Requiem of Humanity

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Requiem of Humanity Page 17

by Catherine Stovall


  The beauty of the sunrise and of the pure, golden light entranced Matteo. For so long he had lived in the darkness and craved the light. In his early years as a vampire, he had believed himself cursed. His maker had said that he was blessed but it was difficult to believe such a thing when you only walked in the night and you craved the blood of humanity. For Jenda, who had not known that sunrises would be something she missed, fear and uncertainty caused her to feel an impatience that was not usually part of her nature.

  She slowly pulled away from Matteo and walked to the nearest point of light but before she could reach it Matteo came to his senses and grasped her wrist gently. “I made the change very long ago. What can kill or seriously injure a fledgling vampire will only cause me minor discomfort. Allow me to go first, dear lady.” With that, he gingerly reached one beautifully pale hand towards the light.

  Jenda held her breath and watched as the sun gleamed on the skin of Matteo’s hand. It reminded her of the white porcelain vase that sat in her mother’s kitchen window. The light reflected slightly off the surface brilliantly. There was no smoke, no fire, no sizzling of flesh. Jenda and Matteo’s breath simultaneously rushed out of their chest. Timidly she reached her own hand out to lay it in his. The sun’s rays were warm but instead of comforting it felt wrong. It was not painful and she did not feel it was dangerous, it just felt wrong. Knowing now that it was only her natural vampire instinct Jenda continued to hold her hand in the sun.

  Through an hour’s worth of careful testing, it was clear both vampires could endure at least temporary exposure to the sun. There would be no time to test the length of time it was safe to be outside during the day, so Matteo quickly bid Jenda goodbye before her worrisome mind could consider that missing detail for itself. He told her to try to rest. Even though she could be out in the sun and be awake during the day, she would need to sleep. They had been through so much and the hard part was still coming. He also hoped that sleep would help hold off the inevitable hunger.

  Lingering briefly to enjoy kissing his beloved in the sun, he sent a silent thank you to Belle. She had become his enemy but through her death, the promises she made him had finally been granted. He had always dreamed of lifting the darkness and finding there in its light the woman that he was meant for. He knew now that no matter what happened that Jenda was his one true love.

  Matteo’s plan was to walk into the nearest town and confiscate clothing, necessities, and a car. He didn’t have much money and he was afraid to tap into his accounts. If they were being watched, he couldn’t take the risk. He also needed desperately to feed. The girls would soon start to hunger as well and hungry fledglings were often uncontrollable and unpredictable. He would have little time. He could feel that his vampire gifts carried less strength, somehow weakened by the sun. Even running his fastest it could take hours to gather what they needed from the small town in broad daylight.

  32

  Soborgne was walking through a foreign city, a man by her side. She was caught up in the way the sunlight glistened off his hair, shining like a golden halo. So distracted by that detail she had missed what he had said. It wasn’t the first time during the day she had done this. The first time was down by the canals. She had been so transfixed by the sinewy muscles rippling underneath the tight fitting, white cotton t-shirt that he had gently scolded her. She couldn’t help but stare, couldn’t help getting lost in his beauty. He was so magnificent and there was something so alluring and familiar about his presence.

  “Sobo, ma cherie, are you listening?” His question broke the spell enough that she tried hard to focus.

  “Yea, I mean yes.” Her voice sounded different to her. It was softer, more feminine, as if being near him magically lent her a woman’s qualities.

  His gentle laughter was followed by an even gentler reprimand, “I know this is difficult for you, but you must focus. You must remember what we have spoken about today. Soborgne, oh your name is so fitting for this place.” He reached out one large hand and gently stroked it down her face.

  The warmth of his skin made hers tingle with anticipation. She leaned her face into the palm of his hand and gently placed her lips to the smooth lines. This man, he was hers. Though this was the first time they had met, Soborgne knew he had been hers for centuries and would be for centuries more. Destined to be lovers for eternity, their fate was cast in the beginning of the world, of time, of humanity. Theirs was a love more tragic than Romeo and Juliet, more tumultuous than Cleopatra and Anthony, more heart wrenching than Abelard and Heloise, more vindictive than Catherine and Heathcliff. It was pure and deep, infused with the dark shadows of past, present, and future. Just the same, it was lighted by hope, faith, and expectation. Their love was the love shared by all great lovers, combined, and tethered into the hearts of monsters. She was Lilith; created for another and yet bound to defy him and her god. He was Cain; first born to Adam, slayer of his brother, and banished by his god. Together they would bring forth a new age, a new destiny, and a new race.

  Though he was fond of using small French words, mainly terms of endearment, there was another accent hidden in the currents of his speech. Soborgne couldn’t place it and it wasn’t obvious. Just some deep reminiscence in the way he pronounced words when he was excited and spoke to quickly. As soon as she would almost guess it, then it would be gone. When he whispered her name now it was there and she loved the sound.

  “Darling, you must remember.” He said it again but she knew she had lost the thread of conversation before it began. Everything had become so vibrant and alive. Since the change her eyes could see the smallest dust particle caught in the rays of the sun with clarity, her ears even now in what surely was a dream, could hear the waves softly lapping on the shores miles away, and the smells of the city were penetrating her senses almost faster than she could identify them.

  She turned then, wanting to say she was sorry that she had been such a terrible listener. She wanted to plead with him not to be angry at her short attention span. It was so difficult to focus on words when her mind and body had never felt quite so alive. With him so near to her, there was nothing she could do to fight the onslaught of sensory stimulation. Yet when she tried to speak, he silenced her by placing a single finger against her lips.

  “I love you, Soborgne.” His words were the beckoning of the sea to the lonely, land ridden seaman. She wanted to dive in and drown in every aspect of this man.

  That is when she realized she didn’t really know him. He was a familiar stranger. She knew his heart and soul but not his name or his face. In fact, she had not been able to see his face once during their time together. They had walked tirelessly throughout the city and spent the day in the most in depth conversation. How could she have not seen his face? She reached to turn him so that he was facing her. She needed desperately to see the man she loved so.

  Just as he turned to her, the shadows began to crawl from the buildings surrounding them as if they were alive, they were lengthening and spreading around them. Soborgne gasped in fear and turned quickly to defend herself from the unseen threat. Her senses sharpened and her predatory nature leaped into action. Yet, there was nothing there.

  “It’s only the sun setting, my love.” His voice was calming and Soborgne immediately felt the tension seeping from her coiled muscles.

  Again she turned, now desperate to see the face of this chaste and gentle lover. Ready to memorize every line and detail of his features so that she would never be without his image again. She looked up expectantly only to see that the shadows had concealed him completely. Her disappointment was thick and hung in the air between them like a shroud. The sun had set and left them standing in the darkness. She peered at him, trying to engage her vampire skills. She wanted so badly to see him that the ache in her chest felt as if a hole had been torn through her. Yet nothing could be seen.

  The world shimmered and Soborgne could feel the pull of something outside of her lover and herself. She was being torn away. She foug
ht hard to hold onto him, to hold onto the narrow, unlit street and the smell of the canal water hanging in the air. She reached out to enfold him in her arms to find that nothing was there.

  Soborgne’s eyes flew open, her hands still grasping in vain for his strong torso. Confusion over took her immediately. There was no canal, no dark street, and he was not there. In their place was a dark room lit by scattered candles and her best friend’s lovely face hovering beside her. She sighed and lowered her hands to rest on the coverlet. It was a dream, only a dream. Yet she felt as if her soul was still lingering there with him somewhere in the darkness. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on her skin. It burned with such agonizing precision.

  “Soborgne?” Jenda’s words were muffled and her voice sounded shaky. Assuming her friend was upset and worried, Soborgne instantly moved to embrace her and offer comfort. Good old Jenda was always the mother hen. To Soborgne’s amazement, when she turned to Jenda the other girl was covering her mouth with her hand to cover a giggle.

  “What are you laughing at?” The hurt was so evident in Soborgne’s voice that Jenda immediately regretted her short-lived mirth.

  “You were making such a funny face. I’m sorry. I guess seeing things so much more clearly now can be a bit of a disadvantage as well as an advantage.” Jenda’s face was serious but her lucid green eyes shone with joy and excitement and both girls fell into such a fit of laughter that Soborgne was able to push away the left over angst from the dream.

  Once the laughter had exhausted itself the girls lay on the bed side by side talking of the strange things that had happened over the last several weeks. Soborgne told Jenda as much as she could remember of her time in the compound before she really began to change. She flushed red trying to explain the hunger that had consumed her and how she had learned of Jenda’s presence in the building. Jenda, not wanting her friend to feel self-conscious, told her of the same hunger that had driven her to tear and shred at Belle’s throat.

  Their stories were long and ended in both girls weeping. They hugged for a long moment, just happy to have each other after everything that had threatened to separate them. Talk soon came to their families. Would they ever be able to see them again? Everyone believed Soborgne to be dead, if she came back now there would be too many questions. Could they tell everyone they were now vampires? The thought conjured images of angry mobs with pitchforks and torches in Jenda’s mind.

  Soborgne, despite the seriousness of Jenda’s thoughts, was grinning madly when Jenda finally exclaimed, “What?”

  “I don’t know how but I can tell you that you are thinking of that old black and white movie where the village people burn down the castle and try to kill the vampire who’s been seducing all the maidens.” As Soborgne spoke she batted her eyes, doing a poor imitation of an innocent maiden. “I can see it in your head or I have gone batty. No pun intended.” Laughing hysterically, she collapsed back onto the bed.

  Jenda laughed as well. “No, it’s normal for vamps. Belle and Matteo do it too. They were constantly reading my mind.”

  “Can you do it?” Soborgne was literally bouncing up and down now in her excitement. “I see pictures, do all vamps see them or is it just like in the movies when you hear voices but aren’t schizophrenic.”

  “I don’t know. I’m listening I guess but I don’t see anything or hear anything.” Jenda was baffled. Not that she cared about power and strength but why could Soborgne “see” her thoughts and she was apparently tuned into a dead channel?

  “Try harder. I’m thinking something easy right now. Can you tell what it is?” Soborgne looked like a child with her eyes scrunched closed and her fists balled into her lap.

  “No, nothing.” Jenda sighed.

  Soborgne opened her eyes and patted her best friend’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s just because they gave me the blood for so long and you were made so quickly. You will be able to do it soon I bet. You were always a better student than me.”

  Jenda was quick to respond. “Well something tells me, Sobo, that you will be a better vampire than I ever will. After all you have seen every grainy black and white movie and read every horror filled novel ever created on the subject.”

  The girls couldn’t help their elated outlook on things to come and they giggled loudly. They hadn’t even remembered to care if they were discovered.

  33

  Matteo heard the laughter through the floorboards as he entered. He breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken him nearly all day to get the supplies they needed and he had been frantic about leaving them alone. He had been afraid that they were in pain from hunger, frightened, or worse turning on each other as their fledgling bloodlust came alive. Usually when a vampire as old as himself or Belle turned someone the bloodlust wasn’t as fierce. No one really knew why but it was assumed that the older vampire’s tolerance to hunger was transferred to the newly made. It seemed that the girls were no exception to the norm.

  As soon as the trap door was opened and he descended the staircase, he was attacked. Each girl flew at him from different sides of the room, feral snarls echoing in the small space. Arms and legs entwined, causing the bags he carried to crash to the floor. He struggled with the two young, limber bodies as he tried to decipher the danger. They had been laughing only seconds before. What happened? Had he frightened them into pure, instinctual reaction? They weren’t clawing or biting at him. They were only attempting to pin him down. He struggled, still weary from the long night and day and afraid to injure them, he fought them off as gently as he could.

  Suddenly he felt twin kisses on his cheeks and he was caught completely by surprise again. The girls stopped struggling to hold him down and fell over laughing loudly. It had been a prank. Oh, how little did these two understand about the nature of a seasoned and battle worn elder amongst the undead. Only his love and desire for Jenda and her happiness had kept him from following ages of instincts and killing them both when they had attacked. He wanted to chide them. He nearly scolded them for their foolishness and on the dangers of play attacks but he couldn’t. Seeing them there, rolling on the floor like two happy kittens at play, his heart melted.

  Matteo waited patiently for the laughter to subside and he helped the girls to stand. Pulling Jenda into his arms for a brief embrace, he gently nipped her ear and whispered, “I see I’m going to have to teach you how to really fight, my dear.” The low growl that followed sent shivers up Jenda’s spine and she melded herself to him tightly. The thought of grappling with him in a private session brought thoughts to her mind that she never could have imagined before.

  Despite his own desire, Matteo knew that he could not take the time now to give in to Jenda. Night had fallen and they needed to move. Stepping out of his lover’s embrace he quickly scooped up the sacks and emptied the contents on the bed. A variety of different items lay in the heaps. Amongst clothing, toothpaste, hairbrushes, and other necessities lay several bags of thick red liquid. There was no mistaking what they were and in an awkward moment Jenda and Soborgne simply stared, half-disgusted and half-starving, at the blood.

  To ease the tension Matteo quickly scooped up a bag and tore away one corner with his teeth. “I know this is far from the traditional and preferred meal but it does seem that time is of the essence and this is a much less complicated method.” He handed Jenda the first bag and in the same matter-of-fact way opened another for himself and Soborgne. He waited to see how the girls would react. Some vampires that were brought over against their will and with no prior training were so upset by feeding that they would literally starve themselves to death. After all these two young women had faced, it was a possibility that either would reject what they had become.

  His fears were unfounded with Jenda and Soborgne. With matching grins and an adventurous gleam toasted each other and giggled as they slurped noisily from their blood bags. The entire process took less time and was far less interesting than either of the girls had thought it would be. The only benefit was the
warm feeling in their bellies that they agreed reminded them of gulping hot chocolate after playing in the snow too long.

  With feeding out of the way, Matteo asked the girls to change into the clothing he had brought. When Soborgne wrinkled her nose at the generic store brand clothing he wanted desperately to shake her. Somehow, Jenda sensed his exasperation and stepped forward to offer condolences to her fashion forward friend. Jenda promised they would shop as soon as they could but for now rogue vampires needed to be running, not worried about the runway. Seeing that Soborgne, though still pouting, was willing to wear what was provided to her, Matteo went upstairs to change his own clothes and to give the females privacy.

  Less than ten minutes passed and then both Jenda and Soborgne emerged into the upper floor. Their necessities were packed neatly into a small duffle bag that Matteo had brought with him and they were wearing their new generic clothes. Matteo instantly noticed Soborgne’s fashion attempt. Though he did not understand her need to dress in expensive and strange clothing, he had to admire her inept sense of adaptation. The girl’s dark hair had been wound tightly into a deep blue chignon that Matteo was certain had once been the pillowcase. Jenda merely looked into his eyes with a wide smile and shrugged as if to say, “She had to do something.”

  The trio huddled in the darkness of the room for a moment. Matteo used his vampire senses to ensure they were still undiscovered before they ventured into the night. He spoke quietly as he explained what would come next, “I have a car parked near here, and we will need to run very quickly to get there without being detected. The humans only assist the vampires during the day. If anyone is looking for us now, it will be other vampires. Once we get to the car, I will explain further. Your education must begin immediately if we intend to survive another week. They moved cautiously towards the door and Matteo slung the duffle bag over his shoulder so that Jenda could be free of its weight while she ran. He placed both his hands on either side of Jenda’s face and whispered “I love you” before he placed his cool lips to her forehead. Jenda returned his sentiment and then squeezed Soborgne’s hand. If she had a heartbeat, Jenda was sure it would be pounding right out of her chest right now. The idea of fleeing unseen foes in the darkness and running for her life was not a pleasurable thought. She could feel her tiny fangs begin to ache and wandered if all things frightening would bring them forth.

 

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