Immortal Awakening

by Shana J Caldwell

  He’d hear the distance clicks and roars of the grobblers and decide he’d come back with reinforcements. By the time he’d come back I would be a pile of bones, my flesh and life stripped from me. He wouldn’t be able to recognise me and would simply just accept that I’d disappeared because in this world, people disappeared daily and it’s something you have to accept and move on. I would have been forgotten and they would have continued on with their lives. Next time I was going to do something stupid, I would be taking Zeke and Zuriel with me; disregarding how annoying and stubborn one of them could be.

  *

  I awake to butterflies in my stomach, a dull headache and sore limbs. Today was going to be a very big and very long day. I yawn and stretch, rubbing my ankle softly. My plan was to go down to the river and bathe, get dressed, have breakfast, go to the shops and see how much perfume and some cheap cosmetics would cost me and maybe a razor, mentally prepare myself for the night ahead and whatever it threw at me. It sounded simple enough in my head.

  I leave the house at a steady pace, dressed in my usual ‘homeless’ look, best not to draw attention to myself. I pull my hair back into a messy bun, adjusting the strap of my bag. It was time for business.

  Each shop I walk into in Times Square smells the same - expensive. The cheapest perfume would cost me an arm and a leg if I actually paid for it. Not that I had any money anyway. I round the corner of an aisle and saunter toward the perfumes. Each bottle was a unique shape, smelling like everything I could ever imagine in my wildest dreams. A black, small spiral bottle catches my attention. I spray a small mist onto my wrist and take a deep breath; it’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before; sweet and alluring. My mind goes crazy with excitement; there was no way I was leaving without it. I glance around and find the aisle empty. I turn away and shimmy the bottle into my bag. It was only a sample bottle and I’m sure it could easily be replaced.

  I walk around the rest of the shop observing the hair dye, picking a box up to mumble over thoughtfully. When I’m positive there’s no suspicion on me and the perfume bottle I scuttle out of the shop on my quest for cosmetics. Usually, the cheap shops didn’t have cameras and had a decent range of cheaper brand cosmetics. Filling my bag with all the cosmetics I could afford to hide and a little pink razor, I head for home. The streets were fairly crowded today, they hadn’t been this crowded since Zeke and Zuriel were captured. My gut sinks with that realisation. I run towards the warehouse as fast as my ankle will allow me, I burst through the doors and am swallowed up by the crowd.

  Each conversation overlaps another, making all the voices a blur. I push myself through the crowd, shoving people out of my way as I go. I finally reach the clearing and come face to face with the assistant.

  “Ah Ali, what a wonderful not-so-surprising surprise. I thought you’d come running.” He grins at me, each shiny white tooth making a statement.

  I glance up to the stage to the kneeling figure with a hessian bag draped over their head. “Who’s up there?”

  “Oh, that’s none of your business, my young gal’.” He cracks his knuckles and strides towards the stage. Before he climbs up he turns and glares at me.

  “This one can’t be saved.” I thought I’d imagined it, except he winked before he turned away. With my heart thundering in my ears, I push my way through the crowd; there was no way could I stomach something like this again. Each face becomes a blur, a hot sweat breaks out on my forehead, and each conversation seems very, very distant. When I’ve broken away from the crowd I give a final glance over my shoulder, making eye contact with the vampire; my heart breaks for him. With fear consuming me, I turn and run away.

  My legs feel like toothpicks when I stop, tears streaming down my face. I lean against a tree, trying to catch my breath.

  “SCREW YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” I scream at the top of my lungs. I kick the tree in anger, causing my ankle to explode with pain. When would enough be enough? The image of how terrified he looked burned itself into my memory. I sink to my knees and sob.

  “Why? Why does the system have to be like this?” I ask the universe. Why did people have to do terrible things? Why did we kill everything we didn’t understand? I should have stayed; I should have fought for him. He’d spared my life; surely I should have done the same back. Guilt gnaws at me, Zeke and Zuriel would be so disappointed in me. But maybe he was a bad vampire; maybe he’d killed innocent people.

  Maybe he deserved this.

  I was still shaken by the time I finished dressing and making me look somewhat presentable. I’d changed the bandages on my knees and strapped my ankle. The sun’s last rays filtered through the back window as I sit at the kitchen table. I double-check my right boot, making sure my knife was still hidden.

  My stomach churns with anxious butterflies. Luke was going to be here any second; I curl a loose strand of hair around my finger and nibble my lip gently. I just want tonight to be over, I’m exhausted and out of energy. I leave the back door unlocked for Zeke just in case he arrives earlier than planned. I slowly walk to the door, making sure the boots don’t take advantage of me. I pop my head out and see Luke waving from the sidewalk, with a final breath I walk down to greet him.

  The walk from the wall turns out to be the least of my worries. Luke’s base was more than a few tents around a fire. Two large wooden pillars twice my height support the main silver door. Slightly smaller pointed wooden trunks make up the boundary of the camp. Two torches hang on the large pillars, their flame illuminating the area around us.

  Luke knocks on the silver door.

  “It’s me, Luke. With guest, Ali.” He steps back from the door; it groans as it’s opened inwards, the sight before me makes me forget about my sore ankle.

  CHAPTER 7

  We walk between six torches as we enter the camp; the dirt beneath my feet is hard from the months without rain, to my right makeshift square tents are hidden in darkness; to my left a large field sits with a large tent beside it.

  People talk and bustle as they walk around, the atmosphere light and exciting. At the end of the torch path a large fire blazes, people dance as they drink around it; singing songs as they go. The fire pit was large, with two dirt benches going around it, leaving enough space between the person sitting and the fire. To the far left of the fire a large open tent stands, people come and go; taking food and drinks with them. The three people behind the bench are busy bustling away to notice the newcomer. We pause at the end of the torches as I take in everything.

  I am shocked; this is a lot more than some tents around a fire. This would be camping heaven. I nod. “It’s amazing, you hardly see anyone unregistered in town.” I give him my best smile and follow him to the large tent, which I assume is for food. He leans against it and gestures a bald man towards us. He gives me a warm smile and holds his hand out to me; I nod once. He picks up a glass and starts to clean it. For me, first impressions are everything. So far, this guy wasn’t coming out on top. Up closer, he seemed older than I would have guessed. His stubble has a soft grey tinge while his skin seems far too tight for his face; crinkling at the corner of both eyes. He was heavily tanned and fairly muscular. He gave me the creeps.

  “So, you’re Ali. I’ve heard a lot about you.” His Russian accent heavy with each word. I snap my head towards Luke. What has he said about me? He holds up his hands innocently.

  “Oh, it’s nothing bad I assure you, just about when we first met and the market trip. I believed you’d be very valuable if you were to join us. I pretty much told everyone about you.” A slight blush creeps over Luke’s cheeks as I turn back to the bald man, who still hadn’t introduced himself. I plaster on a smile, pushing back the memory of the vampire I’d seen waiting for execution.

  “And who might you be?” I ask sweetly. Something about this guy was off so I kept my guard up. He put the glass down and threw the rag over his shoulder. He opens his mouth to answer but was cut off by Luke clearing his throat. The guy grumbles and saunters to the opp
osite side of the bar, starting up a conversation with one of the girls waiting for a drink. I turn back to Luke.

  “That’s just Artur. He’s no one important.” I glance back at the so-called Artur. He definitely looks like someone important.

  “If he’s no one important why couldn’t he just introduce himself?” I face Luke; his fringe had fallen over his eyes. He shrugs and walked off into the throng of people. I grumble and turn back to the workers. I gesture Artur over.

  “Is your name actually Artur?” I fold my fingers together and wait for an answer. When you’re a thief you notice the little things. Things so little that they may seem like your imagination is playing tricks on you. This is what makes a good thief.

  I notice his small intake of breath; I see the flicker of suspicion in his eyes, and the small bead of sweat above his left eyebrow. He smiles and it’s like it never happened.

  “Yes, Artur it is. Suiting, isn’t it?” He was hiding something. What could he possibly need to hide? I itch to dig deeper and press more but now isn’t the time to snoop. I push myself off the bar and give him the best no-brainer look I could give.

  “Yes, it’s very suiting indeed. Luke beat you to telling me.” He smiles and nods as I force a small laugh. Going home seemed like a good idea right about now. Oh shit, Zeke.

  “Um, that reminds me, do you know what the time is?” I ask quickly.

  He reaches under the bar and pulls out a small ticking device. He squints slightly. “Yes, it’s just hit nine.”

  My shoulders sag in relief; I still had plenty of time. “Thanks!” I call over my shoulder as I stalk my way through the crowd in search of Luke. Looking at all the faces now, I don’t recognise any of them.

  No one is from my town. I quicken my pace, my eyes darting from person to person. My heart feels like a sledgehammer in my chest, trying to break free from my ribs. The smoke from the fire felt like it was choking me, stealing my oxygen. A firm hand grabs me from behind and spins me around. I open my mouth to scream but it dies when I see Luke smiling down at me.

  I shrug myself out of his grip. He relaxes his arms and shakes his head slightly.

  “What? You don’t just walk up to a girl and grab her out of nowhere! A little warning would have been nice.” I cross my arms, emphasising my point.

  He runs a hand through his ruffled hair and chuckles. “Sorry Ali, I’ve been looking for you. I was going to introduce you to some other people.”

  “I’m just heading outside to get some fresh air. I’ll be back soon and then you can.” I smile, mainly to myself. Fresh air would be amazing. I was sick of breathing in sweat and smoke. He nods and puts his hands back in his pockets; I’ve noticed this is his signature move.

  “Yes, alright. I’ll be around here somewhere. Remember it’s the arrow facing down.” I nod and head towards the torched path. I pause, now would be perfect to look around the camp. I turn and manoeuvre through the crowd and pass the fire, as the crowd thins out the fire casts a shadow over the wooden pillar wall, a large silver door sealed. Maybe that was a way out? I walk over and push on the silver door, I push harder as it begins to give way and open inwards.

  “Stupid weak arms…” I mumble to myself.

  I walk in and stare into the darkness. The hum of the party outside vibrates through the dirt. I take another small step; surely they’d have some sort of light source in here. I keep both hands out stretched in front of me, centring myself, and to keep myself from falling flat on my face. Must just be another exit?

  I doubt anyone would be out here, not when there’s a raging party going on inside. I sigh and turn around, flinching at the light from the fire. When I take a step towards I hear it again, but it’s not from me this time. My breath catches in my throat.

  A low gurgle comes from somewhere in the darkness. “Is anyone there?” I call softly. I freeze; I wish I had my knife with me. The gurgle comes again, I step towards it.

  The last thing I want to do is panic. In through the nose - out through the mouth. I repeat this mantra until my heart has returned to a normal pace.

  I decide to open the silver door more, letting more light through to show me my surroundings. A few metres away a large metal cage sits in the darkness. Its silver wire fence covered in barbed wire.

  To the left a large sand ring sits. I focus back on the silver prison. I walk over, I tap on it. The barb wire jingles as it moves.

  A vampire lurches forward, her silver handcuffs, silver choker glinting in the light. The skin around it was a dark red and covered in blisters. More vampires come forward and stare at me with empty eyes. All wearing handcuffs and a choker.

  Her clothes had turned to rags and her skin seems to glow grey in the light. She looks like a bag of bones; they all did.

  What the hell was going on here?

  “I’m not going to hurt you. Please, tell me how I can get you out of here.” She scoffs under her breath, raising her head to look at me. Empty, black eyes bore into mine.

  “Is this some… sick joke?” Her last words were barely audible. I shake my head slowly, unable to fathom any words. What was happening to her?

  “Are you all vampires?” I scan the others, finding more and more emerging from the darkness. They all seemed to be in the same state she was. I turn back to her and she avoids my eyes.

  “Yes, but you’d already know that.” She uses all her energy to spit the last words at me. Wait, did she think I was a part of this?

  “Hey, whoa. I have nothing to do with this. I was invited here for a party. I didn’t even know this area existed until about ten minutes ago.” I hold my hands up in defence. I didn’t expect her to believe me, but it was worth a shot.

  “We’ve already had our rounds today. We don’t get them at night.” she says quietly, bowing her head and revealing patches of missing hair.

  “I want to help you, but I have no idea how to get you out of here.” She sits down again in defeat, sagging into the dirt.

  “It’s no use; the gate has three large locks. Only leaders are allowed to keep the keys.” Her words were getting harder for me to hear, I have to be quick. I glance at the other vampires, but they all seemed to be in another world.

  “Who are the leaders?” I ask desperately. I couldn’t run away from her, I couldn’t leave her here.

  “Luke…” Her eyes start to flutter shut, any minute she would be asleep.

  “Do you know Ezekiel or Zuriel?” I ash breathlessly. “I promise I’ll come back for all of you.” She looks up at me. Her eyes widen slightly.

  “Please, help us.” With those last words, she was out cold. I nearly scream in frustration. Did Zeke know what was going on here? If so, why the hell hadn’t he tried to come and save them? I step away shakily. With a final glance at the vampires, I head towards the open door and regretfully shut it behind me.

  Once again I was running away.

  I hold my face with shaky hands. What was Luke doing to these vampires? Better yet, what would he do to me if he found out I’d rescued and helped Zeke and Zuriel? The thought made my skin crawl. The need to put this place far behind me was overpowering.

  I walk fast through the crowd, the drinks had seemed to work their magic; everyone swayed and giggled, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. If I was late for my meeting with Zeke at midnight, then too bad. As I make my way to the gate, the people’s eyes around me begin to turn green. I look away and walk faster, what the hell.

  I nod farewell to the gate guard and head into darkness. I follow the path as best as I can remember from walking it with Luke. I trip more times than I can count on one hand.

  As I trudge along, my eyes slowly adjust to the dark. In the distance, the cement wall peeks over the trees. Thank god, I’m close. As soon as I get home I’ll be getting out of these boots. I also need to figure out a way to tell Zeke about the vampires that were locked up, without him going in with all guns blazing.

  The only way to get them out would be to have a very skilled plan,
with plenty of backup plans in case something went wrong. What if Zeke kills Luke for what he’s done? Surely there’s an understandable reason as to why he has vampires locked up. Although, torturing them isn’t justifiable in my eyes. Maybe they’re running a catch and release thing?

  I shiver at the thought of the woman. I’d never seen anyone so broken, so empty. Human or vampire. I wonder how long she’s been locked up for…Days? Months? Maybe years? I had so many questions. If only I’d had more time with her. Next time, I promise. Next time.

  By the time I get home I’m exhausted. My hair’s a mess; my feet feel like they’re going to drop off. After I light my last candle I sag onto the couch in relief and pull my boots off. I wiggle my toes as they greet the fresh air and sigh. My ankle throbs slowly, the strapping lessening the pain.

  “I didn’t know humans get a happy high when they take their shoes off. I’ll have to write that in my notes.” The familiar husky male voice comes from the arch into the lounge room. Zeke leans against it with ease, giving me a sceptical look. I take note of his wardrobe choices.

  I smirk at him. “I didn’t know vampires could only wear black, I’ll have to write that in my notes.” He rolls his eyes at me. He was wearing a black leather jacket accompanied by a plain black tee, black jeans, and black boots. I shrug innocently.

  He crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes scanning over me. Eventually stopping on my now red face. Looks like changing was out of the question. I tug the bottom of my shirt nervously. The memory of us swimming emerges in my mind, making me glow redder.

  “Where have you been? I thought you didn’t have friends? And what’s with the dud foot and scraped palms?” I didn’t know if he was insulting me or not, so I let it slide for now. I clear my throat.