The Progeny

by Shelley Crowley

  “Thank you, Mark.”

  He didn’t look at her as he slipped the key back into his pocket and returned to his post.

  The guards still stood in their positions at the front doors and watched her as she made her way up the stairs unsupervised. It was hard to look unsuspicious when that was all she could think about. What do I do with my hands? Do I run up the stairs? Walk? Do I look back at the guards? Finally, she made it to her room successfully avoiding any unwanted attention. A set of pyjamas were folded on her bed when she entered and she dressed into them. They were plain grey; a button up, long-sleeved shirt and trousers.

  She paced back and forth; her bottom lip pinched between her fingers as she mulled over what she was going to do. Everything had to be perfect. If she roused suspicion, it would be over. What would happen exactly? Would Nico throw her out of the mansion so she couldn’t get to Caius or worse? Would he lock her down there with him… and all those other starving vampires?

  She shuddered, screwed her hands into fists and went into her bathroom. Her heart pounded when she caught her reflection. She’d been crying. The clear tears were still new to her. She expected red smudges across her cheeks. She liked that her face wasn’t marred by the ugly stains but at the same time, she missed them. It was just another change she’d have to deal with.

  A razor sat in the cup in the cabinet, along with a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. She stood up on her tiptoes and delved further into the cabinet. A pair of nail clippers. Sharp but not exactly ideal. She snatched up a pair of scissors and closed the mirror.

  She sat down on her bed and rolled up her pyjama sleeve. Her hand shook as she opened up the scissors and pressed the tip to her forearm. Before she had a chance to envision the pain she was about to inflict onto herself, she sank her teeth into her bottom lip and sliced the scissor tip diagonally across her skin creating a cut about three inches long. Tears beaded in her eyes but she stayed silent, holding back a cry. She watched her blood pulse out of her and trickle in rivulets down her arm and drip onto the cream carpet. She ran back to the bathroom and wiped the new cut with tissues, folded the sleeve back down to capture some of the left-over blood and create a brown-red stain, then lifted it back up to clean until the blood clots enough to stop dripping.

  She watched the red line for a moment, as if expecting it to seal itself shut and leave her skin perfectly pale.

  There was no time to dwell on her new body. Caius was waiting for her. She rolled her sleeve down and leaves her bedroom. She was in the west wing. Nico’s room was in the east wing. All the rooms had a number like was some sort of hotel. Maybe was supposed to be a hotel, a hotel for all his cured vampires. Her bedroom was 6B. His bedroom was 14A on the same floor.

  There was no one about as she made her way through the corridors which were dimly lit by sconces. She winced every time her feet made the floorboards creak. But she was supposed to be acting nonchalant. No, not nonchalant. Afraid. Worried.

  She willed herself to cry when she reached his door. It was not hard. Just letting all her thoughts surface made her throat close up. She allowed everything to fall on top of her, everything she’s been trying her best to hold back. Her fear for Caius. Her fear for her future. Her fear for everybody’s future. Her fear. Period.

  She sucked in a sudden shaky gasp that caught her off guard -forgot to breathe again- and knocked on the door.

  Chapter 7

  Evie’s heart jumped into her throat at the sound of Nico’s voice.

  “Evie?”

  There was a spy hole in his door. She looked up.

  “Hi.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry to bother you but can I—can I come in?”

  The door unlocked and then she was standing face to face with Nico in his robe.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and setting his glasses on his nose.

  He stepped aside, gesturing her to enter. She curled her fingers into her sleeves and stiffly made her way into his room.

  The door shut behind her. The lamp on his bedside table was on but they were still cloaked in a grey darkness, making Evie miss her vampire sight.

  She wiped her tears on her pyjama sleeve. “I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just… everything’s getting to me. I don’t feel like the same person anymore.”

  “Oh, Evie.” He swept over to her then she was in his arms with her head bent into his chest. “It’s okay. I know it must be hard. But you know that this change is good, right? You are the girl you once were. The girl you had been before the vampire stole your humanity.”

  “I know. I know.” She wrapped her arms around his narrow waist and held him tightly. There was something about seeing him in his pyjamas that was disarming, and because of it she couldn’t help but feel comforted by the embrace.

  “Did you tell him about him becoming human, too?”

  Her heart stammered as she thought about what he would want to hear. “Yes.”

  “And what did he say?”

  “He said he’d do it if it meant getting out of here.”

  Nico released his grip on her and held her at arm’s length. “But you were supposed to stay here, with me. You will be the one who made the cure possible. I want you by my side.”

  “Then you’ll have to have two of us by your side. Because I’m not leaving him.”

  He frowned a little and slipped his hands from her arms. “I guess that will have to do then.”

  She smiled faintly and looked about the room. His trousers were thrown over a chair in the corner. There was a bulge in one of the pockets. Must be his keys.

  She scratched her arm to break the scab. Fresh blood dripped down her arm. She sighed heavily to catch his attention then lifted her arm to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes widened.

  “What’s that?”

  “What’s what?”

  He grabbed her wrist. “That.”

  Quickly, she pulled her sleeve from his grasp and covered the bloody stain. “It’s nothing.”

  He sat down on his bed and patted the space beside him. She sat down. “That’s not nothing. Give me your arm.”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “Evie-” He grabbed her wrist again and pushed up the sleeve. He gasped at the slice up her forearm. “Oh, Evie… what did you do?”

  Tears began to brim her eyes. “It’s fine.”

  “You did that to yourself?”

  She looked away with a shrug.

  “Oh, Evie, why would you do that?”

  “Because…”

  “Because… what?”

  “I wanted to test something.”

  “To test what? You know you don’t have vampire healing anymore.”

  “I know.” she mumbled into her chest. “I just wanted to see for myself.”

  He sighed and got to his feet. “It’s bleeding again. Let me clean it up for you. I’ve got a first aid kit in my bathroom. One second.” He disappeared into his en-suite with his robe floating behind him. Wishing she had her vampire speed again, Evie rushed over to the chair, grabbed the keys and hurried back to the bed. That was when she realised, she’s got no pockets. Why didn’t she think of that? Watching Nico’s shadow in the en-suite getting bigger and bigger, she panicked and shoved the keys into her bra. The metal stung her skin and she half expected it to burn her. After manoeuvring the keys around a bit, they sat comfortably, just in time for Nico to return with a roll of plasters and a small pair of scissors.

  “This is all I’ve got up here,” he said as he settled back down beside her.

  “That’s fine.”

  “Good, because I don’t feel like traipsing downstairs at this time.”

  “I’m sorry for waking you.”

  He laughed softly while he covered her cut with the plaster. “I’m glad you did. You’re my responsibility now, Evie. I don’t want you suffering in silence. Whenever you have a problem, I’ll be here for you.”

  A wave of guilt hit her. Then anger. After what he had done
to her, to Caius, to all those other vampires, how dare he act all sweet and caring. Manipulating son-of-a-bitch.

  “That’s good to know.”

  “So, while you’re here, want to talk to me about anything else?” he asked.

  “No, no,” she replied, smoothing down her sleeve. “I think I’m good now. Tired. I should probably get back.”

  He stood up with her. “Okay, want me to walk you back?”

  “It’s just down the hall. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, well, you know where to find me if you need anything.”

  She smiled and opened the door. “Bye, Nico.”

  He slotted his hands into his dressing gown pockets with a soft smile. “Bye, Evie.”

  She double checked Nico wasn’t following her before making her way down to the basement. Her heart pounded when she got to the foot of the stairs and the two men guarding the front door sized her up. She smiled weakly in an attempt to look nonchalant. It seemed to work. They both nodded to her then lost interest.

  She rounded the staircase to the basement door and grabbed the keys from her bra. This was where she really needed to do some convincing. Down there, everything could either go perfectly, or seriously wrong. She sucked in a breath and unlocked the door. The guards watched her from their posts beside each door as she descended the stairs but it wasn’t until she was standing by the doors Caius was behind when Mark blocked her way.

  “What are you doing down here?” His eyes narrowed at her accusingly.

  “Nico said I could see my Maker.”

  “Really? Then why isn’t he here?”

  “He needed rest. Said I could come down myself.”

  “Why aren’t you resting?”

  She sighed at him. “Yesterday, I was a vampire. My body clock is all messed up. I can’t sleep.”

  “How can I be sure you have Nico’s permission?”

  She jingled the set of keys at him. “He gave me these. Proof enough for you?”

  He gave her an incredulous look that made her heart pound. “Maybe I should give him a call and double check.”

  Shit, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. “I really wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Her voice peaked from fear as he reached down to grab his phone from his pocket.

  He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And why not?”

  “He’s had a long day. He’ll be pretty pissed with you. And I don’t think you want to get on his bad side. Nico trusts me. He won’t be best pleased if he thinks that you are doubting him.”

  “She’s right, Mark.”

  Evie shifted her gaze to the man standing beside the middle set of doors. “Let her in. She has the keys.”

  Rather reluctantly, Mark gave in and moved. She slid the second key into the door and pushed it open. She flinched when it banged closed behind her. For a moment, she stood there in the brilliant white room, trying to calm her nerves but she was trembling with adrenaline.

  Shaking off the feeling, she made her way down the walkway, avoiding eye contact with the vampires. She has come for Caius and only Caius. No matter how much she wanted to release all of them, one was going to be tricky enough.

  “Caius,” she whispered and his head pricked up. He was sitting in the centre of his cell, one knee tucked up to his chest. He jumped to his feet. Judging by his swift motions, it was clear that her blood had worked.

  “We’ve got to do this fast. The guards have Nico’s number ready to dial and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be an alarm. Once I get you out, we have to be at those gates outside in minutes. Okay?”

  He nodded.

  “Do what you have to do to get us there. No matter what. Being human, I’m pretty useless so it’s down to you.”

  Caius watched, his muscles coiled and ready, as she unlocked his cell and opened the door.

  Do what you have to do to get us there. No matter what. That was what Evie told Caius. And that’s exactly what he did.

  Caius snuck up behind Mark and broke his neck with Evie still hidden behind the double doors, watching through the crack. Evie winced at the sound, her blood running cold. Caius was a blur, using his vampire speed to appear in front of the guard who had convinced Mark to let her in. Due to the close range- almost nose to nose- the guard was under his spell in seconds.

  “Kill your guard friend then close your eyes and don’t move until some tells you to. Forget my face.” Tears brimmed in the guard’s eyes. He turned and shot the remaining guard in the chest. Blood splattered up the door and Evie jumped behind it at the sound of the gun shot, biting down on her fist to stop from screaming. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer in her chest.

  The last time she had experienced Caius through a human’s eyes had been the night he Turned her. She could feel that fear she’d had of him gnawing at her insides. Her fight or flight instinct was telling her to run the other way. She was human now. He could kill her just as easily as he was knocking down these guards.

  “Evie,” Caius called and she came out, her trembling hand over her mouth. He grabbed her other hand and pulled her along the corridor and up the stairs. She stumbled after him, the bones in her legs feeling like mush. The guard who’d just killed his friend rested against the wall, shaking with his eyes sealed shut. Her heart swelled with sympathy. Her humanity was making her weak. Apathy had taken her far as a vampire. Now she felt like she was drowning from her overbearing empathy as a human. The guard didn’t deserve her sorrow. He chose this life.

  Evie yanked Caius back when they reached the top of the stairs. “There’re four men at the front doors.”

  Caius nodded, his expression hard and determined. “Stay here.”

  He let go of her hand and became a black blur as he sped down the hall. Evie watched, her eyes wide and body convulsing with tremors as Caius broke one of the guard’s necks and used the other as his puppet to kill the two guards outside. He was so fast her eyes couldn’t focus. He was so powerful. So powerful and so deadly.

  When only one man remained standing, Caius gestured her to follow him. She did, veering slightly and almost knocking against the wall as her legs threatened to give out from under her. She gave the last guard a fearful look as he stood facing the steps, his eyes vacant yet wet with tears.

  “Don’t worry about him. He’ll distract anyone who follows us,” said Caius as he took her hand again.

  They ran down the curving stairway and onto the driveway. The cold night air stung Evie’s cheeks and made her rushed, ragged breaths scratch against her throat. Caius studied the distance they had to cross to get to the gates. There was no way she could run. She was about to collapse.

  The sky was black but the driveway was lit with garden lamps like a runway. An ear-splitting, screeching alarm wracked sounded and they both jumped. Evie lost track of how many dead guards laid in their wake but there were a lot. And the alarm had only just been triggered. That’s how fast Caius was.

  Caius jerked into motion. “Climb on my back.”

  He bent down to her height so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He hoisted her up and she gripped his sides with her thighs.

  Bile rose in her throat as he used his vampire speed, slicing through the air. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his back but she could feel her body shifting inhumanly fast, and it sent her head whirling.

  She screamed into his back and clung to him when gunfire filled the air. But the rapid succession quickly ended with the distinctive sound of the cracking of bones. Caius suddenly came to a stop and screeched, an unholy sound of agonising pain. He stumbled backwards and she lost her grip on him. She dropped flat on her back. The force of the fall knocked the wind out of her and jolted her bones. Feeling light-headed from the impact and motion sickness, Evie curled onto her side and vomited.

  Caius stared down at his burning palms. “Silver.”

  She looked to the gates, standing huge and ominous before them. They must be at least fifteen feet high. In front of them lay
two armed guards, their heads twisted at obscure angles.

  Fear coiled around Evie, making her shake and curl her fingers into her pyjama sleeves. She was gasping for breath, her cheeks wet and chin trembling. “What are we going to do?” The lump in her throat made her voice come out hoarse.

  Caius set his jaw and curled his burning hands into fists. “Get back on my back.”

  She stumbled to her feet and climbed back onto him. He stood there for a moment, sizing up the gate before…

  The sound emanating from her Maker made Evie cringe as if the pain was shared. Caius climbed the gate despite the way it burned through his skin, tearing flesh from his palms. When he jumped down on the opposite side, he crumbled to his knees, trembling and crying with agony. Evie dropped to his side, tears blurring her vision.

  Blood smeared Caius’ face. His palms were out in front of him. His whole body convulsed. The look of his blistered hands made Evie gag. Most of the skin on his palms and fingers was missing, revealing raw redness and bone underneath. And the smell of the charred flesh that hung off in strips was even more repulsive.

  They both watched as the bloody, oozing red blisters on his hands started to heal over, slowly knitting back together.

  A thunderous bang made them both turn back to the mansion. Black silhouettes of people were filing out of the front doors. Tires squealed as cars made messy turns, heading straight for them.

  “Time to go.” Caius jumped to his feet and grabbed hold of Evie’s arm, slinging her onto his back like a backpack.

  She clung to him, her thighs trembling from fear and exertion. Her eyes were sealed shut. Her teeth gritted to hold back her cries.

  Evie’s stomach rolled as the ice-cold wind whipped across her, making the loose sleeves of her pyjama top and bottoms slap erratically against her skin so hard it stung.

  Unsure whether she blacked out or Caius was really just that fast but they seem to reach their house in a matter of minutes. Caius carefully placed her down in their hallway, safe and away from the chaos. She stumbled, her head reeling, and bashed into something hard. Arms wrapped around her and held her close. “Whoa, are you okay?”