by Dale Mayer
He sat up and pulled at the straps. They were tight. But... he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and pulled. And pulled.
Nothing. Tessa's retractable claws would come in handy right now. What the hell? He was a vamp, he had more muscle strength than ten humans. But these beds...they had to have been prepared for vamps.
Shit.
He collapsed back on the bed. He was so tired. Even though their vamp lineage could keep them awake for long periods as long as they stayed out of the sunlight, it couldn't sustain them indefinitely. They all needed rest and blood. Some things that they weren't likely to get anytime soon.
Still, there was no way he was going to stay here and wait to be rescued. He'd never live that down. Even Tessa had managed to escape. Plus she'd shown him up enough these last few days. He closed his eyes and urged his vamp heritage to match the slow building fury inside. He'd had enough of being beaten down, drugged up, and confined in rooms. To add insult to injury, he was tied up again after being beaten.
Enough was enough. He could feel the energy surging through his veins. Opening his eyes, he stared at the white tiled ceiling he hated. Gritting his teeth, he slowly clenched his fists and tightened his muscles. With a burst of anger fueling his body, he lunged off the bed. There was a momentary strain before the straps snapped, sending him hurtling forward. He cried out as needles were ripped out from his arm. His wings unfurled, barely stopping his collapse to the floor.
Gasping with euphoric relief, he stood in the center of the small room and stretched out his wings and arms. He cried out. His left wing throbbed. It wasn’t broken, but the feathers were bent back on one side. He stretched around but couldn't reach the spot. He shook them freely several times, but the left one was damaged just enough that he wasn't sure flying was something he should be trying anytime soon. And that just pissed him off even more.
He'd heal. But would he heal fast enough?
He straightened, folded his wings into place, and muttered out loud, "To hell with it. It has to be good enough." He took several steps forward, testing his muscles. Damned drugs. He hated the weakness coursing through his muscles, not to mention the fear that they might have used mind-altering drugs on him, like what they'd pumped into Rhia.
And that scared him more than anything else they could do to him. He'd seen the results of their drugs. Not just with Rhia, but also with Ian and Jewel. He shuddered.
That so wasn't going to happen to him.
Then he heard a noise outside his door. Time was up. Someone was coming.
Shit.
*.*.*
Number 97239.
The reality staring at Jared was too much. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
"Are you sure?" Taz spoke, his fingers already checking the data on the computer unit attached to the hanging male. "This is one of the older units. He's been here for a long time. I'll have to check the information in the computer system to see just how long."
Jared’s voice cracked when he said, "At least 13-14 years. I'm 17 and he's been gone most of my life. I have the barest of memories of him."
Taz's sucked in breath was audible in the eerily silent living morgue of the blood farm.
"Damn. I'm sorry, son. That's a tough one."
"My uncle sold him." Jared stared at the ravaged body of his father, a hatred he'd never imagined possible forming inside him. "I overheard him and my aunt talking about having gotten rid of him for good. I was supposed to be hanging up here beside him. And I would be, except for Tessa."
"I'm sorry Jared. Even knowing what you've found, I wish you weren't here. This is no place for you. And we have no answers yet. Especially not for anyone who could possibly have been hanging here for as long as your father might have been."
Jared struggled to his feet, hating the moisture collecting at the corner of his eyes. "I had to come," he said simply. "Once I knew, I just had to."
Taz sighed. "I understand. Come with me and let's see what information we can find in the computer system. Maybe we can download this man's history and either confirm or refute his identity."
Jared stared up at the plasticized version of so many of his own features and felt like ripping his father down from the ceiling hooks. "I want him down from there."
Taz stopped and turned around. "If you do something, you are likely to kill him."
Jared closed his eyes. He knew that. But to see his father hanging, helpless, victimized into this living dead state…he shuddered.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. "Come on. Let's do what we can on the computer end first."
Jared let himself be led away. With a final look at the hanging man, he said, his voice cracking, "He can't be helped, can he?"
There was a heavy silence, then Taz said, "I don't know. I hope so, but if he's been hanging as long as you believe he has been, then it's probable that his system, muscles, and bones are too damaged to have a chance of recovery." He turned to glance at Jared. "But we don't know that for sure. While he's there, he's alive. And every day gives us a chance to find the answers we need to help him and the others."
There was some truth to that. If his father could stay alive, then maybe they could find something to help him. He'd been hanging for so long now…as much as it was hard to leave him there, it might be the best answer. At least for today.
Still, he had no plans to leave his father alone here. Not now that he finally found him.
"Thank you."
Taz looked over at him in surprise. "You're welcome." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm about to become a father, so you're definitely hitting my buttons with your find."
"Yeah, and I wouldn't have known about it except for what I overheard today."
"You can tell me all about that now. We'll write up a report and make sure no one slips through the cracks. We want to make sure everyone pays for this nightmare they've created."
"I'm all for that. I'd like to see my aunt and uncle hanging up here themselves."
"Well, that won't happen." Taz shook his head. "But that doesn't mean they will get away with this."
"Good. Then let's go find the proof."
Jared smiled, a feral smile of vengeance. "And then they can spend the rest of their lives in a different kind of prison."
"What? You can hear him?" David raced toward her. Goran and her father were too far ahead to hear her, same as the others.
"Yes." She shouted gleefully, almost dancing in place. "He's strapped down on a bed in a room, alone. He's trying to get loose and has no idea where he is."
David held up his hand for a high five. "It doesn't matter. We'll find him." He turned and started running after the ancients in front of the group, calling behind, "It would be good if he could get free, though. He could give us directions on how to find him."
"I know."
She fell into last place, with all the other vamps running ahead of her. She hated to be last, but her energy wasn't the same as theirs and now that she knew Cody was alive…she wanted to talk to him. But… Hey Cody. Any luck getting loose?
Yeah. I'm loose but it looks like I'm about to have company.
Shit.
Actually double shit. Gotta go. Things are about to get…busy.
Tessa picked up the pace, now flat out running behind the others. Cody needed help and fast.
Up ahead, she caught sight of Goran circling in place. Energy filled the air around him. There was a lot of colorful swirling energy that hadn't been there very long. They were either catching up to the assholes who took Cody or the other vamps had caught sight of Goran and booked it. Of course there could be many other scenarios, but she liked the sound of that last one. Anything that had the other guys running away worked for her.
She came to a staggering stop as the rest of the vamps gathered below Goran.
"What's he doing?" Motre asked.
Tessa had no idea. And where was her father? Usually where there was one ancient, you could
be sure to find the other. She found him on the far wall resting on some kind of ledge. "Look, there's Dad."
The others stared in the direction she pointed. As they watched, Serus dropped to the floor below. And onto something…or someone.
Goran flew down in a fast plummet to join the fray.
Motre roared and the next thing Tessa knew, she and Jewel were the only ones left standing in the same place.
Jewel, her eyes huge and exhausted, looked over at her. "Will this ever end?"
"Yes, it will. And soon." Tessa answered with a firmness she didn't feel, then whispered to herself. "It has to."
She didn't think she could keep doing this.
Then all selfish thoughts disappeared as Cody screamed through her mind. A little help would be good.
Cody! Shit. We're on the way.
*.*.*
Rhia and Sian stared at Councilman Adamson and Gloria as they scrolled through the names and numbers. There was no break in their hard blank glares. At least the glares were now directed on the screen and not at them. Thank heavens for something.
"Where did you get this?" snapped Councilman Adamson, his gaze narrow and cold as he glared at Rhia. Rhia glared back. She'd taken a big chance showing him this material. Gloria too. But Gloria had lost her husband and son in the last war, and Rhia was betting that she'd be more than helpful. Vamps were many things, and pissed off vamps were especially known for getting their revenge.
Without warning, Rhia snapped the lid closed. "We picked it up from the blood farm."
"The blood farm?" Gloria took a step closer to the laptop.
Rhia held the laptop to her chest and watched the dragon lady approach. "Yes. The one my daughter just found."
Both sets of eyes locked on her face. She could feel their intense scrutiny. She stood firm. Sian sucked her breath in at her side. "There is more than one blood farm. It's a huge operation and in this laptop we have the who, when, and how."
Councilman Adamson stared at her, his gaze hard and unreadable. His tone of voice was not. He was pissed, but curious as he asked, "And? Why are you here?"
Rhia took a deep breath and said, "Because your name is NOT on this list of board members."
He reared back in shock, a frown rippling over his face.
Gloria gasped. "Surely, you're not saying everyone else is on that list?"
Sian shook her head. "No. Not everyone. But it’s enough that we can see those who are and those who aren't. And of course we have to consider the group that each side is very close to."
Rhia understood what she meant even if Councilman Adamson gave no indication to his thoughts. Last time, the council was firmly divided. So many of the council were on the side of humans and against blood farms, while just as many had come down on the other side. By looking at their friends and associates, it was easy to guess where each member stood. Some, like Gloria, remained in the grey area. And that's why she kept her gaze on the older woman.
"Rhia? Is this true?" Councilman Adamson asked.
"Mostly. Not everyone's name is here, but enough for us to realize how dangerous it is for us to be the only ones with this knowledge." She curled her lip at the surprised look passing between the two of them. "Of course, we have passed on this information to a few others. Just in case..." and her smile dropped several degrees in temperature. "...we're wrong."
Gloria turned back to her and snapped, "Well, I certainly don't have anything to do with this mess." She tossed her hair, the haughty look on her face cold and superior.
"I know," Rhia said gently. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
Gloria narrowed her gaze then spluttered as she understood what Rhia was implying. "You'd have come into my home to kill me?"
"Your home?" asked Sian gently. "We came here to see Councilman Adamson. Not you."
The three women stared at each other with distrust, the temperature of the room dropping steadily.
"Easy, ladies." murmured Adamson. "We're all on the same team here." He motioned to Rhia and Sian to come further into his house. "This has been a shock, but let's deal with this calmly. We don't want to go making accusations that aren't warranted."
Gloria snorted. "Goran already contacted me about this blood farm. He wanted me to find the enforcers."
"And did you believe him?" Sian asked. "Or did you delete the message?"
Gloria raised an eyebrow. "You can't know Goran very well if you think he panics over nothing. Or that he would waste my time."
Rhia smiled. Maybe they'd made the right decision after all. "So you're on our side?"
"Not having heard all the details yet, I'm not willing to go that far," said Councilman Adamson. "But I do see names on there that don't surprise me. In fact, I've wondered about some of them for a long time."
Sian nodded. "I know. There are a few names in here that will surprise you. But it's big. Bigger than you can imagine."
Councilman Adamson's face went dark. Then he sighed, almost seeming to age in front of them. "Good enough. Let's take a closer look."
*.*.*
Serus took a fist to the jaw and kept on moving. He'd landed on the back of one vamp and crushed him to the ground, but a second had jumped him while he was trying to get back up. Now that he was moving forward, two piles of ash at his feet, nothing was going to stop him. Enough of this bullshit. He was tired, hungry, fed up, and wanted to go home to Rhia. But first they had to find Cody. That boy was like a son to him. He couldn't imagine how Goran would handle it if anything happened to Cody.
It was too horrible to contemplate. But if Tessa said the kid was alive, then he was good with that. They all needed hope.
Especially Goran.
They were both too old for this shit, but it didn't matter. They hadn't taken care of business the first time around so there was no ducking it this time. The last thing he wanted to do was leave this mess for his kids to sort out.
Another blow came out of nowhere and Serus realized he'd been standing in a daze while the fighting went on around him. Shit.
"Come on boy, wake up. It's not that I can't handle this pack of dogs without you, but no whining afterwards that I didn't share," shouted Goran.
Serus laughed, a booming sound that made the guy in front of him suddenly turn and look for an exit. And he got it. Goran lifted and tossed him in one fell swoop. The guy hit the wall and fell, bouncing a few times before he hit the ground and stayed there.
"Look out!" shouted Goran.
Serus pivoted and ducked, a silver spike raking along his shoulder and catching on the leather of his coat. "Hey," he roared. "I love this coat." He grabbed the arm holding the spike and twisted it around, forcing it into the guy's back. Instantly, the vamp turned to ash in front of him.
"Asshole," muttered Serus. He spotted a vamp several feet to one side fighting with Goran. It was almost too easy, but he figured they needed to conserve their energy. He took a spike from his pocket and stabbed the first vamp, then withdrew it and stabbed the second vamp who was about to step into the dead guy's place.
"Where did they find so many bad guys?" Goran asked. "And are they imports or created?"
"Created in a lab most likely," Serus said. "These are not normal vamps."
Another male snorted and waded through the ash piles toward him. "Hell no, we aren't. We're much better." And he threw a punch, silver glinting in his fist. Serus managed to duck just enough that it skimmed safely over his head. He pivoted and stabbed his spike upward, impaling the vamp in the side.
The man fell to the ground gasping, but it wasn't the normal turning into ash scenario. Instead, there was a slow hissing sound and weird 'off' smell as the large vamp appeared to cook from the inside out.
Backing away, Goran held his nose. "Jesus. What the hell are they doing to these guys?"
"Nothing good." Serus coughed several times to clear his throat, backing away several steps behind Goran. "Is that all of them?"
"Al
l that are here right now." Goran looked around. He nodded toward the group of young males making their way over to them. "There you are. Leave all the work to us ancients, huh? Talk about lazy."
But his voice was cocky and pleased. Serus figured he'd been delighted to show off and crack a few heads. Dealing with younger vamps was always a bit of a struggle. Supposedly the ancients were stronger, bigger, and according to the ancients, smarter. But sometimes that wasn't even close. However, the younger generation was often cockier, more arrogant, and thought they knew more. In truth, they had no experience to back anything up.
Serus searched the crowd, happy to see David and Jewel there with Ian. But where the hell was Tessa? That girl could get into more trouble than the three of them combined. Ah, there she was, running to catch up. The look on her face...
He called out, "Tessa, what's going on?"
Her grin widened, making her look even more like her mother.
"Cody is awake. He's loose from his straps, but said he could use some help because company is on the way."
With a spring to his step, Goran walked over the ash piles toward her. "Does he know where he is?"
Tessa shook her head. "No. Apparently, he's being held in a room similar to all the rest except it's only got one bed. He thought he heard someone coming, but that was a few minutes ago and I haven't heard anything since."
"I'm still trying to figure out how you're hearing him," Motre muttered. "Mindspeak is not for younguns."
Serus watched Tessa stiffen and glare at Motre. "It doesn't matter who it's supposed to be for. It's happening to me whether you like it or not, regardless of how old I am. Deal with it."
He had to hide a smile as Tessa jutted out her chin and glared at the largest male vamp in the area. And one of the largest Serus had ever seen. Tessa sure had changed. He was glad for it, but he knew it wasn't going to be an easy road ahead. She'd changed and her world had changed. How the two were going to fit together now still remained to be seen.