The Progeny

by Shelley Crowley

  It was a man with short blond hair and a ripped-up business suit, his tie knotted tight and askew. His blazer was balled up on the floor and his shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows. There was a puncture mark in the crook of his elbow from where he’d torn the tubing out. It was now curled up on the floor in a sticky puddle.

  He could have been a business man. Evie wondered if his place of business had known he was a vampire or if he stayed hidden like her and Caius. She liked to think that they had known. It was always refreshing to see vampires socialising with humans and them being trusted with important things. Because no matter what the newspapers and people on the television say, vampires were discriminated against.

  The vampire sat propped against the back wall like puppet cut from its strings. But he was awake. He peered at the two of them through heavily lashed eyelids.

  Nico tsked. “You shouldn’t have pulled that out. Remember what happened last time?”

  The vampire’s pale eyes flitted upwards to the UV bulb.

  He could have been in his late thirties when he Turned but his exhaustion and lack of blood lined his face and made him look in his fifties.

  Nico opened the glass door and gestured Evie inside. She walked in, trying her best to not look horrified. The familiar honking buzzer sounded and she clapped her hands over her ears, cringing as the man in the cell screamed and covered his face with his hands. The UV light shone down on him like a spotlight, causing swelling blisters to form on his palms, red and angry looking. Evie squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch any more.

  When the buzzing stopped, she opened her eyes. The man was curled up, his knees to his chest, his burnt hands still shielding his face. He was blubbering into his chest. Evie’s heart swelled but she made sure her sympathy didn’t show.

  Nico unlocked the door with the last key on his ring and walked into the cell. When the vampire flinched at the approaching footsteps, Nico jerked into action and threw the contents of a little tub over him. A grey mist flew into the air and consumed the vampire, making him shriek and stretch his shaking arm out to Nico obediently, his head still buried in his chest.

  Silver powder. It had to be by the way it burned through the man’s exposed cheek and throat.

  After Nico has successfully re-attached the needle into the vampire’s arm, he strolled out of the cell, locked it and slotted the new serum into its compartment in the machine. As soon as the serum made its way into the vampire’s system, he started hissing and gnashing his teeth together. Nico grabbed Evie and tugged her out of the glass door, closing it quickly behind her. A sickening feeling rolled inside Evie’s stomach when she realised why he did it. Just in case the vampire exploded like Sophie, he wouldn’t want to get dead vampire goo all over his cardigan.

  Evie’s hands turn into fists by her sides but she kept her tears at bay to try and convince Nico that she was on his side as the vampire in the cell began bleeding from every orifice of his body. He wrapped his hands around his throat and began coughing up the blood that was pouring from his mouth. Evie glanced at Nico to see his reaction and her heart sank at how devoid of emotion his face was. He just watched in silence with a slight frown of disappointment.

  “Y’know, I really thought I had it this time,” he sighed, taking the empty bottle of serum and putting it in his bag. “C’mon. Let’s see if the older ones react the same way.”

  She stumbled over her words, completely dumbfounded. He wanted to inject it into more vampires and watch them suffer?

  She took one last look at the bleeding vampire, shuddered, and followed doggedly behind Nico as he heads to the double doors.

  “You’re going to use this on more vampires after what has just happened?” she finally asked once she found her voice.

  Nico locked the door behind them and moved to the middle set of double doors that held the not-quite ancients. Another shudder ran through her at the memory of being locked in this room herself.

  “I had used the serum that cured you on two others. One fell into hibernation and the other fried. The serum affects vampires differently. Something to do with the mix of their blood and their Maker’s blood.” He slotted the same key into the door, Evie noted, then shifted her attention to the guard standing like a statue beside her.

  Nico paused and looked to her. “Say, does your Maker have any other progenies?”

  She shook her head. “No, just me.”

  He sighed. “Shame. C’mon.”

  Again, she followed Nico inside and they both stopped at a cell. Inside this one was a girl that looked about the same age Evie had been when she had been Turned. Her hair was dyed bright blonde and chopped in a scruffy looking pixie cut. Mascara lines mixed with bloody tears stained her pale face. She studied them with big, brilliant blue eyes. Judging by the heavy make-up, short leather skirt and thigh high boots, she had been a regular at one of the vampire bars.

  She sat in the centre of the cell, her legs crossed and her shoulders slumped. Unlike the business man, she left the tube that fed into the crook of her elbow in place. Apart from her face, there was no dried blood stains on her body, nor any blood spilled on the floor. She was fresh.

  Nico smiled down at her. “I see you listened to me.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “I’ve seen what you’ve done to the others. I’m not a fan of being set on fire.” Her voice took Evie by surprise. She sounded so strong. No wavering in her words. No catch in her throat. Nothing.

  Nico nodded with a soft laugh and delved into his bag. “I have high hopes for you, Daisy. You don’t do anything stupid.”

  “What, like try to escape?” She cocked her head. “What’s the point? I’m not getting out, am I? I’ve lived for 68 years, which I know isn’t that long but if you’ve had the life I have, you wouldn’t be complaining if you were facing death.” Her dazzling gaze whipped to Evie. “Who’s this?”

  “A friend. She was one of you. I cured her,” Nico replied, studying a new bottle.

  The vampire – Daisy – raised her black eyebrows. “You actually cured her? It worked?” Her already bright eyes become almost luminous with hope. This also took Evie by surprise. This vampire actually wanted to be cured. She was obeying Nico because she wanted him to succeed. Not because she wanted to die, but because she wanted to live. Really live. Not just carry on being only half alive.

  “Yes.” Nico opened the glass door and Evie followed him inside. He slotted the bottle into the machine. “And I’ve made this from what I’ve learned about her blood so I honestly think this could work if injected into the right vampire. That’s why I’ve chosen you, Daisy.”

  She half smiled. “Well, first time’s a charm.”

  Evie suddenly jerked into action and quickly pushed Nico out of the way of machine. “Allow me.”

  Both Nico and Daisy looked at her wide-eyed.

  She smiled awkwardly and hovered her hand over the button. “I want to help.” I want you to trust me.

  Nico smiled, looking a little stunned. She pressed down on the button. Daisy’s lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes snapped shut when the serum entered her system.

  Nico pushed Evie out of the glass door. They both watched. Evie’s heart was a swollen lump in her throat and even Nico looks distressed when Daisy started shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes flickered open and latched onto Nico.

  “Wh-what’s happening to m-me?” she asked, shuddering. Her chest started convulsing forwards as if she was about the throw up. Then she did. Blood shot out of her mouth, painting the floor. She clutched her stomach as more and more jetted out. She started crying, blood tears pouring down her face before she fell onto her side and curled up into a juddering ball, her knees tucked up and her face bent into her chest.

  She looked dead. But if she was dead, she would be a pile of goo.

  “She’s gone into hibernation,” said Evie.

  Nico squinted through his glasses; his expression pinched with pain. “Yeah. I’ll let her rest. Maybe feed her in a coupl
e of days.”

  And that was it for this room. They made their way down the walkway. Once he locked the double doors behind him, Evie’s heart raced.

  “You’re not going to try this out on any more, are you?” Fear hitched her voice as she stared at the last set of double doors. The set that Caius was behind.

  “No. Not with any ancients. They’re so hard to catch.”

  “But you’ve injected stuff into Caius.”

  “Yes, I know. Those were batches that didn’t seem to have any effect to the new-borns. That wasn’t the case for the ancients.”

  “Wait, Nico.” Evie grabbed his arm before he began ascending the stairs. “Can I… see Caius? Please?”

  His jaw clenched.

  Before he could say anything, she continued, “I know he’s not my Maker anymore but I still love him. I want you to cure him but I don’t want to lose him in the time being. I just want to talk to him, that’s it.”

  He studied her. “After what he did to you?”

  Her hand slipped to her neck. “That wasn’t his fault. You starved him.”

  “And how do you know he won’t act like that again? I haven’t fed him since then. He’ll probably react the same.”

  “I’ll stay on the outside of the cell. And I won’t know how he’ll react to me if I don’t see him.”

  Reluctantly, Nico gave in and opened the last set of double doors.

  “You only have three keys.”

  “Yeah, one for the basement, one for these doors and one for the cells.”

  “One for all the cells?”

  His eyes shifted to her suspiciously. She gulped and silently cursed herself for seeming so interested. She followed him down the walkway.

  She walked ahead of Nico down the walkway, eyes scanning each cell. Then she froze and took a halting step back. Her heart rose then plummeted to her feet at the sight of the familiar slumped figure. Caius.

  Nico paced back and forth by the double doors as Evie and Caius get reacquainted. She sat in the space between the glass and the silver bars. Caius sat before her, as close to the bars as he could without being burned.

  When he saw her walking towards him, his pale face brightened but then darkened, probably at the memory of their last encounter. She offered him a half smile and sat by his cell in silence. That’s when he shifted from the back wall and planted himself in front of her. He looked a mess. His hair had frizzed out in every direction and heavy grey rings made it look like his eyes were sinking into his skull. Caius had never had much meat on his bones but what was left of his shirt looked almost two sizes too big for him now.

  His eyes raked over the bandage on her neck and his eyebrows knitted together, his lips trembling. “I’m so sorry, Evie. I don’t know what came over me.” His voice was hoarse. He didn’t sound like himself. His voice had always been so heart-meltingly smooth and delicate.

  She shook her head at the guilt in his voice. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

  “So, you’re really human now?”

  She nodded, dropping her eyes to the white tiled floor. “I really am.”

  “How does it feel?”

  “Different.”

  “Different in a good way?” She couldn’t figure out his tone.

  She shrugged and dared to look back at him. “I don’t know.”

  His mouth twisted at the answer as if unsure how to respond. “Will you let me heal you?”

  “What about the bars?”

  “I don’t care.”

  She pulled off the bandage with a wince and pressed the side of her face to the bars, exposing the wound to him. His nostrils flared and she jerked back at the sound of his fangs slipping from their sheaths.

  “It’s okay,” he assured her and when she noticed that the veins hadn’t coiled under his eyes, the tell-tale sign that a vampire was about to bite, she settled back into position. He pricked his fingertip with his fang and placed it to her neck. When their skin touched, he shuddered and his wrist touched the silver. He sucked in a hiss of pain and Evie moved. “No, it’s okay.” The smell of burning flesh consumed her as he healed her wounds with his blood.

  She leaned back and the sizzling slice on his wrist sealed up. He popped his fangs back in without looking at her.

  “What are you still doing here, anyway?” he asked and shifted his eyes to look at Nico through his hair. “He cured you.”

  “He’s using my blood to try and create a universal cure. Apparently, the serum he used on me didn’t work on others. And plus-” She looked warily to Nico who was still striding back and forth, allowing her privacy, and then to the camera on ceiling. Of course, there are cameras. Great. She cleared her throat, leaned into him and said in a whisper only Caius could pick up with his vampire hearing, “-I’m going to get you out of here.”

  His eyebrows rose. “When?”

  “Shh,” she hissed. “Tonight, hopefully.”

  “But how?” he asked, remembering to drop his voice, which was hard for him because of how scratchy his throat had become.

  She slipped her hand through the bars and stroked his cheek. Caius closed his eyes and leaned into her palm, letting her thumb caress his prominent cheekbone. “Leave that to me. Just be ready.”

  He pressed his chapped lips to her palm. “I love you.”

  Her chest contracted and the backs of her eyes burned. “I love you, too.”

  A loud huff made them break apart. Nico scrubbed his hand down his face and pointed to the double doors. “I’m going upstairs. Mark has a key. He’ll lock the door behind you.” A flurry of happiness seared through Evie as Nico left through the doors. He left her. Alone.

  He trusted her.

  And that was what she so desperately needed. His trust and… those keys.

  Evie slipped her hand back through the bars and flipped her wrist so the smooth side was facing him. He furrowed his brows.

  She shuffled closer to the bars, wrapping her hand around one for stability. “You need to drink. To get your strength up.”

  He gulped hard and his eyes glowed with stark horror when he glanced down at her inviting wrist. He shuddered and leaned away. “No. I can’t. Not after…”

  “Caius.” Evie’s voice was so hard and unyielding that it made Caius freeze. “You have to.” Or you won’t get out of here.

  He licked the top row as his teeth, thinking. Then the purple marks surfaced and the whites of his eyes cloud with the darkest, emptiest black. Evie’s heart beat quickened and she resisted the urge to pull her arm back.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, taking hold of her wrist. She flinched again when his fangs unsheathed. She was so jumpy around him now. Her human fragility was making her a nervous wreck. But Caius would never hurt her on purpose. She needed to believe that.

  With this in mind, she guided her wrist to his mouth. He pressed his lips against her pulse point, making her suck in a gasp. Her muscles stiffened. She tried to relax but she couldn’t. She was scared. There was no denying that.

  He parted his lips and sank his fangs into her. The sound of her flesh breaking knocked her sick. But then, as his lips sealed around the open wound and he began to drink, she was hit by a fleeting sense of euphoria. She felt like her mind was separated from her body. And the way he was flicking his tongue over her skin, guiding the blood flow directly down his throat sent chilling warmth up her spine.

  It was like being on a morphine drip. Her muscles melted like butter and all she could do was gaze at him, open mouthed, in awe.

  No wonder some humans enjoyed being drank from.

  But then something changed. Everything suddenly shifted. The dream-like state she was caught in no longer felt safe. She felt like she was drifting… drifting away. Losing herself. Losing too much blood.

  She panicked and grabbed Caius’ shoulder with her other hand. She shook him but he didn’t budge. His grip on his wrist tightened and he grunted as his tongue lapped up more of her blood.

  “Caius. Stop,” she begged,
her voice hitching. She pounded her fist against him. Once. Twice. He drew back with a gasp. Black eyes merging back into blue. Veins disappearing under his skin. Blood dripped from his parted lips and painted his chin.

  She could see her reflection in his pupils. Could see the look on her face. It was same look Michael had given her when she almost failed to stop.

  Was she Caius’ blood whore now?

  When Evie tried to free her wrist from his grip, Caius pulled her back and made her let out a fearful whimper. He just looked at her for a moment then lowered his head. He pressed his mouth back over her pulsing wound and she bit down on her bottom lip, ready for the stinging sensation of his fangs. But instead of piercing her skin, Caius’ tongue swirled around her two entry wounds. She watched the top of his head with a mixture of confusion and relief. He then pressed his lips softly against her and he lifted his head, smiling down at her now unmarred skin. She gazed down in wonder and he rubbed his thumb over where her two puncture wounds had been.

  “Do you feel better?” she asked, pulling her arm back through the bars.

  “Yes.” He frowned. “But I’m not going to make a habit of that.”

  “It was necessary,” she replied, rubbing her healed wrist as if double checking for scarring. She looked to the double doors. “I’d better go. But I’ll be back for you.”

  He watched her through the strands of hair that have fallen over his eyes. “Be careful. Don’t put yourself in danger because of me.”

  She laughed. “You’re my Maker.”

  He lifted his chin so she could get a better look of his eyes. The white light struck his face and made the shadows under his cheekbones look like hollow pits. “But you’re human now.”

  She smiled softly to mask the pain of her heartstrings being yanked. He’s nothing to you. “You’ll always be my Maker.”

  He smiled back but his also looks ill-fitting.

  She pushed herself up to her feet and shut the glass door behind her. Caius watched her leave, like a puppy left in the pound.

  When she closed the door, the guard was quick to swoop behind her and lock it. So fast that Evie jumped out of his way.