by Tanja Neise
“Ha! I knew it! You’re not capable of taking the last step. You’d rather leave me here to rot at the mercy of the sun.” My father's spiteful sneer horrified me, for I knew that he was right. I couldn’t do it.
My eyes quickly darted towards Olivia. There was so much love in her eyes. She understood me. Knew that it was impossible for me. She loved me, nonetheless, which made me feel good. I wasn't a monster like the media had made us vampires out to be. I was more human than some of this species. Encouraged by this, I looked back at my father.
He was no longer in the same place. Where was he? I looked around, frantically, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shoot at me.
Anne Rumsfield
We all stayed put and waited for the results of the biometric scan. Every now and then, two vampires whispered to each other, otherwise it was silent. As soon as there was a match, it would be clear that that vampire had to enter the lion's den. I sincerely hoped it wouldn't be Dark. He was a striking-looking man, and if there was actually anyone who looked like him, they would probably know all the soldiers stationed there. Men like him didn’t live quietly alongside their peers. That’s why it would be difficult to smuggle him in and not blow his cover. But my hope shattered like glass as Kat’s gaze suddenly sought Dark’s.
He looked at the screen, his face darkening as he straightened up to his full height and snarled, “Keep looking!”
Kat shrugged her shoulders for a moment and hammered into the keyboard again. Driven by curiosity, I went over to him.
“What's the matter?”
He didn't even look at me. “Nothing, false alarm.”
Beside me, Kat snorted. It sounded sarcastic, but she said nothing else and I didn’t probe her. Dark was a stubborn guy; what use would it be aggravating him? Or to be more precise, me?
Feebly, I leaned against him. He immediately put both arms around me, protectively, and pressed me against his chest. I was flushed with warmth and I closed my eyes for a moment. The tiredness that I’d tried to suppress spread through my limbs, and I snuggled a little more intensely into his embrace. I felt his mouth on my hair, the warmth of his breath penetrating to my scalp and giving me goose pimples.
“Nothing!” Kat’s voice tore me from my blissful refuge.
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and saw her raising her eyebrows at Dark as if to challenge him, all the while her gaze remaining vividly fixed on him.
“Forget it,” I heard the deep bass beside my ear utter very angrily; at the same time, he pulled me even closer towards him and blocked my view. But I was too curious about what was going on, so I raised my head a little.
Kat was just closing the holographic computer and was setting herself up in front of us. She’d put her hands on her hips. “Let her decide for herself.”
What was going on here? Astounded, as I discerned that this conversation was about me, I took a step back from the source of warmth that promised me so much security. Dark only let me go grudgingly. His arms dropped down, but determination remained in his eyes.
“Would you please enlighten me, Kat?” I turned to the only other woman here, with a queasy feeling in my stomach. Because Dark didn’t seem to be making an effort to tell me what was going on, she was the only one I could ask.
Kat gave Dark a questioning look and shuffled from one foot to the other. This genuinely tough woman was extremely nervous and by now I was beginning to sense why. Dark exhaled angrily, and abruptly turned his back on us. He didn't leave, however, but stayed beside me, so that I had a good view of his glorious, wide back.
“Fire away, Kat!” I prompted her again.
“You're the only one of us who comes up with a match. A pretty good one at that. We can redo your hairstyle. The soldier’s hair is short, too, but platinum blond. As dawn is slowly approaching, we have enough time to dye your hair and get you a suitable uniform. As soon as the sun goes down again, you can go.” She produced a hologram and showed me the picture of a woman who seemed nightmarishly familiar to me. “However,...” she paused for a moment.
“Yes?”
“Female soldier, prone to violence, and is also pregnant. In the fifth month, to be exact. I don't know how we can wangle a story in there. She had herself artificially inseminated and is now working in the office until she’s deployable again.” Kat didn't appear satisfied.
“I can manage that. As long as there isn't some husband running around, I’ll pass as a lesbian. I can be convincing.” And that I certainly could. I would love to take on the male part in this amateur theatre. I wasn't ladylike anyway.
Dark turned to me. His eyes scanned my face, in search of any doubt. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. We'll get your family out of there. Sally takes priority because she's in immediate danger. And you have to find a way to get the boys out at the same the time.” Who would I be if I backed down? It would be more than cowardly.
Dark took a step closer to me. Then closer still, until our bodies touched. This instantly turned me on; I would’ve liked to have been alone with him. He smiled, knowingly, but then became very serious. “I couldn’t bear to lose you. Come back to me safe and sound and in one piece. And, for God's sake, don’t not take any unnecessary risks. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes, Sir!” But the joke evaporated as he placed his hands possessively around my face, and took possession of my lips. I clung to him instantaneously, and reciprocated the kiss with utmost passion.
Someone clapped their hands, which didn't really bother me, but Dark reluctantly broke free from me. “Safe and sound and in one piece!” I nodded, smiling. “OK. Then let's start the makeover.” Turning to Kat, he added: “We’ll do everything in our power to ensure their safety. And we’ll be standing by, ready to get them out at any time, whatever the cost. Got that?”
Kat repeated my witty remark and saluted. “Sir, yes, Sir!”
But none of us felt like laughing.
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
By looking into his eyes, I tried to give him confirmation that it was all right if he didn't want to take the last step. Honestly, I would have been a little shocked if he’d managed to kill his own father, even if he was such a monster. When he turned his attention away from me, his facial expression suddenly changed and disbelief appeared in it.
Ladorre! Where was he? I straightened up, groaning. The pain had become bearable by now, and, in fact, I managed to get my upper body into an upright position. But what I saw made my blood run cold. Ladorre was standing a few metres behind Robert and was looking at his son, full of hate. His face was a glaring red and strewn with blisters. Nothing more about him bore any resemblance to the man I loved. Ladorre’s horrifying mask distorted with rage exposed huge fangs before he leapt up. All this happened within a few split seconds. I was barely able to follow the spectacle.
I wanted to scream, wanted to warn Robert, but my mouth was stuck together with duct tape. I squealed instead, but it was already too late. I watched the events unfold as if it was in slow motion – though the guy was certainly moving at vampire speed. Ladorre jumped a fair distance.
At first I’d believed he wanted to kill his own son, but perhaps the guy still had a heart. Robert pursued him, as he couldn't let him simply get away.
I tried to get out of the car. Crawling, I pushed myself out of the door and landed on the tarmac on all fours. As I glanced up, I saw Ladorre just reaching the crossroads. And then everything happened very quickly. The slow motion was over and, instead, an accelerated pace was activated. A blacked-out car shot across the intersection, hit the vampire and catapulted him far out of my field of vision.
I drew in a gasp of air, in horror, which I then expelled again, as a pant. I was seized with nausea, but I couldn’t allow it, especially as I still had the duct tape over my mouth. If I were to throw up, like it or not, I would choke on my vomit. So I got a hold of myself, rose up onto my feet and ran over to Robert, who still remained motionless in the spot where
he’d stopped when the impact occurred.
The car had braked, was now on the road and was waiting. Waiting? For what? Why wasn’t anyone getting out? Perhaps the people were in shock. Just like Robert probably was.
When I arrived at his side, he was staring at the lifeless body lying on the ground, about a hundred metres from him. The whole scene couldn’t have been more grotesque.
I pressed my shoulder against Robert's arm, which reacted immediately and pulled me into an embrace. “God, Liv! I thought I'd never see you again!” When I said nothing, he pushed me away from him a little. “Wait, I'll get this tape off you.”
First, he opened the cuff on my wrists and then focussed on my mouth. He was careful, though it hurt when he tore a few hairs out whilst removing it. As soon as my mouth was freed, he took possession of it. He kissed me, no, he devoured me and squeezed me so tightly that I could hardly breathe. But I didn't care, I thoroughly enjoyed it – after all, I’d been continuously thinking I might never see him again.
Awkwardly, he detached himself from me. Something must have roused his attention. I, too, looked in the direction he had turned. Ladorre had apparently recovered a little. He was standing there, floundering. What would happen now? Would Robert have to finish him off after all?
But while I was still pondering, the vehicle hurtled towards Ladorre again. Silently and efficiently. The impact wasn’t unexpected this time, but I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see it. Couldn't watch. I clung to Robert, who gaped at the gory spectacle, mesmerised.
Robert Tensington / Raphael
My father's body was catapulted through the air once more, and as if that wasn’t enough, the driver drove right over him. By now I was convinced that it was Shazar sitting in the driver’s seat, though the completely blacked-out windows restricted any view inside.
My legs, as if by themselves, guided me to my father. Olivia was close beside me when I crouched next to him. The car was still there, ready to strike again. We vampires didn't die from the sun, but were injured by it, so our bodies couldn't heal. Hence, the man in front of me was more human than vampire. He must have been in terrible pain, as his chest jerked as it lowered. My father's gaze was searching for mine. I couldn't help but grab his hand. I was aware that he was dying and these were his last breaths.
Ladorre whispered something I couldn’t understand, so I held my ear closer to his mouth. “...didn't kill your mother, loved her. Just like you...” Then I felt his breath on my cheek and the hand in mine went limp.
Devastated, I lifted my head and looked into my father's lifeless eyes. And I felt a revealing sting in mine. No, I wouldn't start crying now, I thought to myself, and abruptly straightened up. Liv, who was still beside me, laid her small hand very gently on my cheek. “Everything’s going to be all right.” She didn't have to say anything else because that was exactly what I needed to hear. Because now that Ladorre was no longer with us, I could breathe freely again. In that moment, in that one vampire, I’d lost two figures in my life. My father, who could also have been a good father. There were many situations I remembered that had also been full of joy. I’d also lost the worst enemy I’d ever had, and I’d had a lot of them. My life would now become more peaceful, I hoped, at last. I cautiously put my forehead to hers and simply enjoyed her closeness, inhaled her unmistakable, apricot scent and succumbed to the feeling that everything would be all right.
At some point, with a heavy heart, I released myself from her and took a closer look at her. “Liv, your injuries!” I’d completely forgotten how badly hurt she was when I found her.
However, she simply made a dismissive hand movement. “It’s not that bad. It's almost healed.” Then there was a pause between us before she looked at my father's corpse. “What should we do with him? Should we bury him somewhere? Or would you like a proper funeral?”
Jittery, I shook my head, because giving him the honour of a proper funeral didn’t fit my expectations at all. “I’ll hand him over to the president so that she believes the last vampire has been destroyed.” She gave me a look of sadness, but I decisively reached for my radio and called the president. In a few words, I explained to her that we’d found the vampire, and where she could find him, before ending the conversation. “You know, Liv, at least this way he’ll be making a meaningful contribution to the last of our species, with the end of his life. Hopefully we can live in peace from now on.” I held out my hand to her, encouragingly, which she grasped at once. “Let's go.” We ran to the car together. She climbed in, whilst I opened the boot and went back to fetch my father’s remains. I carefully carried him to the car and when the lid shut, with a muffled noise, I was struck with a sense of relief. I quickly got in the back. Shazar, who was eyeing me solemnly, was behind the wheel. It was clear to me what he was waiting for. Even though I’d expressly said that we should kill Ladorre, it was something else to do it. We’d taken my father's immortal life. I, by giving my order, and Shazar in his deed. The sun, which prevented him from healing, had played its part. I nodded briefly; only then did he start the car and drive off, relieved.
Anne Rumsfield
When I looked into the mirror that Kat held out to me, a slightly-modified Anne looked back at me, but I was still myself. Or perhaps not, because for hours I had no longer been a human being. But I stuck to the belief that I was still Anne Rumsfield – the elite soldier. Just without the hatred for vampires, as I now knew how my father had died. I knew that he’d brought it about himself and had eventually even ordered his guinea pig, Raphael, to put the destruction mechanism into effect. I was me and, then again, I wasn’t. My thinking and actions hadn’t really changed, but my body was completely different.
Meanwhile, I was wearing the appropriate uniform, had a small, but false, baby bump and was equipped with all the necessary documents so that I could move around freely on the barracks grounds. I was well-versed in military protocols – they’d become second nature to me. I wouldn’t attract any attention there, so it could work. Couldn’t it?
I was standing at the window, protected by the shadows, looking outside – I was watching the sun slowly set. The next moment, I felt Dark's arms, which he wrapped around me from behind. He gently pulled me towards him. “You’re just as beautiful with light-coloured hair, and your scent would intoxicate me, whether you had green hair or none at all.” His nose tickled my throat and sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.
There was a sadness between us that made Dark and I aware that these could be the last minutes we had together. I had to swallow, as going straight into the lion's den was difficult for me. Entering the establishment that had been my home for so long, albeit in a different place. The soldiers who lived here were mostly scum. People who were led by their impulses and felt no remorse. As far as I was concerned, Louisville had always been a cesspool of sin. I’d been firmly convinced of it during my time as a soldier, too. I’d never understood how the government could approve such goings-on. What happened there every day was an open secret. I assumed that the politicians of our country knew what Louisville really was. It couldn’t have passed them by.
“You don't have to do this. Nobody would judge you if you pulled out. We'll find another way to get Sally and the boys out.” Dark whispered, so that only I could hear his words, but he was wasting his time. My decision was irrevocable.
I turned around in his arms and laid a hand on his cheek. Our glances intertwined with each other. “I’m going. Don't try to persuade me to back down again.”
Cautiously, he bent down and put his forehead to mine. “I can’t help myself.”
“I know, but you need to direct all your energy towards saving the boys now. I’ll take care of Sally. We can do this.”
Dark looked sad. “I hope so. I truly do, so much. But I keep imagining none of you coming back. Neither Sally, nor the boys, nor you. I'm not the sentimental type, you know that. But what would I do then? I’d become a miserable wreck and die of a broken heart.”
I
giggled because the words didn't suit him at all, yet I could completely understand. At the end of the day, I was the one who’d been alone for the past years. I knew what it felt like to have no one – no family – no one worth coming back from a mission for. Opening the door and walking into an empty apartment had seemed so normal to me in the end, but it wasn't. I wanted to look into Dark's face in the future, behold his manly features as soon as I opened my eyes. But I had to get Sally out of there. Nobody here but me knew how bad it was there, in that facility. What human abysses revealed themselves there. I couldn't have been happy for another single day if I left Dark's sister there just to protect myself.
I kissed him once again, but then quickly turned around and set off with a confident stride, on a path that would hopefully lead me to the right destination.
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
I wearily snuggled up to Robert, who immediately put his arm around me and drew me even closer to him. The blacked-out windows of the car excluded the world around us. The horror was forgotten for a moment. I was filled with his scent and felt the warmth of his body in every single fibre of mine.
“Where to?” Shazar tore me out of my protective cocoon, and the man at my side was startled, too.
“To the airport; we’ll offload my father's body there. Then we’ll charter a plane. I’d like to get to Louisville as soon as possible.” Robert’s powerful voice, so accustomed to giving orders, vibrated deeply against my cheek, which was still on his chest.
“All right!” Shazar was concentrating on the road again, even though it seemed to go straight for miles. But that was fine with me; this meant I could surrender myself once again to being alone with my vampire.