The flames start to grow, a deathly orange sparkle beneath the chained feet of the unfortunate vampire. The human around seem as if in a trance, watching, unable to tear their eyes away. Hands lift in prayer and joy at the terrible scene, and the humans see demonstrated the end of their suffering and the might of the Purge and their omnipotent god.
A chord struck in Mithias, a chime of disgust and disdain. Humans truly were so decrepit and heartless, indulging in the suffering of a helpless being, satisfying their sense of entitlement. They didn't deserve this planet all to themselves. Something had to deliver to them true justice, something had to make them responsible.
Knowing he could not be traced, Mithias used his ability to call to the flames, draining away their heat until they faded and went out completely. For a moment, the vampire stopped screaming, dropping its head wearily in exhaustion, or unconsciousness. The crowd seemed confused and displeased. Whispering started, and among the words uttered, Mithias heard "...another vampire... downstairs... prisoner... to be executed one at a time." It appeared the Purge had more than one vampire captive. As the Purge altermen tried to re-ignite the flames of holy justice, Mithias made sure the priest caught fire, feeding the flames rapidly over his robes until it consumed him. Additionally, he spread fire to the rest of the building, to the curtains, walls, and anything he could easily alight.
It would be the perfect distraction. Humans were losing their focus and began fleeing, this time allowed to escape for their own safety. If Mithias could rescue that vampire, he could question him. Who knows what secrets the poor creature had learned as a prisoner.
Suddenly, the Purge had a change of plans. They had played around long enough. An armored paladin lept onto the stage, slaying the vampire with a long, sharp, blessed cross-shaped stake through the chest, then immediately proceeded to hack off its head with a sword. They must have thought the vampire had somehow managed to start the fires. With fire extinguishers, they put out the rest of the flames.
Fuck. At least perhaps the death was more merciful, but now the only chance Mithias had at gleaning any more information was to try to find the other vampire prisoner that had been spoken of. He joined the crowd in its haphazard meandering toward the exits, then ducked out to head downstairs.
-------
The Purge agents in the room with Hank both pulled their guns on Tony. "Drop your weapon!" One instinctively called.
The other was a little more rational. "US Navy? ...Navy? Seriously." He smirked. "The Purge only answer to God, my friend. Seeing as 'thou art human,' we don't want to kill you. You still have a chance at redemption, unlike this apostate soul." He kicked at Hank. Seeing Tony wavering, he went on with a sly smile. "Yet the Lord is merciful. We're going to give him one last chance to serve before we send him to Hell. He will tell us where the others are hiding and then be a subject in our next experiments. Why don't you watch, Marine. You ever hear a vampire beg?"
Two other Purge paladins showed up at the door behind Tony and the other agent in the room took Tony's gun. "Have a seat." He said while forcing Tony into another chair adjacent to Hank and handcuffing him easily.
The other agents backed off and closed the door to the interrogation room. There were no windows, but a small camera hung in the corner of the ceiling. One of the two agents puts a silver blade in Hank's face. "I'm going to righteously enjoy this."
Just as they got settled, there was a soft thump outside the door, something almost unnoticeable. The Purge agent paused, as if a sixth sense were warning him of what was about to happen.
The door slid open again, but this time, it was dark on the other side.
They pulled their guns. "Fucking vampires." Hank couldn't possibly have been right. "Show yourself heathens!"
Faster than Tony could fully perceive what was happening, a man with a black jacket, white hoodie, and blue jeans dashed into the room and grabbed onto the first agent. In a flash, he spun him around and grabbed his arm, pointing the gun he held at the head of the second agent. Of course the agent fired, shooting his friend in the head and spattering brains and blood on the back wall. Fangs sank into the agent's neck, tearing through skin and muscle easily and deeply. Mithias muffled the man's screams with his other hand as he held him and drank. In only a few moment, the man passed out and was dropped to the floor.
Mithias turned around, some blood on his lips and looked at the only other vampire in the room. His firey eyes were hidden by a muted dark brown color and his skin looked amazingly alive. Mithias had done a good job of disguising himself, but there was no doubt it was him. Quickly he shot a glance to the camera in the corner and shot it. "Damnit." Mithias said softly.
"Hank. I can't believe it's you I'm finding down here right now." Mithias busied himself with freeing Hank with the key he had taken off the guards outside. Before he could finish, the door automatically slid shut and locked. Mithias flew to it to stop it, but was too late. "No!" He grit his fanged teeth. The room began flooding with holy vapor. "It's a failsafe, designed to kill us." He turned to Hank again. "Got any ideas?"
