had been used during the Blood Wars and after the vamps had taken over New York and turned it into their capital, Nachtstadt, to escape the Troika’s slaughter patrols.
The tunnels under the blood camps were still in use; they were clean and well lit. According to Matri, the vamps use them to transport laundry and food to the main building, where the top officers lived and worked. Special prisoners were given access since they provided the labor for those services. Prisoners who’d earned the honor wore special red uniforms. The vampire in charge of the uniforms was a female guard called Billy. I didn’t know her real name, nor did I care, but Matri told me the nickname referred to the female’s resemblance to a goat. “She’s about as smart as one too,” Matri had added.
The thing I learned about vampires—especially those on power trips, and weren’t they all?—was that they always underestimated humans. If they’d respected us as foes or recognized that our desperation made us determined and resourceful, they would have assigned more guards. But as it happened, Billy was alone.
She rose from her chair—and rose and rose. Matri hadn’t mentioned that Billy was well over six feet tall. Her eyes were wide apart, almost on the sides of her face instead of anywhere near the center. Her pupils weren’t vertical like a goat’s but her irises were pure black and lacking all empathy.
The uniform vault was located inside a caged room. Through the door behind Billy, I could see rows of different-colored uniforms on racks that rose several feet in the air. The plain uniforms we’d brought with us on the train that day filled most of the room, but my eye was drawn to a single row of red uniforms on the top bar. It wouldn’t be easy to reach them, but first we had to get through Billy.
“You’re not allowed in here.” Her voice was scratchy and high, but paired with her imposing size the effect was unsettling. “Who sent you?”
Zed bowed his head and whispered, “Matri sent us.”
Billy frowned. “She has no authority here. Go.” She crossed her arms to punctuate the command.
“She said we were to report here to get uniforms.” He stepped forward to continue speaking, but his hands were behind his back and he waved his fingers to the right.
I glanced that direction. Strapped to the wall was a long pole with a hook on the end. I realized this must be the tool Billy used to reach the uniforms on the upper racks. The hook had a protrusion at the top. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut through flesh on its own, but with enough weight I might be able to break skin.
Billy came around to the front of the metal desk. “Leave or I will have you taken to the Komandant’s office.”
As it happened, that’s exactly where we wanted to be, but not that way. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding,” I said. “We’ve only just arrived to the camp and were assigned to the children’s barracks. Matri said she didn’t have enough uni—”
“I do not care. This is not how things are done.” She was already reaching for the phone.
“Wait!” Zed said, leaping forward.
Billy sprung around with a hiss and flashed a large set of fangs. Zed froze, his hands raised to show he meant no harm.
“Do not move.” Her voice was low and mean, filled with deadly promise. She turned back around to grab the phone.
I grabbed the pole off the wall and swung it around. Zed ducked just as the hook sliced the air above his head. I ran and pushed all my weight behind the pole and thrust it toward Billy’s back.
Just as the tip made contact, she turned. The point bounced off her shoulder blade and glanced across the broad plane of her back. Because of the length of the pole, I didn’t have the luxury of turning quickly. Spinning back around took forever, and by the time I managed it, Billy was ready for me.
She came at me with a snarl of fangs and fists.
“Carmina!” Zed yelled.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a
The tunnels under the blood camps were still in use; they were clean and well lit. According to Matri, the vamps use them to transport laundry and food to the main building, where the top officers lived and worked. Special prisoners were given access since they provided the labor for those services. Prisoners who’d earned the honor wore special red uniforms. The vampire in charge of the uniforms was a female guard called Billy. I didn’t know her real name, nor did I care, but Matri told me the nickname referred to the female’s resemblance to a goat. “She’s about as smart as one too,” Matri had added.
The thing I learned about vampires—especially those on power trips, and weren’t they all?—was that they always underestimated humans. If they’d respected us as foes or recognized that our desperation made us determined and resourceful, they would have assigned more guards. But as it happened, Billy was alone.
She rose from her chair—and rose and rose. Matri hadn’t mentioned that Billy was well over six feet tall. Her eyes were wide apart, almost on the sides of her face instead of anywhere near the center. Her pupils weren’t vertical like a goat’s but her irises were pure black and lacking all empathy.
The uniform vault was located inside a caged room. Through the door behind Billy, I could see rows of different-colored uniforms on racks that rose several feet in the air. The plain uniforms we’d brought with us on the train that day filled most of the room, but my eye was drawn to a single row of red uniforms on the top bar. It wouldn’t be easy to reach them, but first we had to get through Billy.
“You’re not allowed in here.” Her voice was scratchy and high, but paired with her imposing size the effect was unsettling. “Who sent you?”
Zed bowed his head and whispered, “Matri sent us.”
Billy frowned. “She has no authority here. Go.” She crossed her arms to punctuate the command.
“She said we were to report here to get uniforms.” He stepped forward to continue speaking, but his hands were behind his back and he waved his fingers to the right.
I glanced that direction. Strapped to the wall was a long pole with a hook on the end. I realized this must be the tool Billy used to reach the uniforms on the upper racks. The hook had a protrusion at the top. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut through flesh on its own, but with enough weight I might be able to break skin.
Billy came around to the front of the metal desk. “Leave or I will have you taken to the Komandant’s office.”
As it happened, that’s exactly where we wanted to be, but not that way. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding,” I said. “We’ve only just arrived to the camp and were assigned to the children’s barracks. Matri said she didn’t have enough uni—”
“I do not care. This is not how things are done.” She was already reaching for the phone.
“Wait!” Zed said, leaping forward.
Billy sprung around with a hiss and flashed a large set of fangs. Zed froze, his hands raised to show he meant no harm.
“Do not move.” Her voice was low and mean, filled with deadly promise. She turned back around to grab the phone.
I grabbed the pole off the wall and swung it around. Zed ducked just as the hook sliced the air above his head. I ran and pushed all my weight behind the pole and thrust it toward Billy’s back.
Just as the tip made contact, she turned. The point bounced off her shoulder blade and glanced across the broad plane of her back. Because of the length of the pole, I didn’t have the luxury of turning quickly. Spinning back around took forever, and by the time I managed it, Billy was ready for me.
She came at me with a snarl of fangs and fists.
“Carmina!” Zed yelled.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a
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