Chapter 339: The Attack on Vampires (I)
(Third Person)
~Eastern Woods~
The night sky split with the roar of engines as helicopter blades churned the air, their thundering echo rolling across the treetops like an oncoming storm.
Then came the first flash, a burst of fire streaking down and cutting through the darkness.
The bombs hit with bone-shaking force. Earth erupted and trees splintered as flames swallowed the undergrowth in hungry gulps.
The stillness of the woods was gone in an instant, replaced with shrieks, with smoke, and with chaos.
The vampires scattered. Some bolted into the shadows, their speed a blur, while others stood frozen until the fire consumed them.
One screamed as shrapnel tore through his leg, his body tumbling across the burning ground. Another was crushed beneath a falling trunk, the flames eating their way up bark and skin alike.
"Run!" a voice bellowed in the darkness. "Scatter, don’t stay together!"
But scattering was as dangerous as staying put. And just then, a bomb struck again, closer this time, and the explosion hurled two figures into the air like rag dolls. The thunder of another detonation drowned out their cries.
The air was thick with the metallic stench of blood and the acrid bite of smoke. The vampires’ pale faces were lit in flashes, their eyes wide with fury, terror, and disbelief.
They were definitely not expecting this sneak attack from the Humans otherwise, they would have left the Eastern woods.
"Humans," one of the vampires hissed, his fangs bared as he dragged a wounded comrade to his feet. "They dare—"
In another location, a machine gun spat from above, the spray of bullets slicing through the canopy, cutting down branches and bodies.
A vampire darted between trees, his speed a blur, but even he couldn’t outrun the rain of fire. His body jerked mid-stride before collapsing, his blood soaking into the dirt.
Another tried to scale a tree, to launch himself at the black shadow of a helicopter overhead. But the bomb dropped before he reached the top, and the explosion swallowed him whole, his scream lost in the inferno.
All around, the Eastern Woods burned. Shadows danced wildly, torn by firelight and death.
The vampires who survived fled deeper into the forest, their speed the only shield they had. Some shouted names into the smoke, calling for kin who would never answer.
---
~Duskmoor’s Government House~
The Eastern Woods burned across the wide projection screen.
Helicopter feeds showed the forest below as bombs bloomed like fiery flowers and shockwaves rippling through the night.
Vampires flashed in and out of sight, some too slow, caught in bursts of fire, their bodies collapsing into the inferno.
Inside the conference room, the air was cool. Senators sat in leather chairs, their faces lit by the glow of destruction, eyes wide with awe, horror, and grim approval.
Mayor Brackham stood at the head of the table, hands clasped behind his back, his reflection caught faintly in the glass wall behind him.
He didn’t flinch at the screams carried faintly through the feed. If anything, his lips pulled into a cruel line of satisfaction.
"Look at them scatter," one senator muttered, leaning forward, his knuckles white around his glass of water. "Like rats."
"Monsters," another spat, though his voice wavered. "Best to rid the earth of them."
A female senator’s face was pale. "Still... this—this is slaughter."
Just then, Brackham turned his head slightly, his voice cutting through the room. "Slaughter is what keeps humans safe."
On the screen, another blast tore through the woods, sending fire climbing high into the sky. The senators fell silent, the enormity of the destruction too much for words.
Brackham stepped closer, his shadow stretching across the table.
"Do you see it now?" he demanded, his voice rising with conviction. "Do you see the threat these creatures pose? Tonight, we send a message to them that humanity will not cower. That we will not share this world with leeches who stalk our people in the dark."
Some nodded, eager to please him, while others shifted uncomfortably, their silence speaking louder than agreement.
Brackham’s eyes burned with zeal as another vampire fell on the feed, body jerking under machine-gun fire before vanishing into smoke.
"Let the vampires know that their end has begun."
The senators exchanged glances, unease crawling across their faces. But none dared oppose him no matter the opinion they had.
Behind Brackham, the woods continued to burn.
---
~Eastern Woods~
Smoke choked the trees, curling thick through the canopy as helicopters continued to roar overhead.
The earth was scarred with craters where bombs had struck, flames devouring everything in their reach.
The vampires were no longer scattered shadows but a desperate tide, fleeing deeper into the forest, their pale faces streaked with soot and blood.
Some carried the wounded, stumbling under the weight, refusing to abandon kin even as death rained from the sky.
"Here!" a hoarse voice shouted. A small cluster had found cover in a rock outcropping, their eyes wild as another explosion shook the ground nearby.
"We can’t stay here!" one hissed, his chest heaving. "They will burn it all!"
"Then where?" another snarled, fangs bared. His voice cracked, grief raw. "There is nowhere left to run!"
A young vampire darted past, her clothes scorched, clutching the limp hand of a brother too badly burned to move.
"Help me!" she screamed, her voice lost under the thunder of machine gun fire.
The forest answered with more death. Bullets tore through branches, splinters raining down like knives.
One vampire leapt for safety but was caught mid-air — his body jerked violently before crashing into the flames below. His companions screamed his name but kept running, survival forcing them onward.
Above, the helicopters wheeled in steady, merciless circles. Another bomb dropped, and the shockwave hurled two vampires clear across the ground. But only one rose.
In the chaos, an older vampire pressed his hand to the earth, his eyes glowing faintly as he muttered, "The woods are dying... we are dying with them." His voice was thick with despair.
The flames answered him, climbing higher and devouring tree after tree.