Parasite ; Sleeper Cells ; Kingdoms of the Dead

by Ian Woodhead

  Jalim thought very carefully before opening his mouth. He had no idea why the First Father was talking to him like an equal. It felt so wrong. “The Sabre-Tooth Clan was ready to move against us. We could not withstand another raid. Their client tribe had already taken our supplies for the dry season. The only reason why they did not attempt to wipe us out was because we had these.” He instinctively counted the bolts, sighing when he found that he only had three left in the chamber. Once they were gone, the weapon would be good only as a clubbing weapon. “We had to leave the valley.”

  The First Father stroked his chin. “So, you believe that the Clan’s First Son is wrong to disagree?”

  Jalim silently moaned, right now, he wished that that their enemies had killed him. It would be better to have them cut off his skin for tanning than to be in this position. What was he to do? “You made the only decision available, my First Father. Your desire was the survival of the Clan. We are few in number now but it is still preferable than the Sabre-Tooth clan flavouring their meals with our bones.”

  The First Father laughed. Jalim smiled himself, glad that he had used the correct words. The smile fell from his face when the First Father turned and grabbed his First Son by the neck and lifted him up.

  “Badan, you have failed me for the last time.”

  The First father squeezed his huge fingers tight. Jalim cringed at the sound of the First Son’s neck bones crushing together. He watched in fascination as he dragged Badan’s now limp body to the crevice and dropped it down.

  “You are now my First Son, Jalim,” he said turning his head. “What is your first decision?”

  Jalim walked through the clan vampires, watching them take a step back as he passed them. He peered down the crevice, surprised that he could still see Badan’s corpse, the crevice was not that deep. “My first decision would be to retrieve that body, my First Father. We have no food and his corpse will help to sustain our weakened bodies until we find more supplies.” He looked across the desolate shite landscape, seeing nothing but ice and snow. Their situation was desperate. Even with the unexpected food bounty, it would take a miracle to stop the clan from going extinct.

  “The role suits you, my new First Son.” He looked over at the remaining vampires. “Do you agree to follow Jalim’s requests as long as they do not clash with mine?” They all nodded. “That is good. Now, Jalim, would you be kind enough to retrieve that body? I am going to help the others construct a shelter. The sun will soon rise and I do not want to burn.”

  Jalim fell to his knees and slowly lowered his body down until his fingers hung from a jagged rocky outcropping. He listened to the First Father directing the others in the task of digging out somewhere to sleep while the sun laid claim to the land. Jalim released his hands, dropping the last few feet.

  He wandered over to the body and lifted the torso up, watching his head flop about. It was a huge shame to do this. This vampire had taught Jalim almost everything there was to know about their kind, perhaps a little too well. It was the First Son’s teachings that had helped him to make the decision regarding the disposal of the body. Jalim then jerked to a halt when he moved the body to the edge of the crevice and saw something move under the vampire’s thigh.

  Jalim stared in astonishment as a pure white furred mammal ran back into a deep hole in the rock. His astonishment deepened when he saw that the animal had taken a large bite out of the dead vampire’s cold flesh. In all the time that he had lived, Jalim had never heard of any creature that could eat the flesh of a changed human. Their meat was supposed to be toxic to every living animal. Jalim got down on his hands and knees and looked down the hole. The animal was right there, staring back up at him.

  “Just what are you then, my little friend?” He had no idea what it was, nor did he really care. He knew that warm blood ran through its veins and the meat was his for the taking. Jalim plunged his hand down the hole, gritting his teeth in surprise when the strange animal bit him. He felt the animal’s teeth scrap across the finger bone.

  Whatever it was, Jalim knew that the beast had no fear of him and if he allowed it, the animal could snip off his finger. He tightened his hand, grinning at the sound of the creature’s tiny yelps. Finally, it went limp in his hand. Jalim pulled his fingers free of the hole, bringing his prize close to his face.

  “You are an enigma.” He opened his jaw wide and pushed the animal in. He snapped his jaw shut, biting the animal in half. He crunched through muscle, sinew, bone and fur, moaning in ecstasy as the bloodied mush just slid down his dry throat. Aside from draining the last few drops of blood from the veins of their last human eight sun-ups ago, this was the only food that had passed his lips. Jalim rammed the rest of the animal into his mouth, eager to finish his unexpected meal before the other came back to see why he was taking so long.

  Jalim chuckled to himself. He opened his eyes and stared into the empty corridor. It had been such a long time since he had given any thought to his early days. Even now, he had no idea of what kind of animal that he had foolishly consumed. He knew that he had never seen another one like it in all the millenniums of existence after the time of the great freeze. Eating that tiny beast had to be the reason to why he was so different to every other vampire that he had known. Just like that long forgotten animal, Jalim was a unique individual.

  He slowly turned around. It did not surprise him to find that his two humans had pushed a piece of furniture against the window. He could sense both of them, flat against the wall, staring at the barricaded door, just waiting for him the push his way through. Like that strange animal that bit into his fingers, these two animals had also armed themselves with whatever was available.

  Jalim heard the slow but heavy footsteps and walked over to the door that led into the other room. All the pieces were now in place. It was time to go to work. Jalim so enjoyed the next bit. The fact that his apprentice would be watching with wide-open, astonished eyes, only served to increase the excitement.

  He had brought the three humans, just as Jalim had asked. All three were dazed. He watched the young vampire drop them in a heap beside Jalim’s feet. Blood dripped from the back of the blond male’s head. The matted hair, reminded him of a bird’s nest.

  “He resisted. I might have hit him too hard, Jalim. He is still breathing though, although I am not sure of the damage I caused.”

  “It does not matter,” he replied. In truth, Jalim had expected a small degree of damage to the humans. Whether they lived or left dead would not impede the procedure. It was just more enjoyable to watch if they were living and aware of their predicament. Jalim chuckled, “Dylar, you are about to witness a feat that no other vampire has ever experienced. Pick up the humans and follow me.” He charged the door. The thin wood splintered when he crashed into it. The two human’s sudden screaming blasted through his ears. To Jalim, the sound of their terror made him want to cry out in joy. He pushed away the heavy metal cabinet that they had slid against the door and stormed into the room, heading for the woman. He knew that Dylar’s presence would stop the teenage boy from trying to escape.

  The woman’s incoherent pleas made him grin even more. He felt the change rushing through his system. His cavernous mouth opened wide. Jalim cried out as a double row of canine teeth burst through his gums, the bloodied flesh peeling back like rolled down sock.

  He lunged forward and sank his hidden teeth into her thick neck, the woman’s shrieks cut short when he punched his fist into her stomach. Jalim stayed still, stroking the woman’s thick brown hair, waiting for the venom to take effect. Once he heard the familiar gasp, he pulled his teeth from her flesh and gently laid her on the floor.

  Jalim hurriedly back away, pushing Dylar out of the room. He looked at the teenage boy and winked. “She’ll need you to care for her now,” he said, laughing. He pulled the bookcase away from the window. Jalim wanted to make sure that Dylar saw all of this. He then jumped over the dumped bodies and pulled the metal cabinet back, hoping that she wou
ld not attempt to move it out of the way. He just hoped that the offered meat would satisfy her first urge to feed.

  “I don’t understand any of this,” said Dylar.

  “Be quiet!” he snapped. Jalim dragged the vampire over to the window. He smiled at the sight of the other two females stirring. By the looks of it, the male would not be waking. It was a shame but not to much of a disappointment. The teenage boy was trying to wake the big woman. His earlier thought of hate had completely vanished. Jalim so admired how the human could alter his perception of another human in such a short space of time.

  Dylar took an involuntary step back. Jalim’s arm snapped out and he pulled the young vampire back. Jalim shivered himself, even out here, where he knew he would be safe, the malevolence coming from his first creation scared the life out of him. The teenage boy suddenly jumped away, his eyes like saucers as the woman reared up, growling like an enraged wolf. She turned her head, her growl turning to an ear-piercing screech to the sight of the flesh around her arms expanding like pink balloons.

  The three humans were now by the cabinet, desperately trying to pull it to the side, it was as if they had forgotten than the two vampires were still out here. The woman’s transformation was proceeding faster than any of his other subjects. Jalim just hoped that the reason was because of the woman’s size and the fact that, this woman had fed well, through her life. Her flesh was now beginning to harden. Until her first shedding, she would stay that shape and size. He could not stop himself from grinning. This Flesh dragon was already beautiful, the embryonic creature was already an impressive size. He watched her dagger-like teeth push through her elongated jaw. From where he stood, Jalim could not see the screaming humans, they were still trying to drag the cabinet away from the doorway.

  “Dylar, witness this, my friend.” He swapped places and held onto the cabinet, watching the awe appear in his companion’s face. He heard all three humans suddenly shriek out, the pressure on the cabinet ceased and the only noises that Jalim could now hear were the wet sounds of tearing flesh.

  “I have never seen anything so wonderful in my life, Jalim.”

  He joined him at the window, watching his creation gorge on the offered meat. She really was a magnificent creature. The black scales now covering her naked body glistened under the artificial light. There was enough meat in there to help her insides expand into the large body. Once she had gorged, she should sleep for a few days to allow her transformation to finish. It would give Jalim enough time to start his own preparations.

  “What do we do about the remaining human, Jalim?”

  His Flesh dragon dragged one of the females over to the corner. She bit into the back of the woman’s neck before returning to the bloodied pool of gore on the middle of the room. “Look at that, Dylar. Did you see what she has just done? That woman still lives. Our Flesh dragon has disabled her to ensure that she cannot escape. Look, now she eats the dead flesh, knowing that her last meal will scream when she eats her.”

  He slapped his hands on Dylar’s shoulders. “My friend, the other clans can do whatever they desire and they will do. They will scheme and plot, make allegiances with other clans and even humans. While the clans fight amongst themselves, we shall just bide out time, creating more of these beautiful creatures. When the time is ripe, my friend, we shall wipe this land free of every other clan.” He took a deep breath. “The Dragonshine Clan will reign supreme!”

  Jalim released Dylar and hurried over to the door. “While she feeds, my friend, I suggest that we do the same?” He opened the door and allowed Dylar through. He took one last look at the window and let out a single deep contented sigh.

  Chapter Sixteen

  She ran over to the grill and pushed her fingers through the gaps. Darlene struggled to hold back the tears of frustration when she found that he really had gone. Paul promised her that he’d stay with her, that he wouldn’t let anything to happen. Darlene pulled her fingers out and brushed the tips down her dress.

  “Come on, girl,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re acting like a pop star obsessed teen. He’s young enough to be your son, for crying out loud.” She knew all this, hell she’d said it to herself often enough. Even so, it still didn’t stop her from feeling like he’d just ripped out most of her heart when he did finally leave her. He had just hissed that the others were making their way back, before disappearing.

  Darlene leaned against the wall, covering the grill with her legs. Her Paul hadn’t been wrong about them coming back.The bastards weren’t stopping and checking anywhere else, they knew where she was hiding. There was little point in wondering how the heck he had been able to sense their presence way before she had, from what she had learned from her very short time being in this state that they all had one talent.

  They would be here any moment! She gasped as the cacophony of violent imagery escaping from the minds of the approaching vampires flooded Darlene’s already harassed mind. It took a considerable amount of endurance to ignore their crass and lustful ideas of what they wanted to do to her. “Fuck you all,” she snarled, Darlene forced every scrap of air from her lungs, thought of Paul stroking the back of her legs through the grill then took a deep breath and smiled.

  She wanted them to see her smile as soon as those bastards stormed through that door, their excitement was reaching fever pitch and so were their fantasies. Their ludicrous ideas of what they thought they were going to do to her body became more comic strip, the closer they got to the door.

  Darlene suppressed their escaping thoughts and focussed on the words that Paul had left her to recite. She saw the handle turn, it felt like she was watching the action in slow motion, this felt so stupid. The bastards were actually waiting for her to gasp or yelp at the fact that the big hard vampires had been clever enough to work out where she was hiding. The vampires had dampened their disgusting thoughts now. She watched the door open just a crack and felt a huge wave of confusion, tinged with disappointment flow through them all. She paused; there was just one vampire with the others, standing at the back. The shadowy mind had not joined in with their ridiculous fantasies.

  It was a struggle to keep the smile fixed when Darlene heard Amulius telling them to stand aside. The door swung inwards and the First Father took one step over the threshold then stopped, placing his hands on his hips. What remained of his new clan crowded behind Amulius, the glee in their eyes, made her want to hurl. It sickened her to see the same expression displayed in each vampire. Both her kids used to look like that every time they had grassed on each other.

  “What lies have vomited from their foul mouths, my husband?” she said, sweetly. It felt so odd to emulate his speech pattern but it did help to calm down those turbulent emotions threatening to break through her thin shell.

  “I only asked you to perform one simple task.” He growled.

  Her smile faltered, she saw the naked rage building up and suddenly wished that she’d ignored Paul’s gentle request and just got the fuck out of here. The other vampires slowly backed away, their own expressions changing to alarm and anxiety. His bright red eyes blazed with the power of the sun. Darlene stood transfixed like a rabbit caught in a hunter’s lamp. She felt like the vampire was stripping away her outer most thoughts, layer-by-layer, eager to pull out the reason for her disobedience.

  Darlene slammed her hands against her ears and shut her eyes. “Get out of my fucking mind!” she screamed. Darlene heard something heavy hit the floor and snapped open her eyes to see Amulius slowly sitting up. Had she just done that? Darlene glared at the other vampires, they got the message and stayed motionless. Darlene ran over and helped him back onto his feet. It took a moment for his shaken mind to focus.

  “Listen to me, my husband,” she said. Ignore my spat with the others, just for a moment. The others know where we are hiding.” She looked over at the other just turned vampires. Noticing that Elsie was missing and one of the new recruits was absent. “Wait, where’s the other one?”

/>   “Oh, he lost his head,” replied Colin, chuckling.

  The vampire’s laughter abruptly stopped when the First Father spun his head to face the thickset vampire. It amused Darlene to see what little blood left in Colin’s face just drain away, his arrogance quickly followed suit. It also worried her just how quickly Amulius had recovered.

  “You are all to leave us alone. Bring Elsie to me. You must do this task now.” The vampire scowled at Colin when he didn’t move. “Do not make me repeat my words!” he thundered.

  The vampires jumped, they turned as one and ran down the corridor. Darlene could feel the profound disappointment from all of them that the First Father hadn’t given permission to allow them to defile her.

  As soon as the others were out of sight, the First Father slumped against the wall and sighed heavily. Darlene couldn’t believe the change, he’d gone from a huge monster to looking like a tired old man in a matter of seconds.

  “They openly defy me, Darlene,” he said slowly, twisting his head to face her. “I am beginning to doubt my judgment, my queen. They told me of their treatment and I allow them to live.” He hung his head. I am no longer fit to be a First Father.”

  Darlene’s brain went into meltdown at the sight of this creature whom she thought she loved just a few hours ago dissolve into a puddle of pity. She dropped to her knees and ran her fingers through his thick hair. She gently lifted his head and gazed into his eyes, it was difficult to tell, but she was sure that his fire had dimmed. “Give them time to adjust, Amulius. You’ve thrown these guys into a world unknown to them. Think back to the last time you recruited. Compare them to the ones you bit tonight. The guys who workout in the gym honestly believed they are better than the average Joe. I’m serious here, they are gym freaks. They don’t respond well to orders.” She felt such an idiot herself, it should have been obvious that they act in this way. Amulius had injected all of them with the equivalent of a dinosaur dose of steroids and teenage hormones. No wonder they were climbing the walls and wanting to fuck anything with a skirt.