I asked, "Do you recognize the number?"
She reached down with her free hand to pull her pants up as I plied at them. "It is an automated notification to return to the base because there is an emergency."
Kissing her thigh, I playfully made my way up.
"Quit. We need to go back to the base now," Veronica said in a matter of fact manner.
I helped her with her pants before she grabbed the broken opening; she sprung from the backseat and into the driver's seat. She laced her top and started the car before I had managed to fasten my pants. Veronica patiently waited for me to get dressed, but revved the engine to get me to be in a hurry. Pants secure, but still somewhat snug, I plopped into the passenger seat.
Knowing how she was prone to drive under regular conditions, I hurriedly buckled into the passenger seat to make sure I was prepared for her emergency driving.
Veronica looked very worried and focused during the remaining part of our trip back to the base, which left me to dwell on what had transpired between us. The endorphins had begun to fade leaving me to deal with the ramifications of my time alone with her. Inside, I began to ache for how I had betrayed Sunnie's trust, but my experience with Veronica had been amazing.
As my mind cleared, I denoted the change in Veronica's body chemistry. She was worried. Everything about her changed, including her hair which had become a brown with reddish hues during our messing around to jet black.
I chose to leave her to her already erratic driving. Her concentration was more important than my concern. My mind drifted as I watched the trees fly past. Thoughts randomly bantered around as even a single one struggled to gain traction. Finally one stuck in my consciousness. There was something wrong with Veronica's chemistry.
I had grown to know her well and though she was as basic as any vampire I had encountered, there was a single tell-tale sign that differentiated a chosen few from our kin. We were different because we had unique scents that could be manipulated though I hadn't figured how yet. The majority of the time she smelled of cinnamon. A few times, I had found her mimicking my scent for reasons of which I was unsure. Tonight, she had shifted to one I had previously detected, even tasted. My brain was still under the enchantment of being with her. I had been immersed in honeysuckle which had created a euphoric state. The source was obscured which I believed was part of our ability. This obscurity was an ability that gave us power and control over humans and undoubtedly other species as well.
Thinking back to the issue of her chemistry, I realized what I knew to be the truth and what I wanted were two different things as the sweet aroma of honeysuckle dissipated in the night air. It hit me hard when I remembered where I had smelled the scent before: Sunnie.
I couldn't believe that Veronica would do something so deliberate to be with me. I looked at her as she drove. She was dangerously hot and wickedly deceiving. She was also driven and knew what she desired, but was she capable of tricking me to get what she wanted? Would she really think that I would want her after I figured out what had happened?
Chapter 45
Veronica had been escorted away as soon as we exited the car. We had arrived at the training grounds at the edge of the base to soldiers and officials who were scrambling without an apparent direction. She had grabbed her cape to cover herself then was ushered by the same unknown human that had been in the Pit after I had killed Liam.
She had seemed to sense the shift in my mood. "Always remember regrets are better than never trying and what happened tonight is not regret."
There was so much that I had wanted to say to her about what had transpired on the roadside, but had refused until I had calmed. As I had calmed, I realized there was more than her callously disregard for our friendship for her selfish satisfaction, though it still didn't make it right. There was also blame to go around that I hadn't tried harder to break her spell. There had to be a part of me that wanted her. Her comment ate away at me as I was left alone in the flurry of activity of what was the training center.
I had refused to attempt to broach the topic of what we had done until we were back at the base and the car was stopped. Now she was gone, and I wasn't sure what the long term effects would become as her words repeated in my head.
Ashamed and pissed, I made my way back to the town which I had begun referring to privately to as Velma. It was such an easy name, and I thought with work it might catch on with Darby and the others. I had derived it from the words vampire and realm. It worked for me at least. By placing an actual name to the Town, as it was called, it seemed less cold and foreign.
To arrive at Velma would have been quick had I chosen to run the distance, but instead I had opted to walk at a human pace. I should have run. I had planned to drown myself in the sounds and experiences of the night on the base, but thoughts bombarded me. I humbly made my way through the base in what remained of the night as two questions nipped at my heart. Did I really love Sunnie? If I did indeed love her, then why did I have lust and desire for Veronica?
Pushing against myself, I tried to block out the imagines of either. The night should have been alive on the base, but everything was gone including the sound that usually filled the air. Even the insects and the trucked in wild game that many of the base hunted appeared to have disappeared. For some reason, the beasts were scared into deep hiding. I could sense they were there, but even the curious stayed hidden as I passed.
Left alone, I progressed faster than I had imagined I would. Soon I found myself nearing the main base road upon which I met a manic Darby. She was pacing back and forth across the expanse of the roadway in clothes, appropriate for bed and not being alone in the middle of a dangerous world of monsters, even though she was a powerful vampire in her own right.
The pink oversized Victoria's Secret night shirt was cute on her and flattered her body well. Darby was also devoid of footwear. Her bare feet were blackened by the dirt and grime rising from the pavement as she moved at near full vampire speed while biting her thumb nail.
I was upon her position before she knew I was there causing her to startle and tumble into a ditch alongside of the pavement. "Darby, I didn't mean to scare you. I took it for granted that you knew I was approaching. Let me help you up."
She readily took my hand, and with a light pull, I stood her upright before me. We both looked at each other. I rather quizzically looked at her and her angrily at me. "Where did you come from?" She asked.
"I was with Veronica outside of the base doing a training exercise when we got an emergency call to return."
"Duh. I knew you were with Veronica and it smells like you two were doing some very close and creative training," Darby said.
I dug my hands deep into my pockets as rocked back on my heels "Anyway, what are you doing out here alone dressed like that?"
Darby asked, “What do you mean like this? Do you not like it? I picked it up online a couple of weeks ago."
I wanted to question how she had money and internet access, but decided to pass in an effort to find out why she was here in the middle of nowhere pacing the road. "Not what I meant, but anyway let me try again. Darby, why are you here in the middle of the night?"
Darby sighed, "Now I get what you mean. Uh, I was looking for Veronica and you after the order came down."
"What order?" I inquired.
Darby said, "The order to exterminate any of us that were found outside of the perimeter. I had known that the two of you had left the Farm because I overheard you two at school making plans to allow you to see Sunnie. So, I went to V's house, then to yours after the order was aired over the base's speaker system. I thought it was a scare tactic to keep us in place, but I was scared they might actually execute you two if you were found."
I was confused, which had been most of my night. "Why would Chadron issue that command? What has happened, and you still haven't explained why you are here?"
She shook her head as she thought, "I was here because I was afraid to go any closer to the train
ing center. I thought maybe I would mistakenly get attacked for attempting to escape." Her answer made sense in a Darby sort of way. "Chadron issued the order when it learned that there were reports of deaths tonight in several of the human communities involving wild animals."
"Could it have actually been wild animals?" I asked skeptically.
Darby cocked her head to one side as if to say you should know the answer to that question without asking.
"Jeez it was worth a shot, but how could one of us have done that? There are safe guards and stuff that prevent us from doing something that horrific."
She wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace as she buried he head into my bare chest. "I don't know what has happened, but everybody is terrified that we will be extinguished and the program destroyed. I am so glad to have found you. Where is Veronica so we can get back to the house and wait this all out?"
Running my fingers through my hair, I said, "She was carted off with the other group leaders about half an hour ago."
Darby released her hold on me, then took my hand in hers. "I am sure she will be back later when all the details are worked out and they find the monster that did this horrible thing. No pun intended. We need to get back to my house and wait for her there."
It was interesting that Darby could poke fun at our condition. I was surprised that she had thoughts that ran that deep and were that self-aware. The perplexity of her statement made me grin. Contemplating my next move, I decided that she was right in her observation that we had nothing we should do until we were given more details.
I adjusted my fingers that were interlaced with Darby's to better accommodate her tiny fingers without accidentally fracturing them. We were ready to begin the journey home.
Chapter 46
It was hours of waiting alone at Darby's watching sitcoms from the nineties that had made me wish for the solitude of my own home. Darby had insisted I stay and curl up on the couch with her until Logan came over in the morning or Veronica got home, whichever came first. Her laughter at the ridiculous nature of the cast of characters featured during the impromptu marathon kept me sane. Darby's enjoyment was my tether to the moment and not to what had transpired hours ago. I chose to stay because at this moment we both needed each other.
We drifted into our sleep states around seven am, Darby first. The bus for school would arrive soon, though given the current status of the creatures upon the base, it was doubtful we would be allowed to attend. Darby and I both gave into our need for even a little rest.
The time for the departure came and went as I held Darby and we slept. The bus didn't run, but we were oblivious to that fact until later when we awoke. We were both lost to the world outside the protective walls of her house. Hours of the day slipped away as we both drifted in and out of our catatonic state. There was a deep thudding sound that became a desperate knocking on the door.
We were awakened from our sleep states by a deep rattling of the old wooded door caused by excessive knocking. Darby stretched and rose, then stretched again as she proceeded to answer the door. Before she could open the door, there were another harder series of knocks that sounded more urgent. Darby threw open the door to reveal a beleaguered Veronica standing on the other side of the glass.
She appeared on the verge of collapse. There was a tired look behind her eyes that was unusual for her. The smell of recent blood consumption permeated the air around her. There were trace amounts spotted around her lips. Even her clothes showed tinges of recently dried blood as the once yellow lace of her corset was stained. The blood was a mixture of wolf and human. The provocative attire that was naturally formed to fit hung all wrong. It was evident that she had been part of a very long night.
I was still holding a grudge and rather angry with her about her masquerading with Sunnie's scent yet I still felt compassion and something akin to love for her. She staggered into the living room and fell on top of me. Without a word, Veronica went into her sleep state as I cradled her head. Stroking her hair as she slept was almost an automatic response. Darby handed me a wet cloth with which I cleaned her face and mouth then smoothed out her brown hair. Soon she was as radiant before, lying still in my arms.
Darby and I continued the television marathon, but eventually switched to police dramas. We sat quiet and still as Veronica rested. We never saw or heard any of the rest of our group that morning or later in the afternoon. Patiently, we continued being vigilant until Veronica sat up. "Blood. I need blood."
Darby retrieved a couple bags from the fridge. "Warm or cold?"
Veronica hoarsely answered, "It doesn't matter. Just bring me the blood. I am so dry inside."
Darby tossed her a bag, and ferociously, Veronica ripped open a bag. First she hesitated, then she poured the cold oozing liquid down. She was ravenous. The contents diminished rapidly as Darby and I watched the bag empty and fall to the floor. Veronica gestured for another which Darby supplied. The bag was devoured in similar fashion to its predecessor. Two wasn't enough. Veronica waved for her friend to get her another bag of blood. Darby complied. This bag was savored.
Veronica drank readily, but slowly. There even were a few pauses, but still no words until the last drop was upon her tongue. "Thank you Darby."
She slid her hand around to find mine, but I moved it in a small act of defiance before we touched. Her head flew around to find my eyes which I averted. She leaned back against the couch and stretched her arms high overhead, slicked her hair back then interlocked her hands behind her head all in an effort to get comfortable.
Veronica blinked hard then asked, "What time is it?"
Darby and I answered in unison. "Three pm."
I rose and took away the empty blood bags, placing them in the trash in an effort to help Darby clean up the mess while getting some needed separation from Veronica. "Where have you been Veronica? Darby has been worried sick." I made sure I implied that I had not been worried, though I honestly had been to a degree.
The coldness I had attempted must have resonated with Darby and Veronica because both turned to me with eyes full of sorrow and hurt. Veronica's sorrowful eyes suddenly showed fire.
Darby tried to direct the conversation at Veronica to divulge the information we both craved. "You have been gone all night. What gives? Did they capture whatever was killing the civilians? Why are you so tired?" The questions were rapid fired as would be expected of Darby.
Veronica maintained eye contact with me. "The group leaders were rounded up to meet with the military liaison Leslie Smith and Mathias Dencourt, who you both got to unofficially meet the other night at the Pit. The meeting was to determine the appropriate course of action in regard to what our actual role would be in apprehending the creature that was terrorizing the surrounding communities. After the meeting, we followed our orders as given. I was sent to deal with the humans and wolves who were involved in the escape at some level. Each group leader had a specific assignment that had to be carried out. Mine was basically information retrieval."
"Torture you mean?" I asked. "Then I am guessing assassination."
She looked down at her blood and dirt covered boots. "Yes that was my task."
"Why did you have to torture and kill them?" Darby quietly asked.
Before Veronica could respond, I interjected. "Darby, the escape was not a fluke. This was part of a plan wasn't it Veronica?"
"A very detailed plan. Whoever is at the heart of the scheme has done a great job of hiding their identity and the actual purpose behind letting a monster loose into the human population. A very contagious monster."
Darby was on the edge of her seat. I joined the pair by retaking my original seat beside Veronica.
She continued, "The virus that made us and the others has now been synthesized to reproduce in a live human host." Veronica paused, allowing the news to sink in. "Chadron had been trying for years to develop the virus so that when a carrier infected a human, that human could infect another and so forth until the enemy was killing
itself from within. The virus has not perfected. Just as we had to have qualities that made us acceptable recipients, the victim has to have the right chemistry or the virus is ineffective. The U.S. is trying to keep quiet the news that a contagion has been released into the general population as we do the cleanup work. Brayden led his group as part of the cleanup effort. Many human lives had to be sacrificed after they came in contact with the wolf. Whole families murdered to protect us all."
Darby began crying. "Why are we killing those poor people!? They are not the enemy!"
Veronica squatted down in front of Darby's chair allowing her hand to rest upon Darby's head as she brought the two together. "There is a price to be paid for this mistake. Unfortunately, the innocents are the ones paying. Chadron and the U.S cannot risk the virus escaping the rural area to which it is believed to be isolated. If the virus was to escape, it could possibly reach epidemic proportions. The costs seem high at the moment, but they could only get higher if the virus is not stopped. Do you understand?"
Darby sobbed, "I do, but it is so sad. So sad."
I asked, "So a wolf is the carrier then?"
Veronica took a seat in the floor in front of Darby's chair. "A new model GW17. It is stronger, faster and deadlier than anything Chadron has ever created. The wolf represents the next step on the evolutionary chain. It is only a matter of time before we become obsolete ourselves."
We all seemed to be pondering what Veronica had said.
"How many people have died, and how are we covering it all up?" I queried.
"There have been thirty-six potential infections within the first six hours. Some never showed the signs of infection. Others, I think about four, had already developed the ability to shape shift into a wolf, but were unable to understand what was happening. Many of the thirty-six were others who were infected by the newbies. The original infected was only a small few," She said.
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