strigoi arrived from around a corner. There were over a dozen of them that all attacked with the same lightning speed.

Four of them were torn to ribbons by the M-240’s rounds while two others were immediately met by the strong slash of Jerry’s machetes. They were stronger, faster and could heal from just about anything and yet, they were losing.

Jerry spun around catching a Strigoi in the chest with his blade before hitting the shock button on the handle, pumping him full of ten thousand volts. He spasmed all over the place as if his whole body had turned to jelly. With a fluid motion, Jerry pulled another machete from over his shoulder and threw it as hard as he could. It sailed through the air and struck a Strigoi that was trying to dodge bullets, nailing his head to the wall.

With his hand free he pulled the sawn-off canon from its holster and fired. The enormous boom rattled the entire building as the silver Nitro Express round ripped its way through two vampires before blasting a hole in the wall. He fired the other barrel right at the head of another Strigoi. It exploded like a watermelon being hit with a sledgehammer.

He holstered it again and went back to duel wielding shock machetes, attacking any Strigoi that had been grounded by Goose’s bullets. He began hacking away at them with brutal, merciless force until they were in pieces. He didn't stop until they'd stopped twitching.

"Of course, these guys are still pretty new to all this and rookies always make mistakes so somewhere during the carnage one of them catches a ricochet bullet in the leg and can barely walk."

Goose yelled out as one of his own bullets rebounded and hit him in the thigh bringing him to one knee. As soon as he was down, he yanked a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin and threw it at a group of wounded Strigoi.

"The others standing next to a window when it explodes and gets his arm shredded to shit by broken glass."

The grenade exploded sending shrapnel everywhere. Broken glass daggers flew through the air and struck Jerry in the right arm. Blood spilled out all over the floor.. Little fragments were protruding in half a dozen places from his elbow down to his wrist but he didn't yell out. The shock of seeing his arm looking like a glass porcupine was blocking off the pain but it would hurt like hell tomorrow. The Strigoi barely noticed because he had taken his hormone cocktail to hide the smell of his magic plasma.

"But none of this stops them from priming a C-4 charge just as the bloodsuckers buddies show up."

Goose grabbed the metal canister from his shoulder and turned a large cog on the top of it. A red LED lit up on the side of it and started to count down from sixty. He threw it at the corner where sounds of charging Strigoi were coming from. Jerry rushed over and grabbed his friend, helping him to stay off his wounded leg. The two of them bolted from the scene as fast as they could limp.

Inside the countdown hit zero just at the Strigoi arrived. It switched to say: BUH-BYE before exploding.

The entire building went up in a mushroom cloud of fire and debris as the ground shook with the power of the blast. Goose and Jerry hit the deck as shrapnel rained down around them. A moment later and the kaboom had subsided. All that was left now was the shell of a building with fire and smoke pouring into the air.

Jerry and Goose didn’t bother getting up. They just rolled over onto their backs and glanced up at the damage they’d done. They were bloodied and dirty and began laughing their asses off.

That was fun.

NOW

St. Cloud – Minnesota.

Harry and Ellis looked at Frankie with shocked expressions. They couldn't quite believe it.

Two kids against twenty-five plus Strigoi and they killed them all? Ellis said in case he’d misunderstood.

Yep, Frankie nodded. These guys really like their scorched earth tactics.

Scorched earth?

You know, annihilate everything in your path in the most violent and brutal way possible. That way you don’t just kill the bad guys, you scare the shit out of anything else that might wanna take a bite.

That’s a rookie move and you know it, Ellis snorted.

"Oh, I know but it does work. But you’re right, subtly is not something these two guys practice and little birdies tell me that they’ve already started drawing attention to themselves, and not from our world either," Frankie said.

Cops? Harry asked.

Sophinia owns the cops.

Feds, Ellis guessed.

Bingo. She doesn’t have anyone at the F.B.I. and they’ve started to put two and two together. They’ve linked Gibson and Jericho to both the high school and Waterloo. Now they’re just trying to put the pieces together.

Stupid sonsabitches! They’re gonna get us all locked up! Harry growled.

They don’t seem to care. They’re still jumping at whatever gig they can find and, I hate to say it but they’re pretty damn good.

Meaning?

Three weeks after Waterloo, they took out a Poltergeist in Hayward, Wisconsin.

3 WEEKS AFTER WATERLOO

Hayward – Wisconsin

Lights flickered, furniture shook and the house itself growled as Jerry and Goose spread graveyard dirt and holy water around the living room. It was quick and messy but most of the time it worked to boot an angry spirit out of the house.

Suddenly a kitchen knife flew through the air and missed Goose’s head by about an inch. He hit the deck as the ghost became more and more angry with their presence.

Jerry headed to the kitchen to cleanse it but before he got to the door and table levitated straight at him and smack him in the chest hard. It sent him flying through the glass window and into the front yard.

He groaned as he got up, broken shards of glass falling off him.

You haunt like a bitch! he yelled dizzily before heading back into the house just as Goose began drawing an expulsion sigil on the wall.

About ten minutes later, a great blinding white light shot through the entire house signaling the spirits dissipation. The cleansing had worked to repel the negative paranormal energy. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to come back because this one wasn’t fun.

Fighting things they couldn’t even see was scary.

NOW

St. Cloud – Minnesota

Then they took out that wraith about two days ago, Frankie said. They've been hitting ghosts and ghouls and other crap in the mean time.

Soph shouldn’t be letting them do this. They don’t have the experience, Harry groaned.

How do you get experience Harry? Frankie asked rhetorically. Like it or not, these kids are good at this. They may be young but they’re also smart, organized, driven, armed to the teeth, mean as shit, crazy as hell and looking to kill every nasty thing that goes bump in the night that they can find.

So where are they now, doing algebra homework? Harry snubbed.

Soph said something about them being in hospital, he said.

CHAPTER 2 – MIND GAMES

St. Cloud – Minnesota

He hated that hospital.

Looking up at the giant white building gave him a slight chill as he took the last drag of his cigarette. To say that Daniel Jericho had been hardened by his recent experiences would be an understatement.

All those little things that concern normal people; education, jobs, a mortgage, true love, they no longer applied to him. He shrugged to himself under his heavy black jacket and plain white shirt. He was also wearing torn jeans and biker boots. His dirty black hair flopped slightly in the wind as he rubbed the messy stubble on his jaw.

He didn't want to have to walk in there again.

Partly because he’d been there so often but mostly it was because that was where his little ‘miracle’ occurred. He’d been healed by some mysterious force that nobody could seem to identify and was haunted by fractured memories that were in a mental lockbox inside his brain. The only reason he even knew it was for real was because a damn lightning bolt had shaken a tiny part of it out of said lockbox.

He flicked his cigarette away and walked towards the front entrance of the hospital. This wasn’t very clever considering he had destroyed one of the wards a few months ago but he had to chance it. He had work to do.

He entered and walked over to the front desk where a receptionist was waiting. Behind her were several nurses and doctors going through files or talking on the phone. A few patients wondered around, going about their business. No one seemed to recognize him.

Can I help you? the receptionist asked. For a second she seemed to stare at his green eyes but quickly glanced away.

Yes, I’m here to visit a friend in room four-twelve, Jerry smiled.

She typed away on her computer for a few seconds before looking up at him again. I’m sorry, room four-twelve is empty.

Oh, no problem. He must have discharged himself already, Jerry said. You couldn’t point me in the direction of a bathroom could you?

Sure, just down the hall on your right, she smiled.

Thank you.

Jerry walked off down the hall and went straight past the bathroom without blinking an eye. He headed for the elevator and pushed the call button. A few seconds later a chime sounded the arrival of the lift and he stepped inside. It was empty. He pushed the button for the fourth floor and the doors closed. As soon as they did, he pulled a USP MATCH .45 from behind his back and began attaching a silencer. He cocked the weapon to make sure that a bullet was chambered then tucked it away again.

The doors opened and he stepped out onto the fourth floor. It had the same polished plastic looking floors and light colored walls that all hospitals seemed to have. To his right he immediately saw two uniformed police officers standing a few feet away. They turned and looked at him and he started walking towards them.

I’m sorry sir, this section of the hospital is off limits, one of the cops said.

With one quick, smooth action, Jerry pulled the pistol from his back and shot him in the head. The silencer had turned the gunshot into nothing more than a light popping sound. The second cop went for his weapon but was hit with three bullets in his chest before he could pull it from his holster. Both men dropped to the ground dead and Jerry continued down the corridor without looking twice at them.

He turned the corner and saw two more police officers standing nearby. This time he didn’t even bother approaching them. He fired from where he was, hitting one in the stomach then head and the other in the chest. Red pools of blood were already seeping out from under their bodies when he passed them.

He looked up at the room number on the door where they had fallen. Four-o-five.

He continued on for a few more steps when suddenly a window exploded next to him. Bullets whizzed past his head as he turned and fired. Behind him were four men in full tactical police gear and sporting MP5’s. He hit one in the chest but the bullet didn’t penetrate his vest. Jerry bolted down the corridor as they opened fire again.

He rushed around a corner as alarms started blaring all over the hospital. His eyes followed the room numbers as he past them. Four-o-seven, Four-o-eight, Four-o-nine.

The SWAT team turned the corner and fired again. The rounds connected with the wall leaving holes all around him. He ran as fast as he could as the sound of heavy metal being clamped echoed through the corridor. Suddenly a containment door came from the roof and slammed down in front of him blocking his path. Another fell behind him trapping him in a small section.

He looked at the door to his left. Four-eleven. He was so close.

Jerry rushed forward and pressed his face to the heavy plastic that was cutting him off. He could see room four-twelve. He could see through the windows.

He could see her.

Late twenties, straight dark hair, cold eyes, legs crossed and wearing that expensive white suit of hers. She was beautiful in a frightening sort of way. Lazily she turned and looked at him and the tiniest curl appeared in the corner of her mouth as her eyes brushed with something that resembled affection. As if she were looking at a kitten.

It was infuriating.

What do you want from me?! Jerry yelled at her but she just turned away and looked at the person next to her. Lying in the bed, comatose and tubed was Jerry, just as he’d been after Cass had attacked him. Again he was forced to look at himself in that condition.

Behind him the SWAT members gathered at the containment door and began placing small C4 charged around the edges. They were going to blast it off its hinges to get to him. He was trapped.

It was over.

RACHEL! he yelled looking up at the ceiling.

Something grabbed hold of his whole body and pulled so hard that it felt like his bones were going to be ripped out of his skin. White flashing lights shot through his eyes as he burst out of his own subconscious and back into the real world. It was like being underwater and running out of breath then breaching the surface and taking that first gasp.

It only took a few seconds to for his senses to return. He was in Sophinia’s mansion, lying on a couch in the library. The endless rows of books lined the walls and the chandeliers above held bright light bulbs. On the large wooden table at the back of the room were a few stacks of books that they'd been going through lately. Ironically the ones he'd been reading had nothing to do with the occult but would definitely come in handy since they were about forensic science and human anatomy.

Rachel was stood next to him, her hand pulling away from being rested on his head during the attempt. Her groomed blond hair and fashion label cloths seemed more colorful than before. As did Sophinia and Cass’s pale white skin. Somehow all their features seemed amplified for a second and that only made them more beautiful. They always looked great, like they'd had eighty years worth of beauty-therapy experience. Cass, and Soph actually did but Rachel seemed to manage it on sheer auto-pilot.

Sophinia's caring, awe-inspiring presence was clear as she moved forward because her wings stretched out slightly in concern. She gently brushed her hand across his face, her cold fingers letting him know that he was back. He could see her eyes analyzing every part of him, trying to confirm that he was safe. She was so over-protective sometimes.

Jerry found it annoying and wonderful. He'd never had a mother before.

So, I guess fourth time ain’t a charm either? Cass asked rubbing her temple with her fingers.

Jerry shook his head, trying to get his brain working properly again. It was always a bit of a jolt, diving into your own subconscious for a while.

Focus Daniel, was anything different? Sophinia asked carefully. Her wings folded neatly behind her back again and platinum hair was in a bun which was a shame because it was amazing when it was