The Vampire Gene

"Recognise this?" she grinned at Jack as she hefted the heavy blade. His eyes betrayed nothing. He just stared at her.

"Do you remember what you said to me that night, Jack?" She put one hand on her hip and pursed her lips. "Let me think... ah yes, I recall now." She picked up the axe in both hands. "As you said, Jack, this is going to hurt," and she swung that axe in an overhead arc and brought it down on his left forearm, severing the arm cleanly just above the hand.

Jack howled as blood sprayed from the stump. The amputated limb fell with a splat to the ground. Rebecca winced, but she stayed where she was. Fergus looked a bit green, probably reliving his own experience from earlier that day.

"You didn't know that my hands would grow back, did you, Jack? You thought you'd maimed me for life. And then..." her voice faltered as she recalled what had happened after he'd removed her hands with the axe. Images flickered through my head as she unwittingly broadcast her pain. I looked at Oliver, who sat with his eyes screwed shut as he too witnessed her suffering. I wonder how much harder it was for him, knowing that he was the product of that horrific encounter. Then the images disappeared, and Julia seemed to drag herself back to the here and now.

"Let me explain how this is going to work, Jack," she spat the last word. "You die here today. That is not negotiable." Jack sneered defiantly.

"You are going to tell me what you did with Anne and Lizzy. If you refuse, I will continue to remove random bits of you with this very useful axe you left me. As you can probably tell, I haven't sharpened it for some time. And don't think you will die from blood loss. I'll cauterise your wounds as I go - let's call it returning the favour." She winked at him. "I don't have a hot iron, so I'll have to make do with a blowtorch. Give me a minute."

"Wait," Marcus interjected. She looked at him in surprise. He smiled at her. "Tell me where to find it, and I'll fetch it for you."

Julia's expression softened as she realised the implications of his offer, the unequivocal support that he was giving her in this grim situation. She briefly explained to him where to find it and he left. Fergus suddenly stood and went over to the window. He hauled out his phone and had a hurried conversation with someone on the other end. He disconnected then returned to his seat.