His eyes fluttered open and his body pulled forward, nearly ripping the needle out of his vein. His veins were visible under his skin, streams of blue and green running down his arm. Troy looked down and saw the doctor fiddling with the blood bag and when he raised his head, a flash of contentment on his face as he picked it up and freed Troy from the needles and wires.
“I was wondering when you'd wake up,” said the doctor.
“Ushering me to the hospital isn't standard protocol?” Troy pulled his sleeve to the bandage and stood up.
“If I thought you were in danger,” he said. “It would have been my first choice. You clearly didn't have enough in your system before giving blood, unfortunately.”
“I had beef jerky.”
“Not enough. That's never enough when you are giving blood. Please come better prepared next time as these blood donations feed bodies that eagerly need it.”
Troy shrugged when the doctor turned away and pulled his arms through his jacket. Being chastised by a man who knew nothing about him didn't damper his spirits as he walked away feeling accomplished. He had never found the time to donate blood after turning seventeen, but committed himself to donating once he had turned eighteen. Losing his mother to a blood infection had more than scarred him and left him wondering how to keep that tragedy from befalling anyone else so he was happy to see it through.
“Hey, excuse me Troy!” a female's voice called from behind him. He stopped at the double doors and turned toward the unrecognizable voice. Walking toward him was an older female with glasses, brunette hair tied back in a bun and a white coat resembling a doctor's. When she finally got close enough to him, she held out her hand for a shake. He stretched his arm out and met hers and shook it firmly.
“Hi Troy, I'm so pleased to meet you. My name is Mar.”
“Hi,” he replied politely with a nod of his head. Her light brown eyes reminded him of something or someone but he couldn't quite but his finger on it as he looked at her.
“I'm sorry; I realize this must be strange,” she said. “I'm the director for this year's blood drive and I just wanted to thank you for your participation.”
Troy felt reluctant to speak, wondering why she would thank him when it was the least he could do. He thought it was the least anyone could do.
“It's no problem. It's something I've wanted to do for a while.”
“And I also wanted to speak with you about your blood type. You are AB negative but it's a different strain, I can't quite explain it. You should come to the hospital one day, Dr. Patel and I would love to have you.”
“Sure, I think I'll try one day.”
“Great, great,” she said, her words animated. Olivia, who was standing just outside the doors listened to her mother beam brightly as she spoke to Troy. “Well you take care,” she waved as he walked out the gym doors.
Olivia had disappeared into a shadow before he could see her. Mar looked to the wall beside the door and noticed Natalie leaning against it, her arms folded across her chest and one foot propped against the wall.
“What is wrong Natalie?”
“I have teenage boy problems. Noah's the one who's been sneaking human food into the colony and I don't know where he's getting it from but I know he hasn't gone outside the gates. He has no appreciation for the Vampiric world he lives in!” She sighed and shrugged, rolling her head toward Mar. “Where did Olivia disappear to?”
“I'm not sure. It's not hard to get trapped in the bowels of this place, it's large and unfamiliar to her.”
Natalie nodded her head in agreement then changed course.
“What about that boy?” she asked.
A wicked smile crept upon Mar's face as she looked at Natalie above the rim of her glasses. “His blood is perfect.”
Dr. Patel joined their conversation, interjecting his own comment. “That boy's blood...I think that it's the one, unfortunately it's only a bag and I don't know how much is needed for the experiment.”
Mar pressed her palms together and pushed the finger tips to her lips. “We need to find out more about him. What was his name again?”
“Troy Evans,” Dr. Patel replied as he sifted through his paperwork.
“Maybe Olivia could do some recon for you?” Natalie suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
“If only I could find her. I do not know where that child has disappeared to.”
****
Olivia was outside the recreation center, the wind blowing her hair over her eyes as she watched Troy from the shadows. He was sprinting down the street, despite having just given blood, and as soon as he approached a short wall of a building he scaled it. He ran across it and as he approached the edge, he swung his arms back and thrust himself forward onto another roof. She had never seen anyone move as fluid as he did, not Felicity or Noah. She had been slightly impressed as she watched him disappear into the night.
She knew it wasn't wise but there was something about the night, something in the air that spoke softly to her, beckoning her to the beach. It had to be about seven o'clock, she figured as she looked up at the sky. The beach was empty when she had finally arrived, her legs buckling beneath her as she staggered onto the beach. She plopped down on the rocks, leaned forward and watched as the waves heaved back and forth, crashing against the rocks and slithering back. The moon reflected on the water, speckles of gold and white dancing in the dark blue ripples. She couldn't see her reflection but the moonlight had cast a shadow of her figure when the water calmed its terse and violent tide. In the black shadow, she thought she saw color filling it, a palette of white and brown crinkling and folding in the waves. Eyes peered up at her, hollow and ominous as they stared.
“Mother?”
She thought she heard a sound behind her and broke free of the grasp of the distorted image, blinking and then looking to see nothing more than water below. She didn't turn her attention to the sound as she was still lost in what seemed to be a reflection of her. It was her mother's face that had been staring up at her, but she didn't know how to respond or what to think. On more than one occasion she had been told by many people that they saw every bit of the Matriarch in her, which would naturally be a compliment. Her mother was the strongest woman she knew; tenacious, cunning, strong-willed, and skillful, there weren't enough words to describe her and yet, she knew those things did not exist within her. There were another set of words used to describe her, words only those who wished to be cast out of the colony would be stupid enough to utter, kids who had no sense of the compassion she held. Some, like Noah, abhorred the Matriarch's evil disposition but still held nothing but respect for her so that left her more than a little curious as to what part of the Matriarch they saw in her.
She kept her body forward and took in the scent of the ocean. An hour had to have passed but she couldn't believe that she had spent that much time there. It made sense though as it was a place someone could easily lose their thoughts in and lose track of time at. She understood why the guy, Troy, came here to think as it was really quite peaceful. Taking one last look at the ocean, she began to turn but before she could make even a quarter turn, a rusty metal pipe was impaled into her back and made her fall forward as blood spurted out of her mouth. She gasped for air, slowly turning toward her silent attacker as the pipe was thrust deeper into her and twisted, blood pouring out of her abdomen. Before her eyes could lie upon the attacker, her heart beat slowed and she drew in less and less air until her body had ceased to pump and then her eyes closed. A female stroked Olivia's hair as she ripped the metal pipe out and cradled her backwards and onto the rocks.
“I imagine that might have hurt a bit,” the woman whispered into her ear. “But I need you to be good and dead Olivia,” she said as she laid her head down.
Olivia was sprawled out on the ground, her legs crossed at the ankle and her arms spread on either side, bathed in red liquid. Her hair seeped up some of the blood and it stained it as well, maroon against her natural caramel strands. The woma
n pushed Olivia's hair away from her mouth and hung a hospital blood bag that read AB negative over her, letting the contents drip into her mouth. She sat next to her, her hands impatiently tapping on the wood as Olivia remained lifeless.
“This boy's blood better be worth something....” the woman groaned.
Despite having all of Troy's blood in her, Olivia did not move. The woman waited next to her as an hour passed by. She played with Olivia's lips and peeled her eyes, back willing them to open on their own but still nothing. The woman's ears perked up as she heard sounds of drunken college students, laughing as they stumbled onto the sand. “Stupid kids.”
She closed her eyes and between the clouds, a flash of light lit up the sky followed by the boom of thunder. The students groaned as raindrops fell on them, forcing them away. Olivia and the woman were dry as the rain did not fall on them and when the students left, the sky had cleared. She sat back with a satisfied look until she turned to Olivia who still hadn't moved. It was her first time doing this but she was sure she had gotten it right. She was absolutely certain that she had stolen Troy's blood and his blood was indeed the one. She rolled her eyes, annoyed that she would have to deviate from her plan. The woman took her wrist to her mouth and four canines elongated in her mouth. She bit down and blood spurted from the four small bites, falling on Olivia's lips. She didn't want to take any chances and smeared the blood all over her lips and forcing it into her mouth. And then she waited.
Olivia's pale skin had grown even paler in just a few minutes and the woman smiled at the good sign. Her wound had been slowly healing from the first batch of blood but now it was healing even faster and her body was filling out, no longer frail pieces of skin dangling onto bones. Two eyes peeled back, their amber color burdened by a bloodlust.
Five
There was a blur before Olivia and she thought she saw the shape of a woman jumping down from the rocks. The woman had heard another sound just before Olivia's eyes shot open and with a smile on her face and pipe in hand she moved toward the sound. The night sky looked as if it had been swallowed by a black and endless void, the stars blazing hot millions of miles away but not even dots from where the woman stood. Even the moon had cowered in fear of the her presence as a wicked smile spread across her face.
“Are you alright? Do you need any help?” called a voice from the beach. He had just climbed on top of the rocks where the woman awaited him.
She stood just a foot in front of him but he couldn't make her out in the sudden darkness that had fallen over them. Her mouth opened and two enlarged canines jutted out, pearly and poised to kill. Olivia's eyes which cut through the darkness like a flashlight could not keep up with the person whose swiftness rivaled light. She had the pipe raised up like a bat and swung at the man. He fell unconscious onto the rocks and she jumped down and disappeared into the night.
Olivia caught the man's scent, so strong that she could practically taste it as blood dripped from him. Her throat burned as she pushed herself up and felt the sting in her abdomen. She ran her fingers along her stomach and felt the throbbing underneath her skin but saw no wound to match the pain or the blood that stained her skin. She took several faltering steps over the jagged rocks, her nose leading her to him. Fangs enlarged in her mouth and she sat not far from the man, her light amber-brown eyes now clouded and soulless as she looked on. Driven by the scent and sight of his blood, she was on her knees beside him dragging his body across the rough surface and then burying her nose into his neck. She tugged on his hair and pulled his head back to which he let out a harsh groan before his eyes opened.
He was still alive? Her eyes returned to their normal color and her fangs retracted as he began to scream. Of course he was alive. How could she not hear his heart beating? She pulled away, annoyed by his terrified shrieks but couldn't deny that his blood smelled decent enough to drink. Against her will, the tip of her fangs bit into the bottom of her lip and she sucked the blood away, but she knew the taste of her own couldn't satiate her lustful wanting like the taste of his. Her eyes misted over again, a muddled brown as she ignored his screams and driven by her bloodlust, sank her fangs into his neck. She pulled back and only saw red as she briefly stared at him. He was pleading with her but she couldn't hear him and went in again and tore through his skin with both her bottom and top fangs. Unable to pull away, she could feel the life being drained from him. She held him down without much effort and he continued to cry out, flailing his arms about defiantly and clawing at her unsuccessfully until his heart began to slow down. His hands were rested at his side, limp and gray, not that she could see, but she could hear the quiet of his heart until it just stopped. Her eyes returned to their normal state as she yanked her fangs out of him, her mouth covered in blood. He fell to the side and she saw that he was undoubtedly dead, and yet the pity she felt for him drained from her as quickly as it had formed. She could hear words, chants, clawing at the surface of her brain, rationalizing her senseless act but the words didn't need to comfort her. Deep within her, she was horrified by what she had done, but on the surface, it had seemed more than right, it seemed natural. The tears that would have poured out for him were absent as she looked at the man.
“I did not mean to kill you,” she said, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.
She looked from the man to herself, her shirt ripped into and her hands covered in blood. She tightened her hands into a fist and flexed them out as she contemplated what to do next. Here lie a man in front of her, beyond dead and yet she couldn't form any thoughts past that. Olivia knew what she was but not in thought or real life, did she let the word slip out of her mouth. It seemed foreign that she had become exactly what her mother wanted to become and she briefly contemplated her mother killing her and leaving her to bear the transition alone. It was certainly something the Matriarch would have done but even still, it didn't seem like she had done this. She imagined that if she hadn't grown up in the colony she probably would've been hysterical and confused as to why her heart wasn't beating any more but she calmly took in her undead existence, only wondering who did this to her and why. And, she guessed, how? But before she could search for those answers she had to figure out what to do with the body.
The beach was still quiet and she couldn't figure out for the death of her why no one had wanted to be out on such a night. She briefly thought back to the guy and wondered why he hadn't come to his place of thought tonight but the thought left her as quickly as it had entered her mind. Her eyes darted to the waves and the idea of burying the man underneath them seemed rational enough, but probably not the best thought out plan. Olivia grabbed him and the guilt she felt was the size of him as he weighed down on her. As she ran away with the man on her shoulders a memory entered her mind.
“Mommy?” Eight year old Olivia called out into the darkness of her mother's study.
Mar shuffled a thick folder underneath a stack of papers and turned away from the desk and toward the voice of her daughter. “Yes Olivia?”
“When will I be able to go outside, in the daylight?”
Her mother removed her glasses and set them on the desk beside her, “Come here dear.”
Olivia put her arm up to the wall and used it for guidance as she walked towards her mother then stopped as their feet met.
“Do you know what a vampire is?”
“A creature that feeds on human blood?”
“Yes, it's exactly that, but a more accurate definition would be a creature of the night that feeds on human blood.” She replied, stressing 'of the night'.
“Is that why I can't go outside? Because I'm a vampire?”
“Yes dear. Now I'm going to give you a history lesson. Something the other kids in this colony do not know yet. Long ago, the world became obsessed with the vampires, the undead who fed on human blood.”
“But that's all folklore, right? The undead don't roam the Earth.”
Mar nodded her head not that Olivia could see and continu
ed, “The idea has been around for such a long time that I think the world could no longer distinguish fact from fiction. But there has always been a group of humans that followed Vampiric rules in an effort to become like those they had heard about. As humans, they stopped going out in the daylight and began to drink only blood.”
Olivia's eyes widened as she put her hands up to her mouth and covered it in shock, “Like us?”
“Yes, but in all their searching they couldn't find the one thing that turned them into truly immortal vampires. I, on the other hand, am very close to finding it and on that day we'll turn and live together forever.”
“But I will be dead...or, um, undead?”
Her mother bent over and wrapped her arms around her. “It's OK because you will be with me.”
Once she had gotten off the beach, Olivia sped quickly through the city until she found herself just outside a wooded area reminiscent of the forest behind Mr. Steven's home. She set the man's body down and took off blindingly fast to a small cul-de-sac a half a mile away. It took her a few houses but she finally found one that had a shed and ripped off the lock and stole a shovel. She went back to where she left the man and scavenged his body before dumping him into the makeshift grave she had quickly dug. A voice within her spoke to her as if it were a guide to Vampirism and all the years of training at the colony had suddenly become useful as she found herself making use of everything she had ever been taught, including how to dispose of a dead body. She fiddled with the pages in the wallet until she came across his license. Vic Pulaski.
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