The Book of Death (Bourbon Kid 4)

 
    Prologue

 
    A teenage girl ran through
the dark, murky back alleys of Santa Mondega, her lungs working harder than
ever before. Her pursuer had not given up the chase. She could hear him behind
her, his footsteps mostly softened by the snow underfoot. She hadn’t dared to
look back ever since he had first leapt out of the shadows at her. She had seen
the whites of his eyes clearly, standing out within the large black patches of
paint covering much of his face. Dressed all in black, at first he had looked
like a giant shadow with eyes. Then she saw his teeth. They were huge vampire
fangs. She ran for her life.
    Screaming for help
wasn’t an option, because the vampires in the streets outnumbered the humans.
Something big was going down in the city right now, and calling out would only
attract more of the undead. She needed somewhere safe to hide. As she charged
out of the end of an alleyway and into one of the city’s main streets she saw a
place that might offer sanctuary.
    The Santa Mondega City
Library.
    She raced across the
road and up the steps to the front entrance. The doors were wide open, inviting
her in. She wasted no time and charged through them into the library foyer. The
foyer had a marble floor and a very high ceiling. The sight should have been
familiar to her because for months her parents had been encouraging her to
visit the library to study for her exams. Straight ahead of her was a set of
large wooden double doors secured with a large bronze padlock and chain. That
left her with one option. She raced over to a staircase on the left.
    As she struggled up to
the upper floor, the soles of her sneakers left a trail of snow behind her. If
the vampire followed her in he would easily track her down. She knew she risked
cornering herself by hiding in the library, but she couldn’t outrun the vampire
forever. If he was anything like the vampires in Twilight he’d be able to leap
through the air, covering huge distances with ease, catching up with her
whenever it suited him. Maybe this particular vampire was revelling in the
thrill of the chase, excited by the sound of panic in her erratic breathing.
    At the top of the
stairs she risked a look behind her. There was no sign of her pursuer. Maybe he
had given up the chase or found an easier victim to prey on. Even so, she
wasn’t willing to hang around. She staggered into the large hall of books,
hoping to find a maze of aisles to hide in. There was no one manning the
reception desk, and no sign of anyone browsing through the ceiling-high shelves
of books. Directly ahead of her was an open area filled with tables and chairs,
but that too was deserted.
    She hurried over to the
Reference section and ducked behind the shelves. The aisle was dark and even
though that probably wouldn’t deter a vampire, it seemed like her best option.
At least, it did until she saw something at the other end of the aisle that
made her blood run cold.
    On the floor, lying in
a pool of blood, was the body of a teenage boy. His head had been smashed to a
bloodied pulp. Of far greater concern, though, was the man leaning over him, a
man she had heard rumours about. Concealed from head to toe in a long black
robe with a hood pulled up over his head was the Bourbon Kid. As he looked up
at her she noticed that his hands were covered in the boy’s blood.
    After gawping at his
hands for a second Caroline looked back up. Her eyes met his. She stood rooted
to the spot, her body and brain shut down at the sight of the notorious killer.
She watched in horror as he rose to his feet and reached inside his dark robe.
His bloodied hand pulled out a large handgun. He took aim, pointing it at her
head. A red laser sighter on the top of the gun shone brightly, aimed right
between her eyes. She wondered if she had just taken her last breath, but
before he squeezed the trigger, the Bourbon Kid said two words in a distinctive
gravelly voice straight from the depths of hell.
    ‘Get down.’  
    For a moment Caroline
remained frozen. Then she did as instructed and ducked down, burying her head between
the knees on her blue jeans. She put her hands over her ears and closed her
eyes.
    BANG!
    The sound of the
gunfire was almost deafening, even with her ears shielded. As it continued to
echo around the vast hall of books, she slowly uncovered her ears. Behind her
she heard the sound of a body crumpling to the floor. She remained in her
crouched position for a few seconds before tentatively