(The Push Chronicles (Book 2): Indefatigable by J.B. Garner

Mind's fully focused mental grasp.  They were the last four to get staked.
    "Everyone okay?" Ex asked as we stood over the carnage.  The stink of decay mixed with raw fresh blood was stomach-turning for all of us, I was sure.  "Indy?"  I wavered between anger at the obvious concern for fragile non-powered Irene's safety and disgust at myself for feeling any anger at all.  I nodded, trying to most convincingly look like I wasn't having any trouble whatsoever, despite the pain I was suppressing in my side.
    "We're all the worsse for wear, Ex," Medusa replied, inspecting the bleeding punctures in her forearm, "but I don't think any of usss are too badly hurt."  The Human Tank flashed a look at me and I just nodded again.  We weren't finished here and I wasn't going to let anyone fuss over me with work yet to do.
    "If the bad guys are down, can you bring down the wall?," Rachel relayed over the com.  "We have PART and EMTs in route and they can't do their jobs with the current state of affairs."
    "Roger that," Ex answered.  "Hex and Tank, give me a hand with the wall.  Eye, get any survivors together and render aid.  Everybody else, let's try to get some answers."  There was a general assent and we split into our separate teams to get to work.
     
    "Indomitable, from what angle did those vile creatures assault you from?" Archer asked as he, Medusa, and I stepped back through the ruined storefront.  Glass crunched under my boot as the smell of decay and spilled liquor mixed in the air.  Mind's Eye had already telepathically calmed and ordered the survivors outside as we had checked through the corpses there.  The collection of identification and small-arms provided little information that we didn't already know or suspect:  they were all Hogs and they were all ex-military.
    "They came up from the basement," I said.  There was definitely a bit of a tightness to my breath; my expert opinion was a cracked rib, at the absolute least very bad bruising.  Rubber bullets are intended to be non-lethal like Tasers, but both can seriously injure or kill someone with some bad luck.  What the hell did the Hogs want me for anyway?
    "Got it," Meds said, giving me a concerned glance.  "What about the upssstairsss?  Eye sssayss there'ss one lasst human mind up there alive."
    "Forsooth?" Archer beat me to the question, though I wouldn't have phrased it as such.  "How could a mere mortal mind resist such awesome mental might?"  I really wouldn't have phrased it that way.  Also, it seemed that I wasn't the only one not connected to the Psychic Friends Network.  At least in my case it was a technical issue, not purposeful exclusion.
    "It's been done before," I said crossly as I walked towards the stairs.  "We better get whoever it is out.  No telling what traps or fail-safes the Hogs put downstairs."  Hogs loved bombs, just like any terrorist, domestic or foreign.  Maximum carnage and maximum terror.
    "Ssmart thinking," Medusa acknowledged, following me upstairs, with Archer on our heels.
    At the top of the stairs, it became obvious as to why the vampires didn't make their escape attempt up through the roof.  There were three mismatched crosses nailed to the door, as well as a string of whole garlic cloves tied from one stair railing to the other.  Garlic, I had forgotten about that, assuming it actually worked.  Considering it was entirely unmolested, I could only guess that it did.
    "Methinks someone had foreknowledge of the evil that bred below," Archer observed.  "Mr. Blanchard, mayhaps?"
    "Posssible, he wassn't with the corpssess or the ssurvivorss."
    "Let's find out."  I moved the string of garlic out of the way and knocked gently at the door.
    "Go away, you bloodsucking freaks!" came the hysterical reply.  It sounded like a man with a smoker's voice, raw from either screaming, crying, or maybe both.
    "Sir, I can't be one of those vampires," I explained.  "The crosses and garlic would stop me."
    "I don't give a