When Colour Became Grey

by A Lorenzen

  As I straightened up, I heard the roar of yet another moloch behind me. With the piece of wood still in my hands I turned around and swung but missed the moloch. Slippery from the blood and disturbed snow, I lost my balance and fell on my back. The moloch lunged at me and I held it away from my neck with the piece of wood between my hands. With my leg I pushed myself to the side and the monster off my face. Now I was on top of it, the piece of wood across its chest. I put all my weight on it and squeezed as hard as I could. The creature first panicked and tried to dislodge the piece of wood, until its movements slowed down and it eventually stayed still.

  Before any other molochs got the jump on me I closed the manhole. Who had left it open?! Or… was this part of the test…?

  I rested my hands on my knees, my upper body bent over, while I tried to regroup. There was a small gash on my right arm and deep lacerations and puncture wounds on my right leg, curtesy of the scarred moloch. Everything else was alright. The wounds on my leg made it painful for me to stand, but there was nothing I could do at the moment. Blake had not specified, but I was sure I would not have access to my master’s blood until I finished the test.

  The night sky was no longer inky black, but instead a baby blue. Soon the sun would come up. Awkwardly running along the river front with my wounded leg, I kept a lookout for some sort of eye. When the sun pierced through the horizon, a scenic point appeared to my right, which I assumed was the ‘eye’. I turned into the city again, looking for the building where it would finally end. I tried to picture the map in my mind. The final clue had been a number and a fish of some sort.

  Business offices lined the streets. I read all the signs on the doors, looking for anything that might relate back to the clues I could remember. I hurried between buildings, hoping I would be done before the smell of my blood attracted more trouble.

  It took me another hour before I finally found a newly added small paper label indicating a firm called ‘Supreme Salmon’ on the second floor. It had to be it; the fish and the roman numeral two for second floor.

  The stairs were on the right and I climbed them solely with the help of the bannister that allowed me to take some of the weight off my injured leg. The second floor was an open-plan office packed with desks and computers. Apart from two humans it was empty. I wondered why I could see these two.

  They were hunched over, looking at a computer screen to my right by a window. They remained unaware of my existence, so I ignored them and continued my search for the ‘cross’ and end to this test. I started to check the doors dispersed in the corners of the office floor. The first two were restrooms. I moved further to the back, towards the last door.

  I entered a spacious private office. There was a wooden desk to the back, in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the windows, I could see the street I had just crossed. There were bookcases filled with books and folders, and shelves on walls holding vases and several awards made out of glass. I walked slowly around the office, looking for any sign of danger. I wandered to the back of the desk and saw something.

  There on the floor behind the desk was someone curled up. As I came closer, I could see it was a little boy crying.

  ‘Hey, are you lost?’ I asked him, kneeling beside him and patting him on the back. Stupid! Humans couldn’t hear me!

  To my surprise the boy raised his head.

  I jumped backwards in shock, tripping over the desk chair.

  No, it was an illusion. This was not happening! No!

  ‘I want to go home,’ he blubbered.

  I knew that voice. No, no, no… He was not part of this! He had not died! He had not been recruited into this world! This had to be a trick!

  ‘Liam?’ I gasped.

  ‘Ameerah? Where are Mummy and Daddy? I want to go home!’

  ‘How did you get here?’ I finally managed to ask.

  ‘I followed you.’ Liam got up and hugged my legs, clutching them tightly.

  Tears ran down my face. This was not right. He was too young. I looked down at his hair. I wanted to touch his hair, hold him close, wake up with him from this nightmare in our house in the South of France and forget everything.

  My palms caressed his hair… but it felt different. His hair had always been surprisingly crunchy, even if it looked smooth.

  ‘Liam, what are you doing here?’ I asked him and pushed him softly off my legs.

  ‘I was looking for Mummy and Daddy,’ he answered in the same voice.

  ‘Liam, do you remember where I found Bruce?’

  Liam looked surprised. His expression was odd.

  ‘Bruce my dog, Liam. Where did I find him?’ I stared into his eyes. I could see he had perfectly understood the question, but his expression was blank.

  The office door suddenly burst open making us both shriek in surprise. In walked a tall sharply dressed man with blood-red eyes.

  ‘Oh no,’ said a voice that was not Liam’s but came from his mouth. Liam’s face had turned into the seriousness only an adult could express. His flesh turned to smoke and vanished into the air. My hands which had held on to his arms were suddenly grasping nothing.

  I slowly got up, eyeing the man who had made Liam disappear. My stomach tingled just like it did when molochs were close-by.

  ‘Well, well, well, what do we have here?’ the man asked with a devilish smile on his pale face. He had thick brown curly hair and his skin was as white as if he had never seen the sun. What made me most uneasy, were his eyes.

  ‘I thought I smelled a new ghost close-by.’ He inhaled deeply and smiled mischievously. His teeth were white as paper and looked sharp as knives.

  ‘Is – is this part of the test?’ I asked him nervously.

  He roared a maniacal laugh and threw his head back. ‘You’re taking your field test now? This will be even sweeter.’

  A cold draft clung to me. ‘Who are you?’

  In less than a heartbeat he was standing right before me. I didn’t even see him move. His pupils were vertical like those of cats, and his irises were a deep red.

  ‘I am Viktor,’ he announced theatrically, showing off his razor-blade teeth. They were close to my cheek.

  I could feel my breathing accelerating; Viktor smiled pleased at the reaction.

  ‘Have you ever been in the presence of a vampire before?’ Viktor asked, taking a step back. He turned and walked casually around the office. As he passed the wooden desk, his hand leisurely trailed along it, his nails leaving deep scratches in the wood.

  ‘No,’ I answered with a trembling voice. I wanted to be strong and fearless, but I didn’t even have a gun on me! I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon if I got the chance.

  ‘You see, I almost didn’t believe it. Two recruits in such a short interval; it’s almost too good to be true.’

  Viktor walked around the desk and I mirrored his movements. If I could get to the door, maybe I could run just like Blake had instructed me to…

  Somehow, I doubted I could outrun Viktor…

  ‘What do you mean two recruits?’ I asked trying to keep him talking.

  ‘Oh you must have heard of my fun with the other one. He was carelessly wandering around when I surprised him with my companions. But that was not the only surprise; halfway through our playing, his trainer showed up.’

  Viktor chuckled, his cat eyes staring at the ceiling. ‘Oh what a night it was.’

  He turned his head back down to look right at me. I could not hide my shock, and he looked very pleased about it. ‘You have heard of it.’

  ‘What did you do with the trainer?’ I asked, fearing the answer.

  ‘Too bad yours is not with us…’ Viktor approached me, ignoring my question, his gaze cold and calculated. ‘Don’t worry… I will still have my fun…’

  I turned to run but crashed into the wall behind me and fell to the ground. The air was ripped out of my lungs. I was paralyzed with pain. I coughed and sputtered from the dried plaster drizzling down. Viktor knelt down, obs
erving me with curiosity. I struggled up onto my hands and knees; I had a few broken ribs at the least. He had been so fast I had not seen him throw me into the wall.

  ‘Get up, little girl. I’m not finished playing with you.’ Viktor spoke in a low voice, drugged with pleasure.

  He patiently waited for me to stand again, before smashing me once more into the wall, making the contents on the shelves next to me tremble. He caught me before I hit the ground and held me upright by the throat. His face was only inches away from mine. I could see his eyes had dilated into round crimson pupils. He looked completely high on the imminent thrill of the kill.

  ‘Unfortunately, I cannot take as much time as I did with the last one’ Viktor paused. ‘But don’t worry; I will enjoy this very much.’

  The sunbeams hit his face and made his skin even whiter. He showed his teeth and a low hiss escaped the depth of his throat. The sound made my skin crawl.

  With my right hand I had slowly reached over to the shelf and could feel something made of glass in my hand. It was heavy.

  ‘Do it,’ I whispered.

  At first, he looked surprised by my words. I turned my head and stretched my neck, exposing the pulsing veins inside. It had the desired effect; Viktor’s gaze was fixed on my throat. He was hypnotized and slowly leant in. I could see the saliva in his mouth and around his searing teeth. With one quick motion I smashed the object against the back of his head.

  Caught off guard, he let go of me. I made a run for it. I was barely at the door when Viktor appeared in front of me, blocking my way. A playful smile decorated his face.

  ‘I like it when they fight,’ he hissed softly.

  With a simple push from the vampire I crashed into the wooden desk. The impact crushed my arm. My head hit the floor and the desk broke into two. I was dizzy but managed to raise myself up on to my shaking legs. I floundered backwards, away from him.

  He was too fast. I could not beat him at his game. And I had no way of defending myself. I could barely fend off molochs and I was trying to fight a vampire, an evolved beast that had been around for thousands of years that was faster than my eyes could see…

  ‘I will have you,’ Viktor assured me, playfully scratching anything his hands could get a grip on.

  I wanted to run away, scream him away, close my eyes and wish him away…

  ‘Please.’ I gave in, tears pouring out of my eyes.

  Viktor tilted his head to one side. ‘Poor little girl, have I scared you now?’

  He was still approaching and now I had my back to the office window.

  ‘Please!’ I sobbed again. I didn’t want to fight anymore; I didn’t want to feel any pain. My whole body ached and I was so scared. I just wanted it all to end. But there was no way out.

  ‘Please let me go!’ I pleaded.

  Viktor now stood in front of me. There was nowhere to go. He let out a satisfied groan as he grabbed my throat with his left hand, lifting me from the floor. I could still breathe but not for long. With the other hand he trailed along my neck and shoulder, careful not to rip it open with his claws. Viktor bowed and licked my neck with his tongue. I could feel his sharp teeth touching my skin. He breathed in my scent and threw his head back with delight.

  I tried to kick him, but he slammed my already throbbing head into the window in response. The glass cracked and I could feel warm blood flowing down the back of my neck. My vision started blurring as the oxygen didn’t reach my brain anymore.

  Viktor froze and sniffed at the smell of fresh blood in the air. He showcased his teeth in one last roar and approached my throat again. It was the end now. In a moment or two, I would be gone. My throat was closing, my vision disappearing. My strength was leaving me. At least I wouldn’t have to feel him draining me of my blood. The darkness closed in on me and I welcomed it.

  Loud noises tore at my ears. A tortured roar echoed. I fell to the ground. The bangs kept coming. Why wasn’t it the end? Could it just… everything was blurry… I wanted to… I tried to open my eyes… get up… I gasped for air, but none would reach my lungs. The undercurrent was too strong. It pulled me back into the darkness.

  * * *

  I was thirsty… so incredibly thirsty. I opened my eyes. Softness surrounded me. My head turned to the right and there was the poster of Canada.

  I raised myself into a sitting position. I felt sore and drained, but nothing specifically hurt. I stood up, letting out a sigh and rubbing my eyes. Slowly I started walking out of my room when Blake appeared in the door.

  ‘How do you feel? Are you ok?’ he asked, inspecting my face and checking my limbs.

  ‘I’m thirsty,’ I said in a croaky voice.

  ‘I’ll get you some water. Sit down,’ he commanded and hurried to the kitchen.

  I bowed to his will and sat back down onto my bed. The muscles in my legs were sore. Blake reappeared with a tall glass of water. His worried eyes followed my every move.

  ‘What happened?’ I asked him after emptying half the glass. Swallowing was painful. I remembered the test, the molochs, Liam and then Viktor, but my memories got blurry as I tried to understand how I was still alive. A ghost anyway…

  ‘You should rest. We can talk about it later.’

  ‘No, I want to know. Was that vampire part of my test? Tell me,’ I insisted.

  He sighed deeply and scrutinized my face.

  ‘The council created an illusion of your brother to test your resilience towards loved ones. But before they had gotten into the details, the vampire interrupted. He was definitely not part of the plan,’ Blake started, ‘I was not far, but far enough to be too late. When I arrived, Carl, Dom and Kim were already there. We killed Viktor.’

  Blake paused, looking at me with those blue piercing eyes. ‘You were in a bad shape. I thought… I was afraid we… were too late. But we got you to your master just in time.’

  Blake had to stop again. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing steadily. I had never seen him so emotional.

  I reached out and squeezed his hand lightly.

  Blake got up with a smile and placed his hands on his hips. ‘We’ll have to discuss what happened during your test. I have a lot of questions and so does your master.’

  ‘Did I pass?’

  Blake nodded. ‘You survived so that’s good. The council will give the final judgment, but you shouldn’t have any problems with them. I’m going to call your master to tell him you’re awake. You should call Kim. She’s been worried about you.’

  With these words Blake left with a smile across his lips. I reached for my phone that lay next to my computer. There were endless messages from Kim and some from Carl. The first number I dialled was hers. Kim unleashed her waterfall of words before I had even said hello.

  ‘Ameerah! How are you? Are you ok? How did your test go before… you know… what happened? Tell me from the beginning, I want to know everything!’

  I recounted everything that happened up until my unfortunate encounter with the vampire. I couldn’t believe I was not dead. Viktor had been so strong and he had nearly suffocated me. My right hand reached up to my neck and gently massaged it.

  Kim wanted to throw me a party at Santa’s pub to celebrate my success and surviving a vampire attack. I was not really in the mood to be in a cramped place talking about almost dying, but I couldn’t say no to her.

  She had organized the party by the time we were done talking on the phone and I had had no chance to object. She needed it. I had almost died and she had almost lost me.

  I slowly stepped out of my room, towards Blake. ‘Kim planned a party at Santa’s tonight. There was no talking her out of it.’

  He nodded slightly. ‘I guess it’s alright. I’ll come with you. You’re still in a fragile state.’

  I went back to my room to rest a little. All this talking had made me really tired. It was already getting darker outside again. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

  A few hours later I was in Santa’s pub, surrounded
by fellow ghosts. All I had wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep for a few more weeks. Blake let me sleep as long as he could. We showed up an hour late to my own party.

  Ghosts I hadn’t even met brought me drinks and congratulated me on passing my field test, even though technically speaking, I didn’t know if I had. I politely declined the drinks and smiled and nodded at the congratulations. Kim had hung a huge sign at the entrance to make sure everyone knew why we were there. My head span and I had periodic flashbacks of Viktor’s face. My throat hurt.

  Not long after we had arrived, Kim stood on the bar table and called for attention. She had a speech prepared.

  ‘Let’s all toast to Ameerah!’ she began, lifting her drink. ‘Ameerah passed her test not only during a blizzard; she was surprised by a vampire!’

  I could hear a whisper going through the crowd and eyes turning towards me. All I wanted was to crawl into a dark corner and be invisible!

  Blake stood next to me but didn’t move. His eyes scanned the crowd.

  ‘Ameerah fought with a vampire and almost died!’ Kim declared to the crowd, ‘But she prevailed. And now, let’s all lift our glass and toast to a great ghost. She will kill many more vampires. We can count on that!’

  Kim whooped and the crowd cheered in agreement. Cups and glasses were lifted into the air with chants and screams. Drinks were spilled everywhere as the crowd rejoiced. They all hugged and cheered me, clapping me on the back. I toasted with my glass of water. I nodded, unsure of myself and smiled anxiously at the herd around me.

  I looked around and realized Blake had disappeared on me. I was left alone to fend off all the unwanted admiration. I had tried to deny the story; I insisted I had barely stalled Viktor long enough to be rescued, but the real story got drowned out and Kim’s version was all anyone wanted to hear.