call her and she’ll figure it out by the Find Friends app on our phones. That way we won’t risk interrupting a fight or something like that. Charlie will be here after sunset, if we’re still fighting, and Rafé is still on the way.”
“What do we know—” I stopped, staring at the fence.
There, heading our way with only the fence to separate us, were a handful of what I assumed were the vrykos. They stumbled a bit, reminding me of zombies, but the fire in their eyes was far more intelligent and there was a malevolence about them that was palpable. They were faster than zombies, but not as quick as ghouls—which meant they could outrun someone who couldn’t run, or someone who only walked at a fast pace. Which meant a number of people would be vulnerable.
“Crap. Okay, we know they don’t feed on energy, but they do eat flesh, drink blood, and can cause contagious infections with their bites, which are necrotic. So what destroys them? I’d say ‘kills,’ but they’re already dead.”
“Fire, but it has to be directed and hot enough, or they’ll just keep on stumbling through it and end up catching their victims on fire as well. Like skeletal walkers, it should stop them if you make mincemeat out of them. I tried to find magical spells that work against them, but there are only a few necromancers who can work spells of the caliber that will disrupt their energy. And while Raven’s on the way, even she’s not strong enough to use that spell. But her fire magic should help.” He eyed the nearest vrykos.
It was about twenty feet from the fence, and I wondered if the waist-high barrier would keep them from breaking through.
“Can they climb the fence?” I asked, pulling out my bow. “I wonder if an arrow will do any good?”
“If bullets don’t, chances are an arrow won’t either.” Yutani turned to Herne, who was headed our way. “What’s the word?”
“The word is, the cops don’t have the physical strength to fight these creatures—not most of them. And they came armed with guns, not swords. I called a few friends who should be showing up any minute now.” He glanced at me. “Ember, put away your bow. It won’t do any good. But Brighid’s Flame should cleave through nicely. Angel,” he added, turning to her, “there are three ambulances over there. Go join them and offer what help you can.”
She nodded.
“Tell them that they need to be ready to bug out in case they break through the lines. We don’t have the manpower to cover the medics and fight the vrykos.”
“Will do,” she said, dashing over to them.
Herne motioned to Viktor. “Go find out how the victims are doing—the ones who’ve been hurt so far.” He turned to me. “I’m glad you wore a leather jacket and sturdy jeans. You do not want to get bitten by one of these creatures. Fae aren’t immune to the bites, apparently, and neither are shifters. So we’re all vulnerable, but at least most Cryptos are strong enough to actually put up a fight.” He motioned for Viktor, Yutani, and me to follow him. “Time to go in. Reinforcements will be here soon and Officer Trent over there knows to look out for them.”
We headed toward the graveyard. I tried to breathe normally. I had to calm my nerves because fear was the real killer when it came to fights. Fear subverted the best of instincts.
The graveyard was surrounded by a low stone fence about three feet high that encircled the perimeter. Small, since it probably encompassed five acres at the most, the Faraday Cemetery was neat and tidy. At least, neat and tidy for the Worchester District. The graves looked like they had been well maintained.
A line of cops stretched out in front of the gate, carrying shields and long batons. I could feel the energy shift as we drew near. The cops were afraid and they were looking to us to help. It always daunted me when I realized that to them, we were the superheroes coming to save the day, and usually we had no idea what the fuck we were doing.
They silently parted as we walked up to the gates. Beyond the gates, a mere ten to twelve feet away, the vrykos had gathered and were shuffling in our direction.
I wondered if they were communicating with one another. Were they like a hive mind? Were they individually controlled by whoever had