Undead Uprising Chapter 19
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This week’s Wicked Wednesday brings you another installment of my urban fantasy involving a twist to the werewolf mythology, battles with vampires and a struggle for control in a werewolf pack. I hope you like this next free chapter that I’m offering you.
In the prior chapter, Catalina is out on the hunt and has encountered a vampire elder. She battles the elder and triumphs, but suddenly senses the fight is not yet over. The battle continues in this chapter.
For those of you who may have missed the first chapters, you can read them here:
Chapter 19
She rose slowly, not wanting to give away the element of surprise.
Immediately behind her came the sound of a footfall, but only one. She whirled to avoid him, but the vamp flying through the air still managed to get a jab into her side with the silver-tipped pike he held in one hand. The leather and then the chain mail kept the pike from breaking through her skin, but the blow was strong enough that a rib cracked with a sickening snap.
Shit. She tucked her left arm tight against her to blunt the pain and immobilize her injured side. The last thing she needed was for the broken bone to puncture her lung.
The vampire landed before her. Older than the newly turned vamp, but not an elder. Infinitely bigger than the first two, with the build of a WWE wrestler. All big overblown hard as rock muscle. Plus, a cocky air wafted about him that said he planned on doing some damage before he killed her. That was clear as well — he had no doubt he would defeat her.
He held the pike like a gladiator, jabbing at her and keeping her too far away to use her sword. As for the crossbow, it rested in the middle of her back, useless for now. To reach it, she risked puncturing her lung and if that happened . . .
They circled around each other, the vampire prodding and jabbing at her. Catalina blocked the thrusts with her sword. Their little dance took her closer and closer to the body of the dead younger vampire. The one with the quarterstaff.
When she was almost upon the young vamp, she switched the sword to her left hand and bending, picked up the shaft of the staff in her right. Pain lanced through her side with the motion, but she bit it back and concentrated on the fight.
They were equals now distance-wise. With the staff she thrust out as well as deflected the pike. She landed a few blows to his body, which angered him. That was good. Anger clouded judgment.
She continued her attack, prodding at his midsection, even managing to catch him between the legs, but he had prepared for that with some kind of padding. The blow to his groin did little to slow him. If anything, attacking his manhood only enraged him more. He finally did what she wanted.
He came at her, the pike close to his body and seemingly forgotten in his rage to get his hands on her and make the fight more personal.
She seized the opportunity, bringing the quarterstaff up under his chin and delivering a punishing blow to his trachea. He dropped the pike and fell back, grabbing at his throat. A weak wheezing sound erupted from him. He frantically clawed at his neck, fighting for air. Vampires didn’t need much, but he obviously wasn’t getting enough.
Dropping the staff and kicking the pike out of his reach, she stood before him, cradling her injured side. His death would be the slow one he had envisioned for her. Already his eyes were bulging from the lack of air. His milk pale skin gained a bluish tinge as he continued working at his throat. Given that he was a vamp, he might linger that way for awhile. Might even recover if he could free his passageway and heal.
Catalina freed his throat for him, thrusting her sword forward, clear through his neck and spine.
He looked up at her, still alive since her blow had not totally decapitated him. It couldn’t since she lacked the mobility to make it a clean move thanks to the injury to her rib. He had sealed the mode of his death with his one blow.
She ripped out her sword, plunged forward again and again until the head finally dropped off his shoulders to land at her feet.
A sloppy kill, only she didn’t have time to think about it. Her body had begun to heal, but with the rib bone out of place. If it did that, she would have to have it rebroken into its proper position.
Slipping her sword into its scabbard, she stepped over the vamp’s body and headed to edge of the building where she leaned against the ledge and slid down. She couldn’t lift the jerkin over her head, so she settled for slipping her one hand up beneath it. Also not as easy due to the tighter fit of the garment thanks to the chain mail beneath. But if it hadn’t been for that protection . . .
She hadn’t been as lucky in these past two outings as she had in the past. How much longer would it be before her luck totally ran out? Before some vampire had a better night than she did, exacting their own brand of vampire vengeance for centuries of being hunted?
When would it ever end? she wondered and ran her hand over her ribs. She located the broken one and the tip of it, bending inward dangerously toward her lung. She managed to shift the broken tip back, toward its mate.
A chill sweat broke out over her body as she did so and waves of pain nauseated her. She pressed on, a warmth inside her body warning that the wolf’s powers of healing were already at work. Knitting bone back together with bone.
Stars and blackness swirled before her eyes as she maintained her hold. Just a little bit longer, she thought and as she waited for the healing to finish, recollected why she was caught in this war.
How it had all begun.
Copyright 2009 Caridad Pineiro Scordato
I still like this book. It is in line with a lot of what is on the shelves in bookstores now. So I can’t understand why it isn’t published. An editor somewhere missed the boat on this one. I wish I had enough ink in my printer to print the whole thing out. I will someday when I win the lottery. LOL. Have a great day and thanks for the new chapter. Hugs to all.
I like the book but the chapters are just too short. It feels disjointed somehow. Please consider longer chapters since we have to wait so long to get one. Thanks
Thanks, Leigh! Will think about making them longer or running them more often. I’m glad you’re liking the book, though.