by Tanja Neise
“We have to do something! We can't just leave her here to die like this.” Dark's gaze was penetrating, but with the best will in the world, I didn't know how to help Anne. “We could change her.”
Had he lost his mind? “Dark, she's got the vaccine in her.” I spoke to him as if he were a little child since he was clearly thinking as someone under extreme duress. We would die trying.
“I know that. We’ll spit out the blood, not drink it! I've heard of cases where it’s supposed to have worked. Turley from Europe told me about it. It worked in Ireland for someone he knows.” He was speaking hurriedly. His eyes repeatedly flitted to Anne as he continuously held her hand and checked her pulse.
I grappled at my hair. I didn't know how to get him to reason. Sometimes one simply has to say goodbye, but he was still young. Compared with me, he was far too young to give up and accept the inevitable. I knew the expression in his eyes, knew that he wanted to fight. But against whom? There was no weapon against death once it was in the room. Anne could no longer be saved. “These are all old wives’ tales. Nobody’s managed to outsmart the vaccine yet.”
“Then we have to be the first!” And he was already plunging his teeth into Anne's carotid artery.
“No!” I angrily tore him from the young woman. Dark was quite obviously losing his mind, or he was just suicidal.
Without batting an eyelid, he socked me on the jaw and bent over Anne once again. I swayed, but quickly regained control. I saw Dark spitting the poisonous blood out next to him on the floor. His determination could not be ignored. I couldn’t stop him from trying.
Reassuringly, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Let me do it. With Liv's blood and Rumsfield's experiments on me, chances are I can pull it off without kicking the bucket. Rinse your mouth out. There's a water basin back there. As soon as the other vampires arrive, we'll have to make sure Ladorre never gets out of here again.” He immediately jumped up and did what I’d ordered him to do. Before I tried, I said, “if anything happens to me and I don't survive this, take care of my woman.”
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
I felt the need to fight, and then, I didn't. It felt as if someone had cut off my power supply. I was completely devoid of energy and was allowing the guy to drag me away as if I was just a lifeless doll. Even my mind seemed to be slowly wrapping itself up in soft cotton wool and preparing for a night's sleep.
But at some point, something reached my befuddled brain. It was like a whisper and the voice that I heard wasn’t Robert’s. It wasn’t a matter of words, or language, that was penetrating me, and which I’d never heard before. No, it was much more a sequence of sounds pervading me. It seemed to me that it was responsible for the fact that I couldn’t and didn’t want to defend myself. The moment I realised this, I tried to build a wall in my mind, tried to ignore the strange melody. I barely succeeded at all, but a very small part of myself came back. How could I manage to get out of this dilemma if this guy was even able to get into my brain? I was seized with horror when I realised, not what he could get me to do, but what I would let happen if I didn't fight back. I began to concentrate harder, blocking everything else out and thinking of Robert.
I missed him so much that it hurt. If I could see him again, I would confess my love for him. I couldn’t let myself tolerate the fear of what might come to pass. I would give anything to be kissed by him right now. A kiss like the one I’d already received from him once. One night with him. To feel his body against mine once again, and fly with him into the clouds until our passion catapulted us into outer space. The memories helped, they drove everything else out of my subconscious and away from my body, which was suddenly coming back to life. I felt the hard grip with which I was being held, and I smelled a sweet stench that seemed to emanate from the vampire.
Confused, Ladorre looked at me. “How...?”
“Raphael helped me! I know how to defend myself,” I replied, triumphant.
“I curse the day Raphael was born,” hissed the man, as he tried to forcefully tear open a window into my soul, which he failed to do.
I couldn’t help but grin, because for me his birthday would be a day for celebration in the future.
But the vampire did not allow himself to be confused for long, and instead, pulled me into a room to which the door had been left ajar. I was pushed with brutality into the darkness. I landed on something soft – something warm. This couldn’t be real! Or was it? No! But when I propped myself up on the ground with my hands and skidded in something damp, my suspicions were confirmed. I must have landed on a body. I couldn’t tell whether it was a human or a vampire, but it was definitely dead.
I crawled backwards in a frenzy until I hit a wall. My eyes were only slowly getting used to the surroundings and the barely-visible light, but then I became aware of several silhouettes. I abruptly drew in a breath of air, which was impregnated with a metallic odour.
The rough laughter of the man who’d brought me here pulled me out of the numbness imposed upon me by what I’d just seen. “Death is not always beautiful, lady. But don't worry, I have other plans for you.”
“The other thing frightens me more than death.”
“Interesting! You have a strong character! People can rarely resist my mental powers. I like that.” With each step he took towards me, the cacophony of the tone sequence in my head increased. Again, I directed my thoughts to Robert, felt his lips on mine, and I became calmer. “Ha! That's marvellous!” The vampire grew in his elation and actually made a leap of joy. “You’ll make the perfect wife for me!”
Had he lost his marbles? Never in a million years would I be his wife. “Sorry, but I'm already spoken for.”
“Yes, I know. I can smell Raphael – or should I say Robert – on you. But conventional practices don't apply to me. I'm one of the vampires they've banned from the bloodsucking society. For the last few months your beloved Robert has been keeping me alive with rationed blood units, incarcerating me here like a body-snatcher. Give me one reason why I should still stick to their rules.” Enraged, he was standing in front of me and looking down at me.
“He’ll kill you if you even think of doing anything to me,” I said, confidently.
I had no explanation for where I’d got this confidence from; after all, Robert and I hardly knew each other, but it was there. It was weak, but it was nourished by my hope – hope of escaping from here and leading a normal life again. But what was normal anyway? From now on, I had to live with the knowledge that there was a society of vampires and I had given my heart, as well as my body, to one of them.
Ladorre laughed again, snidely. “Oh, believe me. As long as my name is Ladorre, he won't hurt me.”
“Don't be so sure!” I was taking a big risk – I knew that – but I had to fight with everything at my disposal.
“And if I'm sure of it, little human woman?”
I said nothing; how was I supposed to respond to that? But then I realised that the longer I talked to him, the longer he would keep his hands off me. “What makes you so sure?” I asked him, and gave him the opportunity to continue.
“Raphael loves me. You must know that he’s my son. We’re of the same blood. And one of the rules in our society is that we must not kill anyone of the same blood. And Raphael has always been one of those to follow the rules, no matter the cost. A human life is not worth much; you can be replaced quickly. He’s already had to experience that himself.” I looked up at him in disbelief. An ice-cold lump formed in my stomach. What did I actually know about Robert, alias Raphael? Where did I even get this self-assurance that he really loved me? This lunatic was right. He would certainly not kill his father. “Did he tell you about his wife, Fria? She was his great love. You’ll never get there, sweetheart. He certainly wouldn’t kill me for you. Never!”
My breath faltered, and the woozy melody of Ladorre's mental powers immediately reached for my mind again. My fears, my insecurity: he made all of it his own in this moment. I surrender
ed to the comforting, soft cotton wool into which my thoughts became embedded.
Robert Tensington / Raphael
I spat out the blood again. One last time, because Anne's heart had stopped beating. Now we had to wait and see if I’d done it. Doubts were gnawing at me. She’d been more on the brink of death than alive. If I’d failed, I didn't know whether Dark would be able to handle it. I strongly doubted it.
Anne's skin was ashen. In stark contrast, her blood shone in the pale glow of the emergency lights next to her body. Quickly, I rose and breathed deeply. I wasn’t aware of anything else except the blood of Liv's sister. It was stuck on my palate, my hands and my clothes. My senses were filled with it, be it her smell or her taste. Determined to escape from it, I went to the sink and let a little water run over my fingers. I washed myself thoroughly and then rinsed my mouth out. Meanwhile, Dark waited patiently. When I was finally finished, I stepped towards him.
“We’ll lock her in the cell next to Ladorre; if it’s worked, she can go through the transformation there in peace. If not...” I didn’t say any more, because there was no way to explain it. Dark's glance spoke clearly – I should keep my mouth shut. He considered no other possibility than his plan succeeding. Quite the possessive vampire, he picked the woman up and carried her to the other wing of the basement floor. I followed him, the whole time paying attention to see if anything changed in me – whether the poison could harm me. I didn’t notice anything.
The corridors were empty. Too empty. Where were the remaining soldiers? The insane man who’d almost beaten Anne to death had definitely not been alone. I could smell them all. But what I smelled was not just the simple smell of people; it was her blood. Something was not quite right here. I detected Liv's apricot scent again, too. She’d come much too close to Ladorre's cell. Where was she now? Ladorre! My heart began to beat faster, and faltered. Was this an effect of the poison?
The blue light which dimly lit the floor was turning to a blur before my eyes; something was robbing me of my sight. I began to stagger. Completely powerless, I held on to the wall with one hand. This was truly grim. I’d lived for a long time – had to live – and found it simply pointless, had no longer seen any sense in my existence. Now that I’d found Liv, was it meant to end? That wasn't fair. Not to me and not to Liv.
“D... Dark?” My tongue hardly obeyed me anymore.
Astounded, my good friend turned around. “Boss! What...?” But then he stopped, obviously aware that the poison of the vaccine was doing its job. He opened his eyes wide in disbelief. His eyes darted around anxiously, back and forth between me and Anne. Then, he stepped over to me, trying to support me, which wasn’t really possible because of the precious cargo in his arms.
“Take her. Save Liv.” Then my knees gave way and I lost consciousness.
Anne Rumsfield
Heaven – that was the word that was going through my head at that moment. I had obviously arrived in heaven. Everything around me was white and I was lying on something very soft. I couldn’t feel any more pain. It couldn't be anything else, other than that I’d ended up in paradise, because the last thing I could remember was pain that had been tearing me apart. As absurd as it had appeared to me at first, it couldn't have been otherwise: I must have died and gone to heaven.
I wallowed and lolled about on this fluffy cloud. Then I groaned loudly and startled. I straightened up, with a jerk. The sound of my own voice reverberated loudly off the walls. So loud that it drove through me like an electric shock. This definitely wasn’t cloud nine and wasn’t heaven, either. This was a bedroom or a prison cell. Something like that. Where was I? And why didn't I bloody well have any more pain? Carefully, I caressed my face. Everything was fine. No swelling, no burst skin. My ribs were also intact. No breaks that I could feel through my shirt. I was finding it easy to breathe. It was almost as if I’d only dreamed of the encounter with Tyron. His diabolical laughter, his kicks and the terrible pain when I knew something in my body had been broken. I could still remember the last thoughts I’d had of my sister. I was proud of her because she had a heart, which one didn’t find too often nowadays. I could remember all of it, but it wasn’t visible on my body. No, it appeared to be in the best state of health I had ever known. But when I took a look at my hands, I saw blood – it was my own dried blood, I was absolutely sure of that. Where I got this certainty from, I couldn’t say. It was a fact – an unshakeable fact. It might as well have been carved in stone.
The tiles, in the room I was in, reminded me of the basement floor of the Centrodynamics building. Was I still down there? How did I end up in this white nightmare? And where the hell was Margaret? The fear for my twin sister took the breath out of me. Carefully, I rose from the metal bed and looked around the room. The light was working again. A few cupboards stood in the corner, a sink hung on the wall, a mirror above it. Otherwise, the room was empty and stark anonymity permeated the atmosphere.
I had to get out of here as quickly as possible and find Maggie. I didn't yet know where to look for her, but first I had to get out of here. The walls were stifling me and my skin was beginning to tingle. Oh no, claustrophobia was the last thing I needed right now. As a child, I’d experienced these kinds of panic attacks in some situations from time to time, but that was a long time ago. Thank God!
If Tyron was here then my superior, Harrison, couldn't be far away. How had they found out about the vampires? In the same way as me? Via the newspaper article? And one of the most crucial questions was whose direction they were acting on. Should it be from the top, I didn’t understand why he’d let me go on holiday. The unit acted together; there were only people missing if they’d been enlisted for other tasks, or if they were ill. We coordinated field operations like these as a team. He must have known about this mission when I applied for leave. Had they been watching me? Was it through me that they’d found a way of tracking down Dark, Robert, and more importantly, Margaret?
So as not to lose my head, I concentrated on my breathing and briefly closed my eyes. Inhale – exhale. It helped, and soon my heart rate steadied, so that I could stand up. I stepped swiftly towards the door and tried to open it, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a handle or a device that would enable me to leave this room. An ear-splitting scream left my mouth as I angrily punched the metal of the door.
Astonished, I paused when I noticed that my knuckles didn’t hurt. Someone must have injected me with an enormous dose of painkillers; I couldn't explain it any other way, but then the dents in the metal caught my eye – dents that hadn't been there before. With a sputter, I expelled the air from my lungs and collapsed.
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
Distraught, I huddled in the corner of the room. Meanwhile, the silhouettes I’d seen beforehand had become corpses. The light that had been switched on again revealed the ugly reality to me. I secretly wished that the lights would break so that I’d be spared the sight of the men with their dead eyes and twisted body parts. Alas, I hadn’t been blessed with such a godsend.
The vampire, who had introduced himself to me as Ladorre, was standing next to the half-closed door, listening. In a different situation one could have considered him attractive, but here and now I detested him with all my heart and couldn’t care less about his visual appearance. He flaunted a diabolical grin. What was he up to? Now I spotted the similarity between him and Robert, but Ladorre didn't have the same effect on me as his son. Quite the opposite. My inner alarm system, which I now knew had been given to me by my father's genetic manipulation, was in a permanent state of emergency and didn’t let me rest for a second unless Ladorre took control of my mind to make my body compliant. The question kept cropping up in my mind: did Robert touch my mind in this way, too? Could vampires influence a person's thinking and behaviour? I then, however, quickly discarded these thoughts. I definitely would have noticed that, but the uncertainty remained. My father had made me into a helpless puppet who could only be happy with this one
man – a vampire. What if my body had only sent out all those revealing signals because Robert wanted to jump into bed with me?
“Can all vampires do that,” I asked Ladorre.
He turned to me wearing a frown. “I beg your pardon?”
I snorted briefly. His son had definitely not inherited his intelligence from his father.
“Do all vampires possess those mental powers?” I said; I wanted an answer.
“Oh that ... Yes, everyone could use them, if they wanted to, but nowadays playing with our food is more frowned upon. I’ve been living for a very long time. Believe me, girl. Those were great times when we lived in hiding but could act as we wished. All this nonsense about codes of conduct is rubbish. We are the species that stands above you little humans and we should be able and allowed to act accordingly.” His eyes changed for a short moment when he looked at me. “If I wanted to have some fun I always got my way, whether the woman was married or still a virgin. I didn't care about her mind, as long as her body was compliant.” Ladorre's gaze moved suggestively up my body, reiterating his last words and what he had in mind for me.
There was nothing I could do to ward off the goose pimples that immediately emerged on my forearms. The prospect of being alone with this man in a quieter place drove fear into my bones. He was everything we’d been taught about vampires at school. All the prejudices that I’d had until recently, could be applied again in his presence. This vampire was wicked, devious, and the greed that had flared up in his face was also testament to his lack of self-control.