Free Tomorrow's Dead: The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles by Celis T. Rono Page B

back of his knees until the
     man fell on the grass.  Poe approached him and said out loud.  “Whatever you need
     to survive, do it,” she lectured as if still in teaching mode.  Without batting an
     eyelash, Poe brought her Converse to the back of Bunyan’s head over and over again
     until his neck cracked and his head exploded.
    “Class dismissed,” Poe said, facing the shocked students.  She bent down and slid
     knives on her wrists in case there were more of them. 
    “What the—” said an instructor named John Kang.  “Look out, Poe!”
    Three flying vampires wearing ski masks descended on the lawn.  From what she could
     tell, two men and a woman came to disrupt her already scattershot class.
    “Class is not quite over.  Go home, Julia Poe, or we’ll kill you.  You are weakening
     Downtown,” the woman with a grim voice said.
    Déjà vu , thought Poe.  Only this time the vamps were carrying pistols aimed at her.  “If
     you’re going to kill me then you could at least show your face, lady,” Poe said harshly. 
    “I would but we’re instructed not to,” answered the woman wearing faded blue jeans.
    Poe flicked her eyes on her guns and the machete.  The visitors were five feet away,
     but they seemed farther because of their agile flying.  She had two knives at her
     disposal, and she was hoping to down two of them long enough to retrieve her other
     weapons.  “Well I’m not leaving.  I still have three more weeks, so why don’t you
     start killing me already?”
    “Sure.  My pleasure.”
    Percy’s heavy breathing behind her snapped Poe out of her own anger.  “Hold up.  There’s
     a kid behind me.”  Poe turned to look at Percy.  “Go sit by John Kang.  I don’t want
     you getting hurt.”  The crowd stayed to watch.  “Okay, go,” said Poe.
    The three vampires looked at each other holding their guns, apparently not used to
     fighting anyone.  Poe didn’t wait for them to make up their minds.  She unsheathed
     the knife at her left and let it fly to the woman’s heart.  The vampire quietly tumbled
     to the ground clutching her chest.  Poe hurled her other wrist knife at the taller
     of the two male vampires.  She grunted when the knife hit the man’s throat.  She quickly
     rolled on the ground and picked up her machete.  The last vampire fired four shots
     at Poe but missed emphatically as she zig zagged and kept low.  As the vampire launched
     into the sky, Poe sprung and took hold of the creature’s leg. 
    “Not so fast, assbrick!”  The vampire was no Sainvire.  He couldn’t carry passengers
     or fight.  She lifted her machete and began hacking away at the man’s hip.  He screamed
     at the burning pain the garlic oil brought on.  Poe’s feet touched grass as the vampire
     sank lower to the ground.  Once he was down Poe kicked his leg from under him and
     pushed his chest to the ground.  Forgetting her audience, Poe brought her malformed
     weapon down on the vampire’s neck.  Sounds of quick inhalation and disgust filled
     the air. 
    Poe quickly leapt to the other vamp she’d hurt with a knife to the throat.  She straddled
     him as she removed his hood and extracted the knife just below his Adam’s apple. 
     “Percy, get their masks off will you?”  The vampire underneath her legs was coughing
     violently.
    “Any of you recognize these vamps?” asked Poe.
    The bolder humans crept closer to the bodies and shook their heads.  Even Percy shook
     her head.  “I’ve never seen them before.”
    “You think they’re Tunics?”
    “I don’t know.  Maybe.”
    Within minutes, Michelle’s red Hummer followed by Jeep Wranglers thundered down the
     street.  They skidded to a stop in front of the crowded park, nearly extinguishing
     a shaken woman.  Sainvire’s spy must’ve run for help. 
    She asked Michelle the same question.  “They’re dressed like nerds, and they’re cadaverous. 
     They’re probably Tunics.  I’ll