I laughed. Maybe I'd stumbled into one of those reality TV shows. The producer was going to jump out any minute and make me sign a media release and a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
But the door never opened, and the two people opposite me never cracked a smile. “In case you guys didn't notice, I'm sitting right here, conversing with you. I haven't seen many dead people in my life, but I went to Great Aunt Milly's funeral when I was twelve, and she didn't talk back to me from the coffin.”
Alice gripped my hand. There was something off-putting about a doctor holding your hand like you were about to get really bad news.
“What Walker is trying to say, Mika,” they kept saying my name over and over like I'd suddenly forgotten it, “is that you are the undead. We believe you have been turned into a vampire. I should say, we know you've been turned into a vampire. It's the how that we don't understand yet.”
I blinked. And then blinked again. They were actually serious. They thought I was a vampire. I'd definitely stumbled onto a TV set. It sounded like something the SyFy channel would come up with. But my heart was thudding, and I felt like I was going to throw up. It was like my body knew they weren't kidding, and it was just waiting for my mind to catch up.
“A vampire?”
Walker nodded sympathetically. “The hunger, the light sensitivity, even the blank spots, are all symptoms of the Turning.”
“And you guys know this because...” No, that can't be right. My mind rebelled.
“Because we are vampires. The whole town is populated by vampires.”
I stared at them dumbly, expecting something, I'm not sure what. For them to turn into bats, or broodingly sparkle in the overhead fluorescent lights. But nothing happened. They just looked like ordinary people. Not overly pale, their eyes weren't glowing red, they didn't have crooked, needle-like teeth. Nothing.
Alice had mocha-colored skin and smooth blond hair that went all the way down her back. She wasn't unearthly attractive by any means. She was pleasant and professional; exactly what you'd want in a physician. Okay, so Walker was hot, but from what I remembered of the diner, it wasn't like I'd stepped onto the stage at Milan Fashion Week or anything out of the ordinary.
“Do you have any questions?” Walker asked. Uh, yeah, I had a few. Like could he pinch me so I would wake the hell up from this bad acid trip?
“So, I'm a vampire, and you're a vampire. And she's a vampire.” He nodded. “Do you, I mean I, have fangs?”
Walker bared his teeth, and there, gleaming white against his pink lips, were two pointed fangs. They were actually quite sharp, and I wondered how he didn't cut his mouth up with them. I looked at Alice, and she too was baring her fangs, which weren't quite as long as Walker's, and sat in her mouth with more ease. I eased my tongue over my own canines and found they'd elongated. I cut my tongue on them, and the blood dripped into my mouth.
Blood.
Hunger clawed at my stomach like a ravenous beast. Suddenly, I understood what the smell coming from the cooler was.
“Please.” It was a half yell, half sob, as I dived for the cooler. Walker was around the table in a flash, his arms like iron bands around my body.
“Calm down. Alice is going to get you something to eat right now.” As he said it, the Doc was getting a blood bag out of the cooler, like the ones you see in hospitals. She unscrewed the cap on the tube and handed it to me.
Walker released me from his hold, and I closed off the part of my mind that was grossed out at the thought of drinking blood, and let my body take over. I sucked that baby like it was my first cocktail on Spring Break in Cabo. All that was missing was the little umbrella and the frat boys trying to convince me to come to a snow party.
All too soon, the bag was empty. “I want some more.” My voice wasn't weak anymore, but it sounded slurred like I was drunk. Alice shook her head.
“With the two you had at the diner, and now this one, you've had enough. If you gorge yourself, you'll be vomiting for the rest of the night. I'll come see you tomorrow, and we'll discuss how everything works. For the remainder of the night, you need to rest.” She picked up the cooler and her doctor’s bag. “Are you taking her to your place?” she asked Walker.
He nodded. “I'll find somewhere more permanent for her to live tomorrow.” He walked the doctor out, leaving me alone in the windowless room.
The shock settled over me like a numbing cloak. My mind spun as I tried to process, well, everything. I placed my hand on my chest, and my heart was slowly beating in there. Somehow, that made me feel better. I may have been dead, but my heart was still beating. The illogicality of that statement was something I'd deal with another day.
Walker was suddenly back, and his warm hand was on my shoulder. “There are a lot of things we have to discuss, and we can do it here, or back at my place. I know that sounds almost creepy, but I promise you'll be safe." He shifted from foot to foot, almost uncomfortably. "You are new to this world, and I wouldn't feel right about leaving you on your own. There are rules, life or death rules that you need to know. But, if you'd like, we could do it somewhere a bit more comfortable.”
I nodded absently, every warning my mother uttered about going home with strange men now defunct. What was the worst that could happen? I was already dead. Plus the guy was the sheriff of a vampire town. If I couldn't trust him, who could a girl, err vampire, trust?
We hopped back into the squad car. I looked at the town through the window in a new light. I really studied the people, their inhuman grace, the fact that there were no children around. A guy stood on the pavement waiting to cross the road, and then magically was on the other side. I didn't even see him move in front of the car.
“Did that guy just teleport? Can we do that?” The thought was exciting. To just close my eyes and picture anywhere I wanted to be in the world, it would be amazing. Such freedom!
“I'm afraid not. He just moved really fast. As your vampirism settles into your body, you'll see him move as slow as a human. We can all move that quickly.”
I was disappointed, though moving at super-speed was still pretty cool. “If we can move that fast, why the hell are we driving? Wouldn't we be wherever we are going almost instantly? Unless your house is in Alaska.”
“Two reasons. Firstly, I didn't want to freak you out, plus you'll need a bit of time to get used to moving at that speed. Secondly, I enjoy the slower pace that a vehicle has to offer. Just because you can go at breakneck speed, doesn't mean you should.” He sounded like my Dad teaching me to drive. Thoughts of my parents made me feel homesick.
“I need to call my parents and tell them I'm okay. Sort of.”
Walker looked uncomfortable. “If you want, but just wait until tomorrow. Give everything you'll learn tonight time to process first.”
He pulled up in front of a cute little whitewashed cottage, with a wrap-around porch and a perfectly manicured hedge. I looked at the man in the driver's seat and then back at the house. I saw him as the log cabin type of guy, not the gingerbread vibe that this place had going on.
I followed Walker up to the front door. I don't know when I started to think of him as Walker instead of Sheriff Walton, but it was probably around my third dirty fantasy.
When we walked in the space had a bit more of a masculine feel. Leather couches, a big-screen TV, and a scarred wooden coffee table occupied the living room. A large breakfast bar separated the living area from the kitchen, with three old diner stools tucked under the overhang.
Walker went over to the kitchen counter and poured two glasses of scotch into crystal tumblers.
“I can still drink?”
“Sure, you won't get drunk, but sometimes it's nice just to indulge in the nostalgia. You can also eat and go out in the sun. Though I wouldn't suggest going out in the daytime just yet. The increased sensitivity to light makes daylight extremely painful. It's something to work up to over time. Please, have a seat.”
I walked over to the big scarred leather armchair. There
was a burgundy throw rug over the arm, and I pulled it over my lap, even though I wasn't cold. The softness of the mohair was amazing. I could see the intricate pattern of the weave, the tiny flyaway fibers on each of the strands of wool. It was like my sight had become microscopic.
Walker handed me my drink and sat across from me, his elbows on his knees.
“I know this has been a lot to take in, but you have some serious decisions to make, Mika. This is a whole new world, with all new rules. Especially Dark River. We aren't your average community, as you know.”
“Because everyone is the undead.”
“Right, because we are all vampires. But it's not just that. Even within our own race, Dark River is rather unique. I'll explain the rules, and then it is up to you if you stay or you go. We can't keep you here against your will.”
Well, that sounded ominous.
“Rule number one, there is absolutely no drinking from humans. Blood is delivered and distributed around the town by the Town Council, and no one goes hungry. The penalty is banishment from Dark River, forever.”
That didn't sound so bad. It's not like I wanted to go around munching on people, giving them the hickeys from hell. I nodded for him to continue.
“Rule number two, you can never, ever, turn a human. The Town Council has decreed that the penalty for disobeying this rule is death. Because, in our eyes, turning a human is essentially murder.” He looked at me imploringly. “This is what has happened to you, Mika. Someone has murdered you, and it is my job to find out who and bring them to justice. You are young, beautiful, and full of life. You should have had the opportunity to do everything you wanted to do. The opportunity to have children, get married, grow old with a loved one, live out in the light. You deserve retribution.” His eyes lit up, and I don't mean sparkled with fervor, I mean literally started to glow.
“Uh, Walker, what’s going on with your eyes?”
“Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. That sometimes happens when we get worked up. Plus I need to feed.”
He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bag of O positive. I knew it was O positive because there was a huge sticker on the side. He poured it into his tumbler on top of his Scotch. Ew.
He sat back down in front of me.
“Okay, the third rule and usually the most problematic for new vampires who want to join our community is that you must cut all ties with your old life, both for our safety and the safety of the people from before. You wouldn't know this yet, but being around humans is...” he let out a shaky sigh, “an overwhelming temptation. Especially when you are only just learning to control your new body.”
I collapsed back on the couch. I'd have to cut ties with my family? Never see my mom smile again, or hear my dad tell a lame joke? Never watch my youngest brother graduate high school? Tears welled in my eyes as my death sunk in. My mind was in the denial stage of grief, apparently. I mean, I felt fine now that I'd drank that blood bag. Maybe I could go home and become a goth or something. I lived alone in my apartment, so I could keep the blood hidden.
“I know what you're thinking. Really, I do. But think about it. You will never look older than you do today. You will live hundreds, if not thousands of years. If you go home, you'll watch your parents die, and your siblings, and their children, and then their children's children. Trust me when I say that it is a soul-shattering experience to watch everyone you have ever loved whither and die.” The level of pain in his eyes told me that he knew from experience.
I couldn't decide this now, I needed time to think it over.
“What if I choose to leave?”
Walker bit his lip, his fangs pressing into his full lower lip. “If you choose to leave, then you are subject to the rules of the Vampire Nation. No telling humans what you are, or revealing your nature in a way that could bring Vampires as a whole in the limelight. If you feed on humans, you must do it in a way so that they do not suspect your true nature. Which basically means that unless you have the ability to wipe memories, which some vampires do, you have to kill them and dispose of their bodies discreetly. If you break these rules, Enforcers will come, and you will die. Trust me when I say that Vampire Nation always finds out if you break the rules.”
Well, okay, then.
Walker's shaggy hair slipped over his eyes, and he combed it back with his fingers. The move made his shirt pull taut against his chest, and a completely different kind of hunger overtook me. The need to lean over and rip open his shirt was almost impossible to resist.
Walker's eyes met mine, and whatever he saw in them made him look nervous all of a sudden. He stood quickly and took a step away.
“Okay, I'll let you think it over. The guest room is the second door on the left, and the bathroom is right next door. Make yourself at home, if you need anything, just give me a yell.” With that, Sheriff Walker Walton hot-footed it out of the room, faster than my eyes could follow.
Hell's Redemption- The Complete Series Boxset Page 94