by Eddie Jakes
The time passed by pretty quick and Maddix could see the outskirts of the city within view. He took a moment to take it all in, hoping that getting a good look at it from a distance might trigger some lost memory. They still weren't far from the gate, so at least one of them must have had some contact with the local towns when first arriving. Maybe someone would recognize him when he got there … if anyone he knew was even still alive. The issue of a time-shift between the two created a whole plethora of challenges that they would all have to overcome individually once their memories came back.
Putting his memories aside, Maddix headed toward town coming up to a road. He didn't see any signs, and there seemed to be no indicator that anyone saw him come out of the forest. After mulling it over, Maddix decided to take a right and hopefully, come across some kind of clue to his exact location. He’d had about enough of traipsing through the woods.
Eventually, Maddix came up to a three-way turn, and the signs indicated that turning left headed into some sign of civilization. There weren’t any names on the signs but numbers and pictures with phones, a gas pump, and a fork with a plate. It didn't take much to figure out that there was life just down the bend with rest areas available.
After another twenty minutes of walking, he could see the first buildings in the distance. Still, nothing familiar. However, something sparked when he saw a group of cars parked on the side of the road. The sign read "Commuter Parking" and that it was strictly enforced somehow. Maddix was relieved when it dawned on him that he remembered what a car actually was. They looked really fancy and rounder than he recalled, but they still had four wheels and a steering wheel. One car was particularly fancy, with a large emblem of a horse in the front. It seemed like it would be a pretty formidable car on the road.
We'll need some kind of car. If I ever remember how to drive. Or if I ever drove.
The streets weren't too busy save for a few people walking in and out of the various buildings with packages on their arms. Looking at it reminded Maddix of the main strip in Malevolent. He was surprised to find himself missing that place a little. It was a prison, but it was his home for however many years it was, depending on who was counting.
A couple of young kids talking into rectangle shaped devices caught Maddix's attention as he walked down the sidewalks. It did remind him of something, but he was having trouble finding the word.
Telegraph? Teleport? Telephone? Wow, thought Maddix, could they have made phones that small and portable? It can't be very reliable.
Maddix's fascination with the small, rectangular telephones was cut short when he bumped into a dull wall of what appeared to be clear plastic and metal. After composing himself, he saw that it was some kind of protective alcove with a bench inside and an old woman sitting there staring at him.
"You okay, young man?" asked the old bitty.
"I'm fine. Yes. Just new here."
"A little early to tie one on, isn't it?"
"Tie what?"
"Never mind. You waiting for the bus, too?”
It took Maddix a moment to recall what a bus was, but it soon came to him.
"No, ma'am. I'm looking for a library."
"Well, that's an easy one. It's right across the street. One of the oldest in New England."
"New England? That's where we are?"
"Well duh. You sure you haven't been drinking?"
"No, ma'am. Not a drop. Just been away for a long time is all."
"Are you in the service or something? I know all about that P.T.S.D. messing with your brain. Had a husband in the Army. He had it real bad. Killed himself. It was a sad day for everyone. Definitely get that checked out as soon as you can."
"Thank you, ma'am. I will definitely have my P.S.S.T looked at. I have to go, though."
Maddix made a hasty retreat to the library.
The doors to the library were old and had a chime when they opened. There was a row of bookcases everywhere, with privacy rooms spread out along the walls. Several tables were set up all around the main room, each filled with people of varying age groups. Strangely, very few of them had actual books and seemed to be staring intently at larger versions of the square telephones Maddix had seen earlier. Those that weren't seated at the tables were in tiny little stations with what he thought were computers. They were a lot smaller than he recalled, but a recollection of anything was a welcome occurrence.
Toward the rear of the library was a huge countertop with room for two. A young woman was going through stacks of books and shooting them with some kind of red beam from a handheld device. Probably just more new technology Maddix didn't understand, but he figured if she was working behind the counter she must be a librarian as well.
"I don't mean to interrupt," said Maddix. "I was looking for a man named Travis. I was told I could meet him here?"
"And you are?"
"I'm an old colleague of his. I just got into town, and I heard he was here."
"He's really busy today. He's in the newspaper archive transferring all the microfiche to digital."
Maddix tried to hold back his lack of understanding.
"Just go through the second door on my left. That's the newspaper archive."
"Thank you."
Thankfully, the doors were clearly labeled so Maddix had little trouble finding it. Inside the archive he could tell it had been remodeled fairly recently. There were computers lined up on every wall and only a few old shelving units marked by months and years remained. Sitting in the far right corner of the room was an older gentleman with gray hair and a brown tweed suit. He was sitting in front of a computer with a large hinged device. Maddix watched him as he placed some old microfiche into the machine and closed the top. Soon after images of newspapers appeared on the screen in front of the old man. It was a lot to take in, but Maddix was impressed.
"Are you Travis? I was told that you could help me?"
"Are you looking for a particular title? Mary can help you out at the main desk. I'm quite busy this morning."
"I’m not sure if you know who I am, but my name is Maddix Benbrook."
Travis, the librarian, was silent for a few second then responded, "Never heard of you."
"I met Shepard in the forest. He sent me to see you."
"Look, son, I don't know anyone by the name of Shepard, and I certainly don't know who you are, so unless you have a library-related question I would ask you to let me get back to my duties."
Maddix was surprised at the response. He hoped he would have some information for him; something that would clue him in on where to go next. All he had was a lot of missing memories and a crazy old man in the woods telling him to find a book.
The book!
"Do you have a book called the Articles of Purification?"
That had apparently triggered something in Travis. He stood up from his computer and looked Maddix up and down. After flashing a half smile at him, he motioned for him to follow him.
"Right this way, Mr. Benbrook."
They went from one room to another and Travis opened the door for Maddix and motioned toward the bookcase against the wall. There was a solitary leather chair in the middle of the room. Clearly, this room was for people looking to read in privacy.
"The title you seek is in this room with the first editions. Please be careful with the books in here as some of them are quite old and irreplaceable."
"Thank you. I will."
With that, Travis left Maddix to himself and the door shut behind him. There was a noticeable click when the door closed, and Maddix quickly grabbed the knob, discovering it was locked shut. He couldn't see any noticeable keyhole anywhere. Part of him wanted to panic and bang on the door, but his instincts told him that it was necessary and he didn't have anything to worry about.
The titles were all organized, and some of them were quite old. He had a tough time searching by title, but he didn't have any author name by which to search from. Eventually, he found it tucked in the middle of two Civil War history
books. It was a blue, leather-bound book with simple gold lettering as the title, and no other indication of who wrote or published it.
Having been on his feet since waking up that morning, he decided to take a seat in the leather chair which was very comfortable. The muscles in his legs let out a wave of relaxation, and Maddix took a second to take a deep breath and clear his head. Whatever was in this book he wanted to be mentally prepared for it.
Inside the book was a false opening with one of those large, square telephone things that he saw the people outside staring at. Wired to it were tiny round plastic casings with rubber tips on them and a note attached. It read, Put these in your ears and press the button.
Maddix quickly put the round devices in his ears and followed the instructions. The screen took a second to come on, but soon there was a young looking man's face filling the whole screen. It was a pre-recorded message of some kind in crystal clear quality. Definitely not something Maddix had seen in his lifetime.
"Hello," said the man on the screen. "You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. If you're watching this right now, it means that the prison has been compromised, and all the prisoners have escaped. It also implies that somehow through all that, you have managed to avoid getting killed long enough to get out as well. Now everything I'm going to tell you is paramount, and you will only be able to hear this once before it deletes itself. I am a part of a select group of agents within the Founding Fathers organization. It was set up two centuries ago by Thomas Jefferson, just in case of the unlikely event of a breakout. During that whole time, one of us has created this message and hidden it in this book you are holding right now.
"We were formed in secret and lived lives under the radar because Jefferson knew back then that the only feasible way anyone could escape that prison was from the inside. If you are seeing this now, then it is most likely that the Founding Fathers have been compromised by people unknown.
"Right now you are probably very confused by everything you see. I can tell you that the memory loss is temporary and will fade within a few months to a year. During that time, you will have sudden bursts of your memory come back, and it will be painful. Try to imagine it being like a cork on a champagne bottle. There is some pressure, but once it's out … bang!
"There are some things you will have trouble getting accustomed to. You've probably figured out by now that time moves differently between the prison and here. You may have been in there for just a few years, but for the rest of us it could have been thirty years. That was one of many reasons for the memory wipes in the first place. It was easier to acclimate someone into modern society that didn't remember their old life than it was for someone anxious to get back home. I'm telling you all this now, because if you've made it this far then you're strong enough to handle it.
"So what do you do next? Well, you can just hide and pray the world doesn't go to hell or you can keep fighting. Right now they have the advantage of strength and numbers, but you have the secrecy on your side. Start by helping us find out who the conspirators are and how deep the corruption goes. Nobody supernatural could be behind it, so it will definitely be one or more humans. There have been secret sects and cults that worshiped these monsters for centuries. There's an excellent chance that not all of them were wiped out in the first and second purges.
"After this message is over, there will be a map. That map will show you a Founding Fathers location for you to start at. It will be disguised as any other business or home so you will have to watch for clues. This is a central archive of every piece of correspondence and transfer. We can't get near it, but you might be able to being who you are. Try not to leave a trail or draw too much attention to yourself.
"One last thing Mr. Benbrook …"
Hearing someone say his name made him shiver a little.
"Try to remember that the only thing that matters is what you do from here forward. Nothing else matters anymore."
The image faded, and full view of a map with a location dotted in red was on the screen. Furniture store in New Haven? Maddix thought. We're definitely going to need a car.
Pulling the earpieces out, he placed them back into the book before closing it. After reflecting on everything for a minute, he put the book back on the shelf where it belonged. Almost immediately the lock on the door clicked.
Whoever these people were, they were well equipped.
CHAPTER FIVE
Drahomira and Havel enjoyed the view from their lavishly expensive suite. It wasn't anything like the gothic mansions they had preciously dwelled in, but it was something they could get accustomed to. They had come a long way in such a short time since leaving Malevolent. Drahomira admitted that she sometimes missed their home, which they had lived in for two centuries. Havel laughed at the notion and was more than pleased to be back into the world to stake their claim as the superior species. That was short lived the first time he tried to feed on the blood of a human.
After spending a day flying through the air to find signs of civilization, the siblings had found an unsuspecting couple walking some trails. Like an eagle hunting its prey, they swooped in and made easy marks of the two humans. Havel drank like he hadn't eaten in years, which in a sense he hadn't. The first sips tasted vile, and soon his insides started burning, and he began to vomit almost immediately once everything hit his stomach. He looked to find his sister also gagging on her meal and the two humans running for their lives. If not for the quick thinking of the wolves, they probably would've been exposed.
Something happened in the time that they were locked away. The humans had waged a war against disease and created powerful vaccinations to battle them. In doing so, they had inadvertently vaccinated themselves in such a way that it was toxic for vampires to drink from them. Fortunately, they were still able to live off cattle and other species of animal, but the nutrients were not as potent, and the Statsnys were unable to regain their full strength. Not being able to drain a human ultimately made it impossible to turn someone as well. After the battle in the prison, their numbers were limited and that made them vulnerable.
Thankfully, Dr. Himmelreich and Ephrain Ketter were knowledgeable enough in sciences to determine the problem and find a solution. Each human would have to be vaccinated against the vaccination. Finding the right one was the bigger problem, and required almost three years of experiments before a suitable counter-agent was discovered.
The siblings looked at each other. They both could sense someone was coming up the elevator, from down on the bottom floor. The scent was unfamiliar, and they tensed up in preparation for a possible attack and faced the elevator door. The top floor indicator light lit up and the warning bell had chimed before the door opened. Drahomira's face went slack she saw the flashy looking Krazek enter the suite.
"My God, man," said Drahomira. "Why do you insist on wearing those disgusting colognes?"
"Simple, my dear. Every great wizard must present himself with style and flare. It's a new day and age. This is what power looks like in the modern world, and I am the epitome of high power."
"More like the epitome of human arrogance and misguided grandeur," jabbed Havel.
"Come on now, Havel. I do believe it’s human arrogance that prevents you from feeding. Is it not?"
Havel waved him off and resumed his view of the skyline.
"Has Ketter gotten started?" asked Drahomira.
"Indeed. I procured the last specimen just before leaving. Ephrain should be able to produce enough fluid on schedule.”
Krazek stepped over to the minibar where Havel's faithful servant stood by.
"A drink, sir?" asked Stillwel.
"Scotch with ice."
Stillwel had begun pouring the drink when his attention was drawn to one of the bedroom doors opening behind him. Dr. Himmelreich shuffled slowly into the living room with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His face was like stone and his demeanor always cold.
"A drink for you, Deryck?" offered Krazek.
The doctor shook his head and continued toward the plush couch in the center of the room. Taking a seat, he crossed his legs, placing his folded hands on his knee. The man was evil to the core but proper in every aspect. As far as humans went, Drahomira held some deep-rooted respect for the man. His genius was unmatched, and his diabolical nature was pure.
"How was your nap, old man?" Havel inquired, without removing his gaze from the window.
"Quite refreshing."
Krazek took a seat on the couch next to the doctor. "Herr Himmelreich, that apparatus you helped Ephrain construct is working splendidly. We should have everything we need very soon."
"That is good."
"Have you heard from your contacts?" asked Drahomira.
"I have not. For all I know, the whole lot of them could be dead. It was many years ago that we put this plan in place to get you out. There wasn't a contingency plan for these circumstances. Until I hear from them, we must assume we are on our own."
"Not such a bad plan," Krazek replied. Rising with his scotch in hand, he went to stand next to Havel and gave him a quick smile. "We certainly have enough resources of our own to maintain a foothold in the world. Why even worry about our mysterious saviors at all?"
"Speaking of resources … How is Ephrain managing that other business of ours?"
"Beautifully! He's a natural. We should be able to maintain enough money for whatever we will need. Plus a few extreme comforts."
"Comfortable for you, perhaps, but not for us," stated Havel.
Drahomira nodded. "Yes, even though we are free we are still trapped in that prison."
"Patience, my friends. Once I have an acceptable quantity of spinal fluid, I will be able to create the spinal antibodies needed. Then you may begin building your new clan of Nosferatu."
"I will be happy when I no longer have to feed on rats and dogs. This much is true."