Chapter 6

This may be the last chapter, at least plot-wise.

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Peace and love

"He's coming" Scáthach whispered. She unsheathed her twin swords from their holsters and stuck them into the green grass beneath her.

Billy looked up from his gun, a Winchester rifle full of silver bullets. He had his two colts, Colt single action .44 and a Colt double-action .41 caliber strapped around his hips, and an ammunition belt looped around his waist.

"How far?" he asked, moving from his lookout point over to where the red-head was standing. Her hair was tousled in the midnight wind, and Billy reached out and gently tucked a stay strand of hair behind her ear. Scáthach was comforted by Billy's bold gesture, but pushed away any thoughts of the teenage outlaw. She turned away from him, and answered.

"Not far, half a mile."

It began with a rustling of the trees; the first vamp stumbled into the ambush site, too intoxicated off the smell of vampire, and immortal blood to notice the glistening combustion fluids on the porch.

Billy stayed perfectly still from behind the house. Not his target. His target was the head vamp, Oleander.

Twenty more vamps came crawling out of the trees before he saw Oleander. Tall, and painfully thin, there was no colour anywhere on his except for two spots of blood on his chin.

Scáthach was nowhere to be seen, take him out now or wait? Billy had the fastest draw in the west but this was a vampire, and not just any vampires. The Dispatcher of the Lost. He recalled the passage about him in the vamp lexicon…

Elijah Oleander, also known as The Dispatcher of the Lost, Wraith of beggars and lepers, a lonely one who leads the lost, not into the light but into damnation.

Billy shouldered his rifle, and set the vamp in his sights. He was moving slowly but surely, an easy target.

Oleander moved slowly towards the cottage, a faint smile playing on his white lips. The others swarmed together and descended on the porch, excited and frenzied by the infusion of vampire and immortal blood. The front door was ripped open by a heavy-set vamp, and the stampede began. The vamps screeched and howled with joy, climbing and shoving each other aside in order to gain access to the house.

All at once there was a blood-curdling scream, as fire raced along the combustion fuel path, up to the porch. The vamps that were staggering up the steps were the first to catch fire. Panic spread almost as fast as the fire did, and Billy allowed himself a small victory smile. The vampires outside were almost engulfed by the fire, and several sought refuge in the cottage. There was a strong smell of burning in the air now, and Billy could see the flames inside the cottage.

There was a tug at his hand, and he turned around. Scáthach was standing behind him, her sword covered in the stale blood of the vampires.

"Quickly" she said, dragging Billy away. "Might explode any minute now". They skirted around the path, and watched as the little house went up in flames. The first explosion destroyed the windows, sending shards of glass into the mob of vampires. Many howled in pain. But it was the second explosion, of the collection of fuels that wiped out the majority of the creatures. There was an almighty whoosh of escaping gases. The flames from the house soared, and the vampires let out several dying cries, followed by an eerie silence of flames crackling. The dispatcher was nowhere to be seen.

"The trees" Billy whispered, and pointed to the grouping of vegetation that were already on fire. The flames from the roof had begun licking at the trees nearby, something that Scáthach hadn't counted on. Several other dying vampires had set fire to the bushes surrounding the lake. The intense inferno was descending on them rapidly.

Scathach swore under her breath, and glanced around quickly. She grabbed Billy's hand before he could protest.

"The lake." Billy shouted over the roaring fires that threatened to consume them both. He grabbed hold of both his guns, and tugged the red-head down towards the water.

She was stiff and unyielding, her hand slipped from his grasp. Billy ploughed on, straight into the lake. It was only when he was knee-high in water did he turn around to face Scathach. She was stood on the shore, small yet resolute.

"What are you waiting for?" Billy shouted, the irritation rising in his voice. Already there were half-dying vampires heading towards the lake, towards her. The fire was truly surrounding them now, devouring ever tree and scrub in sight.

There was no reason for her hesitation, unless she was waiting for Oleander.

Billy's jeans were soaked and despite the immense heat of the fire, his teeth began to chatter, and goose bumps rose on his arms.

Scáthach turned to hack at a struggling vampire, and Billy raced back up the shore. He grabbed her elbow and began hauling her towards the water.

"No, stop…" she struggled, and lashed out. She caught him squarely in the face, before spinning him around and holding him in an arm lock. Billy kicked her legs out from under her, and using his strength against her, pinned her to the ground. His breathing was laboured, and his nose dripped blood, but he was mostly annoyed.

She struggled again, but Billy held her arms down.

"Let's go, Oleander can wait." He reasoned.

"But he's still out there, my sister-" Scáthach spat out, still writhing against him.

"Please, before it's too late." Billy pleaded. After a long hesitation, Scáthach nodded her head slightly.

Before leaping off her, Billy inclined his head briefly and kissed her soundly on the lips. Scáthach struggled against him again, and began to murmur. Her hand flowed to his waist before settling on his thigh.

Billy lifted his head from hers, as Scáthach's hand grabbed hold of his colt. She pushed Billy to the ground and fired two clean shots into the fire. Through the darkness of the smoke, it was impossible to see if she'd hit anything.

Until they heard the thud of the body drop. The slender body fell on the scorched earth, no less than 20 metres away. Two bullet wounds seen clearly. One to the head, and one to the chest.

Scáthach spun around and placed the colt in Billy's holster.

"He was there… the whole time?" He asked incredulously. Billy shook his head in disbelief. Scáthach smiled sweetly up at him.

"Least we know the silver bullets work." She finished, and grabbed his hand, hauling him back into the water.

The whole estate literally went up in smoke that night. They waded into the lake to avoid the fires. And Scáthach laughed when Billy tripped and fell in completely, soaking his t-shirt and hair. Billy tried splashing her, but she stealthily avoided any water hitting her. In the end Billy grabbed her, and did what any kid would do, when their friend is dry and they are wet. He hugged her, soaking her as much as possible and even shaking his head like a dog, making her hair damp. She shrieked and laughed.

Billy struggled up the other side of the lake, and hauled Scáthach up. Together they watched the fires rise and fall until nothing but charcoal and ash remained.