Immortal Blood
Page 28
He looked into the fire for a second, and then he continued, “One of the things I noticed was that the level of free radicals in my plasma was not increasing, and on some days it was even decreased.”
Sam looked puzzled, but TJ suddenly appeared very interested. “You say your level of free radicals decreased over time? Were there any other changes?”
He nodded. “Yes, in addition a few other tests of waste product levels, nitrogen, ammonia, and such produced results that have convinced me that in spite of the treatment’s success in diminishing the Hunger, it does not cause us to start aging normally.”
Both TJ and Sam were startled by this revelation. They’d both assumed as long as they were under treatment, they would age normally, like human beings did.
“What?” Sam said, frowning. “Are you sure?”
Pike shrugged. “As sure as I can be without a long-term study. Like I say, just about all of the tests on my blood that have to do with aging have remained constant or even slightly diminished. I can only conclude from the evidence that I am still not aging in spite of the treatments against the vampyre bug.”
TJ and Sam glanced at each other and then back at Pike. “Elijah, why are you bringing this up right now?” TJ asked.
He took a deep breath. “Because, in case something happens to me in the near future, I want you both to be aware of this and be thinking about what it means to each of you personally.”
“What do you mean, to us personally?” Sam asked, puzzled.
“Both of you are deeply in love with Normals. Have you considered what is going to happen as they age and you do not?”
Sam’s hand went to her mouth. For some reason, even though she knew vampyres lived extraordinarily long lives, she never even thought of how that would affect her. She’d been too concerned with trying to control the Hunger that had consumed her prior to the treatments with the vaccine to worry about whether she was getting older. “No, I hadn’t thought about it,” she said, looking at TJ, who shook her head showing she hadn’t considered the implications either.
Pike leaned forward, a gentle, kind expression on his face. “Each of you has two choices, and only two as far as I can see. One, you can go on as you are, staying with your lovers as long as you can, watching them grow old and feeble until they die and you are left behind still the same age you are now, or . . .”
“Oh, no,” TJ said, her eyes fearful of what he was going to say.
“Or, you can consider performing the Rite of Transformation on Matt and Shooter, and once they’re transformed, undergoing treatment with them. You wouldn’t age and neither would they, but you’d still be free of the vampyre curse of depending on the blood of others to survive.”
TJ stared at Pike, knowing what it must have cost him to tell her this. If he’d just kept his mouth shut about it, Shooter would’ve grown old and died and then TJ would’ve been his alone. She had never met anyone so selfless before, and it made her bond with him even stronger as she realized he was giving her this chance to stay with Shooter forever for the sake of her own happiness and with no regard for his own.
“Then, we’d be mates forever,” Sam whispered, her eyes turned inward as she considered the possibilities.
TJ gave a sardonic chuckle. “You realize that you’ve just told us about the first real youth serum?”
“Yeah, all you have to do to live forever is to become a blood-sucking monster, a creature of the night, as the legends say,” Pike responded, though his serious expression belied his light tone. “I’m sure people would be lining up in the streets to sign on to our program.”
Pike shook his head at the absurdity of the idea and stood up and started to put his snowmobile suit on, carefully avoiding TJ’s eyes. “I thought I would give you the information I’ve discovered and leave you to discuss it among yourselves while I go on patrol.”
He grabbed a handful of candy bars off the table and stuffed them in his pocket. “I’ll see you both in a little while,” he said, a sad smile on his face as he stepped out of the door and disappeared into the falling snow.
When he was gone and the door was shut, TJ looked at Sam, her eyes wide, “Well, Sam old friend, what the fuck do we do now?”
Sam sighed and glanced toward the bedrooms. “The only thing we can do, TJ: leave it up to the boys.”
Forty-four
As they lay entwined in each other’s arms, spent and exhausted from their wild lovemaking, Marya gave John Ashby a mental command to sleep, and he immediately closed his eyes and began to snore softly.
She untangled herself from the sheets and his arms and legs, wiped the sweat and secretions off her body with a corner of the sheet, and climbed back into her clothes.
With a final fond look at his naked body lying sprawled on the bed, she went back into the room where the others were still standing around drinking and talking in low voices.
As she entered the room, Christina Alario sniffed loudly, her face screwed into an expression of hate. “Just look at her,” she said, venom dripping from her words, “she smells like a cheap whore!”
Marya smiled sweetly at Christina, “No, Christina darling, I’m anything but cheap.”
She moved languidly over to Morpheus and took his drink from his hand and downed it in one long swallow. “And, in spite of what you think about my methods, Mr. Ashby is now willing to work with us to find Pike and the others.”
Morpheus threw back his head and laughed out loud. “Marya,” he said happily, “you’re a hoot!”
“Yeah,” she answered, handing him back his glass and cutting her eyes at Christina, “I decided to do something instead of standing around mooning over a man who doesn’t want me and then settling for second best—like some people do.”
Christina snarled and took a step toward her, until Theo Thantos reached out and pulled her back to stand beside him, whispering, “Hold it, Chris, we’ll have our chance.”
“Now, if you all are ready, I’ll go wake Johnny up and we’ll see what he has to offer,” Marya said, moving sensuously toward the door to the bedroom.
* * *
Half an hour later, after he’d showered and cleaned himself up, washing the intoxicating scent of Marya off his skin, Ashby sat in the living room with the others, a drink in his hand, and admitted he didn’t yet know where Pike was staying, but that he knew how they could find him.
Disappointed in this news, Morpheus asked, “And just how do you propose we do that, John?”
Ashby took some papers out of his jacket pocket and put them on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Here is a listing of all of the possible cabins and houses he could have rented from the states. All we have to do is call each of the agents listed next to the properties and figure out which one he rented.”
Theo Thantos leaned over and peered at the papers. “There must be two hundred places listed there, and we know Pike would have used a fake name, so just how do you propose we find the right one?”
Ashby smiled, it was clear this Thantos was no detective. “For one thing, he would probably have paid either in cash or a money order rather than a check or credit card so as not to leave a trail,” he said. “For another, most of these houses are rented just for the ski season or for the summer and spring season—very few are rented for the entire year, which is what I suspect Pike would have done.”
“But, there’s still the matter of what name he would use,” Jean Horla said. “Like most of us, Pike probably has dozens of aliases he could choose from.”
“I have an idea about that,” Morpheus said, a thoughtful look on his face. “Most of us develop over the years a particular pattern of names we choose, some from literature, some from mythology, and others choose characters from old novels. In Houston, Pike went by the name Roger Niemann, which is German for no man, or not a man. In New Orleans, he called himself Albert Nachtman, also German for man of the night. If Pike stays true to form, he’ll rent the place under some sort of German name with a double me
aning. Let’s all get busy with our cell phones and take a few numbers to call. If you come up with a renter with a German name, especially if it sounds like the two I mentioned, sing out.”
Gerald Enyo spoke up from a far corner of the room, “But, Michael, what do we tell these real estate agents when we call asking all sorts of questions? Won’t they be hesitant to give out that sort of information?”
Ashby answered, “Just tell them you’re calling on behalf of the RCMP, that we’re looking for a notorious murderer on the run from the States who’s suspected of being in this area, and if they need verification, give them my badge number and name and they can check my credentials with headquarters.” He gave them all his badge number and they immediately began working their phones.
In slightly less than an hour, Peter Vardalack called out and held up his hand to get the attention of the others. He continued talking for several minutes on the phone, writing down directions as the real estate agent gave them to him.
Finally he looked up, a broad smile on his face. “Michael, you’re a damned genius!” he exclaimed.
Morpheus beamed at the compliment as he shouted, “Out with it, man!”
Vardalack consulted his notes, “A Mr. Jonathan Blutsauger rented a cabin about fifteen miles from the city limits of Banff fourteen months ago. He paid by certified check for the entire year with an option to renew at the end of that time.”
“Blutsauger?” Ashby asked, raising his eyebrows.
Morpheus clapped his hands together and hugged Marya, whose eyes drifted to Ashby and winked. “Blutsauger, my dear John,” Morpheus said magnanimously, “translates as blood sucker, and it was the name given to vampyres in old Germany.” He looked around at the others. “We’ve got the fucker now, and God help him and his cohorts.”
Morpheus took the directions from Vardalack and handed them to Ashby. “Can you find this place, John, in the dark?”
Ashby glanced at the paper, thought for a moment, and then he nodded, “Yeah. It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s way out in the sticks.”
Morpheus rubbed his hands together and smiled a smile so evil it made the hair on the back of Ashby’s neck stand up. “So much the better. We wouldn’t want a crowd for the little party I’ve got planned for Mr. Pike and those bitches with him.”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s about an hour until midnight. Let’s get our gear together and plan to hit them at two in the morning, that’s when they’ll be least expecting an attack.”
As the others all went to their luggage, pulling out long swords, high-powered pistols, and in one case a double-edged ax, Theo Thantos picked up the paper Vardalack had written the directions down on and made a mental note of the phone number of the cabin the real estate agent had provided.
He motioned with his head at Christina to follow him and said nonchalantly, “I’m going outside for a cigar. I’ll be right back.”
The others paid him no mind, being busy getting ready for the attack.
He and Christina stepped out into a light snowfall and he moved away from the house toward the cars parked out front.
“What are you up to, Theo?” Christina asked, watching as he took a long, black cigar out of his pocket and put a match to it.
He grinned at her. “I think I’ve found a way to pay Morpheus and Marya back for the way they’ve been treating us.”
“How?” she asked, moving closer to him to get out of the wind.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Just watch and listen.”
After a few rings, a voice answered, “Hello?”
“We’re coming after you tonight, Pike, so get ready to die,” he growled in a menacing tone and then he hung up the phone.
“Theo,” Christina asked, “why in the world did you do that?”
“So that now Pike will be ready and waiting for our attack. When we get there, be sure to hang back a little and let Morpheus and Marya go in first, which I’m sure the egomaniac will want to do. With any luck, Pike will take them both out before the rest of us kill him.”
“Oh, Theo, that’s nasty,” she said, grinning and rubbing her hand on his chest as she snuggled against him.
“I told you we’d have our day, Chris, and tonight Morpheus and that bitch Marya get paid back in spades!”
Soon, the group was ready to go, weapons in hand, and excitement in the air at the prospect of a bloody massacre. They all piled into their cars, with instructions to Ashby to lead the way in his car.
* * *
As he drove down the dark highway, snowflakes glistening in the glare of his headlights, Ashby shook his head, away from the mental influence of Marya for the first time that night.
Jesus, what have I done? he asked himself. Betrayed my friends for a piece of ass, that’s what, you shit, he answered, and then he couldn’t help but smile as he thought, of course, it was a magnificent piece of ass!
He thought for a couple of miles, wondering just what he could do to rectify the harm he’d done, and then it came to him.
He pulled his cell phone out of his jacket, keeping it below the level of the seat so those in the car behind him couldn’t see it, and punched the fast-dial number to Ed Slonaker’s house.
He held the phone against his chest just below his chin until he heard Ed’s voice answer, “Hello.”
“Ed, this is John. I can’t talk right now, but you’ve got to call Pike and tell him Morpheus and his group are on their way out there right now to kill him.”
Ed showed his experience by not asking foolish questions like how did Ashby know this. Instead, he got right to the point. “How many men does Morpheus have?”
“Eight,” Ashby answered, and after a short pause, he added, “Nine, counting me.”
As Ed started to ask more questions, Ashby cut the connection. There, he’d done all he could; the rest was up to Ed. Either he would be able to warn Pike in time for them to flee, or he wouldn’t. Either way, Ashby thought, it was out of his hands now.
Forty-five
Pike had just stepped in the door from his patrol, when the cabin phone rang. He stopped in midmotion, his coat half-off and stared at the phone as if it were a snake about to bite him.
Both TJ and Sam looked over at the phone. “Who could that be?” Sam asked.
Pike shook his head. “I don’t know. No one knows this number.”
“Somebody does,” TJ said ominously as Pike picked up the receiver.
“Hello?” he said, cautiously.
After Theo Thantos gave his warning and hung up, Pike stared into the receiver, a worried frown on his face.
“Well?” Sam asked, as she and TJ both got up off the couch and moved to stand next to Pike.
“That was either Morpheus or one of his men,” he said shortly, “saying they’re coming to get us tonight and we should prepare to die.”
“What?” TJ asked incredulously. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they warn us they were coming?”
“Again, I don’t know,” Pike answered, “but the only person who knows this number is the real estate agent who rented me this place, so they must have gotten it from her.”
“That means they know where we are,” Sam said, frightened.
“Yes,” Pike said. “We’d better get the men up and get ready. I don’t know how long we have until they arrive.”
Just as TJ and Sam were waking the men up, Pike’s cell phone rang. “Jesus, what the hell is this, Grand Central Station?” he asked himself as he punched the talk button.
“Yeah?”
“Elijah, this is Ed Slonaker.”
“Ed, I don’t have time to talk right now,” Pike began, until Ed cut him off.
“Listen, Elijah, I just received a call from John Ashby. He said Morpheus was on his way to attack you right now!”
“I know, Ed, and thanks, but we’ve got to get ready for them.”
“You can’t fight them, Elijah,” Ed said urgently. “John said there were nine of them. You
and your friends are outnumbered, not to mention the fact that two of them are Normals. You don’t stand a chance, you’ve got to run.”
“I’m done with running, Ed. We’re gonna make a stand here, live or die.”
There was a brief pause and then Ed said, “Elijah, if you’re killed, then Kim won’t have a chance at the vaccine.”
Pike sighed. “Ed, if the worst happens, contact a Dr. Bartholomew Wingate at McGill University Medical School. Tell him I sent you and he’ll know what to do.”
“Thanks, Elijah.”
“Don’t mention it, Ed, and tell Kim I wish her good luck,” he said, thinking at least Ed and Kim would have their chance no matter what happened here tonight.
“Where is the cabin you’re in?” Ed asked.
“Why?” Pike asked, wondering what Ed had in mind.
“Never mind, just tell me.”
Pike told him the address and which road off the Trans-Canada they were on, and Ed hung up without saying another word.
Pike snorted. “Huh, that was strange,” he muttered to himself as Matt and Shooter came running into the room, followed closely by the girls.
Pike grinned at them, and Matt thought it was the most dangerous smile he’d ever seen.
“Lock and load, gentlemen, we’re about to take fire,” Pike said, moving toward his machete next to the door. He picked the sword up and slung it over his shoulder. “Now, here’s what we’re gonna do . . .”
* * *
Kim sat up in bed, a worried frown on her face. She’d heard Ed on the phone and now he was getting out of bed and getting dressed.
“Ed, what’s going on?” she asked.
He looked at her. “John called. He’s with Morpheus and they’re headed out to the cabin Pike is in to kill him.”
“But, the vaccine . . .”
“Elijah gave me the name of someone up at McGill,” Ed said, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her hand in his. “So, you can get your vaccine even if Elijah is killed.”
She stared into his eyes, noting he’d said ‘you’ instead of we. “But, what are you doing?”