I pressed my lips harder to hers then proceeded to kiss her. Suddenly Sunnie relaxed and returned my kiss. I softened my hold on her then eventually sat her feet delicately on the floor to gauge her reaction. We stood looking at each other then she wrapped her arms around me which was what I had wanted, but it caught me off guard.
Sunnie gave me a deep, warm hug then looked up into my eyes and gave me a quick peck on the lips. She stared into my eyes until another series of groans and moans came from Mandy. We both knew I needed to leave.
She took my hands in hers and pulled me closer to offer another kiss. She spoke as she shook her head. "I ... I am in love with a vampire."
Chapter 38
Two days on lockdown with no contact with anybody had been rather pleasant, but I dreaded like hell Monday morning. So far I had not had to deal with anything. The other night was my memory alone. Mentally, I was avoiding the ramifications of my actions in regard to the nuances of the Farm and the GV groups or any of the other creatures. I blocked out thoughts that I was a marked man. There were plenty of attitudes and egos amongst the humans and the nonhumans that were an issue, even before I broke the protocols that had been put into place to protect the government and individual interests.
I waved at Chuck as I passed by the bedroom window, but he paid me no mind. Chunk was alone. Several of the zombie soldiers that I had witnessed at the training facility were also stationed around my home. Occasionally, I would hear Chuck snarl at another zombie as the two passed one another in the narrow confines of the space between the houses. Plopping down on the bed, I closed my eyes.
Outside the sounds of daily life on the base continued without me. Every so often I would recognize a voice or a particular laugh. I had decided to enter my sleep state and end the day when the sound of the front door opening alerted me to the fact that I was no longer alone. I lay still in my bed trying to determine the identity of my visitor. Except for the opening of the door there had been no sound or body odor coming from the living room. Other markers were missing. There was no scent of human, vampire or any other creature's blood. No throbbing of a heartbeat. The turn of events was making me anxious.
I sat up from my outstretched position on the bed. With the other signatures unusable, my newest ability to see trace outlines through walls was vacant. Maybe I had heard wrong. A figment of paranoia perhaps or loneliness. The past two days had been anything but great, though I had believed there was certain pleasantness. I told myself that I might have been wrong. There was a possibility that I was going mad again from hunger though there was nothing inside of me that had the need.
Listening and focusing got me nothing. The noise was outside. It had to be. I fell back on the bed and rubbed my eyes. Looking outward to my favorite zombie guard Chuck, I realized he was gone. Sliding the glass door open, I gingerly poked my head out into the fading sunshine. All the guards were gone. Stepping back into the house I thought about what that had to mean. Nothing on the Farm was as simple as Chadron letting me go unpunished and the in house isolation seemed incomplete.
The answer was located in the living room because it simply had to be. If I was wrong, there was nothing to lose.
Creeping into the living room, I was a little scared. In all of the horror I had been witness to thus far in my life as a vampire, I knew that the next threat could be around the corner. The room looked the same as it always did. Nothing was unusual. Glancing around, I convinced myself that maybe I had heard the zombies being taken away. I threw myself into the couch knowing that even vampires could make an error. From the couch, I watched the sun light streaming through the small window. Rolling onto my side to get comfortable, I noticed a small difference in the position of one of the tables. The table was off by a fraction. I sat up. Looking the table over, I realized this was not my table. From one angle it appeared to be simply a wooden table, but by leaning just a smidgen, the table became a box. It was an optical illusion. The device was elaborate in design, yet understated in execution. I returned to my chair to get a better view.
From the chair, it was similar to my table. Getting to my knees in front of the device, I knew I had to find the proper view. I worked around until the shape was definite. There was no handle or lock that was visible. The box was not seamless. There was a clear delineation near the top. Placing my hands along the side where the seams appeared, I ran my fingers along the opening until I was cut along a finger on each hand. The cuts coincided with the sound of a latch snapping open as air slowly began to leak out. Slowly, the lid of the sealed box opened fully.
I waited for the box to finish opening. Irritated, I watched my blood drip to the floor. The wounds healed rapidly, but uncharacteristic scars formed. My fingertips felt fine except for the new raised ridges. I decided not to dwell on the matter. Instead, I opted to find out what was in the box. Looking inside of the box, I located a single business card shaped item. Extracting it carefully, I noticed there was writing on one side. The writing was in red script with a single word: Pit.
"Pit? What the hell is Pit?" I asked aloud.
The texture of the paper felt familiar as did the aroma. For that fact, so did the red ink. I rubbed the paper between my fingers. I knew this feeling. It was so soft and lifelike. There was a realization that the paper wasn't paper at all. The note was made from human skin. A shiver went up my spine. The ink too contained a familiar hint of human that was arousing some of the darker feelings with me. Bringing it to my nose I knew I was right. The ink was derived from human blood. There was an urgent desire to taste the blood. Dried or not, the ink was blood and it was smelled wonderful with a mix of iron and copper. I fought the vampire side of me desperately trying to not give into the temptation of licking the card.
"Control dammit," I advised myself.
Embarrassed that I could even fathom such an act, I put the card on the floor and walked away. Rising from my kneeling position, I allowed myself to turn away and move to the kitchen.
Grabbing a bag of human blood from the refrigerator, I opened and began to drink without caring if it was warmed. Pacing around the kitchen, I taxed my brain trying to figure out what the hell the message meant. Hours passed and the afternoon turned to night then the night grew late. It was a mystery that would have to wait. Walking to my bedroom, I decided it was time to get some rest before having to deal with the others, high school and Sunnie.
Before I ever opened the door, I knew Veronica had recently entered the room. She was stealthy and did an admirable job covering up her smell, but my abilities were improving. Though she was quiet enough not to alert me, I could faintly make out her body outline on my bed.
Exhaling as I opened the door, I was not ready to have to talk to her. She was lying on my bed with her head upon my pillow. Her clothes were actually normal which was peculiar since on the weekends or on base she dressed provocatively. With her hair in a ponytail, jeans and graphic T-shirt she was not the seductress, but the school girl. She had removed her shoes at the door.
Propping against the door I said timidly, "Hello Veronica."
"Did you get the invitation from Tobias?" She asked.
The name Tobias did not register. "I received a card with Pit inscribed upon it, but I do not know who it was from, and I don't know what it is for."
"Let’s not worry about it tonight." Veronica rolled onto her side. Sweetly she requested, "Come here."
I was at a loss. So much had happened recently that I didn't know how to respond or what were her intentions. There were no answers that were right for everybody just more questions, and I didn't want to fight.
Getting into bed beside Veronica, I wasn't sure how to react. She rolled over onto her back to face the ceiling as I joined her. We lay silently watching the shadows dance above our heads until she turned toward me. My mouth went dry as her hand slid under my shirt and tenderly rubbed along my chest. I adjusted my shoulder causing her to shift momentarily as I wrapped my arm around her. Settling in, I held her as she re
turned to using her fingers to lightly trace arcs on my skin from my chest to my stomach. Kissing the top of her head, I pulled her tighter as she placed her head on my chest, her silky light brown hair falling onto my arm. There were sensations running through me that I had never felt with another being.
Veronica went motionless then asked, “Do you care if I stay tonight?"
Swallowing hard I asked, "You know this isn't what we should be doing."
She raised her head from my chest and turned to me. "What are we doing that you are so afraid of?" Veronica breathed. She didn't wait for my response as she laid her head back upon me.
I clenched my left hand as I sought an explanation for what I had said. Had I been wrong? I decided to leave it alone and relax, but the thought was fleeting. Surely this was innocent, though I worried if she wanted to carry this further, no matter my feelings for Sunnie, would I be able to stop.
"Veronica," I asked, "what are we doing then?"
She was motionless. Rising up, she rested her chin on my chest. Her mouth brushed my lower lip for an instant as she started to speak. "Just hold me tonight Ethan. Just hold me." Veronica stared at me as her hand rested on my chest.
I craved her. The casual touching of our lips without carrying it further was enough to drive me to the edge. If my insanity was the condition she was trying to achieve then she was successful. Pursing my lips, I responded simply. "Okay."
With my answer, Veronica lowered her head to my chest again.
Chapter 39
School did not come Monday for our group or any of the others. We were all turned away at the edge of the side walk. Walter met us with a large complement of heavily armed soldiers to shoo us back into our homes. Without a word, just a smile, and the clicking off of the safeties of the automatic rifles, we were reminded to obediently follow orders. No further information was given.
We all sat around in our various homes chatting. Veronica and I moved from home to home talking until the twosome had grown to the whole of our group lounging around Logan's house. The conversation was light, and though not forgiven by the group for my actions, there was a friendliness that was natural. The jokes and stories by the others had ended at lunch time by a small contingent of soldiers asking us to each return to our own house. Saying our goodbyes, we all went home to wait.
Settling into my chair, I began reading the Farm Guide which I was finding was an underused tome. The Farm Guide was a lot of things presented in a dry instructional format, but interestingly there were snippets to interacting with humans and the other creatures that I found priceless. I had started reading before, but was bored to tears. Today was different. Today, I was finding parts that would be invaluable.
My studying was interrupted. A knock, a wet dog smell and a low, moaning howl at my door told me there was something unique to my visitor. Opening the door, I was greeted by a wolf of considerably size standing upright. The creature was scraggily and tall, and I was unsure of the generation. The body was all wolf. The face was human except for the canine teeth and ears. The mangy hair that was covering the wolf was long and black. A silver collar dangled around the beast’s neck with an inscription in a language of which I had no memory of knowing. The wolf did not speak, but stood at attention staring back at me until he handed me a notice. The notice was reminiscent of the one I had found in the box the night before.
It had become a long weekend and it appeared it was going to be a longer week as a wolf messenger stood in front of me issuing a menacing stare at me.
I took the card as I said, "Thank you, sir."
Flipping the card over between my fingers, I noticed instructions upon it on both the front and the back though I wasn't going to take the time to read either as long as the wolf was present. A few seconds of awkward silence ensued then the wolf bowed to me gracefully and ran from the porch of my house to Darby's.
I muttered sarcastically, "That will most definitely scare her to death."
I could hear the knock at her door. I started counting quietly to myself as I heard her bouncing through the house. "5, 4, 3, 2 and 1." Then there was a scream and a loud growl in return followed by the slamming of the door. I laughed louder than I had thought I would. Then the wolf knocked again. It had been funny the first time. I was tiring of this game and surely she wouldn't scream again.
I entered the house and closed the door. Resting against the door, I read the card aloud, "You are requested at the convening of the Pit. You should arrive at seven thirty pm. A guide will be assigned to you as a guarantee to your prompt arrival."
The clock on the wall displayed the current time as two thirty. I was sure this was part of my own doing. This world of monsters had more rules than the human one we masqueraded in during the days off base. Maybe if I survived the first year then I might understand how not to fuck everything up. I shrugged and smelled of the fresh blood on the card as I rested against the door thinking of what was to come next. This blood's scent was calming. Remembering there were more words on the card, I turned the card over. On the back there was found the single word: Participant.
My only reaction was a succinct thought that rolled around my mind, Shit.
Chapter 40
Guards of human and zombie were placed on station shortly after the messenger departed from the last home. Suppressing the thoughts of what I was selected for this time, I chose to stare at the ceiling from the less than comfortable couch. A restless mind had tried an attempt at a nap unsuccessfully. There wasn't even a chance that the nap would happen.
An hour passed with me counting the ridges on the dingy ceiling as I wondered what Sunnie was doing today. She surely had to be wondering what the hell happened to me. Thinking less of me and more about what kind of thing I could be was a distinct possibility. Thankfully, I was saved momentarily from the dullness of creating my own insanity when someone arrived at me door with a thunderous knock.
Not bothering to look out the window to see who was calling, I opened the door to find Liam in a tuxedo standing before me with a black garment bag slung over his shoulder.
"What's up man?" I queried.
Liam responded slowly as he handed me the bag. "Not much. A guardian delivered this to my door about a half hour ago along with Logan's."
"Come in and have a seat. I am taking it that in the bag is my tux too?"
He sat on the edge of the couch. "You might want to take a look for yourself because yours is special."
There was none of the good natured, but mischievous guy I had grown to like. Liam was worried. His normal dumb grin was gone. His hands were shaking nervously. He tried to hide his anxiousness by shoving his hands into his pants pockets.
Unzipping the bag, I found an entirely black suit and pants with a traditional necktie as opposed to the bow tie worn by Liam.
"Everything alright?" I asked.
"You know what you are getting into don't you?" He responded with a question of his own.
Putting down the garment bag "Don't have a clue and the way you are acting it must be pretty bad."
He refused to look at me as he answered, "The Pit is a sporting match for the rich who help secure funding for the research that takes place on the Farm. The same people also hunt the lesser generations on occasion for a fee. It acts as another subtle reminder that we are not one of them. We are just machines to them that were created to protect the way of life outside these fences that surround us. Tonight, the same people will be watching as you are honored for your heroism. Of course there is a twist."
"Of course. Nothing here is ever as simple as hey Ethan thanks for killing a rogue Hunter who was unleashed upon the world," I retorted as I disrobed to begin the process of getting ready.
Liam sounded pissed at my flippant attitude as his voice rose higher and louder. "Before you pat yourself on the back for being the reason that the Hunter was sent out in the first place. Before you pat yourself on the back for putting us at all at risk. Before you pat yourself on the back for falling fo
r one of them. Before..."
"Before you say anything more. I get it, alright? I get it," I knew I had overstepped.
Rising from his seat, Liam paced the small expanse of the living room. "The world that is real to us needs you to pay for your stupidity so the council decided to mask our celebration of your selfish accomplishment by forcing you into combat versus the person responsible for sending the Hunter against Sunnie's family."
I put on the shirt I was given. As I buttoned the shirt, a button snapped in half under the unconscious pressure I exerted when I learned the death match would be against the person responsible for the attempted assassination of Sunnie. I no longer cared if I survived the Pit. All I cared about was killing the person responsible.
I could tell Liam was looking at me as I fumbled with the broken button in my hand. He spat out quickly as he nervously exited my house. "I need to check and see if my escort for tonight is ready."
"Hey, you okay Liam?" I asked.
"I need to go, I will see you tonight."
I figured he must have wanted to tell me off since Sunnie and I had started talking. Tucking in my shirt as he stood paused at the door I asked, "Liam, do you happen to know who my escort is?"
He looked over his shoulder at me, "Who else, but Veronica."
My calm had a new complexity. Hunger to kill was welling in me as I thought of confronting the asshole that tried to kill the girl I think I love. Deciding to give it a shot to see if Liam had any advice or knowledge of my adversary I asked, "Do you know anything about who I will be facing tonight?"
Liam replied solemnly, "Some yeah, but I really can't say too much because of the rules of the event."
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