Prophecy of the Undead

by McGier, Fiona

  She shook her head but felt a tingle running up her arm from his hand holding hers.

  “No. Your hand...why is your touch making me feel different?”

  “I am opening our connection.”

  “Without blood?” Yuri asked.

  Apolinar nodded. “It is not always needed if I don’t need to delve deeply.” He continued staring at Keisha, who felt compelled to look into his eyes.

  “Why were you making yourself bleed? Whom were you trying to feed?”

  Keisha swayed slightly; her eyes became unfocused. Yuri leaned forward—as if to stop things from happening—but Casimiro shook his head at him. Yuri forced himself not to interfere.

  “Why did you need to bleed, Keisha? For whom?” Apolinar’s voice became low and rhythmic—almost like a chant. He held her hand with both of his, and then leaned forward to speak urgently. “Was it for the Ahk’uhun, keeper of the holy books? Was it for the Ah’kinob’ or for Xaman Ek?”

  Keisha’s eyes opened wide while the color changed. The whites of her eyes were a blood-red color, and the irises darkened. She whispered a chant in a language that Yuri had never heard until the previous night. He recognized some of the words and became alarmed.

  Even Apolinar and Casimiro look shocked.

  Yuri leaned forward to touch Keisha, but Apolinar slapped his hand away, shaking his head. He spoke in a low tone, chanting words in the same language, responding to Keisha who paused when he spoke, then repeated what he had said. This went on for so long that Yuri felt himself prickle with anxiety. He forced himself to sit still and watch as Apolinar and Keisha swayed and chanted.

  Suddenly they were both quiet. Keisha leaned forward and broke the glass she was holding against the table. She plunged the ragged stem into her arm.

  “No.” Apolinar became himself again. He grabbed her hand and held it, pulling the glass out of her arm.

  Yuri grabbed her other arm to hold her still. She fought them, twisting and turning, mewling like a cat in pain. Finally Apolinar shouted a few words at her in that strange language and she quieted.

  Apolinar let go of her and leaned back in his chair, exhausted by the ordeal. Casimiro got up to stand by him with his hand on his lover’s shoulder. Apolinar reached up to hold his hand and they shared a private bond of strength.

  Yuri pulled Keisha into his arms and held her closely, rocking and whispering incoherent words of love to her. When he reached down and tilted her head up to look at him, he kissed both of her eyelids again. She opened her eyes to look at him and he was relieved to see them hazel and gold again.

  She woke up and shook her head, confused.

  “What happened? Did I fall asleep?”

  Yuri turned to Apolinar, “Yes, what happened? You know, don’t you?”

  Apolinar nodded heavily, “Yes. This has never occurred before so I had no reason to fear it now. I have been the unwitting transmitter of his blood to you. He was able to use our connection to reach you. I fear we will have to find some way to stop him or he will destroy you.”

  Yuri felt rage burning inside of him. “Who? Who would dare harm the woman I love? Name him and I will kill him with my bare hands.” His fangs descended and cut into his lower lip as he spoke.

  Keisha leaned forward and delicately licked the drops of blood from his face.

  Apolinar shook his head. “I’m afraid it won’t be that easy, my friend. I don’t even know if it’s possible to kill him. Even stopping him will be difficult. First, we must find him and the only thing we will have to use is my connection to him. I have it buried deep inside of me, not wanting to remember it.”

  Casimiro spoke as he caressed Apolinar’s shoulder. “Is it that one? The one who made you?”

  Apolinar looked up and him and smiled sadly. “Yes, I think so. I spoke to her in his language and she responded. No one has spoken to me in that dialect for over five hundred years. Who else can it be?”

  Yuri controlled his temper enough to ask, “ Why do this to her? What can she possibly be to him?”

  Apolinar shrugged. “I can only guess. You spoke of the spores she discovered which live within our bodies, attached to the iron in our blood?”

  “Yes. That’s what makes us what we are. She isolated them and said they are made up of elements from the cosmos. She thinks they go dormant in the cold vacuum of space but can survive entry into a planet’s atmosphere. That way they seek out life forms with iron-based blood.”

  Casimiro asked, “Is that how she thinks we began so long ago? Cosmic dust that blew onto our planet, carrying spores which found a home in human blood?”

  Yuri shook his head. “That’s only one of her theories. The other one involves alien life forms who also have iron-based blood and might have visited Earth long ago. They introduced the spores directly into humans by the conventional means we all use to create each other.”

  Keisha spoke in a small voice, “That’s it. That’s what I was researching the night you were in Paris. I was reading articles on the similarities between ancient structures in many counties which are thought to have been impossible for humans to create without help from aliens.” She moaned and squeezed her eyes shut as she went rigid with pain, her mouth open with a soundless cry.

  “Stop talking. Stop thinking about it,” Apolinar commanded urgently. “Think of something else...think of...of how you felt when you were thirteen and the black boy you were in love with chose the blond girl to take to the dance. You felt so unloved and unlovable. You were so unbelievably hurt by his rejection. The pain was almost unbearable, wasn’t it?”

  “Stop that. Why are you reminding her of that?” Yuri asked angrily.

  Casimiro nodded towards her. “Look.”

  Her muscles relaxed and she went limp in Yuri’s arms.

  “I had to pick a strong enough memory that was visceral for her. She thought she would die from the pain. Of course, she was only a child and it was her first crush. However, every cell in her body remembers that first rejection. It helped her reassert control over her body.” Apolinar sighed heavily. “I fear we will all need to head down to where he was last seen. We must find him quickly. He won’t let her go as long as he thinks her research threatens the great plan of his gods.”

  “What great plan?” Yuri asked.

  “The one you came to see me about originally—when you first brought her to see me,” Apolinar answered. “The one involving making sure the human population has expanded enough to be plentiful but has limited intelligence from the compound she discovered.”

  “She discovered something to increase human intelligence,” Casimiro reminded him.

  “Yes, but you are still funding the lab which has others working to find the opposite of what she discovered. They are racing to create an intelligence-inhibitor so that when the gods return, there will be no human opposition.”

  “To what?” Yuri asked urgently. “Some sort of harvesting of humans or enslavement?”

  Apolinar nodded again. “I only know what he shared with me so long ago. He was already old and his words sometimes rambled on without making much sense. He remembered the visitors who had sharp teeth and what we now call technology that astounded him. He called it magic beyond belief. They ordered him and the other followers to spread throughout the world and put into place mechanisms by which the human population would grow but never reach the ability to travel to other planets themselves. Of course he thought that was impossible but the space exploration of the sixties was surely a frightening experience for all of the Ancient Ones who must have feared that they would be punished for not following the orders of their gods.”

  “So, Keisha’s research has made it possible for them to synthesize an intelligence-inhibitor which will ensure that humans are not able to think clearly enough to fight when the gods inevitably return?” Yuri’s voice held barely contained anger.

  “Yes. For that she must have drawn his attention to herself once I shared blood with her. I have no idea where he is, but
he spoke of spending long passages of time hidden in caves underground, where he would lie dormant. Sometimes he remained unconscious. Other times he listened to events on the surface through his connections to those of us he shared blood with.”

  “There are others as old as you?”

  “Of course there are...and older. I am only one who is funding, though Casimiro’s guidance, the research that finally found fruition. Others sit in many other countries, doing the same thing with the same purpose. We are all awaiting the return of his gods. We have no idea what will happen when they arrive but there are two important dates. 2012 is the year that things are to begin, with the alignment of the planets making their journey possible again. However, 2021 is the expected arrival date. It was convenient for us to put forth only the one date as important. When this year has gone and nothing has changed for mortals, they will laugh about their fears and continue with their lives, secure in the knowledge that there is nothing to worry about.”

  Yuri sat back, still holding Keisha in his arms, and shook his head.

  “That’s monstrous. I’m ashamed to have any part in this.”

  “Alas, none of us has any choice in the matter, dear Yuri Kozakov. We are all cogs in a machinery set into motion thousands of years ago.”

  “So, there is nothing we can do to stop it?”

  “No. The only thing we can do is try to stop him from destroying the most beautiful and intelligent Keisha Brown. For that we all must leave immediately, heading down to where the Mayan empire used to rule the known world. I will try to reactivate my blood memories so I can find him. Somehow we need to convince him that she is no threat to the great plan of his gods.”

  “If we can’t?”

  “Then there is no place on Earth where she will be safe from his reach. I’m sorry, Yuri. I had no idea that my sharing blood with her would endanger her. I will do everything in my power to make things right for her.”

  “What if he refuses to let her go?”

  Apolinar sighed deeply. “I don’t know if it is possible to kill him.”

  Yuri spoke urgently, “We have to try.”

  The three men nodded.

  Keisha leaned forward to take another glass into her hand to take a drink. She lifted it in the air and tilted it towards each of the men, in turn.

  “To your success, my family. To the end of my torment.”

  Yuri buried his head in her hair and inhaled deeply as he swore a solemn oath to her.

  I will save you or die trying, my love. My Keisha.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Keisha looked around and smiled in satisfaction.

  “Now this even beats first class. This is luxury class. This is what flying should be like.”

  Yuri’s eyebrows rose in amusement.

  “It is like this for the one-percent of people who can afford it.”

  Casimiro walked up to them, pouring more viscous red liquid into their glasses which sat on the low table in front of them as they sat on a comfortable couch. Yuri had his arm around Keisha’s shoulders. His hand occasionally smoothed her skin, as if feeling it calmed him. Her feet were curled underneath her and when he stroked her, she almost purred with pleasure.

  “I’m so glad you are able to enjoy what the profits of drug money can enable. Some call it blood money and want no part of it. However, when everything in your life involves blood, that isn’t such a difficult concept to embrace.”

  Keisha frowned. “I forgot about that. You make money providing the drugs which ruin people’s lives, and then you use it to fund research to decrease their intelligence. All with the eventual goal of selling them into slavery to some alien race that brought vampirism to our planet just for that reason. Have I forgotten any part of your monstrous plan?”

  Casimiro shrugged. “You have forgotten that it wasn’t my idea—this monstrous plan. Nor was it Apolinar’s. It was set in motion long before any of us were born. He told me that the Mayan shared with him information about a planet he called Nibiru-Tzoltze Ek, which comes relatively near to Earth every five-thousand years...give or take a few decades. Many lived and died totally unaware of any of this. Most would simply call us crazy for even talking about it, much less believing in it. The old Mayan believed it passionately enough to be willing to live forever to see it come to fruition. He claimed to have been made by the alien gods themselves.”

  “He’s the one who keeps crashing into my mind and taking me over? Why? What threat can I pose to him?”

  “I think I can answer that.” Apolinar approached them and seated himself on a sofa next to the one they were on. He patted the space next to him and Casimiro joined him on the cushion. Their hands touched and their fingers locked for an instant before Apolinar turned back to his guests and continued.

  “I think this is indicative of how out-of-touch the really Ancient Ones are with today’s society. He has no idea of how modern people think, or what strides in medicine or technology were made while he hid underground, skulking in a cave. So, when he heard you talk about the spores and aliens in the same sentences, that must have drawn his attention from the billions of other conversations happening on the planet at the same time. Plus there is the blood link which I unwittingly provided to him.”

  Keisha leaned forward, “So, the fact that his blood is still in you, and now your blood is in me, links us somehow? It’s like his brain is the mother-brain, and all that he made, or who were made by those of his making, are all connected to his brain?”

  Yuri added, “His brain is the main-frame and all carrying his blood can be heard and accessed by him if he wants to?”

  Apolinar nodded. “Apparently. I haven’t heard any thoughts from him for so long. I hoped he was so far underground in a coma that I was free. When he left me all of those years ago, he said he would purify himself for the long wait. At that point I didn’t care why he was leaving...I was just glad that he was. There were many rituals in the Mayan world involving blood and sacrifice to the gods. Most of them were very unpleasant. I learned that—as vampires—we heal quickly, even when we are brought to the brink of death by pain, blood loss, or dismemberment. But we still feel it. After the time I spent on the Spanish ship being the plaything of the crew, I thought I knew what pain was. The Mayans made it an art form and demanded it regularly as proof that you honored their gods—who of course—wanted blood.”

  Casimiro’s arms encircled Apolinar, who shivered in remembrance. Keisha watched them and smiled.

  Apolinar noticed her gaze. “Why do you smile, young one?”

  “Because I remember what you showed me when I drank from you. How your life was colorless until you met Casimiro, who opened your eyes to the varied and multiple hues of life and love.”

  He nodded solemnly. “You are as wise as you are beautiful— and intelligent. To the Mayan you would be an anathema. He had no use for females at all since he preferred men. The things he heard you say must have scared the shit out of him. The things you thought about would terrify him. He knows you are a vampire also or else he wouldn’t be able to hear your thoughts so clearly...but if you can make the connections between the blood, spores, and alien visitations, then he must wonder who else might discover the great secret. With knowledge comes power...in this case, along with the time to figure out a plan to stop the gods. If he and the others don’t deliver what the gods demanded, he must fear they will torture him until he begs for death—as he made so many others do.”

  “How long before we get to our destination?” Keisha asked.

  Apolinar shrugged. “It usually takes four to five hours to get down to Merida. We’ve only been in the air about an hour or so...why?”

  “When we get there, will it still be night?”

  “Probably not. We can sleep safely on the plane. My crew is paid well to guard the plane during the daylight hours. We are flying into a private airport which has maximum security since only private planes are allowed to land there. Tomorrow night we will visit an old friend of mine
. Then we leave as soon as we are all ready to fly to Chichen-Itza—the last place I have heard of the Mayan appearing.”

  “Then I think I’ll go lie down. I’m kind of tired and we have a long night ahead of us tomorrow.” She turned to smile at Yuri. “Plus Yuri is going to teach me how to fly, so I want to be well-rested for that.” She smiled at her hosts also. “I know that for all of you it’s no big deal, but it will be my first time defying gravity. As a scientist, I can’t wait.”

  Casimiro smiled and nodded. “Head down the hall to the last door on the right. That is the bigger of the guest rooms. We will see you at first dark, tomorrow.”

  Yuri got up and held his hands out to Keisha, who used them to pull herself to her feet.

  “Good night to you both,” Apolinar said politely.

  Yuri nodded back to him.

  “Muchas gracias for your hospitality.”

  He followed Keisha as she walked down the hall and opened the door to allow her to enter the room first.

  “What was that all about, my dear? Are you feeling unwell? Is the Mayan intruding into your thoughts again?”

  Keisha walked over to the king-sized bed and threw herself into the middle of it onto her stomach. She raised her butt into the air and wriggled it, looking back at him coyly over her shoulder.

  “No, just the opposite. I feel really good after that blood I drank. In fact, I wonder if you would like to initiate me into the mile-high-club.”

  Yuri let out a hearty bark of laughter.

  “You what?”

  She wiggled her butt in the air again. “I really miss having hot, monkey sex with you, Mister. I don’t know how any of this will turn out and I’m not even sure I will live through it. I don’t know when the Mayan dude will invade my thoughts again. I don’t want to waste any time worrying about something I can’t avoid anyway. So, I was just thinking...” She rolled onto her back and held out her arms to him, “A really delightful way to pass the time would be to make love until we are both tired, and then I can pass out in your arms. That is, of course, unless you have other plans.”