Immortal Awakening

by Shana J Caldwell

  “Yes, I know. It was hard getting food, and the food I did get was stale and mouldy. Apart from the food, everything was good.” I sit on the spare bed. I hope I never have to eat mouldy food again.

  “Yeah, I could imagine. At least you’re here now. The food is awesome here.” Xavier looks over at me, giving me an once-over.

  “Yeah, it is. What happened to the deer?” Deep down I knew it would be made into a meal and that I'd probably indulge in it. Xavier rolls over and sits up, his long legs swinging effortlessly to the ground.

  “The deer is now dinner.” He gives me a sly smile.

  “Well, I'm getting fairly tired; I might head to my room now. It's going to be a big day tomorrow.” As he goes to stride past me, I place my hand on his firm bicep. He pauses and looks down at me, eyebrows raised in question.

  “Would you maybe want to stay the night? There are two beds and I wouldn’t mind the company.” My heart skips a beat knowing I'd be seeing Zeke in a few hours. I couldn't contain my relief. I’d be able to sneak out without him knowing. I quickly let go of his arm and fiddle my fingers together.

  “Yeah sure why not.” He adjusts himself on the bed; I lie down and look back up at the ceiling.

  “What was it like before this? What was your life like?” I ask.

  “I’ve been here for seven years now. I was only twenty when I first joined. You’re actually going to laugh at me.” I turn my head to see him grinning.

  “I was registered in a town far away, I had it good. I had an easy life style; I worked as a guard so the pay was good. I had a partner and she worked at a sowing shop. The local markets were on and I met Luke there, I’d never seen him before so I approached him and asked why he was here.

  “He told me he was recruiting unregistered citizens, that he didn’t want any trouble. I was never one to beat them or hurt them; I led him into an old house out of town. There was a group of ten hiding away there. He explained to them what he was doing and they all agreed to go with him. I escorted them out in a wooden wagon; they all seemed relieved to get out of the town. And for the first time in a long time I had this feeling of… longing.

  “I asked Luke if I could come as well. He wasn’t too enthused at the idea but agreed. I packed a bag and food, I begged my partner to come with me but she wouldn’t have it. So I just left. They’ve been my family ever since.” I stay silent as I listen to him, I can’t believe he’d been a guard.

  “I’m glad you escaped from that, the guards at Penrith were brutal. I’ve had my fair share of broken bones from them.” I frown at the thought of constantly being pestered by the guards.

  “I could never do what some of them did. It was horrifying. I hated being registered for that reason; no one was equal in their eyes. My partner had a soft spot though, she was good.” I gaze over at him, he stares at the ceiling; lost in thought.

  “Have you seen her since?” I ask. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to up and go if I was with someone I loved, I don’t think I could ever leave them.

  “No. Not since that day. I’ve been tempted to go back, see her. I know that can’t happen though. I don’t think she’d be too pleased to see me.” I roll over and watch him.

  He was silent as he lies there, lost in thoughts that probably weren’t the happiest. I decide to open up a little.

  “I was taken from my family on my eighth birthday. My Dad had most say in the house, and he didn’t want me registered. So they came and took me away. I arrived in Penrith a few days later, so there was no way I was getting back home. I’ve forgotten what they look like, what their voices sound like.” I say quietly, handing a piece of myself over to him. I’d never told anyone that before.

  “I’m sorry that happened to you. The world is a shitty place full of shitty things. Here, let’s do this.” I watch him quizzically as he moves the bedside table to the corner beside the curtain. I stand up and move out of the way as he pushes the two beds together. He throws the sheets over both and tucks them in. He pulls it back and hops on one bed.

  “You want me to… sleep with you?” I ask, not really believing it myself. He rolls his eyes and gestures me to the space. I blow the candle out and fumble my way to the bed; I slide in hesitantly; he puts an arm around me as I rest my head on his chest. I savour the warmth; he rubs his thumb over my arm.

  I relax as I put an arm gently on his chest. His breathing evens out as we lay in silence.

  “Goodnight Ali, wake me if you need me.” He whispers into my hair.

  “Thank you. You too.” I whisper back.

  Tomorrow morning would be full of surprises.

  CHAPTER 12

  I tread lightly along the overgrown path towards the meeting place. The crunch of dirt beneath my sneakers the only sign of life this early. The moon still glows brightly in the sky, illuminating the forest surrounding me. I wrap my jumper closer to my body; a slight chill had begun to creep in. It was hard to leave the warmth of my bed; my mind still wasn’t sure what happened last night. Why I’d trusted Xavier with something so important to me.

  I only had a few hours until the sun would begin to rise. Hopefully, Zeke planned to keep this meeting short and sweet, otherwise I’d be running the risk of being caught by the dawn patrol or worse, I’d be risking Zeke being caught. I’ve got a guilty enough conscious as it is from sneaking around with a vampire, I didn’t intend to double that anytime soon. Especially considering everyone here was a freaking vampire hunter.

  I figured I would come out earlier, or what I thought was earlier, because I couldn’t risk showing up late and missing the meeting. I didn’t really have much intel, although I hoped it would be enough.

  The large trunk of the meeting place tree finally came into sight and I quicken my pace until I’m there. I lean against its rough bark and look around. There was still no sign of anyone or anything.

  A wolf howls in the distance, a chill coursing through my body. I pat my jumper pockets to make sure I had the knife I’d traded in there still. The lowest branch was still too high up for me to reach, so I guess if anything happened I’d have to face it. Xavier warned me of the danger I could encounter.

  A low purr erupts in the foliage across the small clearing. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A slim figure steps out of the foliage, her English accent dripping off her tongue like poison. Her blonde hair curls around her shoulders, the moonlight causing it to shine silver. Her black eyes pin me to the spot while her blood-stained lips pull back into a sharp smile; revealing a pair of porcelain-like fangs.

  I instinctively step back, coming up short as I make contact with the tree. My heart thunders in my chest. Although every instinct screams at me to run, I keep my eyes focused on her. I slowly pull the knife out and hold it away from my body like Luke had shown.

  Her predatory stance puts me on edge. If Zeke thought this was some kind of joke I would throttle the un-dead life out of him. She takes another step towards me as her tongue flicks over her fangs.

  “That’s enough Cassidy,” Zeke’s rumble breaks the silence in the clearing. He emerges from the foliage she came from, walking around her and towards me. He stops short, his eyes surveying me. Cassidy pouts as she comes closer, resting her hands on her hips as she stops beside him.

  “I was just going to have a snack before the human girl we’re meant to be meeting shows up.” Her face scrunches up as she says human, like it pained her to even say it out loud. Zeke holds my eyes.

  “This is her.” A moment later Cassidy erupts with laughter, and I clench my jaw.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny.” I try to keep my face neutral, after a few moments she stops. She rubs her hands together and stares at me.

  “Oh, everything is funny, hilarious actually. You’re the human girl that’s supposed to save our race? I’d put more trust in a bloody plant than you.” Zeke steps between us before I can retaliate. My blood has started to boil.

  “I’m sorry, Ali. Cassidy isn’t…” He pauses, thinking
of his next words. “Accustomed to working with humans. She’s here on direct orders from someone very important.” I stare at the ground beneath my shoes. I did not want to be here and frankly, I didn’t want to talk to Zeke right now either.

  “What have you learnt so far?” He keeps his voice soft as he asks. Cassidy prowls over to bushes across the clearing; picking at her nails as she faces away from us. I put the knife back in my pocket.

  “Not much, there are two main leaders at the camp and they hold the key to the large cage. I haven’t been able to talk to them again, but I plan to go around noon. The main group is going to the markets today, so I’ll have a chance to sneak out and ask some questions. Um, they do border patrols and the dawn one will be out soon. They do dawn, morning, lunch, evening and a two late night ones. There are multiple traps set around the place so be careful and always keep your ears open. I’m working on getting close to the two leaders; they’re both males.” A blush creeps into my cheeks. I didn’t want to admit it, but they’d made it easy. Xavier showed me that tonight. He trusted me too easily. A muscle in Zeke’s jaw ticks when I finish talking, Cassidy looks over her shoulder and smirks at me.

  “Is there anything else?” Zeke asks through gritted teeth. I cross my arms and meet his eyes. The blackness of them unsettles me, like they’re empty voids I could get lost in. I brush a strand of hair behind my ear. Zeke looks like he hasn’t slept in an eternity; dark circles under his eyes, his stubble beginning to thicken. I wonder what was going on in his vampire world. I’ve told them about the leaders and their schedule, how to unlock the cage. Ah-ha!

  “Actually, yes there is! There’s a lake behind the place or river, I’m not one hundred percent sure how far away it is, but I think it may be connected to the other vampires? Possibly grobblers? What better place to hide them than on the other side of a lake? It’s perfect actually.” I still had to inspect it; it was on my list of to dos before our next meeting. Cassidy comes closer and examines me.

  “You know about the grobblers?” She asks inquisitively. I nod once, not bothering to go into further detail with a witch like her.

  “She’s had a few run ins with them. When she let Zuriel take safe haven in her house, we had an encounter with one.” Zeke looks from Cassidy to me, and one big question weighed on my mind. Why the hell is she here? Cassidy pouts and twirls a stray piece of hair between her fingers.

  “Oh, how unfortunate it didn’t eat her.” Before Zeke can snap at her she strolls back to her original position; turning away from us once again.

  “You need to promise me you won’t go and check it out on your own. Wait for me and Cassidy, we might be able to go and have a look when we next come.” He runs a pale hand through his hair; the early morning sun bringing to life the multiple shades of brown and black as it begins to break.

  “When is our next meeting then?” I fiddle with my fingers; I have a terrible sense of time. I wish there was a way he could just come and get me.

  “I can’t say. There have been a few more incidents that need to be taken care of and I have my hands full. I’ll send word before we come.” He nods and takes a step back, I look him over. He’s in his usual black attire; he looks the same but completely different standing in front of me now.

  “You’re looking better. Take care.” He turns and snatches Cassidy by the arm before disappearing through the shrubs.

  I sag against the tree after they leave and regain my bearings. I wonder how Cassidy and Zeke know each other and how much she knows about this mission. I sigh and start to trudge toward my temporary home. As soon as the wooden boundary is in sight I break into a brisk jog, pulling up short to open the door before heading to my room. I peel the curtain back and grab a clean set of clothes and begin to head to the bathing area. There was no sign of Xavier; the beds were still pushed together.

  “Attention everyone! Gather around,” Luke’s warm voice rings throughout the complex, slowly people herd around him. I stick to the edge of the crowd as he continues.

  “A group of us are heading to the markets in a few. If anyone has a request for anything, or anything they would like to trade, come forward and we’ll arrange something.” I slowly squirm my way out of the crowd; I had nothing to trade and didn’t really need anything. Hopefully, after a bath and some breakfast, I’d be able to investigate the silver cage more and answer some questions.

  *

  With a full belly I make my way towards the closed silver door. I slip in and close the door behind me; no one aware of my traitorous behaviour. I hadn’t really thought of what would happen if I got caught, I couldn’t exactly say that I’d gotten lost.

  I try not to dwell on the negatives of getting caught and focus my attention on the now. I approach slowly, not wanting to scare any of the injured vampires.

  “Hello?” I call hesitantly, before taking another step closer; the hot sun was nearly unbearable today. Towards the door that was the key to their freedom a small feminine figure was huddled in the corner. Her long, torn blood-stained dress had once been white, her black hair hung in matted clumps around her shoulders. I walk over and crouch down and rest my hands on the cage; it wasn’t the same vampire as last time. I swallow a lump in my throat. Where had she gone?

  “Can you hear me?” I ask louder, causing other heads to turn towards me. The female slowly turns, a snarl distorting her face. I withdrew quickly and sit back, my heart hammering in my chest. Both of her fangs gleam dully, they seem to be deteriorating. Her porcelain complex is riddled with dark blue veins protruding the surface, each bone visible. She stares at me with one blood-red eye with such ferociousness I know that with or without fangs she would make my death miserable. The place where her other eye would have been was sown over with fresh stitches. Her high cheekbones narrowed her face; the vampire in front of me would have been stunning before all of this.

  A growl rumbles low in her chest, her eye never leaving mine. I put a hand over my mouth as my stomach gurgles; threatening to expel the fruit I had not long ago eaten.

  “I’m not one of them,” I try to comfort her. The last thing I wanted to do was add more stress to the female in front of me. The growl only gets louder at that statement. I stand up and push my arm through the head sized opening above the locks, letting my arm hang.

  “I. Am. Not. One. Of. Them,” I affirm. She sniffs the air lightly, catching a hint of my scent. She turns so her whole body faces me. Her frail figure making me cringe slightly, I retract my arm a little. I needed her to trust that I had the best intentions.

  “I need your help. If they find out what I’m doing I’m going to be in a lot of trouble and I won’t be able to get any of you out of here. I just need to talk and ask a few questions so I can work out a plan.” I coax, hoping she would see I mean no harm. Her growling halts as she crawls closer to me. She stops an arms-length away, just close enough to grab my hands if need be.

  “Speak,” she rasps; her voice gritty like sandpaper. I take a deep breath, time to get some answers.

  “I’m from a town a little way away from this place. A few months ago, I rescued two male vampires, Zeke and Zuriel. I let them take refuge in my home until they were healed enough to leave. Before they left we had an encounter with a grobbler, and after they left I encountered a nest of them. The leader here, Luke, offered me a place and at first, I refused.” I pause as she considers my words, her eye never straying. “Then Zeke came to me and asked a favour. Vampires had been going missing by the dozen and they think that Luke has something to do with it. The first time I came here I stumbled across this area and met another female just like you. She was more disorientated and didn’t really understand what I was asking at the time, but I’m desperate for more answers.

  “My favour was to come here and infiltrate the camp, figure out what’s been happening to the vampires, and save the ones I can. I don’t have much time and I know this is going to be a lot for you. I need to know what’s going on here and if you know where you go to afte
r this cell. I know the leaders have a remote to unlock the bars but I can’t get that just yet.” I inhale a sharp breath; my words had spilled out of my mouth faster than I’d intended. She leans closer to me; her black tongue running over her chapped lips.

  “I was captured outside of the city. I had others with me but I’d been arrogant and strayed off on my own path. I didn’t have the chance to scream before I was surrounded; their tranquiliser dart knocked me out before I hit the ground,” she murmurs, her eye glazing over slightly at the memory. “I awoke in this cage. I know the others in here; they went missing a few days before I was captured. I never once thought that I’d be in this position, I never thought I’d be powerless like I am now. I haven’t been here for long.” She pauses, her eye sharpening suddenly. “They do rounds three times a day, giving us something to keep us weak and disabled. The second round is yet to come. I don’t know what the dose contains but it’s killing me from the inside out. I can feel my organs beginning to give up. The others hardly talk, but I’ve heard broken whispers about a lake or river of some sort.” Her small hand closes over mine, chilling me to the core. She turns it over in her palm, examining it.

  “I will not tell your secret, but you must promise to get us all out of here before it’s too late. I am Nardia. I do know Zeke and Zuriel, although I never thought Zeke would be foolish enough to go ahead with this plan.” She looks at me sadly; I could tell she had no hope I would be able to do it. I close my hand around hers, willing my strength to pass to her.

  “I promise you I will return. I promise I will save all of you. I will try my hardest to be quick and fast, but it might take a few more weeks until I can pull it off. Is there any way I can help you? Any way to make you stay in these cells longer so I can slip in again and continue to talk?” I hadn’t realised my face was pressed against the cage, or that she’d come even closer, until I could smell the rot wafting off her.