by P. T. Hylton
Thankfully, the screaming finally stopped.
The team stood in shocked silence, and Alex was silent with them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yoko fall to her knees and vomit. The rest of them remained still.
For Alex’s part, she kept her eyes on Hope. Her body was still wrapped in silver mail, so it continued to burn even after the vampiric life had gone out of it.
Alex briefly considered saying something. After all, this was the closest thing to a real funeral Hope was ever going to get. No way could they bring that body back to New Haven.
But what was there to say? Hope’s captain had failed her. She’d been attacked, turned, and died a horrific death.
There were no words. So, Alex just watched. She watched for a long time until the flames finally went out.
10
The next twenty-four hours went by in a strange blur for Alex. Later, she’d remember snippets of events, things that she could vaguely recall saying or doing, but somehow, she felt detached from it all.
She managed to keep it together during the flight back to New Haven, staying strong for the team. To her surprise, Patrick was the most distraught. She sat next to him on the flight, talking to him, making sure he was able to hold it together, too.
The next thing she remembered was sitting in CB’s office across from CB and Fleming, recounting the events of the mission. She heard her own voice as she told the tale. She sounded detached, objective. She relayed the events as best as she recalled them, doing her best to paint herself neither as the hero nor the villain of the story. It was just a mission that had gone wrong.
When she finished, they all sat in silence for a moment.
CB looked her in the eye. “You did the right thing by putting Hope out of her misery. Even if she hadn’t been on fire. We couldn’t have doomed her to live like that.”
Fleming looked oddly thoughtful. “How long was it from when Hope was bitten to when she changed?”
“Two minutes,” Alex guessed. “Maybe two and a half.”
Fleming shook his head in amazement.
CB turned to the councilman. “Do you see how dangerous this game is, now? If something like this can happen to the GMT, and after they’ve already cleared out the prison, what chance does Resettlement have?”
“I’m aware of the danger, Colonel.” Fleming spoke softly, respectfully, but there was steely resolve in his voice. “We knew there’d be a human cost. Hope knew that, too. This is how we bring humanity home.”
As Fleming spoke, Alex felt the control she’d been fighting so desperately to maintain beginning to slip away.
“Are you kidding me, Fleming?” she asked, fury in her voice.
Fleming turned to her, unfazed at the outburst. “Alex, I promise you Hope’s death was not in vain. Her blood will help pave the way for our future.”
“Are you really this dumb?”
CB started to rise. “Alex, please—”
Fleming held up a hand. “No, it’s okay. Have your say, Alex. We’ve been polite for too long. I want to know what you really think.”
That caught Alex off guard, and it gave her pause. But if he wanted to hear what she really thought, she was happy to tell him. “Hope was selected for the GMT because she was one of the most qualified to survive on the surface. That sleepy vampire took her out in twenty seconds. What do you think it could have done to someone without training?”
“I see your point. If the average citizen of New Haven went down to that unprotected prison, they’d be torn to shreds.”
“Exactly!”
A gentle smile crept across Fleming’s face. “But we’re not sending them down to an unprotected prison. By the time they Resettle, the place will have power. And daylights. And armed guards manning the walls. They’ll be protected.”
“Says the man who’s never set foot on the surface. Why don’t you come down there with us next time? The way I see it, a vampire’s fangs are the only things sharp enough to get through your thick skull.”
CB’s eyes flickered with concern, but he said nothing.
Fleming leaned forward and looked Alex in the eyes. “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.”
“I don’t want your damn appreciation. I want your common sense.”
He sighed. “Resettlement is moving forward. I’ll give the GMT two days off, but then you need to get back to work. You trusted me once before, Alex. I need you to trust me again.”
Alex squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think about that now. About how she’d once been a true believer in Fleming. About how she’d smuggled the daylights aboard the away ship for him. She’d been a fool.
Would things be different today if she hadn’t done that? Would Hope still be alive? Would Drew? Would Simmons?
Fleming stayed a few more minutes, offering vague platitudes and promises of the glories of Resettlement that would soon be coming. It was all Alex could do not to punch him.
After he left, CB waited a full thirty seconds before speaking. “Take the day. Tomorrow we have to get back to work. First thing, you’ll go to Fleming and apologize. Tell him you’re on board with the mission. That you’ve slept on it, and Hope’s death has filled you with a burning desire to Resettle the Earth and destroy every vampire in the world.”
“CB—”
“Don’t CB me,” he said through gritted teeth. “We have a plan. Win over Firefly. Find evidence. Take the power from Fleming. We have to follow it.”
She knew he was right. Angry outbursts wouldn’t bring Hope back. But if they could stop this premature Resettlement, it could save thousands of others. “Okay. You’re right. I’ll apologize.”
“Good. Then we have to start looking for Hope’s replacement.”
That stung just as badly, but she’d been through it before, when Wesley had replaced Simmons.
She started to stand, but CB stopped her.
“Alex, I’m so sorry this happened. If you want to talk about—”
“I’m fine.”
“I know what it’s like to lose someone under your command. I doubt you’re fine. But I know you’ll learn from it, and I know you’ll use the pain to drive you. I’m here if you ever want to talk.”
She left CB’s and wandered, no destination in mind. As she walked, she let her mind go blank, not thinking about anything.
She wasn’t exactly surprised when she found herself at Tankards, the bar in Sparrow’s Ridge.
A few of the regulars greeted her when she walked in, a few of whom she knew, and a few she didn’t. She was used to that; being on the GMT afforded her a minor celebrity status. She ignored all of them and headed straight to the bar.
The bartender’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “Alex, how’s the exciting life of the GMT treating you?”
“Two shots, please, and make it quick. How’s that for an answer?”
The bartender whistled softly. “That bad, huh? All right. Chaser?”
“Yeah. A third shot.”
She knocked back the three shots in quick succession, and the burning sensation brought the image of Hope to mind, and the way she’d screamed as the fire consumed her. For the first time in a while, the desire to see Simmons again hit her hard. It was like a hunger. She would have done anything to hold him, to feel his arms around her.
“Two more shots,” she told the bartender. “Same chaser.”
The bartender gave her a long look, but he poured what she’d ordered, and that was all that mattered.
The next morning, Alex woke to the sensation of coarse sheets against her bare skin. She opened her eyes and saw a strange ceiling above her. The man beside her snored softly.
Naked, lying next to a man whose name I don’t know, and sporting the hangover of a lifetime, she thought. Cool stress-management techniques, Goddard.
She wanted to get up, but she knew the nausea would hit her full force once she stood, and she’d most likely vomit. So, she lay where she was, hoping the world would simply disappear.
As the sun set outside Agartha, Jaden opened his eyes. It was night, which meant it was time to go to work.
Although he was the commander of the vampires of Agartha and the head of the Agartha defense team, his quarters were no different than those of the other vampires. He had a single twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot room with a closet. Space was at a premium in Agartha. He knew firsthand how difficult it had been to carve the city out of the mountain.
To Jaden, the most important parts of his quarters were the reinforced steel door and the locking system that rivaled a pre-infestation bank vault. Killing a vampire at night—especially one as old as Jaden—was incredibly difficult, but during the day, it was significantly easier. If someone could get into his room while he was sleeping, they could theoretically drive a steel spike through his heart before he even woke up.
He’d been thinking more about this lately, especially since the encounter with Alex Goddard. He was sure that any one of his vampires could take any human one on one even in the day, but the gusto and lack of fear she’d shown in attacking Robert had made his confidence waver.
It helped to know that the security of the room kept everyone out during the daylight hours.
As he always did, he sat up and meditated for a few minutes after he woke. These moments of listening to the world around him were part of his daily routine. Then he got dressed and headed out to his city.
He made his way to his team’s command center, and he was surprised to find someone waiting for him.
“George, how are you, man?”
The engineer stood up as Jaden approached, a friendly smile on his face. “I’m doing well. Good sleep?”
“Always. How’s our guest?”
“Good.” George’s eyes drifted to the ceiling. “Very good, actually. Being around someone from the outside has sort of, I don’t know, made me appreciate what we have, you know? And she’s been a great help. She’s brilliant, and I think she genuinely has the good of her city at heart.”
Jaden raised an eyebrow. “And you want to nail her.”
George blushed. “No, of course not.”
Jaden knew otherwise, but he just shrugged. If George didn’t want to talk about it, that was his business.
“Anyway,” George continued, “there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”
Jaden glanced past George. Through the doorway, he saw Robert and a few other vampires gearing up. “Okay, but we’ll have to make it quick. We’ve got a supply run tonight.”
“Yeah, I figured. It won’t take long. Jessica’s going back to New Haven soon. I was thinking it might be a good idea for me to go with her. Might be nice to get a feel for their city. Only seems fair, since we let Jessica visit us.”
“And you want to nail her,” Jaden said.
George scowled, but didn’t deny it this time.
“Tell you what,” Jaden said. “I’ll reach out to the head of New Haven. This Fleming guy. Maybe if I talk to him, he’ll listen to reason.”
“Do you want me to talk to Jessica about this?”
“In time.”
George chuckled and shook his head. “In time. You say that so much, I’m starting to hate that phrase.”
Jaden clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the benefit of immortality, my friend. When you’ve been around as long as I have, rushing from one task to another doesn’t seem so important.”
After he’d said goodbye to George, Jaden went into the mission center, where Robert was prepping the gear.
The vampires didn’t take much along with them on these runs. They preferred blades to guns, so each was armed with a sword and a good knife. They dressed lightly, even in winter, since the weather didn’t affect them. They only other items they carried were large-frame backpacks and Kevlar ropes. The packs were empty now, but if all went well, they’d be loaded with supplies on the return trip.
“How we doing, Robert?” he asked.
Robert grinned as his friend approached. “Not as good as we’re going to be in about twenty minutes. Nothing like a supply run on a cold winter night to make you feel alive. Relatively speaking.”
Jaden chuckled. “What’s on the menu?”
The other vampire glanced at the tablet in front of him. “We’re hoping to gather two thousand pounds of deer and elk meat for the humans and at least a thousand feet of copper wire. Some communications problem, I guess. I’m taking a team of ten.” He glanced up at Jaden. “You don’t have to go, you know. We’ve got it covered.”
Jaden had little involvement in the logistics of these missions. Robert was perfectly capable of handling the details, and Jaden had bigger-picture things to concern him. That didn’t mean he was going to sit inside while his buddies ran through the mountains gathering supplies.
“Are you kidding? I need this. I go a little stir-crazy if I don’t get out of the city now and then.”
Robert shrugged. “You’re the boss.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Jaden said with a smile.
Tonight, like most nights, they would be traveling by foot. Their destination was Colorado Springs, a once-great city that still held plenty of supplies. It was only a short run for vampires who could sprint the entire distance without tiring. Traveling under their own power was more satisfying than driving; it seemed to soothe the savagery that lived deep inside all of them. Besides, vehicles increased the chance of attracting Ferals.
Once the team was geared up, they headed for the exit. They stopped at the first set of blast doors and checked the cameras, to make sure the area outside was clear of Ferals before opening them.
At the second set of doors, they checked the monitors one more time.
“Looks like we’re clear,” Jaden said. “Shut down the auto turrets.”
“Roger that.” Robert did as ordered, and the twelve vampires exited Agartha.
With his first step outside, Jaden felt more alive. More wild. Though the cold wind didn’t affect him, he could feel it brushing his skin, waking up his senses. The smells flooding his nose, the stars overhead, the rustling of the wind, it all felt right.
The team started slowly, jogging up the hill of dead Ferals that had been mowed down by the automated turrets over the past months. As they reached the perimeter, the vampires stopped. They saw something truly unexpected.
“What the hell?” Robert asked.
Fifty feet ahead of them, two naked men stood in the snow.
Jaden sniffed the air.
No, not men. These were vampires. But not Ferals. True vampires.
The two vampires took a few steps toward the team. One of them mumbled through frozen lips, “Help us.”
Every vampire on the team turned slowly to look at Jaden.
“You heard him,” Jaden said. “Help them.”
As his team rushed to assist the two pitiful creatures, Jaden couldn’t help but smile. For the first time in a long time, he was truly surprised. Maybe the world was still an interesting place.
11
Jaden and Robert sat on one side of a table, and the two vampires sat on the other. They were in a locked room with vaulted doors, and the two strangers were wrapped in blankets to cover themselves.
So far Jaden hadn’t been able to get much information out of the two. They hadn’t even given their names; they’d just begged for blood. They’d gone berserk when they’d entered Agartha and smelled the humans. It had been all the team could do to drag them into the vault.
These two looked like true vampires, but they were behaving almost like Ferals. Jaden knew that could only mean one thing: they were starving.
“Please,” the one with sandy-colored hair said, his eyes pleading. “Let me have one person. You have plenty to spare. I smelled them.”
Jaden and Robert exchanged a glance.
“Who’s your master?” Jaden asked.
“Please,” the other vampire said. “We need blood.”
Some
one pounded on the door, and Robert went to answer. He came back a moment later with two packs of blood and a bundle of clothes. He set them on the table, and the two vampires snatched up the bags of blood.
They tore into them with their fangs and devoured every drop.
Jaden and Robert waited in silence while the vampires drank.
When they’d finished, they seemed more in control. The wild look was gone from their eyes.
“Thank you,” the sandy-haired one said.
Jaden nodded. They waited in silence while the vampires dressed.
When they’d finished, Jaden asked for their names once again.
“I’m Mark,” the sandy-haired one said.
“Aaron,” said the other.
“Where’d you come from?”
Aaron shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure. We’ve been out there a while. We were turned during the third wave of the infestation. Then the humans got scarce. I sort of lost track of time.”
“Me, too,” Mark agreed.
Jaden paused a moment, considering how to continue. “The third wave was one hundred and fifty years ago.”
Mark’s eyes widened. “Jesus. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Jaden assured them he was not.
“This is insane,” Aaron said.
“I’m sure it’s disorienting,” Jaden said.
“Disorienting? It’s a hell of a lot worse than that.” Aaron sat up straight and looked Jaden in the eye. “You have no idea what it was like. The starvation. More than a hundred years of perpetual pain and torment. My mind went away. It was like being an animal.”
“Or being trapped at the bottom of a well,” Mark added. The haunted look on his face confirmed how deeply he felt the words. “Sometimes, I could see a pinpoint of light. Like a glimpse of the man I’d once been. Most of the time, the pain blocked out everything else. The memories. Free will. I was operating purely on instinct.”
“Same here,” Aaron confirmed. “The memories of that time are more like snapshots of feelings. Almost like half-remembered dreams. Then I fed, and my mind came back.”