Clay

On the way down, he passed the dracula he'd shot near the third-floor landing, still where he'd left him, still hissing and twitching its talons.

"Yo, Twitchy. How goes it?"

He passed him and continued down. As he approached the door to the second floor, he heard a raw buzzing coming from the far side. Almost sounded like--

The door blew open and the sound assaulted Clay. He almost fired at the shape plunging through when he recognized Randall and his chainsaw.

"Shit, Bolton! I almost--"

"Watch your mouth," he said. "Got kids with me."

And sure enough, four kids crowded into the stairwell behind him, followed by Jenny.

"Oh, Clay," she said. "Am I glad to see you."

Clay nodded. This was going to be easier than he thought.

Randall was staring at the MM-1. "Whoa. What's that? Looks like a pregnant Tommy gun."

"Let's hope we can get out of here without using it. There's an exit door just two flights down. Follow--"

A noise below, like a door slamming open, then a blast of firelight and hideous screams. Clay pelted down to the next landing and saw two flaming draculas writhing on the floor, screeching as they burned. Black, oily smoke rose, filling the stairwell. He hurried back up.

"What happened? What's burning?"

"A couple of our friends."

"What?" Jenny said. "How?"

"Don't know, don't want to find out. We need to find another way."

"Another way where?"

"The roof. I saw a TV helicopter. I'll call it down to pick us up."

"No TV copter's going to hold us," Randall said.

"The kids, then. The kids, then us."

"Yes!" Jenny said, grabbing Randall's arm. "The roof. We'll be safe up there till help comes."

Clay didn't necessarily agree with that, but the roof held their best chance.

Randall hesitated a second, then nodded. "Okay. I'll lead. But..." He was staring at Clay. "You came back...to a place like this. Why? A man like you...why?"

A man like you? Clay was going to tell him to fuck off when he remembered. "Magnificent Seven, right?"

Randall's mouth twisted as he nodded.

"Oh, don't tell me," Jenny said. "Tell me you're not--"

" 'I'm afraid you've misjudged me,' " Clay said.

Randall did the pistol point. "Magnum Force."

"I'm telling Shanna!"

Randall gave him an appraising look. "You said you'd be back and here you are. Either you're as stupid as everybody says I am, or you're some kinda guy." He stuck out his hand.

Clay shook it. "The safe bet is stupid. Man, you look just like I feel."

Randall barked a laugh as he started limping up the steps. "Aliens again. You're all right, Deputy Dawg." He turned back to the kids. "I'm gonna lead the way up. Everybody stay as close together as you can. Remember not to let go of the person in front of you."

The kids stayed behind Randall and Jenny stayed behind the kids. Clay brought up the rear.

"You're not staring at Jenny's butt are you?" Randall called from above.

Well, when not checking behind him, yeah, he was. Nice butt. Not going to tell Randall, though.

"Would if I could, but this smoke..."

The draculas below had stopped screeching--at least Clay couldn't hear them over Randall's idling chainsaw--but apparently they continued to burn. Foul, stinking smoke thickened in the stairwell.

"I think I'm going to throw up," one of the boys said.

"Hang in there," Jenny told him. "Soon we'll have all the fresh air we need."

As Randall reached the third-floor landing, the door burst open and a dracula leaped through and ran straight into Randall's blade. The children screamed in panic and turned. They would have all tumbled head over heels down the stairs had Jenny and Clay not been there to catch them.

Randall gunned the saw and cut right though the thing's head. It crumpled in the doorway, keeping it from closing.

"Don't look!" Jenny said as she ushered the kids by.

Clay said, "And don't worry about Twitchy up near the next landing. He's harmless."

He'd paused at the door to kick the dead dracula back through so he could close it, when he thought he heard a very human scream from somewhere down the hall.

He froze and listened. With Randall's chainsaw buzzing he couldn't be sure--

There! Again. No doubt now.

He looked up the stairs at Jenny's butt. The way it swayed as it retreated reminded him how badly he really wanted to get back to Shanna and--

A third scream.

Shit!

"Hey, Bolton," he called. "I think someone's in trouble here. I'm gonna take a look."

Jenny turned and stared at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. What floor is this?"

"OB."

"Like babies and stuff?"

"Exactly like babies and stuff."

Double shit.

"See you upstairs. When you get up there, call KREZ and say Deputy Clay Theel wants them to land their copter on the roof. You've got sick kids that need evacuating."

"What if they won't?"

"A news station passing up the chance to be heroes and make news instead of just reporting it? What do you think?"

"Will do. But you be careful."

"Careful is my middle name."

Actually, Clay's middle name was Rambo, but tonight he'd make it Careful. Rambo...sheesh. His daddy loved that movie, but he hoped Shanna never found out.

"Hey, Bolton," he called. "Any shots left in that Taurus?"

Randall was out of sight but his words echoed back. "Used them all."

"Good man. Keep my baby safe."

"Um, I had to leave it."

"What?" Clay couldn't believe this. "You left Alice?"

"Alice?"

"My Taurus!"

"Well, it was empty and--"

"Alice is a Taurus Raging Bull four-fifty-four Casull, the most powerful handgun in the world--"

"And would blow your head clean off...I know. But it--she would've made a lousy club. Sorry."

Sorry? Sorry didn't cut it. Alice was--

Another scream from down the hall. Damn. Okay, he'd worry about his baby later.

He quickly reloaded the MM-1, making sure each of the twelve chambers in the cylinder had a live round, then headed down the hall.