I turn and reluctantly get out of the water and wrap the towel around me, realising I’d forgotten to bring clean clothes with me.
“You heading off now?” Xavier asks, coming closer to the bank. I look away as he hops out, I look back once the towel is secured around his hips.
“Yeah, are you ready?”I ask, I pass him the soap back. I turn and let the towel fall; pulling on my clean set of clothes. When I turn back Xavier is dressed as well.
“Alright, let’s go.” We walk shoulder to shoulder back to the camp. I was growing fond of him, I enjoyed being around him. A large hole in my stomach formed as I thought about this, I was going to have to leave him behind once this task was over. When we enter the camp everyone is bustling around.
I look around, confused, had we recruited more people or something?
I break off from Xavier as I search the crowd; I’d been here for well over a month now and still only knew about three people. God, why was I so-
“Hey, have a minute?” Cassius stands beside me, interrupting my thoughts. God, I hadn’t seen him in ages.
“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” I ask as I follow him towards the front of the complex. He holds the door open for me and gestures me out. I frown but follow regardless. I’m sure there was a good reason for sneaking off in private.
“I need to talk in private.” He hurries towards the metal door, running towards the forest. I run after him, as confused as ever. I did not expect a wild goose chase.
“Hey, Cass, wait up,” I call after him, honing my vampire senses in on him. He wasn’t that far ahead of me. I speed up until I can just see his figure through the trees. We were heading towards the river where the vampires were being kept.
“We’re nearly there,” he calls back to me. I burst through a strand of forest and come to a stop. He stands a few feet in front, panting from the run. There was a wire running from the ground to a nearby tree, something was caught in the trap. I come up and look around him. My eyes widen. It was a vampire. He hisses as he notices us, trying to scurry towards shelter but is cut short. His ashen blonde hair falls shy of his eyes, his scrawny figure bending in on itself. I step closer instinctively, why is Cassius showing me this?
“Care to explain what’s going on here?” I ask, looking from the vampire to Cassius. If he thought I was going to take part in playing games and torturing it, he had another thing coming. I look away shyly.
“I came across him on the patrol I did by myself. I don’t think they’ve checked this one in a few days,” he says, seemingly not sure why he’d brought me here either. I put my hands on my hips and look to the vampire.
“What’s your name?” I ask softly, not wanting to anger it any more. I knew I couldn’t leave it here to die or let it be killed.
“Why would I tell you?” he spits at me, fangs exposed and with crazy eyes. Gods, he was starving. If we let him go he’d most likely kill both of us. I sigh and look back to Cassius.
“What do you plan to do with him then?” I scratch my head thoughtfully; nothing from this situation would be any good. Cassius strides forward and pulls a large hunting knife from his pocket. I growl softly, grabbing his arm.
“We aren’t killing him,” I say sternly, keeping my eyes trained on Cassius; he looks at me and frowns. Shrugging out of my grip he approaches the vampire. It hisses and spits at him some more, trying it’s hardest to put distance between them. The wire around its ankle cuts deeper, blood beginning to pool around its foot.
“Cass, I’m warning you. Don’t,” I warn him, my vampire senses sharpening with my darkening mood. He waves a hand at me as if it was nothing. As if murdering this vampire was nothing.
“Luke told me we had to kill a vampire to be accepted into the group. I figured if I helped you it’d be easier for you to be accepted,” he calls over his shoulder, tossing his knife from hand to hand as he eyes the weak vampire. I roll my eyes and run over to him, shoving him away from the vampire. I keep my back to the vampire, defending it.
“I will participate in no such thing, Cassius. No way…and I won’t let you either. We’re not monsters.” He looks at me, confused, unsure if I mean it or not. I snarl at him, daring him to come closer.
“Why are you getting so defensive? I thought this is what you wanted?” He lets his hands fall to his sides, considering what I’ve said. I hold my ground.
“I’m not killing any vampire, especially not when he’s at a disadvantage. Have you lost your mind?” I argue, running a hand through my wet hair. The vampire behind me stills.
“No? What the hell? I brought you here so you could be accepted into the hunting group and you turn around and do this? You’re so ungrateful,” he fumes. He clenches his fists, holding the knife back up again.
“What are you going to do? Kill me as well? Yeah, awesome plan. Want a freaking medal?” I scowl, not ready for the fight that was about to let loose. He scrunches his mouth up as he comes to a decision. The power I’d tried to bury stirred at the hint of the threat.
“You know what, I just might.” He swings at me without hesitation, the knife slicing through the flesh on my left shoulder. I howl in fury as blood begins to spurt down my arm. I stumble backwards, falling over the vampire that was crouched on the ground. He crouches between me and Cassius. If I could somehow break the wire, he’d be able to get away and I could deal with Cassius myself.
Cassius swings at the vampire, catching him across the cheek. Blood sputters over Cassius, he grins in hunger. A piece of skin hangs off the vampire’s cheek. The vampire hisses and takes a swipe at Cassius, coming up short before his chest. His moves are slow and pain me to watch. I scurry over to his trapped foot and try to pry the wire away, blood coating my hands as I pull. Surely there had to be some lever or something?
Cassius swings again, the vampire jumps to his left; flailing as the wire pulls him short. Cassius doesn’t hesitate as he stabs forward, driving the knife through the vampire’s shoulder. The blade’s tip pokes through the other side. He lets out a piercing shriek, his knees collapsing beneath him.
I leap on Cassius’s back and pull with all my weight, his hand loses its grip on the knife as he stumbles backwards with me. I grab at his face and hair, ripping out chunks of his hair with my nails. He reaches around and grips my arms, heaving me over his shoulder. The air leaves my body as I land with a thud. He throws himself on top of me, grinning like a madman as he wraps his hands around my throat. I claw at his arms, stunned. I can’t believe he’s doing this. This was sweet little Cassius from my first day who didn’t want to harm a soul. I notice that the whites of his eyes have been replaced with a dull green as my vision begins to blur and I choke for air. What had they done to him? Even my vampire advantage was no match for him.
I shut my eyes and dive deep inside myself, hunting and screaming for that power that resided in the dark. I feel it flicker beneath my fingertips. Opening my eyes, I watch in awe as blue tendrils begin to leave my fingertips, and I imagine them flowing into Cassius and stealing every last trace of oxygen. They begin to swirl up his arms, towards his face.
“What the hell?” The first blue tendrils dart into his nostrils, his eyes widen in terror as he begins to cough. I hold my hands towards his face; the tendrils stuff themselves into his mouth. They flow from me in harmony, savouring the agony they bring to him. He lets go of me and stumbles backwards. I sit up and keep my hands raised towards him as he stands and begins clawing at his throat and face, blood leaking from his eyes. He screams in agony as his knees buckle. Something begins to move under his skin, like a worm working its way through an apple. His screaming is cut short and he gapes at me in horror.
I don’t let my hands falter, although I wish it hadn’t had to come too this. His lips turn a dark shade of blue as his face begins to swell.
I shake with fear as I watch what I’m doing, what I possess the power to do. I can feel his life force begin to blink out, like a little alarm going off inside of my head. I want it all.
“Let me finish.” He nods and rests a shaky hand on my shoulder. I drop my arms, mentally pulling my power back inside of me. Shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath, I think of the fish that use to swim in my river, calming myself. The blue tendrils come out of Cassius and flow back into me. I push them back down into the dark with my last bit of strength.
Cassius splutters as he falls backwards, gasping for air. He tries to scurry back but his arms fail him, they’d already begun to decay from the lack of oxygen; his fingers had lost their nerves.
The vampire approaches him, the wire dragging in the dirt. He snarls down at Cassius, fangs begging to rip him apart. Cassius looks at me once more, his mutating eyes glowing bright green.
“You’re a monster,” he rasps; his voice reminding me of fingernails on a chalkboard. The vampire kicks him into the dirt, swiftly crouching over him.
“Monsters aren’t born, they’re made.” he snarls. I don’t blink an eye as he rips into Cassius’s throat. Blood sprays my face, the warmth trickling down my cheek. The vampire latches on and gulps down the blood hungrily. I sit there, head spinning. My chest restricts in on itself as I lean back into the dirt. The slurping sound of the vampire feeding was the last sound I heard as tears begin to stream down my face.
CHAPTER 16
I slip into my room, sitting on my bed as I try to process what just happened.
I’d nearly killed someone. I had nearly cursed myself with that. A small part of me wanted to go through with it; I’d wanted to watch him die at my hands. My stomach gurgles, bile threatening to come up.
He was right, I had become a monster. I didn’t seem to be on the human’s side in this brewing war at all; I had chosen sides without even knowing it.
I just wanted everyone to be equal, no discrimination against the different races. Who cares if one drinks blood? Why couldn’t we just live in harmony together?
The cut on my arm had begun to heal already; the skin at the corners already knitted back together, leaving just the hint of a scar. My throat was a different story though, each time I swallowed it felt like I was swallowing razor blades; breathing them in.
I know without a doubt I’d have bruises to match the feeling, and I had no idea how I’d cover them up. I didn’t own any turtleneck sweaters. I lean my head back and lay down, shutting my eyes.
Xavier lets himself into the room, the curtain falling closed behind him. I look up gratefully; I could use someone to hold me right now.
“Hey Xav,” I say with a shaky voice. He looks up and a ghost of a smile hints on his lips. His face looking torn.
“Hey, Ali. Sorry to intrude, I just couldn’t find you earlier.” He rubs the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward. I shrug it off and gesture for him to lay down beside me; he walks over slowly; almost like it pained him to be so close to me. He sits beside me; I rest a hand on his tense shoulder.
“It’s all good. What’s so important?” I ask.
“Luke needs to see you. I have to escort you,” he says in a low voice, uncomfortable. I straighten up and look at him, confused. Escort me? Why did I need escorting?
“Why do you need to escort me?” I ask, trying to piece the puzzle together. I didn’t think anyone had seen me leave with Cassius, so surely it can’t be about that. I could always make something up if it was, anyway. Xavier stands and strolls to the door. I follow cautiously.
He leads me to Luke’s tent, my hands begin to feel slick with sweat. He holds the curtain back, avoiding my eyes. Luke sits at the table; a needle sits beside a glass bottle of green liquid in front of him.
“What’s going on?” I ask, crossing my arms. Luke looks over at me and smiles. My lips tighten, this was weird, it didn’t seem right at all. He gestures towards the chair beside him. Xavier stays near the opening; keeping guard or making sure I can’t escape?
I make my way over slowly. If this went south I always had my air manipulation to use to my advantage. I could get out of any situation with it. The chair scrapes against the ground as I sit down; I keep my eyes trained on the needle, its sharp point making me feel slightly lightheaded.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what you’re here for,” Luke says casually, picking up the bottle of green liquid; examining it. I fold my hands in my lap, sucking on my bottom lip.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes. Well, you see this liquid here?” He holds the bottle near my face, shaking the contents which are thin like water.
“It’s something special we’ve been working on. It’s going to tip the balance in the war for us. We’ve started beta testing, and so far, the results are amazing. In no time it’ll mutate to match every aspect of a vampire, that way we’ll be equals to them and they won’t have the advantage.” I stare at him sceptically, what was he hoping to get out of this? He places the bottle back down and picks up the needle.
“You’ve been selected for beta testing. The last few weeks you’ve really proven yourself and have shown you have what it takes.” Luke says; he draws a large amount of the green liquid into the syringe. I go to stand when strong hands force me down. I look up at Xavier; his face scrunching up in remorse. I look up at him in disbelief. Xavier looks towards Luke, his face hiding any sort of emotion.
“You don’t really have a choice in this.” Luke grabs my arm, placing it on the table. I try to pull it away but his grip tightens. I look at him.
“What is it going to do to me?” I ask, my voice shaking. He pushes the tip of the needle into the vein on the inside of my elbow; slowly injecting the liquid into my body.
I brace myself; it’s over in the blink of an eye. I wait for some sort of indication or reaction, but everything seems fine.
“There, was that so hard?” Luke puts the needle back on the table and waves Xavier away. He goes and stands by the door again.
“For now, nothing will happen, with such a small dose, but it will prepare your body for bigger doses so you can adapt and your immune system won’t fight it. You may leave now.” He looks away from me; I stand on shaky legs and walk to the door, pushing Xavier out of the way, snarling at him as I do.
I will not forget what he just let happen.
CHAPTER 17
The guilt of what I’d done had been eating away at me bit by bit. I’d barely been eating; I’d only leave my room for patrols. I switched to the lunch time patrol, not being able to stomach the thought of being anywhere near Xavier.
I still couldn’t believe he’d betrayed me like that. Just as I was beginning to trust him and open up to him.
I was a fool. Nothing but a god’s damned fool.
The fact his room beside me was unbearable. He’d tried countless times to talk to me, to try and get me to hear him out. How he had no choice. It was clear though, Luke came first and he always would.
I could trust no one.
The green shots began to become a daily routine, wake up; get my shot and continue with my day.
Luke hadn’t bothered to try and talk to me, it was strictly business now. He was a leader and I was a member. The glares I received from him were all too much of a reminder. The days began to blur together as I lost track of time.
People had begun to search for Cassius, I’d steered clear from that mess. I bet my guilt was plastered on my face for everyone to see. The horror on his face once he realised what happened had me dry reaching, wanting to expel the sickness I always felt.
The nightmares that plagued my dreams were relentless, each ending with me ending Cassius’s life. The vampire then ending mine. The first night the nightmares began Xavier had woken me, I’d been yelling out in my sleep.
I’d been half asleep but I knew better than to cave. I said thank you and then asked him to leave. He hesitated. I’d rolled over as tears began to fall, the utter hea
rtbreak I felt was overwhelming. I wonder if he felt it too. Or if I was just another girl gone wrong to him.
CHAPTER 18
Two weeks blurred together, finally a patrol team discovered Cassius’s body. The crows had begun to make a meal of him in that time; taking his eyes. They carry his corpse in on a torn bed sheet, laying it in the open for everyone to pay their respects in front of the fire. The stink of decay had me gagging. There was going to be a burial for him tonight. Luke had already sent out a group of people to try to hunt down the vampire that did this.
I stare down at his corpse blankly. After the vampire had finished with him he’d found a way to release the wire around his ankle. The mechanism that unlocked it was high up, hiding in a hollow branch.
He’d carried me back to the tree line around the camp, not daring to take me any further. He made sure I was stable enough to walk before disappearing into the thicket; he had thanked me profusely during the whole trip for my ‘good’ deed. I had two handprint-shaped bruises around my throat and I was waiting for Luke or Xavier to comment on them. I wasn’t sure what to tell them when they did.
A lot of the people around me were crying and holding onto one another. I couldn’t find it in me to even shed fake tears, not after what he’d turned into out there. Guilt had left me hollow and empty, leaving no room for any emotion. There was still something going on, why had his eyes changed like that? Was that going to happen to me? Xavier pushes his way through the crowd that had formed, finding my side. He wraps an arm around me and I lean into his embrace, savouring the warmth. After Luke had injected me with the green liquid I’d been furious. Xavier had been like a lost puppy in the last two weeks, he’d done everything for me. If I had a dollar for every time he’d apologised, I’d be rich. It was hard to stay mad at him, but a part of me just couldn’t look past it. Couldn’t forgive him for it. I was glad we were on talking terms again, but I feared that was all it would ever be.
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