Fingertips barely extended over the lip of the hole, Aaron struggled to hang on with one hand while Eliza hoisted herself up his leg, reaching for his outstretched hand. Her fingers landed in his palm, and he attempted to pull her up, but her hand was slick with sweat and slipped free just as he was about to toss her up to reach solid ground. Letting out a small yelp, she grabbed hold of his boot and started the process again.
“You’ve got it, Eliza.” He tried to keep the impatience out of his voice as her hand clasped ahold of his black pants at the knee. He wasn’t helping anyone while he was stuck in this pit, and if it weren’t for the other Guardian, he’d be out by now. Once again, Eliza reached his hand. This time, her grip was tighter, and she held on firmly as he swung her up. Both palms on the ground above her, Eliza pushed up and managed to spring free of the hole.
She dropped to her knees, offering him her hand, and Aaron hesitated to take it. He didn’t need it, and he didn’t completely trust her. Not that it would take Daunator to infiltrate her brain and turn her against him, either. She’d already gotten him almost killed by Laura, and that wasn’t the first time Eliza’s behavior had put her teammates in danger.
Still, it would be faster if she could pull him up. Without letting go of the ground, he swung his free arm around and she grabbed his hand, pulling him up to the narrow sliver of earth still situated between the holes in the ground. “Thanks,” Aaron said, wiping his hands on his pants.
“Thank you.” Her burgundy hair was still in place despite the trials, and he imagined his ex still used practically an entire can of hairspray every morning. “We’ve got company.”
Aaron turned to see one of the Vampires closing in on them. A Guardian from Russia, Mikelli, lie on the ground nearby, grasping an arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
“You go, and I’ll hold him off,” Eliza said, but Aaron could tell she wouldn’t be able to do this on her own. If the Vampire could do that to Mikelli, he could rip Eliza’s arm off completely. With a quick glance in Cadence’s direction, he saw that she and Christian were making progress but Daunator fought on, so he decided the quicker he could end this assailant, the better.
“Almost there!” Elliott shouted behind him as Aaron pulled his blade. The hulk in front of him was at least a foot taller than the Guardian Leader even without distorting himself. He wore a long black duster that blended in with the night sky behind him, and his red-rimmed eyes seemed to glow as an evil grin took over his face. Aaron would appreciate Elliott’s assistance, but for now, Eliza would have to do.
She didn’t hesitate. Even before the monster narrowed in on them, she went flying over the openings in the ground and jabbed her knife into his shoulder. He laughed and brushed her off like she was an annoying insect. Eliza teetered on the edge of one of the holes but kept her balance, and Aaron pulled out the only weapon capable of ending this bloodsucker definitively, and quickly, if he had any luck—Van’s knife.
While Eliza attempted to recover, Aaron waited for the Vampire to close in. The brute chuckled. “If it isn’t the famous Guardian Leader himself. I might not be able to kill you, but I can mess up that pretty face of yours.”
His accent was definitely Hungarian, but he sounded as if he’d come from another century, and Aaron wondered how long he’d been hibernating in the ground with Daunator. There wasn’t much time to ponder the question as the hulk swung at him. Aaron dodged out of the way, bringing his own fist around and catching the monster in the back. It was like punching a brick wall; not only did the Vampire show no reaction whatsoever, every bone in Aaron’s hand ached with fracture.
He’d have to react to the pain later. The Vampire’s talons grew longer as he swiped back in Aaron’s direction, catching his shoulder. A swift kick to the gut had the monster backing up as blood spread across Aaron’s leather jacket. Eliza had recovered now, and seeing the Vampire on the brink of falling into one of the pits, she lowered her shoulder and rammed full speed ahead.
Her attempt was greeted in much the same way as the fist Aaron had thrown, and the petite Guardian’s body seemed to reverberate for a moment before she sprawled backward on the ground. The Vampire laughed again, his giant boot aiming for Eliza’s skull as he made his way back to where Aaron stood. The girl rolled out of the way just in time, once again catching herself before she fell into one of the holes. “Cass, where are you?” Aaron asked, wishing he had someone there to keep them from falling in.
“Uh... trying to get Brandon out of a hole in the ground,” she replied. “Need something?”
“No, never mind.” At least Heather was still moving the black creatures over the edge of the mountain. They’d thinned out dramatically, and as the Vampire moved in on him again, he realized there were hardly any nearby at all and those that were seemed to be leaving him alone.
The Vampire was on top of him again, his fist bashing toward Aaron’s head. He moved aside, and as the monster turned, he brought Van’s knife up, catching him in the armpit and dragging down his side. This time, there was no chuckle as the beast shrieked in pain. Another scream filled the air off in the distance, and Aaron thought maybe it was an echo at first, but then he noted Margie had just ended another of the Vampires, leaving two others besides this one—and Daunator. With only four opponents, not counting the black creatures who still had three or four of his teammates busy—he should be able to get more help, but it seemed a few of the other Guardians had also fallen in holes, and Elliott and Jamie were intercepted by one of the three who’d managed to free himself by dislodging Mila’s leg and tossing it over the side of the mountain. Scarlet was also out of commission, doing her best to stop the bleeding while Cassidy moved on to locating the lost limb, hopefully in time for it to be reattached.
There was a lot going on.
