The New Adventures of Richard Knight Read online

The tourists and other people milling about the area began to flee in panic, not knowing why the tall, strong looking man was pulling out a pair of guns and ordering them to hide in the interior of the Statue of Liberty. But New Yorkers aren’t foolish. They saw a man with a pair of guns telling them to get under cover and knew this was a good idea. After all, the gangsters at war in the city rarely were so decent as to give warning of violent action.

  Richard Knight studied the creatures as they approached, grateful to hear that there didn’t appear to be any heroes or curious on-lookers wondering what was happening. The creatures were flying in circles, seeing the fleeing people and obviously confused by their actions. But they also could see one lone man standing and staring up at them, guns in hand. This man obviously was their enemy and needed to die! With a cry of anger, they began to dive, heading straight for Richard Knight, bloodlust rising.

  Knight waited as the monsters flew downward, knowing his pistol’s range was short and firing at this distance was a waste of time. This gave him a chance to take in what he was about to face, inhuman beings that obviously fed on mankind. They were man sized creatures, grey-skinned with coarse fur about their bodies and huge leathery wings. Their faces possessed only slits for noses, large black eyes and long, sharp razors for teeth. There were clawed hands at the end of the long wings and their legs ended in horrific long talons. They were monstrous to view, half-man, half-bat, but there was one characteristic that made Richard Knight blink several times with surprise.

  Each of these bat men creatures wore about their long muscular torsos a white belted flap of cloth with a carefully drawn black cross visible in the center. The image was very unusual. Why would these man eating monsters wear what appeared to be the coats worn by crusaders of the dark or middle ages?

  But Richard Knight didn’t have time to consider these details, there were twelve of these beasts heading his way and the first was closing fast. The military intelligence officer inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, calming himself and began to fire.

  The twin .45s spat twins of blazing lead into the first bat creature, striking the monster twice in the chest and sending it spinning off its path and crashing into the statue’s pedestal. Knight didn’t have time to celebrate as more of the monsters were diving his way, their wicked talons intent on tearing him to pieces. Running off to his right, Richard Knight aimed carefully and shot another of the creatures in the head while his other gun took a bead on another monster in range. The bullets struck the beasts in the chest and sent them spinning into their fellow creatures, many of them crashing into the ground.

  Another of the creatures screeched and dove his direction, causing Knight to throw himself backwards and fire several shots. The monster screamed in pain and continued to fly circling higher as it screeched. One detail struck the military intelligence officer as he rolled back to his feet and continued to fire at the monsters…none of these beasts were bleeding! They were all screaming in pain from the bullets and the impact of striking the ground, but they weren’t injured the way anything he’d ever seen in the past. This was a mystery, a terrifying one!

  But Richard Knight didn’t have time to think about such details, he had more monsters to fight off! Diving forward and rolling up to a kneeling position, he shot two more before disaster struck. A pair of huge talons grabbed him from behind, pulling the intelligence officer off his feet and into the air. The monster’s hold on his body was fierce and they flew upward with gut-wrenching speed. He could not move his arms to fire his gun, if he wiggled and pulled the talons would bite deep in his flesh and render him unable to fight back in any way. Knight knew he only had a few seconds before he was too high to survive a fall, so he had to act immediately!

  Knight swung his body upward toward the monster holding him so tight and lifting him into the sky. His hard soled boots struck the monster under the jaw, shocking the creature and causing its grip to loosen enough to free one arm and allow him to fire into the monster’s face at point blank range. The beast man screamed in agony, rearing back and involuntarily opening the huge talons and causing Richard Knight to fall free. He tumbled down almost a story in height, tucking and rolling away as another creature attempted to grab him up.

  Knight, having counted his shots, knew he would need to reload soon. There wasn't much time to do that. The monsters were swooping down on his position and it was only their careless actions that made them vulnerable to his shots. No, this couldn't last much longer, he needed to change tactics fast or one of these creatures would realize they merely had to use their huge talons and skewer him to end this battle.

  Inspiration struck him a moment later as he rolled to his right and came up firing at a diving bat monster. A few feet in front of Knight was a fallen hot dog stand, tipped over by one of the fleeing crowd no doubt. Hot dogs, buns, condiments and other sundry items lay strewn about the ground, the brightly colored umbrella from the cart looking like a fallen soldier in this battleground before one of America's greatest monuments.

  Smiling to himself, the military intelligence officer feinted to his right and dove forward, coming up in a roll and snatching up the umbrella. Pulling out the battered lighter he always carried in his pocket, Richard Knight lit the umbrella's cloth on fire and nodded as it began to blaze mere seconds later. Now he had a weapon that these creatures would respect, for all beings on Earth respect and fear fire!

  Seeing another beast man diving his way, Knight swung the burning umbrella in the creature's path and was elated to hear the monster shriek in fear and pain as the flames struck the horrific body. The thing was instantly alight, screaming in agony and dropping from the ground as the enormous wings burnt up. A terrible sight, but a brief one as the bat man vanished seconds later into a pile of ash. Richard Knight swung again, barely catching another on fire, satisfied to see that monster begin to blaze as fast as its now destroyed compatriot.

  And then the other creatures took to wing, even the ones he shot and caused to crash into the ground. They screamed with terror and impotent rage, but were flying back up the way they emerged, climbing fast as they flapped their huge batlike wings. A successful action, but one that was not over yet. Ten of these monsters were fleeing into the air and Knight would not let them get away! Tossing the burning umbrella onto the concrete where it would burn up without setting any further fires, he took off at a dead run back toward the Army base.

  And mere moments later he was in the air again, the seaplane still flying sluggishly but far faster than the monsters he was pursuing. They were mere specks in his vision, but he could see them and was closing fast. But strangely enough they were still climbing, heading higher than Knight would have imagined any living being to travel. Birds flew high, but like all living, breathing animals, avoided the upper atmosphere where the air became rapidly thinner and the conditions colder. Breathing was becoming more difficult as Richard Knight climbed higher, pursuing these monsters and determined to destroy them before more innocent lives could be lost. But even as he pushed the seaplane ever higher, ice began to appear on the wings. This was one of the greatest dangers to a pilot. Icing on the wings could result in a loss of control of the plane. It was getting harder to see anything as the plane fought to rise despite the ice. Knight knew he was risking his life.

  And then the engine cut out, stalling and finally began to fall downward. Knight caught a glimpse of a large shape above him as he fought to restart the engine, knowing he only had seconds before the plane began to spin and break apart. His mind screamed as his body seemed to move sluggishly over the controls, struggling hard as the spin downward was about to begin. This was a risk he’d only taken a few times in his life, one that he’d witnessed causing the deaths of equally excellent pilots. The forces pulling at him pushed him back into the seat, making him feel weak as an infant, as if a giant hand was crushing his lungs.

  It was just as the spin was about to begin when the engine coughed to life, the plane leveling off and the descent becoming more
controlled. Attempting to chase those monsters in a simple sea plane was sheer folly, but when it came to the lives of innocent people, Richard Knight was always ready to place himself in harm’s way.

  But what did he see, the shape that the creatures were fleeing to so high in the sky. The shape that loomed above him for that brief moment before the plane’s engine failed and caused his near death experience? Long, slow moving…there was only one answer. A zeppelin! The creatures had flown across the Atlantic in an old airship, diving down from the extreme heights of the atmosphere to feed on unsuspecting sailors. Their goal seemed to be to shock and terrify the people of the United States, an aim that was foiled by Richard Knight’s guns and a little inspirational use of fire.

  But where would they attack next? Knight determined that there were two possible sites they would attack and the slow moving airship would give him some time to prepare. First to contact a friend down South, a judge who was an expert on the weirder aspects of the world.

  ***

  The Grandmaster was raging, having consumed three of the remaining ten servants as they returned to the airship empty handed. Tossing their empty husks aside and sat down in his throne, his eyes scanning the remaining followers.

  “You allowed one human with guns and a hastily made torch to chase you away? This is a humiliation I will not tolerate!” The Grandmaster snarled, his too wide mouth showing rows of enormous teeth that dwarfed his followers’ razor maws.

  “Great one, the bullets were painful,” Xavier whispered, his eyes downcast. His face was still healing from the point blank shots he received at Knight’s hands. “But the fire consumed Otto and Hans instantly. We were powerless!”

  The Grandmaster shook his head sadly, feeling the weight of his age at that moment. His followers were weak compared to his own enormous powers. It seemed that they would never be the army he hoped, but would merely serve as pawns in his plans.

  “How very unfortunate for you,” The Grandmaster finally replied. “I am immune to flames, having survived the fires of Mount Vesuvius years ago.”

  He did not add that he was rendered nearly helpless for over a decade, healing the horrific burns of the volcano. But survive he had, which was more than any of his followers seemed able. Still, they were more powerful than simple humans and useful as tools in this coming war.

  The coming war was one that the Grandmaster decided to create when it was apparent there was no true way for him to die. Guns, fire, lava, silver, stakes to the heart…none of those items would harm him for long.

  “Change course to our next target. Prepare yourselves my knights, you must pay penance for your failures,” the Grandmaster said and waved them away, unable to look at these lesser creatures any more.

  ***

  The Judge was a large man in every way, great height, enormous girth and large bulbous eyes and nose over a drooping blonde mustache. A war hero and a legal genius, he had been combating evil since before the Great War and, even after retirement, was still the best help one could ask for in a dangerous situation. He always monitored a specific radio wavelength, an unused band that was last used by a small intelligence unit that no longer existed. Commandeering the radio from the Army base and ushering the operators out of earshot, Richard Knight was grateful the Judge’s routine rarely varied and he was always prepared to offer advice.

  “You do run into unique puzzles, my friend,” The Judge’s great voice boomed over the radio’s speaker.

  “You know what those creatures were, sir?” Knight asked, hopeful.

  “I do indeed,” The Judge replied with a chuckle. “They were vampires of course.”

  Knight frowned, “Judge, I read Stoker’s novel and viewed that play with the European fellow in the role. These monsters attacked in daylight and resembled giant bats. Also they wore crosses across their chests!”

  “My good friend, there are as many variations of vampires as there are beetles. The type you fought were probably devoted to a form of Christianity as practiced by the late and unlamented knighthood order, the Teutonic Knights. They abandoned crusading for the Holy Lands in favor of conquering and pillaging sections of Europe. Terrible men, and these modern versions are far worse,” The Judge replied. “Fire will destroy the weaker ones at least.”

  “And the stronger vampires?” Richard Knight asked, hoping the Judge had an answer.

  “Vampire,” The Judge corrected. “Those creatures will never work with one of equal power. Many cannot be killed by any known method. Sometimes the only method to combat them is to trap them and imprison them somewhere safe. The ancient Egyptians used hidden tombs, the Druids created enormous burial mounds.”

  Knight thanked the Judge and immediately left the airbase for a base deep in upstate New Jersey. This base was the one he used earlier for his trip to the Western Star, a source of planes and other items needed for his intelligence work. Leaving the seaplane behind, he soon changed into a special prototype pressure suit and air mask made for high altitude work. The US military anticipated one day that someone might attack from an enormous altitude and had a special anti-airship plane prepared.

  Strapping in, he was off a moment later, needing to make up time in the air. The zeppelin was slow moving, but it did have a lead of over two hours! But where to go? Washington DC was a site of many historical monuments and the political system of the country. But the intent of the monsters’ last action was to demoralize the spirit of the country, to reduce a symbol of liberty to one of pain and sadness. Also Washington DC was very well protected, so the second site was the direction Knight headed…Philadelphia, the home of the famous Liberty Bell!

  This was a gamble, but one in which Richard Knight had no choice but to take. There was little time to study maps and consider the choice for long. A split second decision had been needed and he made it instantly!

  Climbing to 40,000 feet, Richard Knight pushed the plane to the fullest, just above the red line and coming close to sending the engine into the danger zone. But in the distance, he spotted the zeppelin, 5,000 feet above and chugging steadily along. Pushing the plane even harder, Knight ate up the distance and rose above the grey airship, his guns almost in position to fire.

  It was then his heart sank as batlike figures began to drop out of the zeppelin’s gondola, heading for Knight’s plane. These creatures weren’t as fast as his plane, but if they got too close they could tear the wings or rudder off! Spinning off and diving into a quick loop, Knight fired the plane’s enormous guns and smiled as a vampire exploded! The bullets were lethal to vampires, created to bust airships and set their fuel on fire! A second, third and fourth were destroyed and Richard Knight began to relax, seeing an end in sight…which was when a vampire dropped from above onto the plane’s canopy!

  The gigantic bat face filled Knight’s vision, screeching loud enough to be heard over the plane’s engine. The monster’s huge winged arm reared back and then punched forward, shattering the windscreen! The creature’s wicked claws reached for Richard Knight’s heart, seeking to destroy him in one motion.

  But Richard Knight was unmoved by the vampire’s attack. He was a pilot, born and bred, and he was ready for any situation. With a quick pull of the stick, he sent the plane into a quick barrel roll followed by a loop. The vampire fell off the plane, shrieking, and it dropped, striking the propeller and being reduced to a red mist seconds later.

  Just as suddenly, another vampire dropped into the same place, huge talons sinking deep into the plane’s metal shell. A second later the final vampire dropped to the rear of the plane, the creature’s hands and talons latching tight onto the tail. Richard Knight knew he only had seconds before the plane would be torn to bits by these undead abominations.

  Pulling out both of his .45s, Knight shot the vampire in front of him in both eyes, unsurprised that the monster shrieked in pain yet remained attached to the plane. Swiveling in his seat he fired through the canopy into the back of the vampire by the tail’s head. The creature screamed
and slumped, but remained in place on the plane…perfect.

  Pulling the plane next to the zeppelin, Richard Knight popped the canopy, holstered the guns and pulled out his trench knife. With a smile Knight yanked out a grenade, pulled the pin and dropped it into his seat. He then dove onto the zeppelin’s top, stabbing his knife into the canopy as he slid out of control. The knife slowed his fall, enabling him to grab a strut as his plane began to drop out of sight. There was suddenly a loud explosion, one that rocked the airship and forced Richard Knight to grab the metal strut even tighter.

  But with all the vampires gone, there was one left, the most dangerous one of course. Cutting a hole in the canvas, Knight lowered himself inside, finding himself standing on a long wooden and metal walkway. Pulling out his pistol, he glanced about but seemed to be alone.

  “I can smell you, American,” a voice said from below, the words calm and almost amused. The accent was English, that well-bred accent usually reserved for the oldest and noblest of families.

  “You’re English? I thought the Teutonic Knights were German,” Knight replied, scanning the area, his pistols at the ready.

  “I abandoned my country of birth over a century ago. Now I ally myself with those most likely to kill all your species. You fought well, destroying my servants quite impressively. I will make you one of my followers and we will cause humanity to rise above its pathetic state,” the voice replied, suddenly close and in his ear.

  Knight spun in place, but a huge taloned arm backhanded him off his feet, sending him crashing to the deck. The wind knocked out of him, he was grateful his guns were still in hand as he rolled over in time to see his enemy face to face. The man dropping to the deck was tall, dark haired and possessing a long mustache that joined with his beard and sideburns, a look that was dated back at the time of the war of 1812.