The Harvesting

by Melanie Karsak

He laughed.

  “Talk,” I said again in Russian, “you piece of trash. Where are my girls?”

  His eyes lit up in surprise. “Ahh, of course,” he said with a smile. “They are with her. Go ask her for them,” he said with a laugh, his eyes indicating they were in the room at the end of the hall.

  “What did you do to my brother?” Jamie cursed at the man through clenched teeth.

  “I cured him.”

  “You condemned him,” I corrected.

  “Really? Once he has made the final transformation he’ll have immortal life in a world where your kind are on a fast track to extinction.”

  “My kind? I imagine you were once human too, weren’t you?” I said

  The doctor looked thoughtful, almost as if I reminded him of something he’d long forgotten. For a brief second I saw him remember, and a kind of sadness crossed his face. He then pulled himself together and looked at me with a scolding glance. He looked down at the sword and back at me again. I could see he was calculating.

  I shook my head at him.

  He smiled.

  I swung.

  Before he could transform, his head hit the floor, that odd calculating expression on his face. His head rolled across the floor, hitting the girl’s lifeless body. Jamie reached down to examine her. Both of her wrists had been slashed open.

  “They drained her, took her heart,” he said, looking sympathetically at the girl.

  I had not seen her before, but she looked to be only a teenager. I eyed the rest of the room. Clearly this was the doctor’s blood-letting room. Strange instruments hung from the walls and ceilings. Blood was smeared on the once pale yellow fabric of the couches. I shook thinking of Kira and Susan in such a place.

  As quietly as possible we took a quick canvas of the room and found it empty. As we were nearing the door again, we heard voices in the hallway.

  “Where is Rostov?” I heard Rumor ask.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  “Door is closed. He must have gone down already,” I heard Finn reply.

  She sighed heavily. “Bring them,” she instructed to someone.

  In the hallway, I heard the muffled cries of Kira and Susan. I reached for the door, but Jamie stopped me.

  “Not yet,” he mouthed to me.

  From the hallway, I heard a door click open and the sound of Rumor’s receding voice. The sound of footsteps drifted upward and away.

  “Roof?” Jamie questioned.

  I nodded.

  We waited a few more minutes and then slowly opened the door. The hallway was still dark, but the door to Rumor’s penthouse was now open. We were about to follow the stairs to the roof when we heard noise coming from inside the penthouse. Turning back, we moved slowly into the penthouse.

  Clearly, this was Rumor’s room. The penthouse was the most lavishly furnished of all the places I’d seen in the hotel. On top of that, it looked like Rumor had brought along artifacts from her former life with her. Portraits of Rumor hinted that she was much older than her contemporary name suggested. There were images of her in a white wig which dated to the late 1700s and other paintings that indicated some sort of French connection. Smaller paintings showed her in medieval dress. Figurines, matryoshka dolls, and paintings with a phoenix, bears, and Baba Yaga images revealed her Slavic roots. Again, however, we heard the strange sound; it sounded like thrashing and heavy breathing. We followed the noise to a side bedroom where we saw movement on the bed.

  Jamie pulled his LED flashlight from his vest and motioned to me; I got ready. He clicked the light on to reveal a single body lying in the bed covered with a sheet. It stirred. My heart raced. I positioned the sword and moved toward the bed. Grabbing the end of the sheet, I pulled it off. There, strapped to the bed, lay one of the undead. It turned, jerking, toward the light, straining at its restraints.

  “What the hell is she doing with that?” Jamie whispered.

  I looked at it. It had once been human, a male with long, dark hair. His skin was only slightly wilted. He had tattoos on both arms. He hissed and bit at us.

  Set me free, a voice said in my head.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked Jamie.

  “Hear what?”

  Set me free or kill me.

  I stared at the undead man. His moon-white eyes looked right at me. He’d gone still. It was like he was waiting. My god! Had I really heard him?

  I lifted my sword and stabbed the creature between the eyes. The spark behind those white, undead eyes flickered out.

  Then we heard movement in the outer foyer. Jamie clicked off the light. We were trapped. There was nowhere to hide. A second later, Ian’s familiar shape appeared in the candle-lit outer room.

  Jamie moved forward. I tried to pull him back, but he moved before I could grab him.

  “Ian?” Jamie called quietly.

  What had once been Ian looked at his brother. From behind, I could see Jamie’s body stiffen as he took it in. Ian stood staring at Jamie.

  “I can smell you, Layla,” Ian said after a moment.

  I came out of the shadow and stood behind Jamie. My sword was lowered but my hold on the grip was tight.

  Ian stared at the two of us. Then, he turned to go.

  “What will you do, just stand aside and let them drain Kira and Susan?” Jamie called, taking a few steps after his brother.

  Ian stopped in the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder at Jamie. Ian gazed at his brother for a moment and then walked back into the dark hallway. Jamie and I stood in the darkness.

  “That was not my brother,” Jamie whispered.

  “I--” I started, but I didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry didn’t feel like enough. I was sorry, but it was too late for Ian. Jamie knew that now. “Kira and Susan are still alive.”

  Jamie seemed to come back to himself. He looked down at me and took a deep breath. After a moment, he nodded, and we went forward. We found the door that led to the roof. Opening it as quietly as possible, we entered the stairwell. Carefully, we climbed, expecting to be greeted by a host of vampires partying on the roof. Instead, we emerged in the moonlight to find no one. It was completely empty.

  Jamie and I stood on the roof and gazed at the grounds of the HarpWind. The night was nearly cloudless. Silver stars, uncorrupted by city lights, filled the sky. The Milky Way illuminated the skyline, the crescent moon hanging like an ornament. It must have been sometime after midnight. I went to the edge of the roof and looked over.

  Below, we saw hotel staff coming out of the back of the hotel and heading toward the western end of the island. They were laughing and joking, their voices rising up toward us. Several minutes later Corbin, Finn, Matilda, and Katya appeared. They too made their way west across the lawns. Following behind them was Rumor. She had on a gauzy red dress. It blew all around her in the wind. Holding her hand was Susan who held fast to Kira. Anger nearly boiled over in me. They walked across the lawn and into a thicket of trees, disappearing into the shadow of the night.

  “How did they get down?” Jamie wondered.

  “As shadows or maybe jumped. They seem to have enhanced physical skill and strength.”

  We turned and headed back inside. We’d have to take the stairs if we wanted to follow them. When we pushed open the door to the fifth floor hallway, we saw that the door to Rostov’s room was open. We were found out. A moment later, a woman appeared in the doorframe. I recognized her at once. It was the same vampire who’d tried to assassinate me.

  “This time, you’re mine,” she said and lunged at me. She grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall, suspending me several feet up. Her strong hands squeezed my neck. I rasped. Jamie plunged his knife into the back of her neck. She turned her head for a moment and gave him an annoyed expression. When she did so, I took my chance. I reached into the pocket of my vest and pulled out the holy water. Flicking out the cork, I opened it. She turned at me and grinned. I splashed the water onto her face.

  She dropped me
at once and let out a howl, her hands covering her face. Her skin smoked with a strange sulfur-like burning smell. She moved her hands for just a moment. I saw a horrid sight. It looked as if her skin was melting from her bones. She fell over, her body burnt to a pile of ash.

  Jamie grabbed my hand. “Come on! Someone could have heard her.”

  We ran down the hall and took the stairs to the fourth floor.

  “We can’t wait for dawn. We need to get everyone out of here now. I’ll go for the girls. Get everyone gathered at the east end of the hotel. Once I have the girls I’ll meet you there.”

  “No. We can go together.”

  “There is no time.”

  “But what if something happens to you?”

  His question was multi-layered. “Go to the eastern end of Enita Island to the shoreline. There is another, smaller island just off shore. There’s a boat there. Take everyone to the other island. It is a place of safety. At the center of the island is a stone labyrinth. Follow it to completion. It will take you off the island.”

  Jamie looked amazed. “How do you know that?”

  “A fox told me.”

  “Layla?”

  “A kind of spirit, a fox woman, guided me there and told me the labyrinth is a doorway.”

  “To where?”

  “Out of here.”

  “I thought foxes were supposed to be tricksters,” he said absently, but then added. “I suppose it would just be too easy to take the yacht?”

  “They can transform into shadow. They could find us if we take the yacht.”

  “Yep, too easy.”

  “We’ll be fine. I’ll get the girls and meet you there.”

  “Layla,” Jamie said grabbing me and pulling me close. “I love you,” he whispered and gave me a deep kiss. “Please, be careful.”

  “I love you too,” I replied, and squeezed his chin, kissing him sweetly. “Hey, we survived hundreds of the undead so far, what’s a handful of vampires?”

  Jamie shook his head at me. “See you soon.”

  “See you soon.” And we set off in different directions.

  Chapter 32

  The hotel was dead. It was too late for any survivors to still be up, and all of the staff was gone. Apparently they had gone to the party Ian had mentioned. The idea that it was a party worried me. What were they celebrating, and what, besides that poor girl’s heart in a jar, was on the menu? I shuddered to consider it.

  I exited the hotel. Hiding in the shadows as much as possible, I went west. I took the path I’d seen Rumor and her entourage take into the thick forest. The air was cool under the trees. They made a thick canopy which nearly occluded the moonlight. I stepped carefully through the woods trying to make as little sound as possible. The earthy woods smell was tangy and sweet. I passed through the woods, worrying every shadow was one of them, and soon found myself at the edge of a very large pond. On the other side was a reception hall. Through the nearly floor to ceiling windows, I could see people moving around. At such a distance, however, they were merely shapes. The room was full of candle-light; the flames bounced on the waters of the pond outside. Apparently, I’d found the party.

  I kept low and near the water’s edge. When I neared the building, I heard the outside door open and close, but no one came near me. The sound of happy and excited voices filled the night air when the door opened. When I was finally near the hall, I lay on my belly, snuck up the bankside, and looked inside.

  I wasn’t sure if what I saw within was a blood bath or an orgy. I squelched the scream that nearly escaped my lips. Inside, almost everyone was either naked or half undressed. The hosts were drinking the blood of those I’d see during the day; white flesh was streaked red with dripping blood. Many were having sex and being bled at the same time, sometimes being eaten by more than one vampire. From the looks on their faces, they were in a state of rapture. My eyes scanned the room for Kira and Susan, praying they were not witness to such a horrific sight, praying they were not being eaten alive. As I scanned, my eyes fell on Ian. He and Rumor were lost in their own ecstasy; he was thrusting into her while she bit his shoulder, her legs wrapped around his waist, blood dripping down his back. I felt myself tear up. Then I stood and maneuvered toward the back of the building.

  Once I got to the side of the building, I looked into the window of one of the back rooms. Kira and Susan were sitting side by side on the floor in the kitchen. They had been redressed in simple white gowns, their hair adorned with spring flowers. They were holding fast to each other and looked scared, but they were alive. Carefully, I tried the window. It was locked. But there was a door at the back that led directly to the kitchen.

  I slid around the side of the building. There was no one there and the door was ajar. I opened it. Kira and Susan looked up. They were both startled to see me. Kira opened her mouth to call out, but Susan quickly covered her mouth. I put my finger over my lips and motioned them to come to me.

  Quietly, the two girls came hand in hand. I led them out. As I turned to look for an escape route, I found myself face to face with Corbin.

  He smiled menacingly at me and this time I could see his fangs. “I told you to remember that you asked to come.”

  In a heartbeat, I dropped Susan’s hand, freed the shashka from the scabbard across my back, and let it sing through the air. With one fell swoop, I sliced off Corbin’s head. It hit the earth with a thud. The creature’s ridiculous smile was still on his face.

  “Shut up,” I said and kicked the head into the weeds. I then slid the body under a thicket.

  The noise didn’t seem to attract anyone. I grabbed the girls, carrying Susan and holding on to Kira, and we took off in a run toward the hotel.

  We had almost passed through the forest when my hands started to tingle. There was someone in the forest with us. I stopped and looked around. The moonlight above cast long shadows everywhere. I swore I saw something moving but could not get a fix. My eyes darted around trying to spot one of them, but I saw nothing clearly.

  “What’s wrong?” Kira whispered.

  I put my finger to my lip to silence her. I bent to pick her up, but in that same moment I felt someone behind me. There was a strange feeling of built up energy when he morphed from shadow to corporeal form. The leaves crackled under its feet.

  “Going somewhere?” a male voice asked.

  I turned to see Ambrosio standing there.

  “Go away,” Susan yelled at him. I felt a tug on my vest and then Ambrosio flung backward, a look of shock and pain on his face. He opened his mouth to scream but fell into a pile of ash.

  I looked at Susan. She had pulled the water gun Jamie had given me from my vest. She’d blasted him with holy water.

  “Nice shooting,” I told her, and then hoisting up Kira, I set off in a run.

  I ran across the lawn toward the eastern end of the hotel. Everyone was waiting. When they spotted me, Jamie and Frenchie rushed to intercept me. I set the girls down. They ran to their mother.

  Jamie wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. “Amazing,” he whispered.

  Frenchie smiled at me as she kissed her daughters. I saw her eye their clothes, and she too could guess the meaning of such dress.

  “We’re in trouble. We need to go, now,” I replied.

  “Oh, Layla, thank god. Where did you find those girls?” Ethel asked.

  “Don’t ask,” I replied. “We need to move.”

  “Where is Ian?” Mrs. Finch asked.

  I gazed at Jamie who said nothing. I shook my head.

  “What should we do?” Larry asked.

  “We need to take out the hotel and the yacht,” I instructed. “Jeff, you got the bottles?”

  He nodded, tapping some boxes with his foot.

  “What is going on here?” one of the survivors asked.

  “Just stay with Layla,” Ethel replied.

  “We have the cloth strips,” Summer said and handed them to me.

  “Quickly, start c
orking bottles,” I instructed.

  “Molotovs?” Kiki asked.

  I nodded. Jeff and the others started rapidly corking vodka bottles with strips of cloth. I could see my grandmother shaking her head—a terrible waste.

  “We can take out the hotel,” Tom said, and several others around him nodded.

  “What about the yacht? Won’t we need it?” Kiki asked.

  “No, everyone needs to come with me. There is another way off the island. We have to go to a smaller island just off shore. There,” I said, pointing toward the shoreline where the fox had led me down the earthen steps earlier that day.

  “We got the yacht,” Jeff said as he and Gary packed a bag of liquor bottles.

  “Guys, we need to haul ass. We’ve already killed some of them. They could be on us at any minute. Fire. Decapitation. I don’t think guns will do anything,” I cautioned.

  Moments later, everyone was moving off in different directions. Jamie headed out with Tom and his group. I led my group through the rocky weeds down to the shoreline. The moon above illuminated the waves. The row boat was where I had left it.

  “Quickly,” I said, motioning them toward the boat.

  I turned to Larry. “Get everyone on that island as fast as possible.”

  “On it, Layla.”

  I grabbed Larry’s arm. “Frenchie and the girls on the first trip.”

  He nodded affirmatively.

  I waited until he got the first boat loaded and was headed safely across the waves. Then I ran back toward the hotel. Just as I reached the lawn, I heard the sound of breaking glass and a familiar boom as fire exploded. The burning alcohol sprayed across the wooden thatches.

  From the western end traveling east, I saw explosion after explosion tearing at the side of the hotel. In the firelight, I saw Jamie’s and Tom’s hustling figures.

  Then I heard another sound. A wailing, like a banshee scream, sounded from somewhere in the distance.

  I saw Tom and Jamie stop for a moment and then set off in a sprint across the lawn.

  Then there was another explosion from the direction of the dock. The yacht was on fire.

  My heart raced. I melded back into the grass and watched: Jamie, Tom, Will, Dusty, Buddie, and Mr. Jones raced across the lawn toward me.