Book 2 First Night (14)

Book 2 First Night (14)

Matoba reflexively jumped back. Moments later, the vampire had jammed her fist into the ground he stood on just seconds before. Crushed bits of pebbles brushed against his cheek, sending jolts of pain throughout his entire body. Crouching down, Matoba stretched his left arm towards a grenade hanging from the belt on his hip. More specifically, it was a flashbang that emitted a powerful burst of light upon impact. Swiftly removing the pin, he lobbed it to the front.

Although he had immediately closed his eyes beforehand, they still hurt from the resultant flash of light.

Matoba opened his eyes. The vampire put both her hands over her eyes, halted in place. She would not be blinded for long. He took out his magazine. Had to hurry. He jammed the replacement magazine in place. It went in with a satisfying click. His foe was quickly recovering from the shock of the flashbang. He readied his carbine for a full-auto barrage. Made it just in time. Twenty rounds drove straight into her body in less than a second.

GAAAAH.!

The vampire collapsed atop the rail tracks, twitching little by little with every waking moment.

She was still alive. Good grief, just how tough is this bitch? Matoba emptied the rest of his ammo on her. Putting away his carbine, he pulled out his beloved 9mm, shooting at her once more. Every one of his shots hit its mark. No good, shes still alive. Dropping the empty mag to the ground with a flick of his thumb, Matoba immediately reloaded his pistol. Another ten shots followed. Though he had initially aimed for her head, her incessant floundering had caused several of his bullets to miss.

Eventually, he ran out of ammunition for his pistol. And yet, his target was still moving.

He drew the backup revolver behind his ankle. Five .38 caliber rounds were fired off. They mercilessly penetrated the vampires body. The sound of gunfire resounded throughout the tunnel.

Gaah

He shuddered. The vampire did not die. Her bloodshot eyes bored into Matobas skull as she began to stand up.

You gotta be kidding me!

The only weapon Matoba had left was a small knife hidden within his belt.

A cold sweat ran down his forehead as the vampire leaped towards him. Compared to her previous attacks, this felt particularly weak at the same time, it felt as though she had put her very being into this one strike.

Dodging it was beyond his control. Using the carbine slung across his shoulders as a shield, he managed to block her fangs from ripping out his throat.

ghk!

He fell on his backside. On top of him, the vampire straddled his waist. She was immensely powerful. It was almost as if bags of cement had been piled atop his body. No matter how he struggled, he could not force her back. At this rate, he would be crushed just like under one of those hydraulic press machines.

Ti

He spotted Tilarna out of the corner of his eye. It was no use. She was still unconscious. Completely motionless. He could not possibly rely on her help.

Matoba pushed against her with his carbine, hoping to stave off her fangs. She was mere centimeters away from his face. He could feel her cold breath on his skin. Fuck weightlifting. The muscles on his arms were trembling all over. The railway pressing against his back hurt like hell. Somehow, it was shivering as well.

No it was not his back that was shaking. The rails were.

It was subtle at first. And yet, these tremors were getting increasingly large and powerful. The sound of a carriage chugging away on the rails with that ever-so-regular rhythm.

A train was approaching the two of them.

Operating hours should have begun by now, but this was probably just a carriage deadheading its employees.

Moreover, it was fast. It would soon arrive at their location.

As he continued to desperately resist the vampire on the ground, Matoba shifted his line of sight to the tunnel depths. He could see the headlights coming from the lead car. The thunderous roar of the train echoed throughout the tunnel, accompanied by the intense rattling of the train tracks. It was racing along at full speed.

Yes. Though she may have been a Lad Neven, to be reduced to such a state

Her voice betrayed just the slightest hint of frustration.

As expected, taking her alive had been an impossible task.

Course it was. We were this close to dying ourselves. And you expected us to hold back? I put everything into that bitch. Rifle ammo, 9mm rounds, .38 calibers. It still wasnt enough to finish her off.

In the end, that was all your Dorini weapons amounted to.

Fuck.

Matoba got up, wiping off the dirt on his suit.

More importantly, Kei. Where is my thanks for saving you from that grisly fate?

Tch.

Matoba turned up his nose, unamused.

Tch? Is that how you express gratitude in your country?

Shut it. If you hadnt gone and played hero, we wouldnt have gotten in that mess in the first place. Jumping into the fray on your own, getting yourself knocked out in the process. I deserve an apology, thats what.

You are truly the worst, Khe Imatuba. You are

I didnt ask for your help.

That again!? How much longer do you intend to rot, cretin!?

Im calling backup.

I shall not save you the next time. Never again!

Oh, sure, sure. Do what you want, princess.

Seeing him disembark the train, Matoba began walking towards the conductor. Following behind, Tilarna continued her barrage of insults against him. He could only irritatedly wave his hand, paying her no further attention. Even if his mouth were to be torn to pieces, Matoba had no intention of ever saying thanks.

For now, the hard part was over.

Next was the report. Asking the local authorities to clean up the crime scene. And, good old-fashioned paperwork. He would not be done until the morning.

Suffer all you can, huh?

He said to no one in particular.

I envy those guys. Sleeping in their coffins all day. Sounds just perfect to me.

Translators Notes:

Dictionary definition: (of a commercial driver, etc.) complete a trip without paying passengers or freight. )Farbanian for Stop! Do you wanna get us both killed!?The Farbanian word for vampire.'A pun on Kei Matobas name. Literally means Dreadful Kitten in Farbanian.