Chapter 19
I don’t know how many nights passed, but just when I started to think no one was coming, I heard footsteps approaching and saw a little light seep in around the door.
“Miss, Miss, can you hear me?” It was Garvin.
“Yes,” I called. “I am here, in the same room as before.”
I heard the lock turn and the door opened. I covered my eyes momentarily to shield the light, and when I lowered it, there were two wonderful faces smiling back at me.
“Come, we must hurry,” Garvin explained hastily. “The ship leaves tonight.”
I pulled myself to the door, and they both helped me out.
“Miss,” Tanda said quietly.
“What is it, honey?” I asked.
“I’m sorry that he hurt you,” she said, hanging her head as to not see anything but the floor beneath her. “We know about it. He seems to brag about what he does.”
“I know,” I raised her sweet face to mine. “I’m sorry, too. He’s a no good dog that needs to be put down.”
“You promise you will come back for us?” she asked unexpectedly.
“Nothing but true death will stop me, baby,” I took her in my arms. “I promise you that.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but we must hurry,” Garvin said again.
He led me down the narrow hall to a round disk that was inset in the floor. It had a small handle on one side, and he lifted it from there revealing an opening that led down into a dark tunnel. “This is the underground sewer drain that Isa spoke of.”
I peered down inside, becoming a little anxious.
“How will I know which way to go?” I asked.
“Follow the water,” he said. “It will lead you out. Isa had his man place a bag by an overturned rowboat about a mile to the left of the drain exit. It has a change of clothes, and a few other things he said you would need. The ship is anchored about a hundred yards offshore. You’ll see it when you reach the rowboat.”
“Okay, I think I have it,” I said. “Do I use the rowboat?”
“No!” Garvin said, sounding a little panicked, “You must swim. They have people watching for any unexpected boats.”
“Okay, no boats,” I said. Garvin still looked uneasy. “It’s going to be okay, Garvin. I can do this.”
“I sure hope so Miss, because if they find out we...” I stopped him there.
“They won’t.” I looked at him steadily until finally he nodded. “Well, no time to waste. Let’s do this,” I said smiling at them both.
I saw a tear slide down Tanda’s cheek. I went to her, and held her as if she were my own.
“I love you, sweetie,” I said, pushing her back to look in her eyes. “I will see you again, I promise.” She only smiled and nodded her head. Then I went to Garvin.
“This means so much to me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay...” This time he stopped me.
“Just come back, Renee,” he said with despair. “We need you.”
“I know,” I said, starting to cry myself. “I truly know.” I reached out and touched his face lightly. “Okay,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Come on, help me down this thing.”
It was a longer drop than I anticipated. I sat down and hung my legs over the lip of the hole. They each took an arm, and began lowering me down into the opening. The arm that Enrique had broken was healing nicely, but I could definitely feel the difference in the pull between it and the other. When they lowered me as far as they could, they released. I let out a little yelp, and soon felt my feet plant firmly on the bottom. I looked up and could still see them both. I wanted to say more, but the waist deep water was already pushing me forward.
“I’ll come back for you,” I yelled as I was propelled along. “I promise! I promise!” Then they slowly faded from sight. Dear God, please help me keep that promise. I can’t let them down.
The tunnel was pitch black, but Garvin was right. The water was pushing me the way I needed to go. All of a sudden, the bottom dropped out from under me, and I was moving very fast. The drain had become a slide of rushing water. My head bobbed under the water, and before I knew it I was spat out, freefalling through the open air. I gasped for breath, preparing to scream as I fell what must have been at least a sixty foot drop, straight into the ocean. Before I had a chance to think, I hit the surface of the water hard, feet first. I plunged under the water, but didn’t panic. Growing up, I swam like a fish, so I just did like I would have back then, and calmly made my way to the surface.
As I emerged from the salty black water, I felt the night air cool on my face, and I got my first taste of freedom. The air was calm, and the stars were brighter than I could ever recall before. It was beyond beautiful. It was heavenly.
I slowly made my way to the shore, carefully making sure no one was around. I kept my body as close to the jagged rocks as I possibly could, in hopes that I couldn’t be seen from the top of the cliff. I started my way down the rocky beach. My feet felt as if they were being torn to shreds, the salt water burning like alcohol, but I couldn’t risk walking on the sandy area. It was just too exposed.
I came around a bend, and there it was, the upside down rowboat. I had been fine up until then, but suddenly I couldn’t move. I was scared to death. What if it was a trap? I started thinking in circles.
“Get a hold of yourself,” I said in a low whisper. I crouched as close to the ground as I could, and began making my way to the small boat.
As I reached it, I looked around to make sure I was alone, and then started searching for the bag. Within seconds, I saw something sticking out from under the boat. Yes! I thought to myself, as I pulled the bag free. Bag in hand, I ran back to the cliff side. When I got there, I looked around once more, and still saw no one. I was safe. I opened the bag, and pulled out a pair of black pants and a black shirt. I took off my tattered gown, and put on the new clothes. It was a pretty good fit, to have been gotten by someone that didn’t know my size. I reached back in the bag and pulled out a sealed jar. I didn’t have to guess what was in it. I opened the jar, and sucked down the sweet, red nectar. Almost instantly, I could feel the blood coursing through my body, giving it the strength I needed to start my journey. I knew that if I could go six weeks without nourishment that this single jar of blood would do for a while.
The bag was still heavy, so I reached back inside. I pulled out an eight inch blade, housed in a leather sheath. The sheath had straps on the top and bottom, and though it took a little while, I eventually figured out what the straps were for. I placed the blade on my lower leg, and tied it firmly into place.
I reached back into the bag to make sure it was empty, and found one last thing… a letter. It read,
Dearest Renee,
I must say I have never met a woman quite like you. I hope your journey finds you peace. When you find Martin, please tell him what I have done to aid your escape. Tell him it is my way of asking for his forgiveness. He will know the meaning of my words.
May the peace of the night be with you.
Your new friend,
Isa
I shoved my gown into the bag, along with the empty jar and the letter. After thinking twice about leaving the letter, I dug it back out and shoved it into my pocket, deciding it would not be wise to leave it behind. I dug a small hole with my hands and buried the bag as best I could. I looked out into the ocean, searching for my ride, and there it was. The same ship that had delivered me into this hell was now going to take me home.
I took one last look around, and took off running down the beach as fast as my legs would carry me. I reached the foamy water in seconds, stunned by my own speed. It was just one of the many things that becoming this new being had changed, and I concluded it would take a long time to get used to it. I dove into the frigid water and started to swim.
As I got closer to the ship, I went underwater and swam that way until I reached the side of the ship that faced the open water. I felt along the side until I found the rope to the
anchor, and slowly began pulling myself up. I quickly scaled the side of the ship, coming closer to the top. I closed my eyes and concentrated on opening my senses. I soon could smell the sweat of men, mingled with the pungent odor of cheap whiskey. I heard no one moving, or speaking, so I took my chances and peered over the edge of the boat. No wonder, I thought to myself. There were several sailors on deck, but every one of them was flat on his back, passed out drunk. I listened for a minute more just to be sure, and then hauled my body over the edge. I made my way to the door that led below, to the area where we had stayed during the last trip, almost tripping on one of the drunken sailors. I sucked in my breath and held it, thinking I had just done myself in, but the sailor never even budged.
I kept moving, more carefully this time. I then remembered that the door to the lower deck was right next to the room where the captain bunked, and as I recalled, he didn’t sleep often. The man always seemed to be up, making his rounds on deck, and checking the cargo. The thought alone made my heart beat a little faster. I could only hope that if he was awake, that I found him before he found me. I strained my ears the closer I got, and I could make out a faint scratching sound. I listened harder, and came to the conclusion that he was writing.
I moved fast, slipping past his door unnoticed, and quickly ran down to the storage compartment. When I opened the door, I nearly fainted. The room that had once been crammed full of crates and boxes was now completely empty. What now? I thought. This had been the one place I knew I could stay, undetected by the crew, and out of any harm from the sun. I stood there in disbelief, desperately racking my brain as to where to go now. I hadn’t come this far only to be found and ousted.
I walked quietly, up and down the corridors, looking anywhere and everywhere for a place to hide. The kitchen, the crew’s quarters, more empty storage rooms. There was nothing. Even the rooms that were mildly promising had small round windows that the sun would easily penetrate. That’s when it hit me, the boiler room.
I made my way to the very bottom of the ship, and saw that my assumption was correct. It was dark, free of windows, and hot enough that even the crew that came down here to work wouldn’t linger for any longer than they must. I was a little surprised at how small it was, though. I had expected the boiler to stretch along the entire bough of the ship, but it was almost as small as the captain’s quarters. What did you expect? I thought to myself. This isn’t the Queen Mary. That’s no joke. This piece of junk might as well have been a sailboat in comparison.
The noises down here were deafening, but I didn’t care. After all, I slept like the dead, and the more noise there was, the less likely it was that someone would hear me. I just had to make sure to find a place out of any person’s view. There were several crates down here, some filled with wood, but most filled with coal. Toward the back, there was a crate that was mostly empty, and that was just large enough for me to squeeze into. I could only pray that no one opened it during the day, and that’s what I did. No matter how things had changed, I still kept great faith in the Lord, and I said many prayers while in that crate. I prayed for Tanda and Garvin. I prayed to be safe, and for the strength that I needed to get me through this part of my life, or would it be death? I was still very confused about what I was, and how I had gotten this way. I knew that what I had become was unnatural, perhaps an abomination and I prayed for God to take mercy on my soul. All I knew for certain was that I had a promise to keep, and that I had to make damn sure that when I went back, I was fully prepared to take that place down.
Every night since we’d left Cuba, like clockwork, when the sun went down, so did the anchor, and the crew indulged in their whiskey. It went on this way, night after night, until one evening I heard an exciting revelation.
“Land ho!” one of the crew announced.
“Drop the anchor. We will wait until morn’ to bring her in.” This voice unmistakably belonged to Capie.
“Aye, sir,” the men hollered in unison.
Let them get drunk and pass out, I thought. It’ll be the last chance they get. Had it not been for this ship, its crew, and its captain, I never would have been taken to Cuba, to the agonizing hell that waited. They were enabling those monsters, and in my eyes, that made them just as guilty as the rest. Who knows how many others they had brought over? I didn’t know, and right now I didn’t care. All that mattered was that they wouldn’t be doing it again. This ship, and its members, would not survive the night.
Chapter 20
It had to be midnight, or later, before things finally started to quiet down. I carefully made my way to the upper deck to take a look. Some of the men were sitting around playing cards. Others already lie in heaps on the floor, cradling their bottles of booze. I noticed that Capie’s door was cracked. It was now or never, so I opened the door and walked inside.
Capie was sitting at his desk with his back to the door. “Put my tea by the bed,” he said, not turning around. “I’ll have it there.”
I closed the door behind me, and pulled the blade from the sheath on my leg. I walked up behind him silently, and stood there breathing down his neck.
He lifted his head, as if annoyed. “I said, leave it...” He didn’t get to finish. I grabbed a handful of his hair, and yanked back his head so fast, that he never knew what hit him.
“Hello, Capie,” I said, with an evil smile that bore my fangs in all their glory. “Remember me, you son of a bitch?”
He looked up at me in shock, his eyes wide, and his mouth gaping open. He sucked in a breath, as if to scream, and I pushed the point of the blade against his neck.
“Ah-ah,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t want to do that. This is going to be messy enough without interference.” He closed his mouth, quivering in fear. “What did they give you for helping them kidnap me? Slaves, money, whatever it was, I hope it was worth it. You never should have gotten mixed up in all of this Capie, because now you’ll all pay dearly.”
“I can pay, please,” he begged. “I have money, lots of it!”
“You don’t get it. I don’t want your money.” I quickly slid the blade across his throat, and watched as the blood began jet out with every beat of his heart. “You will pay in blood, just as I have.”
Capie’s hands flew to his neck, as soon as I released his hair, trying frantically to stop the bleeding. His head tottered back, and as it did, a pulsating stream of blood sprayed across his desk. I peered down into his horrified face with satisfaction.
“Waste not, want not,” I said, right before sinking my fangs into the gushing wound. I lapped at the blood until I had my fill, then stood and wiped the blood from my face. The old saying was true. The taste of revenge was sweet, indeed.
“Thanks, Capie,” I said to the corpse as I slumped it over onto the desk. “I needed that.” It was only then that I knew, without a doubt, how easy this was going to be.
I slipped out of his room, locking the door as I left. I made my way back down to the kitchen, and found the fuel they used for cooking. It was nothing more than a few large barrels of kerosene, but it would do nicely. I lifted off the tops of the barrels, and dumped them onto the floor. I dipped a dish towel into some of the fluid, and caught it on fire using the smoldering embers of coal that were still burning in one of the stoves. I walked over to the door, and tossed the blazing cloth into the puddle of fuel. I stayed only long enough to make sure it caught, and then hurried back up the stairs. No more did I reach the upper deck when the men playing cards noticed the smoke. One of them looked up and saw me, momentarily locking his eyes with mine. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a loud explosion below that shook the entire boat. I gave him a grin of gratification, then bolted to the edge of the boat, and dove overboard.
I was still underwater when I heard, and felt, another large explosion. I surfaced to see the boat almost completely engulfed in flames. I heard men screaming, but saw no one. I stayed there for a moment, treading water, watching as the boat incinerated.
I wanted to stay and watch it sink, if for nothing more than my own sweet satisfaction, but I was still miles from shore, and I knew if I wanted to make it to land and find shelter before sunup, I had to leave now.
*****
I reached the shore quicker than I could have hoped, and turned before exiting the water back toward the boat. I thought I still would have been able to see the glow of the flames, but there was nothing. The only light was the moon reflecting off of the rippling black water. I pulled myself up onto the beach, letting my body flop down into the sand. I was tired, and had no idea which way to go. I lifted my head to look along the beach. I knew that the beach house that I had been taken to was somewhere along this shoreline, but exactly where I was unsure. I let my head fall back into the sand, and laid there for a little while longer, thanking God for letting me make it this far.
“Miss you alright?” a man’s voice came out of nowhere.
“Yes I‘m fine.” Startled, I jumped to my feet. “I was just... just enjoying the beautiful stars.”
As he came closer, I could see that he was only a teen at best.
Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) Page 18