by Billy Lyon
Teresa gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you too, Steven! Well, while we were waiting on Hasi to finish with the drivers I got this really strong feeling that something just wasn’t right. After thousands of years doing this type of thing you learn to trust your feelings, so I went back outside just to make sure everything was okay. That’s when I saw Eric take Anna Marie. I didn’t intervene just then because I thought it best to see what he was up to instead. I followed, and saw him take her back inside and give her over to the others. After that, he went back outside and changed into a rat, which is very appropriate for him, don’t you think? I was just getting ready to pounce on him when you beat me to it. Great job, by the way.”
“Who are the others?” Steven asked. “Who did Eric take Anna Marie to?”
“Some humans that work for the lab. He must have conspired with them to kidnap Anna Marie. I’m not sure what they’ve got in mind, but we have to get up there before they can do anything to harm her. Where’s everybody else?”
“On their way back to the mansion. Since they don’t have Anna Marie’s magick to teleport them they had to fly. They’re probably there by now.”
“That’s great, but I don’t think we should wait on them, do you? We need to get back inside and rescue Anna Marie. I know where they’re keeping her.”
“What about Eric? Won’t he give us away?”
Teresa shook her head. “I don’t think so. Almost every employee who works the night shift was given the night off, so I doubt that we’ll pass anyone on the way. If we do we’ll just kill them. Anyway, things are well past the stage of worrying about getting caught. We have to focus on getting Anna Marie back. Once we get closer to her we’ll lock Eric in a storage closet somewhere. As long as he’s wearing the cuffs he can’t do anything to stop us.”
Eric made another attempt to communicate just then and Steven kicked him hard in the gut. Then he thought about how Eric’s pride and selfishness had gotten them into this mess so he kicked him again, this time in the nuts.
“Okay,” Steven said to Teresa. “It sounds like you’ve got everything figured out, so let’s get going. The longer we wait, the worse things will get for Anna Marie.” He threw Eric over his shoulder and walked into the building with Teresa. They passed no one as they made their way inside.
Steven dropped Eric inside the first empty room they came to. “We’ll figure out what to do with him later,” he said.
Teresa nodded her assent and led Steven into a stairwell located just past the driver’s lounge. They started climbing upwards. “Where are the humans keeping Anna Marie?” Steven asked.
“She’s inside a large storage area on the third floor.”
They passed the second floor stairwell and continued walking upwards. Steven used the time to think about some of the things Teresa had said. It didn’t take him long to realize that they just didn’t add up. For instance, Teresa had said that she had seen Eric abduct Anna Marie and take her to some humans, but that she hadn’t stopped them because she wanted to find out what they had planned. What did it matter what they had planned? It would have been a simple matter for her to stop them then and there by just kicking the shit out of Eric and calling the others for help. There would have been plenty of time once Anna Marie was safe to unravel Eric’s motivation.
Steven felt more and more confused as they exited the stairwell and made a left turn into the long hallway that would hopefully lead them to Anna Marie.
Teresa had also said that the reason the main building had been so empty was because the humans had been given the night off. How could she have known that?
A confused, weary feeling came over Steven. He needed a fix so that he could clear his head and sort out the many questions spinning around inside his head. He stopped walking.
“Teresa, do you have any dope?”
“Sure,” Teresa said. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a vial of heroin. “I don’t have a rig, though.”
“That’s okay,” Steven said, and took the glass container from her. “I’ll just snort it.” He emptied the powder into his nose and soon felt some semblance of clarity return.
“Thanks. I needed that.”
They resumed walking and finally reached the end of the hallway and a set of double doors. Steven should have felt elated at getting closer to Anna Marie, but couldn’t stop thinking about all the holes in Teresa’s story. There simply hadn’t been enough time for her to find out everything she claimed to know about Anna Marie’s disappearance.
And there was also the last thing Anna Marie had said just before Steven had lost touch with her. “Wait a minute… I did hear something just after I noticed Eric’s scent. Oh my God Steven, it was-” Try as he might, Steven couldn’t help but think that both Anna Marie and Eric had meant to finish their last sentences with the words “It was Teresa.”
“Steven, you’re much too smart for your own good,” Teresa said, just before Steven slipped into unconsciousness.
28
When Steven came to he felt nauseous and groggy, like someone coming off a particularly bad drunk. He looked around at the room where he was being held. The large open space was similar to a loft apartment, but was empty except for a few cardboard boxes scattered here and there. The air inside the room felt heavy, and when Steven tried to take a deep breath to clear his head he choked on the almost invisible layer of dust that clung to the air like lint to a fuzzy sweater.
Steven struggled to get up, but was held firmly against a plain, straight-backed wooden chair by a thick metal chain. A closer look revealed that the chain was made of silver. Looks like I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, he thought. Eventually the cobwebs inside his head cleared out enough for him to remember what had happened just before the lights had gone out. It still seemed almost impossible that it was Teresa who was responsible for the present situation, but here he was.
Several minutes passed before a door finally opened and Teresa entered. She strode briskly across the room, her black combat boots making clip-clops, like a horse pulling a hansom cab through Central Park. Once she got to within a couple of feet in front of Steven she stopped and smiled warmly.
Steven didn’t return the gesture. “What the hell did you do to me back there?” he asked angrily.
“It was the dope,” Teresa replied, her voice happy-go-lucky. “It was fortunate for me that you asked for some, but even if you hadn’t I would have suggested it. It’s not like you would have turned it down.”
“You’re lying. I’m a vampire for Christ’s sake, but even if I wasn’t, I’m still a junkie with a huge tolerance. There’s no way that a little bump like that would knock me out.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. The Junkie Vampires. How I hate that goddamned nickname of Anna Marie’s. It’s so stupid. Once I’m Queen, my first decree will be to forbid anyone from using it.”
“So that’s what this is all about. You want to be Queen.”
“Among other things, but let’s stick to one question at a time. You were knocked out because the dope you snorted had garlic in it. You should have easily noticed the smell but I guess you were too preoccupied with getting to your precious Anna Marie. Garlic doesn’t kill us, but it does cause a delayed allergic shock that’s strong enough to shut our bodies down long enough for them to reboot. I’ll answer the question of what this is all about as soon as our other guests arrive.”
As if on cue, the doors opened a second time and an officious-looking human entered, pushing a gurney. Steven’s heart caught in his throat and he struggled even harder against his chains once he saw its passenger. It was Anna Marie, also restrained by silver. The man stopped opposite Steven and raised the gurney to an almost vertical position, giving Anna Marie the appearance of standing.
Teresa gestured to the man, a balding forty-something who wore horn rimmed glasses and a dark blue business suit. “Steven, this is Mr. Blanchard, the Director of Research and Development here at Theegun. You’re
probably unaware of this since you’ve spent the last decade on the streets, but in recent years the pharmaceutical industry has enjoyed an explosion of growth. For this reason I thought it prudent to forge an alliance with one of the more prominent firms. I decided on Theegun, not only because they lead the world in production and sales of narcotics, but also due to their pioneering research in the fields of genetic engineering and anti-aging technologies.”
At least that much makes sense, Steven thought. Any company interested in developing treatments that delayed the aging process would naturally want to be involved with vampires and their inherent immortality. What he didn’t understand was what Teresa stood to gain by the association.
Mr. Blanchard fiddled with his tie and tried unsuccessfully not to appear intimidated as Teresa continued to speak. “Over the years I’ve provided Mr. Blanchard with small samples of vampire blood, which his research team has used to create medications that have proven successful in prolonging human life to a very limited extent. In order to be able to produce a product that will provide anything even close to immortality, however, Mr. Blanchard needs to study a living vampire, a guinea pig, if you will. I told him that when the time was right I would not only give him a living, breathing vampire, but our very own super-special Vampire Queen!”
Where the hell is the fucking cavalry? Steven wondered silently. Hasi and the others should have been here by now. I’ve got to keep Teresa talking and stall for time.
“But why wait until now?” Steven asked. “It’s been two thousand years since you joined the clan. It seems to me that if you wanted the throne so badly you would have made a play for it long before now.”
“I guess this is the part of the story where I’m supposed to say ‘I don’t guess there’s any harm in telling you the truth since you’ll be dead soon’ and you keep me talking until help arrives,” Teresa said, still smiling. “Well, I’m more than happy to play along and tell you anything you want to know, but I have to warn you that if you expect to see Hasi and the others bursting through the door anytime soon you’re shit out of luck.”
Teresa paused to relish the crestfallen look on Steven’s face before she continued. “I know you’ve heard bits and pieces about the Draconians, how we’ve had a running feud for the past few centuries. Well, lately I’ve been in collusion with them as well as the humans. You see, the Draconians value gold as much as we do dope, so last week I presented their king with more gold bullion than is currently locked away inside Fort Knox. In return, he agreed to send a hundred or so of his best soldiers to the mansion tonight to keep Hasi and the others occupied until our business here is finished.”
Steven had to give Teresa credit. So far she had been able to successfully anticipate every possible move the clan might make once Anna Marie’s disappearance was discovered, and plan accordingly. He looked at Anna Marie and smiled, hoping his face didn’t betray the fact that he was becoming a little bit more frightened with every passing second. Anna Marie smiled back and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could utter a single word Teresa rushed forward and slapped her hard across the mouth. Tears of pain flooded Anna Marie’s eyes.
“No talking allowed!” Teresa shouted. “And don’t even think about using your telepathy, either of you, because the walls are lined with lead. As you can see, I’ve been a very busy vampire the past few months.” The anger in her voice subsided and she quickly became cheerful again.
“As I was saying, Steven, I’ll be glad to tell you what’s going to happen. Not because I have to, but because I really do like you. That part wasn’t an act. I wouldn’t even kill you if it wasn’t such an important part of my plan.”
“Why do you have to kill me?”
“Because she wants revenge, Steven,” Anna Marie said, her voice strong and confident despite everything she’d been through. “This is about Elaine, isn’t it Teresa?”
“Ding-ding-ding!” Teresa said angrily. “Give the lady a prize! Of course it’s about Elaine, you stupid bitch! Yes. Elaine, my dear one. The vampire you murdered.”
“I didn’t murder Elaine, Teresa. I tried to help her,” Anna Marie said softly.
“LIKE HELL YOU DID!!” Teresa screamed and struck Anna Marie again, but this time instead of an open-handed slap her blow was a punch to the left side of Anna Marie’s face that splattered blood all over her.
Teresa paused to wipe a spot of Anna Marie’s blood off her cheek before she continued. “You tried to help her. What a fucking joke. Tell me, Anna Marie. Just what was it that you did to try and help her, because all I remember you doing was tripping off halfway around the world while Elaine became depressed enough to take a stroll outside in the midday sunshine. Now I know you’re going to say that all vampires get depressed around Teresa’s age, which is true, but there’s a big difference between everyone else and Elaine. With everyone else, you did your duty as their queen and helped them make it successfully out the other side. I guess Elaine didn’t matter enough for you to care.”
“That’s not fair,” Anna Marie said sadly. I did try to help her.”
“NO!!” Teresa screamed. Steven thought she would hit Anna Marie a second time, but instead she wrestled silently with her anger for several minutes until she finally regained control. When she spoke again her voice was softer and more reasonable.
“No. You didn’t. What you did do was traipse off to the Middle East with Joseph and Samantha for ten years while Elaine withered away. I, on the other hand, stayed here, loved her, and tried to save her. But love wasn’t what she needed. What she needed were the healing spells you’ve cast on every other vampire during their dark times, but you couldn’t be bothered enough to stop your vacation and come back here to help her.”
Anna Marie sighed loudly. She looked at Teresa with pleading eyes. “Teresa, I wasn’t on vacation and you know it. Once we discovered that Afghanistan had become such an important source of opium production I had to go there and secure those resources. Besides, neither of us knew how advanced Elaine’s depression had become or how much she had deteriorated. If things with Elaine had proceeded in the normal fashion there would have been plenty of time for me to save her, but I just didn’t know.”
“What you mean is that you just didn’t care. You knew exactly how sick she was! I sent you message after message telling you so.”
“And I told you that I never received any of those messages, Teresa,” Anna Marie said calmly. “I don’t know why they never reached me but they didn’t. I loved Elaine too. Not like you did, of course, but she was one of my children, and I loved her.”
“You had one hell of a way of showing it.”
Steven spoke up. “Teresa, I’m sure that if Anna Marie says she did all she could to save Elaine she’s telling the truth. I know that I haven’t been here as long as you, but I do know that Anna Marie is fair, honest, and loves each one of us.”
“Of course you would say that,” Teresa said scornfully, “You’re in love with her.” She laughed bitterly and raised an arm in a grand, sweeping gesture. “Anna Marie has finally found her perfect love! For two thousand years I’ve had to sit by and watch while our fearless leader wallows in the self-pity that she enjoys so much. Poor Anna Marie…Its way past time you got over yourself, Your Majesty.”
Teresa turned to Steven. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t hear at least one vampire say ‘Isn’t it horrible what happened to Anna Marie?’ or ‘Don’t you feel sorry for Anna Marie?’ Well, you know what? I don’t. Why should I feel sorry for her? She sure as hell didn’t feel sorry enough for me to keep Elaine from burning herself alive. Now after all these years, she finally meets her beloved Steven, the vampire destined to whisk her away into eternity and give her the special love she’s always deserved, but has been denied for so long.”
Teresa cast a sideways glance at Anna Marie. “I’m sorry Anna Marie, but I won’t allow that to happen. Before the sun comes up, you’re going to find out exactly how it feels to lose your
true love. You are going to suffer every ounce of pain that I did when Elaine died and endure the sorrow that comes from not being able to do a single damned thing to stop it.”
It would have definitely added to Teresa’s enjoyment if Anna Marie had begged for her life, Steven’s life, or both of their lives just then, but she didn’t. Instead she looked directly into Teresa’s eyes and let her know exactly how things stood between them.
“Teresa, I’m truly sorry for what happened to Elaine. You may not believe this, but there’s not a day that passes when I don’t think about you both and wish that things had gone differently. I love you, Teresa, and I don’t want your misplaced anger over Elaine’s death to take away everything we have built together over the years, so I’m giving you this one opportunity to make things right. If you do, I promise that no one will ever find out about your betrayal. We’ll destroy the humans that remain here and walk away together, everything forgotten. However, if you decide to continue, if you do anything that harms even one tiny hair on Steven’s head, I promise that you will rue the day we met. The punishment I will mete out to you will be slow, merciless, and eternal.”
By way of answer, Teresa walked slowly up to Steven and ripped out a large chunk of his hair and scalp. Everything in his field of vision burned white-hot and he struggled to remain conscious through the worst pain he’d ever felt.
Teresa threw the bloody mess onto the floor at Anna Marie’s feet and spit on it before grinding it into the floor with her boot.
Anna Marie looked directly into the eyes of her onetime friend. “So be it.”
29
The two vampires glared into each other’s eyes for several minutes before they were finally interrupted by the human. “Teresa, there are just about three hours left until dawn,” he said in a quivering voice. “You asked me to let you know.”