She smirked. “Isn’t that what they always say?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away. This time she didn’t stop.
Chris stood there, watching her go, willing his body to calm down. It wasn’t easy.
At last, he made his way back to the others.
TWENTY- ONE
FORTY-EIGHT PEOPLE from their own camp volunteered for the vaccine. To Hannah’s surprise, so did the rabbi and both women who’d been with him at the meeting, which brought the total to fifty-one.
Paula had declined. So had Ned, and most of the older residents. The children were never even in the running.
They drew names to see which of the volunteers would receive the first round. By the time Celine scheduled the next blood collection, they would need to cover for twenty-eight altered humans.
“It’s a lot, but we can manage it,” Celine said. The three of them had arranged another clandestine meeting in the prison laundry to discuss the logistics. “We can’t keep everyone off the roster, but half of you shouldn’t be too noticeable.”
“Esme would have noticed,” said Alek.
“Good thing she’s no longer running things. Fortunately for us, Julia doesn’t like to be bothered with unnecessary details. That’s why she put me in charge.”
“That’s fine,” said Hannah, “but what about the other half?”
“They should go through with the blood drive. My people will run it. They’ll arrange an ‘accident’ to render the vaccinated blood undrinkable.”
Alek nodded. “That could work. This time. But next time we’ll have double the number.”
“But that’s good, right? Getting our numbers up is what we want.”
“Yeah,” said Hannah, “but what do we do when it’s time to cure some vampires? We can fly under the radar for a while, but Julia’s bound to notice if her own people turn up with heartbeats.”
“I thought we settled that. We let the cure into the food supply. My people get cured, and so do a lot of extras. They’ll have no choice but to join us.”
“We didn’t settle anything.” Hannah looked at Alek. “Forcing this cure on people is against everything you stand for.”
He looked surprised, which only infuriated her more. “I would’ve thought you’d have no problem defanging vampires, even against their will. Would you be against doing this to Esme?”
“Yes! This is exactly the sort of thing she’d do. Aren’t we better than that?”
Celine rubbed her forehead, frustration evident on her fine features. “Even the rabbi said there’s no other option.”
“And he’s right.” Alek looked at Hannah, his expression battling between determination and regret. “I don’t like it, either. I don’t believe the ends always justify the means. I’ve seen firsthand how much destruction can be wrought by that line of thinking.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But I don’t see what choice we have.” He opened his eyes and met Hannah’s gaze. “Can you? If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears.”
She didn’t. After mulling this over for weeks, she’d been unable to come up with a better solution. She folded her arms in resignation. “So, what, then? How will this work? We wait until the next blood drive, when there’s more than fifty of us. Our blood gets consumed and vampires start turning. Then what?”
“War,” said Celine, a little too matter-of-factly for Hannah’s taste.
“Yeah. And we’ll still be outnumbered, and people will die.”
“She’s right,” said Alek, which only slightly made up for him siding against her a moment ago.
“Maybe not. The staff here is one vampire for every five humans, plus a small administrative staff. There are nearly four hundred of you, and about a hundred of us. If more than half of us are cured, we’ll outnumber the remaining vampires.”
“Barely," said Hannah. “And they’ll still be stronger than we are.”
“Then all of your people will have to be ready to fight. Not just those who’ve been vaccinated.”
“With what? We have no weapons.”
Alek said nothing, seeming to take it all in as the women debated. Finally, he lifted his head and looked at Celine. “And if Julia follows Esme’s lead and lets the shamblers in?”
Celine’s shoulders slumped in defeat. But then her face brightened. “What if we cure Julia?”
Hannah looked at Alek and waited.
“Could you pull that off?” he asked.
“Yeah, I could. I meet with her every evening for a status update. I always bring her a mug of warm blood. All I would have to do is make sure it contains the cure.”
He nodded slowly, then looked at Hannah. “The odds aren’t likely to get any better.”
She said nothing. She’d already expressed her feelings about this plan, which clearly made no difference. And from a purely strategic viewpoint, she had to admit that they were both right. This could actually work.
“Then why wait?” asked Celine. “Futzing the rolls and destroying part of the blood supply is possible, but it’s still risky. The blood drive is in two days. Can you make more serum by then?”
“It’s already made,” said Alek. “The problem is that we’re out of clean syringes. We have no way to administer the serum.”
“What do you need?”
“There’s an autoclave in the infirmary. I need access to it without raising suspicion.”
“Done. Tomorrow, one of you is on infirmary duty. Dmitri will be there to keep watch.”
“In that case, I don’t see why our remaining volunteers can’t be vaccinated in time for the collection.”
“What about everyone else?” asked Hannah. “How do we get them ready?”
“They’re ready. All we need to do is warn them.”
“And I can get you weapons,” said Celine. “Not a lot, but a few automatic rifles, along with Tazers and dart guns. Your people won’t be defenseless.”
“We’ll use the firearms as a last resort.”
“Unless somebody lets the shamblers in again,” Hannah muttered. Her mind was already racing. Her top priority was Noah. She would hide him and Paula in the solitary confinement cell. They would both be safe there.
As long as their side won.
“I’ll post my people at the doors. They’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“How long do we have?” asked Alek.
“The collection takes two days. Another day to process it and send the Council their share.”
Hannah looked up from her musings. “The Council?”
Celine nodded. “A portion of every collection goes to them.”
“From this camp?”
“From all the camps.”
“Which means the Council stays well fed while those they rule get by on rations,” said Alek. “Typical. Will there be enough unvaccinated blood to fulfill their order?”
“There should be. But wouldn’t it be something if we snuck the cure to them?”
Alek shook his head. “That would invite more trouble than we’re ready for. We’re already planning to serve one Council member spiked blood. She’ll be enough of a challenge for now.”
Celine deflated a little, clearly disappointed. “All right, then. That gives us five days to prepare.”
Alek turned to Hannah. “What do you think?”
“I think I hate this plan.” She shook her head in disgust. “But it’s all we’ve got, isn’t it?”
“Do you think five days is enough? Or should we wait?”
“It’s more than we had last time. Celine’s right. The longer we wait, the more we risk getting discovered and shut down.”
“Then it’s settled.” Celine nodded to Alek. “Tomorrow you’ll get your autoclave, and someone will be in touch about where you can find the weapons. You get your people vaccinated and make sure they all show up for the blood drive.” She looked at her watch and grimaced. “I have to get back. Give me ten minutes before the two of you leave.” She turned
to go.
“Celine,” Alek called.
She turned back. “Doctor, I really have to be going.”
“I won’t keep you. But there’s one thing I need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“A few weeks ago, you were an administrative assistant. Are you prepared to lead a revolution?”
The question made her laugh, but to Hannah’s ears it sounded more like exasperation than humor. She threw her hands up in the air in a gesture of helplessness. “Not really. But if I don’t, who will?”
Alek smiled at her. “Good answer.”
Shaking her head, she turned and climbed the steps to the exit.
Hannah folded her arms and stood before Alek. “Do you think this will work?”
“Celine is smart, and she’s got courage. She showed us that when she stood up to Esme.”
“I don’t mean her. I mean all of it.” She rubbed her weary eyes. The contacts irritated them and made them burn. Despite her reservations, she looked forward to not having to wear them anymore.
“Hey. C’mere.” Alek pulled her close, and she leaned heavily against him, resting her head on his chest. It felt solid and reassuring. “I know you’re tired—”
“You’re damn right, I’m tired.” She pulled away from him and stepped back, raking her fingers through her hair in frustration. “I’m tired of fighting to survive, of constantly wondering whether this will be the thing that takes me away from my brother, and from you. Or that takes either of you away from me.” Her eyes pleaded with him, even though she knew he didn’t have the answers. “When can we stop fighting? When can we just get on with our lives?”
He only looked at her, his eyes full of sadness. “I know you’re tired. So am I. But you know what we’re up against. If it were just a matter of survival, I never would have brought you here. I’d have taken you and Noah somewhere we could lie low and make a life for ourselves.”
She sighed. “No you wouldn’t have. You couldn’t have abandoned everybody. Neither could I.”
He gave her a slight smile. “I know. But it’s nice to pretend that was ever an option.” He reached for her, and she took his hand and let him pull her closer. He clasped both of her hands in his and gazed down into her eyes. “And it will be. Someday. We just have to set the world back on the right path first.”
“Oh, is that all?” She rolled her eyes, but then matched his smile. “Does it have to be us?”
“Like Celine said, if not us, then who?”
Nobody. She knew that. She had to go and fall in love with the one guy on the planet who held the key to saving it. And like it or not, she was part of the solution. “I’m just tired of losing people.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “I am, too.” He didn’t promise she wouldn’t lose him.
No more than she could promise he wouldn’t lose her.
TWENTY- TWO
HE WOULDN’T LOSE HER.
Hannah handed out a box of contacts and explained what the patient could expect while Alek prepared to vaccinate the next volunteer, the line of which stretched down the corridor outside the makeshift lab. She brought the next patient over and seated him on the bunk. Alek recognized Tim, one of the young men involved in Alek’s rescue back at the base. Alek swabbed his arm and uncapped a sterilized syringe, already filled with the serum.
“Are you sure?” Alek asked that of each of them. So far, no one had backed out. Tim nodded as resolutely as all the others, and Alek plunged the needle into his arm. “All done,” he said, discarding the syringe and turning to get another wipe.
“Take these.” Hannah handed him a box of contacts on his way out. “Be sure to show up for the blood collection when it’s your turn. Afterwards, report to Chris. He’ll make sure you’re armed and ready.”
“Ready for what?” he asked.
“For whatever the consequences turn out to be.”
Tim looked at her for a moment, and then back at Alek, who only nodded. He turned back to Hannah. “Fine by me. I’m ready to try my new super kung-fu out on some vampire S.O.B.'s.” He took the contacts and made his way out of the room.
Hannah shook her head. She seemed torn between sadness and amusement. Then she looked over at Alek. “Ready for another?”
“Bring them in.”
They continued on in that fashion. All the while, Alek thought of Irina, his first wife. How he had failed her after the Nazis had captured them. He’d made so many mistakes. Every decision after that, every compromise, every abandonment of his morals, every violation of his Hippocratic oath, had been for the sole purpose of keeping her alive, but it had all been for naught.
He wouldn’t make the same mistakes this time. If Hannah was taken, there would be no cooperation. No trusting in the promises of monsters. No self-delusion. He would burn through every last vampire that stood in his way until he got her back alive.
And he had confidence that she could remain alive until he found her. Unlike Irina, Hannah was a fighter. A survivor. And if things were reversed, if he were taken, she would come for him, too.
He moved on auto-pilot, so lost in his thoughts he barely even noticed who he was vaccinating. Swab, jab, discard. “Next.” Again and again.
He tossed another emptied syringe in the plastic bag that was bound for the autoclave and reached for another wipe. “Who’s next?”
“Last volunteer,” said Hannah.
Alek snapped out of his reverie and looked down at the tray on which the syringes lay. Only one dose left. He looked up as the last patient entered the cell. Rabbi Zuckerman.
“Rabbi? Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.” He unbuttoned the shabby cardigan he wore over his prison jumpsuit and then pointed at the tray. “I’m ready to do my part for the cause, just like everyone else.”
“You should know... what you said at the meeting, about a Trojan horse. You were right. That’s what we’re doing.”
The Rabbi nodded. “I thought as much.”
Hannah came to stand next to Alek. “And you’re okay with that?”
“My responsibility is to the human souls in this facility. I’m focused on what’s best for them. And as much as I have thought and prayed about it, I can’t see how curing a disease, even without someone’s knowledge, could be evil.” He looked from Hannah to Alek. “I think many people are about to be set free from bondage. I want to be part of that.”
“In that case,” Alek said, gesturing to the bunk, “have a seat.”
The rabbi removed his sweater and handed it to Hannah before seating himself on the bunk. He unbuttoned the top of his jumpsuit and pulled it down to expose his shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready, Doctor.”
Alek tore open the wipe and cleaned a spot on the profered shoulder. Then he retrieved the final syringe and administered the dose. “There you go. You’re one of us now.”
The rabbi buttoned his shirt back up. “How long until I change?”
“Not long. The transformation might not be noticeable right away. You’ll feel invigorated, but there shouldn’t be anything to keep you from going about your daily tasks.”
Hannah held out a box of contacts to him. “Take these. The only visible change will be your eyes. You should put these in before heading out in public.”
He accepted the box, and she also handed him his sweater. He looked back at Alek. “I assume that with my new abilities, I’ll be expected to fight, if it comes to that?”
“You assume correctly.”
He nodded then turned to Hannah. “You were here before. You were Phyllis’s friend.”
“That’s right.”
“She died bravely, fighting for what was right. I thought you’d like to know that.”
Hannah’s mouth trembled. She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Thank you.”
“I only wish I’d been half as brave as she was. This is my chance to make up for it.” He reached out and patted Hannah on the shoulder. “Let’s you and me make P
hyllis proud.”
Hannah smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
With one last nod to Alek, he left the cell. Hannah watched him go before coming over and sinking down onto the bunk.
“So I guess that’s that. No going back now.”
“No.” Alek moved the empty tray to the top bunk before seating himself beside her. “What about the children, and the elderly?”
“Dmitri, Reynolds and Cassavetes will be on guard duty the last day of the collection. They’ll sneak them all over to the maximum security building before the others wake up and start their shifts.”
He nodded. “And Noah?”
“I’ve told Paula where to find the isolation cell. She’ll hide there with him.”
“Good.” Alek took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “I wish I could hide you away, too.”
“Maybe the vampires will surprise us. Maybe they’ll all be happy to be cured. Maybe Julia will want to thank us.”
“And maybe the Council will never learn of our coup and send an army to shut us down.”
“See? Isn’t optimism fun?”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that you’re my priority. You and Noah both.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Ditto.”
TWENTY- THREE
THEY ENJOYED EACH OTHER in the dark. For all either of them knew, it might be their last chance. Alek couldn’t get enough of Hannah, couldn’t touch her enough, taste her enough, smell her enough. She moved against him, soft moans spurring him on, amazing him with how freely she gave herself.
He did his best to give back, paying close attention to the touches that made her gasp, the kisses that brought out sounds of ecstasy, learning to play her body like an instrument, coaxing sounds from her that were music to his ears.
She was so open, so trusting. Her trust didn’t come easily. He’d had to work to earn it, and he swore to himself, as he had sworn to her, that he would never betray that trust.
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