Anne has just read my mind and she is probably right, but something inside me protests at leaving Leandra’s body alone and unprotected. I know her spirit isn’t here, but it would still feel like we were abandoning her. I doubt if I could prize Orianna from her side anyway.
‘You go if you wish Anne; I think I should stay with Orianna and Leandra. We have paper and pens, and Orianna said my name before, I want to see what else she can say.’
‘I won’t be gone for long. We need some water, and I’ll wash the bowls in the spring.’
The spring is not far from the mountain, a busy, continuous stream of water that runs over the rocks and finally ends up in the river. It tastes delicious, it really does, and that is an unusual word to describe water, but it is true. I suddenly feel really thirsty, and I hope Anne returns soon.
Orianna looks a little flushed as well. She’s been crying for hours and she has worn herself out, poor thing. I’ll see if she can say my name again, take her mind off Leandra for a moment. ‘I am Aecia. You are Orianna.’
‘Orenaa.’
‘Oreeaana.’
‘Oreeaana.’
‘Yes, that is you, and I am Aecia, can you say that?’
‘I am Aeeceea.’
‘You’re getting it, but not quite, you are Orianna.’
‘You are Oreeaana.’
This is going to take some time, but we’re definitely getting somewhere, she’s not daft, she’s brilliant, and she is also very tired at the moment. She’s yawning all over the place, so I’m going to see if she’ll sleep for a while.
I wonder if this is what motherhood feels like? I am constantly thinking about all of the Clones, whether they are with me or not. They seem vulnerable to me, and I would fight any predator, including Vampires, if they were attacked. I feel happy when they are, and sad when they are sad. There is a gaping wound in my heart now that Leandra has gone. I am a mother, yes, I am a mother.
All is silent now, except for Orianna’s breathing; the calm before the storm, which will surely rage when Garok, the boys and Lupe return. They don’t know that Leandra has died, and it will be a terrible shock.
I have no idea of the time but it feels like they should be back soon. Orianna is still asleep, and Anne is not back yet, she has been longer than I thought. I would normally boil some water now, but we have run out. We have some root vegetables left that I can prepare, ready for Anne’s return with the water.
I can hear someone coming back now, ‘AECIA, HELP ME.’
It is Garok’s voice, what has happened to him?
‘I’m coming!!’
We all have to crouch through these tunnels, and, like an idiot, I have left the mini-torch from Uncle in the cave. I can hardly see Garok.
‘Sebastian and Baran are ill, they can barely move, help me get them to the cave Aecia, quickly.’
We are in Garok’s cave now, because it is nearer than ours. The boys are feverish, and in obvious pain, exactly as Leandra was last night. Garok is exhausted.
‘Where and when did they become ill Garok?’
‘They seemed ok for most of the day; we caught three rabbits, and Baran found a field of wild potatoes, so we dug out a bag full of those. It was as we were coming back, Baran was holding his stomach. They don’t speak much of any language you know, but I always understand them now. Sebastian had the same symptoms, soon after, and we had to keep stopping to rest. They both collapsed completely when they saw the mountain was in sight. I think they tried to hold out as long as they could.’
‘So you must have dragged them all the rest of the way.’
‘I was frightened that it was going to get dark, and the Vamps would have smelt us on their patrols.’
‘Sit down; have you any water left in here?’
‘No, but there is half a bottle tied to my waist.’
‘Here, drink.’
‘Thank you Aecia.’
‘Garok, Leandra is dead!’
‘Dear God! No! What happened? Did she get sick and choke or what? It was a stomach ache; how can you die from a stomach ache? I don’t understand what is happening to them. What about Orianna and Lupe, are they ill too?’
‘Lupe? She is with you isn’t she, where is she Garok, she left with you?’
I have only just realised that Lupe isn’t here with Garok. I can’t seem to think straight, and I share Garok’s confusion. Why are my friends dying around me?
‘Aecia, Lupe was with us for about an hour, but she couldn’t settle. She wanted to come back to you all and Leandra. She kept pointing towards the mountain, so in the end, Baran walked part of the way back with her, and then came back to us.’
‘She never came back.’
‘I will go and look for her.’
‘Garok, it will be dark in an hour.’
‘I must try, she could have fallen and hurt herself, or maybe she is ill too, and hasn’t the strength to get home.’
I don’t want him to go, but there is no choice Amica, I must see to the boys and Orianna. Orianna! I must get to our cave and see if she is alright; if she gets this illness, I don’t know what I will do.
‘Orianna.’
‘Aecia.’
Thank god, she is fine! In fact she looks well, rested after her sleep. She has just said my name correctly too. I’ll bring her to Garok’s cave, and we can look after the lads together.
Orianna never ceases to amaze me, she is calmer than I am now, and is bathing Sebastian’s face with the remains of Garok’s drink. She is humming that horrendous birdsong tune, but quietly, and it is making Baran and Sebastian smile, so that is something. Wait, I can hear movement in the tunnel, it is Garok, and he has Lupe.
‘She is ill Aecia, but she is all right. I found her near the spring.’
Lupe is hot and moaning like the others, but she is alive, she has a chance.
‘Anne, where is Anne? Didn’t you see her at the spring Garok?’
‘No, no sign of her.’
We need Uncle, I don’t know what the hell is going on today friend, and now Anne is missing. It is getting dark, and I won’t let Garok go out again. He will surely be discovered, and then we are all discovered. But Anne, where on earth could she have gone?
I must ask Uncle for a watch when he arrives, this waiting around is horrible, and I wouldn’t know if he is late or not. It is dark now, and Anne is still missing. Come on Uncle, hurry up. I wonder where he went today; who he was visiting. I guarantee it was something to do with the Rebellion, and I am going to find out about that too, whether he likes it or not! I can hear movement, thank god, and about time!
‘Uncle.’
‘Yes sweetheart, why are you all in Garok’s cave?’
My eyes are filling with tears and I can’t speak, I’m just so relieved that he is here, and it’s like a damn bursting inside of me. Uncle will straighten things out somehow, I know he will. I want to cling to him and never let go.
‘What has happened Garok? Where are Anne and Leandra, and what is wrong with the boys and Lupe?’
I am safe in Uncle’s arms, as Garok explains what has happened today, and I am grateful to him for that.
‘Aecia, release me, so that I can see to the boys and Lupe. I will examine Leandra’s body later, for she is beyond my help.’
‘I’m sorry Uncle; I was frightened that you wouldn’t come as well. It has been a strange and ugly day.’
‘Yes, I know,’ he is patting my arm and gently pushing me aside, ‘but I am here, so you must let me get on with it.’
Uncle has his bag with him, with goodness knows what inside. It is huge, and we have never really needed him to open it before now. Vampires don’t get ill at all. I wonder how he has even kept his practice running for all of these years. Don’t get me wrong, a Vampire can be hurt, or reduced to ash by the sunshine, but they don’t get colds or rashes from disease, the way Humans of old did. Whatever exotic or immortal serum that runs through their veins, seems to be too powerful for age and bacteria to affe
ct.
Garok, Anne and I, have some diluted form of that serum within us. We are born from Vampire, but our humanity still fought the battle to remain human, and won! Maybe that is why we are not ill. Whatever disease this is, has no chance within our biological make up.
Orianna is a Cloned human, with no Vampire resistance, and yet she is not ill either. OMG Amica, I am going round in circles here, I am not a Doctor or Scientific researcher. Uncle will clear all this up I’m sure. He is 432 years old, with a wealth of experience in everything, and he is my hero.
‘I will be back shortly.’
‘WHAT! Uncle, you are not leaving us are you? What is wrong with them? Have you given them some medicine?’
‘Yes, I’ll explain when I get back. Aecia, Anne is still out there, and I have to find her.’
‘But the patrols, it is not safe!’
He has gone, and we are rigid with fear again. The patrols consist of an indeterminable number of the oldest and strongest Vampires of the Capital. I’m not sure if any of the Elders join the search, or if it is too demeaning for their superior, designer clothed butts.
Anyway, these are the fastest, sharpest crew available, and have the fiercest and most accurate senses in the universe. They can pinpoint an object from a mile away in the dark, and their sense of smell is just as potent. All of the caves are doused with neutralizer every day, as well as our bodies and clothes, for that reason.
These Vamps can fly, and I’m not kidding! They can cover 20 miles in less than a minute, with their capes billowing in the wind like bat’s wings. That would be an incredible sight to see, except for the fact that if I was unfortunate enough to see it, I would be blood soup before I blinked.
Can you imagine Amica, if the Vampire’s power was combined with a good heart, selflessness and humility? The world would be truly a living, breathing Heaven, for all who inhabited it. I pray that one day that will come about!
‘Aecia, are you asleep?’
‘No Garok, I’m sorry, I daydream sometimes, and I must have closed my eyes.’
‘Yeah you did, but you are standing up?’
It’s too soon to let Garok into the crazy. He thinks I just write to you friend, not see you and talk to you.
‘I’m just so tired and worried Garok, how are they?’
‘The same so far, I mean they are still hot, but they are all asleep. I think Rauul gave them a tranquillizer and pain relief.’
He is right; their faces are smooth and without tension, not creased with pain as they were before. I can hear voices in the tunnel. Garok has heard them too, and has gone to check it is only Uncle, and hopefully, Anne.
‘Anne!!’
‘She is ill child.’
‘Uncle, where did you find her?’
‘She was crawling back from the spring.’
‘But Garok didn’t see her there. I…..’
‘Sshh let me get her in and treat her. It doesn’t matter where she was.’
That is odd! Garok must have been too absorbed in his task of getting the boys home, to see her. She does look ill. That’s my theory out of the window, she has Vamp blood as well as human, but she has caught this disease.
‘Here, next to Lupe, I will bathe her Uncle.’
‘Good, good, I have brought six bottles of water. Garok, empty my other bags will you?’
26.01.3012
I haven’t been able to think, outside of caring for the Clones and Anne last night Amica. It is dawn now, and they are still asleep, so I am grabbing this time (and this pen and paper), to write to you for a while.
You should have seen the amount of food Uncle had in his other bags last night. Fluffy, raised bread, and cakes, so sweet and light, they melted the instant they touched your tongue. I couldn’t believe how hungry and thirsty I was, even after all the trauma of Leandra’s death. I felt guilty for enjoying the food when she couldn’t. The Clones didn’t eat a thing, but they managed to drink plenty of water, so that was good.
Orianna wasn’t ill, but she wouldn’t eat. She is ultra-sensitive to others, and wanted nothing more, than to nurse her family through the night. I forced her to drink, and nibble some bread, at least; she mustn’t become weak, and vulnerable to this illness.
Anne surprised me, and became much better, soon after she had returned with Uncle. She ate plenty, and drank even more, so I think the Vamp D.N.A. did its magic, and cured her pretty quickly. I’m still surprised that she contracted the illness at all.
Uncle stayed as long as he could, but he has had to go to his pit now. He has told me that he is staying with friends, but that is as much as he would tell me about that.
With regard to this disease, or illness, or whatever it is; he thinks that because the Clones have never had contact with the air, the food and water, the environment in which we live; they have no immune system whatsoever. Their bodies have never fought off any ailments or diseases in the course of their lifetime. Ironically, this means that their bodies weren’t stimulated to form a defense against it. When they get ill, they cannot fight, and are in danger of dying. A simple mild bout of influenza could kill them.
He has a cocktail of diseases that he is preparing for each of them, and he will inject them tonight. Sounds barbaric I know, but this is called immunization, and the strength of each disease, is tiny enough, that there is no doubt their bodies will defeat it. It will then remember its battle, and will be prepared, should it encounter this disease again.
Amazing, interesting and baffling, isn’t it. In my head, I can see an army of grim faced little cells, armed with mallets and shields, doinking the heads of a similar army, of black, gooey blobs with fangs, (everything bad has fangs, except for Uncle, mother, father and Zak). I don’t even know if doinking is a word, but it should be! Ha, I seriously worry if I am going completely and irrevocably looney tunes, Amica!
On a serious note, we formerly said goodbye to our Leandra last night. Even the boys, Lupe, and Anne, managed to sit up as my Uncle wrapped her in gauze, and swore to commit her back into the earth. Uncle took her, and will bury her far from here, but that doesn’t matter. She will be all around us, in the wind and the ground, the sea and the stars. Garok’s sister and family are also part of nature again, and they will continue.
I don’t feel so gut wrenchingly angry with Garok anymore. I have to admit that he was superb yesterday, in every way. Don’t get carried away friend! I am not in love with him again. I just think he showed great courage, and inner strength, yesterday, in his dealings with the boys and Lupe. He was brave and kind, and he has nice eyes; that is all!
Going back to my Uncle, I noticed he was extremely agitated last night. He had reason to be, I know, with all that went wrong yesterday, but it was more than that. I know my Uncle, and I sensed something more was bothering him.
He left us about twice the amount of food he normally does, and he left Garok with a bag of personal things, that I haven’t been allowed to see yet. Garok used it as a pillow last night, so my plan to dive into it this morning, went out of the non-existent window.
There is an uneasy feeling in my heart Amica; the future is a long, long time, and when you have no idea of what it contains, your mind fills it in for you. My mind torments me, with visions of bloodshed and pain, starvation and savagery. I can’t see any peace for a long time, if ever! Does that make me a pessimist? I want so much just to live a normal life, with those I love around me. I want that for everyone, even some Vampires if they are good.
Chapter Six
DISEMBODIED VOICE, THE JOURNEY AND THE WELL
I wonder if it will ever be possible for Vamps and Humans to live together peacefully. Can a predator have enough self-control to live with its prey, without harming it? I think too much, so many questions all of the time, I’m giving myself a headache. Seriously, I can hear buzzing or something…
‘YOU MUST LEAVE!’ Who is that? Everyone is asleep but I can hear a voice.
‘AECIA, YOU MUST LEAVE THE CAVE TODAY. You and your
friends are in danger.’
All right, what the hell is going on? Am I going mad? Nobody else seems to hear anything. My God, it is the same voice that warned me to get out of the main hall in the Ordinatio.
‘Who are you?’
‘What?’
I must have said that out loud and I’ve woken Anne of all people!
‘Nothing, sorry to wake you, just half asleep then Anne and chattering on in a dream.’
‘Oh, well I was going to get up now anyway, I’ll put some water on. How is everyone this morning?’
‘Well, they are still asleep, but they are not writhing in pain anymore. I think they are cooler too; they may have got over the worst.’
The voice has stopped now, I have to get outside and see if whoever it is, speaks to my mind again.
‘Aecia.’
Orianna is awake now too. Hells bells! What do you have to do to get a bit of privacy around here? Go to the toilet that’s what!
‘I’m just going outside to the loo Anne, won’t be long.’
Our loo is one of two deep holes we have created for that purpose, and they are to the right of the mountain. Not posh I know, but we used to sleep in a pit or hang in a warehouse so it’s as good as a throne to us. Orianna is following me, I should have known. It’s okay, I would trust her with my life, and I just hope the ‘voice’ does too, and will re-establish contact.
‘Aecia, I want loo.’
If I wasn’t so preoccupied with this ‘voice’ situation I would be overjoyed to hear Orianna communicating so well. There’ll be no stopping her now!
‘You are discovered. You must leave!’
He is back! Disembodied voice is back! I wonder if I think the words, can he understand them?
‘Who are you? Who has discovered us and where could we go? I don’t know where there are more caves or safe houses, or anywhere else!’
‘Rauul will know. Where is Rauul?’
‘Now hang on a minute, I don’t know where he is and I wouldn’t tell you if I did! I don’t know who you are!’
‘I am your friend which is all you need to know. Listen carefully and I will instruct you how to get to the nearest shelter. On the other side of the mountain, you will see to your left an overgrown footpath leading down towards some wild vegetable fields.’
Only Human Page 8