Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. It has no intentions of resembling any real persons dead or alive. This is entirely from my imagination, with a little help from already established sources. This story is based loosely on the comic book character "The Punisher" from Marvel Comics. Other characters may appear from Marvel comics as well as DC Comics.
Punisher and all related characters copyright Marvel Comics.
Blade and all related characters copyright Marvel Comics.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel copyright Joss Whedon, United Paramount Network and Warner Bros. Respectively.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
This series in Marvel Knights crosses over heavily in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight." Look for Blade, Punisher and Ghost Rider to be featured heavily in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight." Any comments may be sent to authorjames2002@yahoo.com
Thank you and enjoy.
Other stories set in this universe: "Tales of a Superhero Band" "Tales of the New Phoenix"
Chapter 6 Vampire Terror
The next day, Harris, Davey, Tandy and Ty went to school thankful for the respite from vampire hunting. Harris was thankful to be out and about. Sitting behind the computer for hours on end was taking its toll. He was even thankful for gym class, even though he hated having to participate.
When he got changed and went out on the floor and stood in line, he noticed several students that he was not aware of before.
'Must be new,' he thought.
The gym coach came out onto the floor and walked up and down the line like a drill sergeant would. "We are playing dodge ball today. You know what that means. We pick sides and you play."
The gym coach called on Harris and another student to pick sides. Harris was surprised but thankful. He being the "leader" meant he wouldn't get picked last like he normally does. His first pick was one of the new students. He didn't want them to feel left out, either. But by the looks of them, they wouldn't have been left out. They were in very good shape for their age and were very attractive.
Soon the sides were picked and the teams went to their respective sides. The balls were thrown out into the middle of the floor and the whistle blown. Most of the students ran to try and be the first to a ball. Harris knew how well this game was played, so he stayed back to watch the others.
One of the new students got to a ball first. He stepped back and let the ball fly. It hit a kid in the arm and the kid spun around, his arm flailing. He let out a cry of pain and was escorted off the floor not given a second thought.
Another of the students let the ball fly and it hit one of the students in the stomach. The student stumbled backwards several steps, further than what a normal impact would have been. Harris was getting concerned.
"Coach," one of the students from the other side said running up to the gym teacher. "Dustin's arm! Its broken!"
"What?" the coach said. "That's not possible! None of you can throw that hard!"
"I'm telling you it is! Come see!"
The coach got up and followed the student over toward Dustin.
Harris overheard everything that was said and realized it was the new students with this unbelievable strength. He saw a new girl take aim for another student. Harris could see she was aiming for the face.
'I can't let her do it. She could kill him.'
Harris took a chance and dived for a ball as it whizzed by. Him catching the ball meant the thrower had to go sit down. The students on his team were surprised. He was normally one of the first ones out, especially if he went after a ball.
Harris, however, didn't take any notice to his amazing feat. He took aim and, as the new student let the ball fly, he threw his as hard as he could. Harris's ball whizzed in the air and got a little ahead of the new student's ball when the new student's projectile hit. His ball popped with the impact and the sound resonated throughout the gymnasium.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned at the sound. Several eyes looked from Harris to the girl. The girl turned and looked at Harris, narrowing her eyes. He stared back.
Then the coach told everyone to change and come back and sit. He escorted the student with the broken arm and the one who was hit in the stomach with the ball to the nurse's office to be examined.
Harris went to the locker room with the other teenage boys and found his locker. Since there hadn't been any sweating done, most of the boys just changed back into their school clothes. As he finished tying his shoes, Harris noticed he was alone in the locker room. He grabbed his book bag, tossed his gym clothes into the locker, and headed toward the door. He exited and turned to go up the stairs that went to the gym and, standing at the top of the steps, were two of the three who had hurled the balls with super strength.
Harris stopped and looked at them. Their eyes were cold and emotionless. The young man turned around and went out the doorway to the basement. He turned right and headed down the hallway. About ten steps away from the door to the locker room, he heard it open. He looked back to see the two boys coming toward him, followed by the girl, who exited the girls' locker room.
"Oh, great," he muttered to himself. "Sunlight. I have to get to sunlight."
Harris rushed up the steps and heard the teens' pace increase. When he got to the ground level, Harris headed for the doors outside. He pushed them open and stepped into the sunlight. Then, he stopped and turned around to face the doors.
'I'm going to enjoy this,' he thought. 'Vampires can't go out in sunlight.'
To his shock, the three teens came out the door and walked into the sunlight as well.
"Oh, shit," Harris declared.
He reached for a stake that he kept in his bag. One of the three grabbed his hand and pulled it out of the bag. The girl grabbed the bag and looked through it. She found the silver stake and pulled it out, showing her friends.
"You are with them," the blonde teen said.
"So, what of it?" Harris asked.
"We are here to find them and kill them. I guess that means you, as well."
The girl and the boy grabbed his arms to hold him in place while the blonde boy approached him. Harris took a risk and swung his leg up and kicked the blonde between the legs. The blonde grabbed himself and fell to his knees.
"Help!" the teen cried out. "Someone help! Tandy! Davey! Anyone!"
Tandy came back from the bathroom and sat down at her desk in the back row. She looked out the window at the sky and trees from the second floor, resuming her daydreaming as she always did in math class. As she looked out, she heard someone call for help. She looked down and saw Harris being held by two teenagers.
'I'm surprised they are messing with him,' Tandy thought. 'After what he did to Larry, most of the kids here won't mess with him.'
As Tandy watched, the blonde who had been hunched over changed. Before her eyes, his hands turned into large claws and wings burst through his shirt.
"Oh, my God!" Tandy exclaimed. "That shirt was awesome! Wasn't it the latest Abercrombie & Fitch?!"
Then she realized what happened to the blonde. She stood up, grabbed her purse and ran out the door.
"Tandy!" the teacher called out but her words fell on deaf ears.
Tandy ran down the steps and out the door.
The gargoyle was moving up to Harris readying itself for a feast, when suddenly something sharp was jabbed into its chest. It reared back and screeched. Blood poured from its wound in the back as Tandy's silver stake pierced its heart. Its claws reached back attempting to remove the stake from its back but with no luck. It turned around and looked at Tandy.
The girl released her grip on Harris's arm and grabbed the silver stake to pull it out. Harris took advantage and swung his fist around hitting the boy in the face. The boy released his grip on Harris as he clutched his nose. Harris grabbed his bag and his silver stake and readied himself for a fight.
The boy he punched recovered from the attack and looked narrowly on Harris.
"Run!" Tandy said to Harris.
Harris took off running back into the school to look for Davey. Davey was in his literature class, he remembered, so that is where he headed. The doors opened up and the girl and boy were running after him.
"Oh, God," he thought as he rounded the corner. He saw Davey's classroom up ahead and felt closer to hope.
"Davey!" he exclaimed as he barged in the door.
The teacher, as well as all her students, turned to Harris. "Is there something we can help you with?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Davey. Is he here?"
"He went to the restroom," the teacher answered.
"Thanks," Harris said.
He turned around and saw the boys' room down the hall. He ran as fast as he could only to be interrupted by the two teens coming around the corner. Harris tried to stop, but he slid and fell backwards. He attempted scrambling away but the boy reached down and grabbed his collar.
"Excuse me," a voice said from behind him.
The boy and girl turned to see who spoke to them.
"No one fucks with my boyfriend," a very familiar voice to Harris stated.
"Davey," he muttered. "Thank God."
Davey smiled at the girl as she swung her fist around and punched him. Davey spun around and flew into the lockers.
"Oh, that is sooo not cool," Davey replied.
The mutant turned around and snap-kicked catching the girl in the face. She stumbled backwards. Davey then did a side kick with all his strength and kicked the girl in the stomach. She flew down the hall at least three classroom lengths.
The boy watched in amazement as his friend got kicked. He looked up at Davey as Davey's foot came around and connected with his face. The boy spun around and into the brick wall. Davey reached down and helped Harris up.
"So what are you doing getting into fights at school?"
"They aren't human," Harris said.
"What?"
"He's telling the truth," Tandy said as she came running down the hall. "These are the vampires that Whistler told us about, the kind that isn't vulnerable to sunlight, silver, holy water, and crosses."
Davey and Harris saw the creature Tandy had fought outside coming behind her.
"We need to get out of here," Davey said.
As the creature neared, Tandy created a light dagger and hurled it at the creature. It moved out of the way and the light dagger hit the wall.
"Toward the cafeteria," Harris said, and the three headed off toward the cafeteria away from the creatures.
"They're following us!" Tandy yelled as she brought up the rear.
"That's good! We don't want them attacking the other students!"
"You should go hide somewhere," Davey said to Harris as they neared the cafeteria.
"Why?"
"Because you aren't strong like us."
The three ran into the cafeteria and found a place to take cover.
"What are you saying?" Harris asked, obviously hurt by Davey's statement.
"I'm saying I don't want you in the thick of things. You aren't strong like us. You could get hurt easily. I don't want that to happen."
"I don't, either. But I can help."
"Harris, you are good with the computer and research, but you can't fight them. Right now we need strength and abilities beyond normal human capacity."
'I'm not good enough,' Harris thought. "Fine," he said in defeat. "When the fighting starts, I'll sneak out through the back."
Davey and Tandy nodded. The creatures came in through the doors and looked around.
"Over here!" Tandy said standing up and hurling a few light daggers at the creatures.
One of the daggers impacted the vampire and it falls over paralyzed.
"That got their attention. Get ready!"
Davey turned to Harris. "When we go after them, you crawl through the door, okay?"
Harris nodded in agreement.
"One...two...three!"
Tandy and Davey leapt over the barrier and went after the remaining two vampires. Davey flipped forward and kicked a vampire in the face. Then he spun around and kicked the vampire in the stomach. It flew through the air and out a window.
"We're trying to contain them," Tandy said, "not let them out."
"Sorry! It was an accident!"
Tandy ducked a slash by the vampire she faced off with. It was attempting to cut into her with its talons. She then rolled between its legs and kicked it in the back of the knee causing it to lose balance and fall. She grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it over the creature's head. Then she reached down and snapped its neck.
"Good job!" Davey replied.
The vampire reverted back to its human state and Tandy looked at it in horror. It appeared as if she had snapped the neck of a teenage boy.
The vampire she paralyzed with her light dagger came to and saw what happened to its friend. It shrieked in grief and snatched the body up. Then it soared through the open window.
"Tandy, are you okay?" Davey said walking up to the Slayer.
"That scared me," she replied. "It looked like I snapped a human being's neck."
"I know. But it was a vampire. You saw it change yourself." After a moment's pause, "Come on, we need to look for Harris."
The vampire soared into the sky well out of sight. In a short space of time, the vampire carried its fallen into the lair of Ambika, the vampire leader.
"Hello, my pets," she said when she heard the flap of leathery wings. "Tell me, how did the chaos go today? Well, I hope."
When Ambika saw the dead vampire, she cried out in pain. "Those wretched creatures! They killed my pet! They must be punished! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a death for a death! I will have to kill one of their pets!"
Tandy and Davey found Harris hiding in a nearby custodian's closet down the hall. Tears were coming down his face.
"Harris, are you okay?" Tandy asked.
"Fine," he replied standing up and walking past them.
"Harris," Davey said trying to get his attention. But he was ignored.
"What's he upset about?"
"What I said to him," Davey answered. "He's hurt by what I said. I just didn't want him getting hurt."
"We don't have time for that now. School is almost out and I'm sure Whistler will want to know about this."
A few hours later, the Watcher heard Tandy's story of the earlier events. When she finished, he replied, "You snapped its neck."
"Mm, hmm," she answered.
"Lovely. Of course, that doesn't kill these vampires."
"It doesn't?"
"No. The only way for them to die is severe blood loss. It will heal and be pissed off at you for making it hurt a hell of a lot."
"Great!" Tandy said. "Just great!"
"At least we know these vampires are in town," Ty said. "We can deal with them."
Across town at Ambika's lair, the "dead" vampire stirred and slowly awoke. It reverted back to the teenage boy and was joined by his two vampire colleagues.
"That bitch," he said. "She broke my neck."
"Now you get to break hers," Ambika said with a smile. "We'll have a party, singing and dancing."
Ambika began to twirl around the room as if hearing ballroom music.
"It will be a dead party. We'll invite all our friends!"
To Be Continued...