"For the millionth damn time I know you are in the bathroom. If we are going to do this tonight we need to get moving. Hello. Hello! Ethan, are you listening to what I am saying? We needed to have left fifteen minutes ago," Veronica called from the living room.
Her voice was one of anger and desperation as she partially yelled and partially spoke.
I was me again for a minute. The thoughts of devouring my neighbor and friend were no longer dominating my fragile mind.
I responded, "I need a minute to get cleaned up before we go. I am a little bit of a mess at the moment."
She barged into the bathroom in a second. It was what I deserved since I was late and making us later by the second.
"What the hell are you doing that is taking so long and what is with the blood covered kitch...?” Veronica stopped short when she noticed the shattered mirror, the piece of busted glass I was holding, and all of the blood covering my face.
It would be hard to determine which of the three actually gave her pause. I am sure the vivid imagery of any of the three would be enough to deter any of our group from proceeding, but Veronica hesitated, gathered herself then proceeded to begin again.
"Ethan get cleaned up and meet me out back in ten minutes. If you are one minute late then consider it your problem and not mine," She stated before exiting with a flourish of her cape and a slamming of the front door so hard it shattered the glass in the door.
I was ready and waiting on her in less than two. Thirty seconds after my arrival she poured herself from the shadows. "You ready this time?" She asked.
I nodded instead of speaking, not sure how long my facade of normalcy would last.
"Good, we need to hurry before the night patrols find us."
Running through the Farm at full speed during the night was exhilarating. The desire to feed was replaced with a new mandate. Pushing myself harder than I ever had before I stayed as close to my guide as possible as we followed the pavement for miles in a mere couple of minutes. Suddenly Veronica jetted into the knee deep green fescue of an untended field that parted as we sprinted through. The distorted calls and growls of animals of the nights both real and created echoed in our wake. There were a couple of times as we neared a row of tall pines at the far end of a field that she beckoned me to follow suit. When she leapt I leapt. Both times I sailed over a sleeping wolf of an indeterminate generation. Neither acknowledged what had happened, and Veronica never broke stride.
The ground was diminishing quickly beneath my feet as we neared the razor wire lined and reinforced perimeter fence. Veronica pointed ahead then ran faster into an overgrown section of fence that was covered in hedge. She vanished into the growth. Closing my eyes, I blindly followed to find myself emerging into the middle of a small complex of buildings.
The complex was lightly manned and dark. There was a series of small warehouses to my right and a single office complex to my left. The soldiers did not seem to mind the sudden presence of a vampire standing in the middle of the earthen road.
Searching for Veronica, I found her at the door of one of the warehouses signing a manifest presented to her by a soldier. Joining her, I noticed the soldier was not human nor did the soldier give off much of a scent. The soldier was a form of GZ, though it lacked the glowing yellow eyes. It was a version I had never seen before, but I shrugged it off since many of the nightmares on the Farm were still new to me. The soldier was dressed and armed as a human soldier and would have appeared normal if not for the sunken gray eyes within sockets surrounded by an ashy, flaky flesh. The zombie did not talk, just moaned at me as I approached.
Veronica waved her hand to regain the attention of the zombie who became quiet then stepped aside allowing us access to the interior of the small warehouse. The interior lights must have worked on motion because as we walked, one light after another flickered to life until we were bathed in a dull blue illumination. She was focused on getting to the far side of the building. Arriving, we were greeted by the singular object contained in the structure; a tarp covered object around sixteen feet that was clearly a car of some kind. With a flick of her wrist, the car cover was casted away smoothly to fall against the exterior wall exposing a beautiful baby blue car.
"What are we doing?" I asked Veronica.
The alluring vampire lovingly brushed away a minuscule trace of dust from the white convertible top. "We are about to take my toy into the Alabama night and show you what it means to be a real vampire."
I looked the gorgeous light blue car over, "In this?"
Veronica was hurt at my harmless question. "This is a 1968, LeMans Blue SS 396 Camaro. The perfect blend of American initiative, appropriate amount of muscle and splendid styling that defined great muscle cars of the twentieth century. If that explanation is not good enough then your ass can walk the twenty miles to the hunting grounds. I know you are fast, but why run when you can ride in style."
Veronica was firmly behind the steering wheel as the convertible top was lowered into place. "So are you getting in?"
I hurried to the passenger side door and waited before remarking.
Veronica turned the ignition and the V8 roared to life. The effect of the roaring eight cylinders was amplified as it exploded from the exhaust and echoed off of the walls of the empty warehouse. My driver took full advantage of the horsepower by forcing the Camaro to begin to smoke the tires as the engine was revved high and higher. A glint in her eye, Veronica let loose the Detroit demon under the cover of greasy smoke emanating from the rear tires.
We were hurled toward the far end of the building when she turned the wheels hard to the left, spinning us around then righted the car facing the exterior wall where we had started. Depressing a button on a remote that was hanging from the sun visor overhead, there was a single creak of aluminum siding being forced by machinery out of place. The wall moving exposed a dirt road comprised of red clay and freedom for the night.
We shot from the warehouse down the road for about twenty miles it seemed before she stopped the car along a ditch along a field thickly lined by a forest. Carefully, she slid from the car, shutting the door quietly. I joined her shortly as she began to stealthy proceed onto the plowed earth of the field. She squatted down and motioned for me to get down beside her.
I tapped her on the shoulder before I leaned into her to whisper in her ear. "What are we doing?"
Veronica put a finger to her lips then pointed to the tree line to our right. I scanned the open area in front of the trees roughly halfway down the length of the field until a point that was two miles away. There was nothing there.
She made sure that I located what she was pointing toward. When I acknowledged that I hadn't seen anything by shaking my head no, Veronica took my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine on top. Extending her arm in the direction in which she was directing me, she pulled me into her. The skin of our cheeks touched as we looked down range at something that still was not in view. She was so soft and smooth. Veronica actually seemed to be enjoying this moment. She almost seemed human.
The soft pop of a fallen twig snapping alerted me to the presence of three deer. The deer wandered into the field with their heads held high, sniffing for several feet cautiously before relaxing enough to nibble at the nearby plants.
Veronica gave me the signal to stay quiet and follow her. We crept low to the ground, in between the rows of crops, until we were within striking distance. She pointed at me, and then held aloft three fingers to denote how far over into other rows I should go. Once I demonstrated my understanding of her instructions Veronica pointed to her hand. She used her fingers in a countdown fashion until she reached the number five. On the number five, we were to erupt from our hiding spot and take down the deer nearest to either one of us.
The plan was flawed in my opinion because I had never taken out another creature for the purpose of food that could run away. I knew by design I was supposed to be a killer, and I had murdered John in self-defense, yet this was new and fore
ign to me. I didn't complain as I gave her thumbs up and moved to my row.
We waited as the skittish animals became more acclimated to the sounds of the night. A half hour passed as we lay in wait. The deer were no match for my strength or speed if I wanted to take on the kill. My impatience grew the longer we waited as did my renewed desire to kill. There was nervousness within. Peeking at Veronica, she sat motionless on the ground, her eyes closed.
Seeing her act so disinterested at the animals before us, I alternated watching her and the deer. Her actions had at first confounded me, but slowly they had calmed me. So we watched and waited, albeit impatiently on my behalf, as the deer grazed only yards away.
A silent motion from Veronica had awakened me from my trace of watching the deer peacefully eat, unaware the ultimate predator was stalking the small herd. My attention on full alert, I rose from my crouch as did she. Using her hand as a pointer, she picked out which two would be the prime candidate to pursue. Instructions over, Veronica began the countdown with one then progressed until four of her fingers were denoted. Checking to see if I was ready, the fifth was raised quickly when she saw my state of near delirium.
Springing from hiding, the two of us tore toward the deer with surprising glee. In devastating fashion, Veronica knocked her selected doe to the ground then pounced in one action. The deer was dead before it could have ever reacted to the vicious attack.
My deer turned away and took two steps before I grabbed its rear legs and threw it to the soft black dirt of the field. The deer struggled as I clumsily restrained it in order to guide my mouth to the muscular neck. Finding the proper location to dine was guided by my senses as I could smell the blood coursing through the excited animal’s veins making me hunt in earnest. As the teeth sank in, the deer relented and passively accepted her fate. Soon my hunger was satisfied as large amounts of warm, fresh blood filled my stomach.
The heartbeat of the doe stopped as I drained the gentle animal of her last drop of life force. The blood had not been the same as Darby or Sunnie, but it was deliciously warm. Its warmth and the pleasure of actually taking the life from a creature so I could live toyed with my thoughts. Collapsing backward, I knew I was momentarily blood drunk. The feeling was amazing. My body felt alive, tingling perhaps even a small amount aroused as I gazed upon Veronica.
She finished her deer slowly trying to savor the flavor. Smiling as she separated from the deer, Veronica licked her lips clean, leaving small missed traces above and below her mouth. Inside of me there was a stirring to want to kiss her lips. She was so mystifyingly sensuous. The thought of crawling across the dirt to taste the blood from her succulent, red stained mouth repeated a couple of times. I watched her seat back on the cool earth which allowed her hair to caress her shoulders, making her even more incredibly beautiful than I had previously recognized. Her black corset stretched tightly and strained across her buxom body as she lay down upon the drained deer.
We stared across the still growing crops as we both felt the fullness of the quenching of our hunger. There was a different feeling in the air. It was a chemistry I had never noticed and it made me uneasy.
Veronica softly spoke, "Do you feel better?"
"Yeah," I replied.
I couldn't stop leering at her soft white flesh.
"I was worried from your state at the house that I might have waited too late to take you out and let you get a chance to drink. We are closer to the real vampires that permeate the films and books of American culture than any of the previous generations, but we have a small genetic anomaly that burdens us with the need to feed often from live donors. The blood bags that we keep in our house keep us sane and satisfied to an extent. We cannot afford the luxury of our brethren that can be sustained with the blood provided by the base and the monthly feeding. Once we feed on human blood for the first time, as you did the other weekend, then we must continuously feed or risk going rogue."
"I am assuming that rogue is a bad thing." I closed my eyes and felt the breeze against my freshly hydrated skin.
She adjusted her head against the deer's belly. "Yes, rogue is bad. Imagine developing a thirst and desire to kill every living being, whether human or human made, that crossed your path. A being not born of evil, but of constant thirst. The government doesn't necessarily see this as bad. A vampire behind enemy lines wiping out every last living being is a dream come true. The intended purpose for which we were created: The perfect killing machine. We are almost indestructible, lusting for the kill and are inexpensive since we can be converted from any dead body. The loyalty factor is out the window and this makes the rogue usable, but expendable. That is not the level of vampire achievement unto which we need to aim for obvious reasons."
Moving across the rows to lay beside Veronica, I playfully pushed her over to create room for me. "Scoot over."
She smiled and slid over.
Vampire or not, I admired the fact that Veronica was a girl that wasn't afraid to get dirty or violent. I wondered how much of her personality was a remnant of her life as human and how much was a construct of the virus that was raging inside of us. This was thought that the last two days had bothered me about myself and the others of our group.
We both lay and looked upward at the cloudless, starry night above us.
I felt Veronica shift to face me. "You ok? Your first official hunt was a success. I have brought others out here and they failed miserably, especially Darby. She was so cute chasing her deer. Must have chased her deer for an hour before the poor thing finally gave out, her not the deer."
"It is nothing really. I wonder what life was like before we were all transformed. Who are we really type of thoughts have been bothering me. More or less, I have wondered how much of is real and how much is the virus molding me into a predator. Everything is too surreal. I know odd facts and details about politics and television shows that I can't remember watching."
Veronica rolled back over. "Is that all? The human part of us will always question the reality of which was built for us when we are given a life as a vampire. Since the beginning, mortal humans have wondered why they existed and whether or not they matter or if there was a God or why their loved ones have to die."
Trying not to be a jackass I retorted. "I get it. I am feeling the same things that everybody feels, human or otherwise."
"You are the most uptight vampire I have known. Ethan, it is ok to have these questions just don't let them burden you. You are immortal for the most part. Enjoy life. More importantly, enjoy being you."
She was right. It never ceased to amaze me how wise this young girl beside me was. I was lucky to have such a friend who could lead me through the treacherous duplicity of my life.
"Veronica," I inquired, "How were we allowed off base so easily?"
"Chadron and the U.S. need us to be highly trained and effective. During the summer months of next year, we will undergo extensive language and combat training. The buildings from which we departed are part of the specialized training center. An added perk of being our generation's leader there is an inherent level of trust between the project developers and me. I am allowed limited, but monitored access to materials, including cars. Occasionally mini missions such as the one tonight are green lighted to keep us happy and tethered to the world outside the confines of the fence while also teaching basic survival to my newer counter parts."
I watched a small bird flutter across the horizon. "So my hunting tonight was a training session?"
"More or less," she replied, sitting up and half turning toward me, her hair fell across her eyes.
Brushing the hair away, she continued. “I also look at this as an opportunity to escape and pretend to be a normal kid. What teenager doesn't want freedom? Tonight we are just a semi-normal boy and semi-normal girl lying in a field gazing at the beautiful night sky."
I contemplated what she said and about the night. "Is this a one-time thing then?"
Veronica gazed upon me. I could feel the intensity of
her eyes as she searched for the answer.
"Whenever you need to come out here we can," she answered affectionately.
The roar of the rising sun was hours away as we looked at each other in the yellow glow of the moon.
Reaching for her hand, I took it tenderly in mine, "Lay back down and tonight lets be normal."
Veronica lay down her head on my chest with her dark hair spilling across me as I pulled her closer.
Chapter 34
"Do you text or chat?" Sunnie asked cheerfully as we stood beside her open locker.
The question made me decidedly uncomfortable. I was issued a phone by the government, but it was to be used in case of emergencies at best, and at worst I was sure it was monitored, so privacy would be out of the question. She knew I had a phone because she had seen the relic and had commented as much. My options were slim. I could lie and say no, which seemed doable and possibly believable and wasn't a total lie unto itself. Changing the subject would be an appropriate step, or I could just remain silent and hope the two minutes remaining until the bell went fast.
I chose the half-truth approach. "I would love to, but I don't have a computer and my parents won't allow me to text anymore since I had like two thousand in a week."
"Oh, I was hoping we could talk more than just here at school".
She seemed dejected, if not totally heartbroken.
I over reached badly. "Maybe we can spend some together outside of school then."
Her demeanor changed completely which was evident from the huge smile on her face and the excited kiss she gave me on my cheek. "I have got to go to class, and you do too, or we will both be late. We can talk about it later today."
She shut her locker and departed before I could get in a word. Sunnie looked back over her shoulder almost running into another student then disappeared in the mass of last minute rushers.
I laughed to myself then sped a little too fast for a human to my own class. I didn't care because inside I was soaring at least until sitting down beside Veronica, who mockingly inhaled deeply to show her distain for my recent company. She never said anything, but the action unto itself was enough to get her point across.
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