SURVIVAL

by Karen Payton Holt

  Her bewildered expression delighted him. “I couldn’t resist.”

  “I’m glad,” she said, smiling as she rested her hand on his chest.

  Julian cleared his throat, telling himself to concentrate. “Rebekah. She’s in the hospital cavern?”

  Leizle nodded.

  “Okay, follow on, Red.” He landed another fleeting kiss, and then his words were left hanging in the empty space as her hair whipped around her cheeks.

  “Red.” Leizle bristled, but her annoyance melted into joy. Red.

  Julian own smile vanished when he ducked behind the blackout curtain and collided with Greg.

  “Thank God,” Greg muttered as he was bounced off the tunnel wall. Righting himself and folding his thick arms across his chest, he said, “I’ve checked out Connor’s usual haunts. If he’s out there, he doesn’t want to be found.” Greg’s dirt streaked face glistened with sweat. “And we need a damn doctor.”

  Julian nodded grimly. “I’ll find him. But let’s start with Rebekah.”

  Greg grunted and set off at a jog which Julian quickly overtook.

  Entering the hospital cavern, he registered a sea of anxious faces. He caught Thomas in the act of retreating with a wet flannel hanging from his limp fingers. As it dropped, Julian’s lightning reflexes grabbed it before it hit the floor.

  “Thomas?” He dredged up the name to fit the face. It’s the boy from the woods a few weeks ago.

  Thomas nodded and scuttled away. Ranging his glance around the room, Julian fitted names to the other faces in the group, ending with Oscar and his grimly set jaw. Uncle Harry looked smaller and frailer than Julian remembered, his fists were buried deep in his pockets and he wore the baffled expression of a man who was out of his depth.

  Leizle entered the cavern as he turned his attention to Rebekah, gently taking her wrist to check her pulse. Her skin was cold, and she groaned softly.

  “Rebekah?”

  She sighed and became still again.

  His gut feeling was that her sleep was unnatural. Although, coma doesn’t fit, either. He lifted an eyelid, and, peering into her glazed eyes, he suddenly realized that he had no clue what he was looking for. “Damn it, I’m not a doctor,” Julian muttered. Where the hell is Connor, and why would he leave Rebekah in this state? After all we’ve been through, it makes no sense.

  Leizle moved to his side, and Julian drew her close.

  “We can’t rouse her. You don’t think Sebastian’s venom has poisoned her?” Leizle’s face was pinched and white. “She won’t die?”

  “No, of course not.” Julian’s optimistic reassurance faltered as the ambient light accentuated Leizle’s pale complexion. The dramatic contrast of her vibrant red hair and green eyes made her look almost vampiric. If Leizle and Rebekah were vampires, life would be so much simpler.

  Julian had no way of knowing if Rebekah was dying, but he couldn’t just wait and see. Connor is gone, but Anthony might be able to shed some light. They had promised not to make any demands of him outside of his role at the hospital. But that was before.

  Julian muttered, “We need help.” Turning to face the huddle of fretful humans, he decided to be blunt. “I need to bring another vampire in here.”

  Greg’s guarded relaxation disappeared as he said, “Who?”

  “Connor’s not here and we need a doctor, or the nearest thing I can find.” Julian’s expression was stern. “Connor’s assistant, Anthony. He trusts him, and we don’t have a choice. But...”

  “But?” said Greg.

  “It would be better if you all stayed out of his way. There’s no sense in making things more complicated than they need to be.”

  “Connor trusts him, you say?”

  “He’s one of the good guys.” Glancing at Rebekah’s waxy complexion, Julian added, “And we have to move fast.” He handed Leizle the damp flannel and said, “Sit with her, Red. I’ll be right back.”

  Disappearing from the cavern before the humans could draw a breath, Julian raced straight to the hospital and tracked Anthony down. Ushering him into a side ward, Julian gave him no choice. “You are already in too deep, Anthony. This girl saved Connor’s life, and I don’t fancy our chances if we do nothing to save her. Bottom line, if Rebekah dies, Connor will kill us both.” How can he refuse?

  Unsurprisingly, Anthony folded under pressure, and minutes later, Julian was passing by the same oak trees he had an hour before. Then, he had strained to listen for vampires in pursuit of Leizle, this time he was waiting for a reluctant Anthony to keep up. No doubt he can feel the waters of commitment closing over his head. There’ll be no going back to oblivion for him now.

  As the black maw of the eco-shelter entrance came into sight, Anthony muttered, “Hell, I don’t have my plastic mask.” He still struggled in resisting human blood, and he would never dream of attending the human farm without taking every precaution vampires had at their disposal.

  Julian glared. “You’ll just have to stop breathing. Take in a deep lungful of air that you can use to activate your vocal chords and talk. Just don’t breathe in again while you are in there.”

  Anthony grunted. “Okay. But stay close, in case I lose it.”

  Julian slapped his shoulder hard. “This is too important. You can do this.”

  “She’s not bleeding?”

  “No,” said Julian, hoping he was telling the truth.

  With set expressions which would have terrified the hardest of human hearts, both vampires dived into the stagnant air of the tunnels and, like a diver going underwater, Anthony took a deep breath and held it.

  Not allowing himself time to think, moments later, Anthony entered the hospital cavern and stood over Rebekah.

  To his credit, he did not bat an eyelid when Leizle appeared, even though she was supposed to have died in the hospital months before. At least, that was the story Connor had told when he testified to an unidentifiable human female body in Julian’s court.

  Leizle shuffled nervously at Julian’s side. The rest of the humans were in Oscar’s cavern, down on the kitchen level of the eco-shelter, following Julian’s orders and putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the rattled Anthony.

  The surroundings, filled with enticing human odors, were challenging for Anthony as he began his examination in profound silence. After a quick assessment of Rebekah’s vital signs, his hard stare in Julian’s direction confirmed that the news was not good.

  Julian stood guard at Anthony’s right shoulder, ready to apply a headlock at the slightest sign of his control cracking.

  “You were right to worry.” Anthony carefully probed under Rebekah’s arms. “Her lymph nodes are not swollen, so, it’s not infection. Has she banged her head?”

  Julian glanced at Leizle for confirmation. “Not that we know of, and the drowsiness has been progressive. For a week now.”

  “It could be viral. Encephalitis, maybe. Inflammation of the brain could cause drowsiness and stupor.” Anthony felt around Rebekah’s neck. “Her throat and tonsils seem unaffected, so, it’s unlikely to be a bacterial infection.” The silence stretched until Anthony stepped back.

  “Tell me,” said Julian.

  Anthony took in her pale, waxy face and her blond hair, darkened by sweat and plastered to her forehead. Her skin was cold and clammy to the touch, and her eyes, in the moments they fluttered open, had the muddy quality of delirium.

  Anthony knew Connor’s wrath would be terrifying, and he fretted over what steps he should take. “We need to take blood. We cannot yet rule out a brain tumor,” said Anthony. “If you take the sample, I’ll wait outside.” He forced a grin. “I’ll never make it as a phlebotomist. That is definitely Connor’s territory.”

  “Okay, Harry will take the blood. What then?”

  “If the white blood cell count rules out cancer, then we could try dialysis. I ran her blood through a dialyzer before transfusing Connor with it. Maybe Sebastian’s venom is more potent than we realized.” Anthony
knew as well as Julian that even though her erratic heartbeat was sluggish and depressed, they would never be able to hide her in a hospital that served only vampires.

  “We can’t risk the hospital, not yet. Is there any medication in the farm’s clinic we could try? Antibiotics, or an anti-viral?” Julian asked.

  Humans on the farm still became ill. They were a precious commodity and medicines were constantly being improved upon, because another pandemic was unthinkable.

  “Let’s take it one step at a time. Draw the blood, and I’ll run the tests at the hospital,” said Anthony. “Where is Connor? He should be with her, just in case...”

  “We don’t know.” Julian raised a brow. “But I’m sure he has a good reason.”

  “He must have.”

  Anthony met Julian’s eyes as they both acknowledged the worst scenario. Turning her would rely on her regaining consciousness. Vampire blood needed to be ingested, absorbed and filtered through the stomach lining so the transformation happened gradually. In other words, the dying human had to feed.

  “We can try injecting adrenalin to bring her round, if Connor decides...” Anthony’s voice trailed off.

  They both knew what he meant. They could not take the decision of turning Rebekah to save her in this condition. Her illness made vampire incarnation an unknown quantity that only Connor could choose for her.

  With a determined nod, Anthony said, “I’ll be outside. Two vials of blood should do it.” He handed his medical bag to Julian and left.

  <><><>

  Finally regretting running away, Connor covered the one hundred and eighty miles from Bodmin Moor back to the rolling green Downs of Kent in forty minutes. Pacing like a caged tiger, he banished the last remnants of unrest, stopped and looked out over the rough fields. As he picked out the escarpment of the eco-shelter entrance, a measure of peace settled over him.

  His angry despair had burned itself out, at last. He had wrestled with his demon until he felt battered and bruised, and now the gatekeeper of the killing center inside his brain had regained control.

  The three hundred and fifty square miles of Dartmoor’s vampire safari park allowed the animals once kept in human zoos the illusion of freedom. The only predators threatening them now were vampires, and three big cats had died at Connor’s hand before his thirst abated. Self-indulgence, when I should have been finding a way back home. His recriminations were hard to put to rest.

  I will banish Sebastian’s memory, even if it takes a lifetime. Disregarding the heat signatures of humans scattered throughout the subterranean habitat, Connor effortlessly honed in on Rebekah and absorbed her warm scent as an infusion. Hope dimmed as he detected the alien element to her fragrance still, and he frowned. As he tuned into her sluggish pulse, he strained to identify an elusive note. The tempo is faster, faint but strong. And suddenly he knew.

  His world flipped on its axis as the realization hit him. Two heartbeats.

  He broke into a run and powered his way over the potholes in the field. Without breaking stride, he whipped along the tunnels. His anxiety shifted up a gear as he caught the scent of Anthony. Julian must have been desperate.

  A hundred yards ahead of Connor’s driving path, inside the dining cavern, Julian joined Leizle and Greg, sitting down at their table and watching Greg, at least, eat something.

  “I feel like a blind man firing a bow and arrow. I don’t even know where the target is, let alone the blasted bulls-eye,” muttered Julian.

  Leizle stared across the table, and seeing her worried face, he wished he’d kept his mouth shut.

  She pushed her meal away, untouched. “What are we going to do?”

  “Where the hell is he?” Leizle’s plate rattled as Julian slammed his palm down on the table. “I would like to shake him ‘til his teeth fall out.”

  The image made Leizle smile, clearing away her frown for a moment.

  Julian’s explosive movement jolted the other human’s in the dining cavern into shocked awareness and broke the tense silence which Rebekah’s illness had cast over them all. The sudden gasps gave way to whispered conversations. On their own table, Harry, Thomas, and three other middle aged men, began eating again.

  Greg’s features relaxed as he shook his head and chuckled.

  As though Julian’s aggravation summoned a genie from a lamp, the abrupt increase of pressure in the room set his ears ringing. Eddying currents of air whipped the dust on the cavern floor into vortices, and Julian smiled. “Maybe, I’ll let him talk first.”

  Connor swung into the cavern and was met by Julian’s sardonic welcome. “About time.” His attention swept the dining area, the horror-movie effect of dried blood caked on his skin forgotten as Connor said, “Rebekah’s pregnant.”

  Julian’s stunned face might have made Connor smile, but he was already descending to the next level of the eco-shelter. Tracking Rebekah’s scent, he raced down the slope. An avalanche of dry mortar hit the floor as his shoulder collided with the doorway of the hospital cavern.

  He materialized at Rebekah’s side and looked down into her still face. Her eyelids were motionless. She’s not dreaming. This is not sleep.

  “Rebekah. Honey.” Calling her name did not penetrate.

  Flipping back the covers, he ran his thumb expertly along the soles of her feet. No motor response to stimuli. Although worried, he was happier when, laying his palm on her clammy brow, he detected lazy spiraling thoughts inside her brain as her synapses fired in a meandering pattern. She’s not comatose then, she’s thinking, at least. But, to present as level six on the scale of unconsciousness without an obvious cause was baffling, even to him.

  He took her unresponsive hand into his and made a sudden decision. “She doesn’t need to be here,” he said as he swept back the blankets and lifted her into his chest. He walked through the tunnels to her cavern, where he laid her gently on the bed.

  Stroking back her damp hair, he said, “I’ll be back in a minute.” He left her and returned within seconds with his body cleaned of evidence of the hunt and wearing clean sweatpants. Slipping into her bed, he draped his arm over the covers and settled down to wait.

  Rebekah was sleeping.

  She dreamed of swimming in warm mud, fighting to keep her face above the surface. The mud weighed heavily on her limbs, but it was warm, comfortable, and she had no other thought than to just keep breathing. That is enough.

  A chill rippled over her skin and she groaned. Her pounding head ached. Cold fingers took her hand and she tugged in protest. I want the warmth back. The numbness slipped away as a cold hand stroked gently over her stomach. The familiarity of it beckoned, the warm fog parted, and crystal clarity crashed in as a waterfall of understanding.

  “Hey, honey, come back to me.” Connor remained lying curled into her back, having held her for hours as he had once before. Never sleeping, he listened to every murmur of her heart and died every time it faltered. He sensed the delirium releasing its grasp and consciousness returning. When he smoothed his palm over her stomach, his hope became joyful certainty when her heart raced in response.

  He felt her body tense, preparing for flight, but this time he was ready. His arms held her safely anchored to his chest as she surfaced, and her eyes opened on a gasp.

  “Connor.” Her lips silently formed his name.

  “I know,” he said.

  She whispered, “How?”

  Disgust at his own reaction burned through his memory. I should have faced my fears, and stayed to banish Sebastian, and then I would have known how wrong I was. “You have two heartbeats.” He nuzzled her neck and breathed, “I don’t know how, but we’ve made a baby... our baby.”

  “He has a heartbeat?” she said, and he chuckled.

  “A strong one, stronger than his mother’s there, for a while.” Connor ran a hand over her hip. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  Turning in his arms, Rebekah took his face in her hands. He was her Connor again. His gray gaze was crystal clear and ill
uminated by his smile.

  “Will sorry, help?” she whispered softly. “I am so sorry.”

  “I’m just glad I came back.” He sighed. “I understand now. This baby thing scared the hell out of you... but, we’ll work it out.” He spread his hands over her back and smiled as he tried to separate the notes in the symphony playing beneath his fingertips. Her heart was slow and steady, and his child’s fluttered like a bird inside a cage. “We will work it out, honey.”

  Connor folded Rebekah into his arms and felt her sigh as a warm breeze which drove doubt away. He registered every nuance of her altered physiology as the doctor in him gathered information. His touch absorbed his baby’s somnolent movement and stored it away for future reference.

  The dim light in her cavern cast hypnotic shadows across the curved walls. Her body relaxed into his, and, resting his cheek on the top of her head, he smiled. She’s just sleeping this time.

  Connor turned his head as Julian’s shadow stretched across the floor and he leaned in the doorway. “Good to have you, back. What happens now?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But she’s out of danger? Just sleeping?”

  “She’s conscious now, at least.” Glancing into her relaxed face, Connor added, “We’ll talk in the meeting cavern.”

  “Okay. Two minutes,” Julian replied as he disappeared.

  With reluctance, Connor eased himself out of the bed and left her a note. “Sleep honey, I’m only a heartbeat away.”

  Connor’s smile persisted throughout his dash along the passageways as, even with the doubt and fear of the pregnancy looming, being with Rebekah again immersed him in joy.

  As he walked into the meeting cavern, Julian’s impatience hit him full in the face.

  The groove worn in the floor was evidence of how hard Julian had found the waiting. “Just dropping off the radar, with all that’s going on, Connor? Really?”

  Meeting Julian’s frustrated glare, Connor focused on the reason for his anger. “Thank you for looking after her, ” he said quietly, “and the baby.”

  “But, how on earth?” Julian muttered.