by J. C. Diem
“I have to stop,” Candice moaned after our fifth hour of running. Katrina flicked her a glance that was filled with contempt and actually increased her pace.
We were all gaunt, exhausted and starving by the time we stopped an hour later. I wasn’t sure where we were, but we were far to the north of Louisiana and had entered snow country.
“Can we please feed now?” Benjamin asked. He’d expended so much energy that he was actually shivering. I was hungry, but not to the same extent that the others were. The cold didn’t bother me at all.
Katrina nodded at the lights of a small town a short distance away. “We’ll choose a house that holds two or more humans. Their blood should be enough to replenish us.”
“That’s a bad idea,” I said and she rounded on me.
“You dare to question me?” Her eyes were wide with fury, but unlike her other servants, I didn’t quail from her anger. Fear was beyond me now. Any physical damage that she caused would heal in seconds.
“The TAK Squad will be able to track us if we kill any humans,” I pointed out. “They’ll be watching for any unexplained deaths or disappearances.”
“What the hell is the TAK Squad?” Orlando queried. His light accent was musical and might have been Jamaican.
“It stands for Track and Kill.”
“They’ll never be able to track us this far,” he scoffed, yet he looked worried.
“Two of us managed to track a nest down easily enough just a few days ago,” I said with a shrug.
Tiffany was aghast. “You hunted down vampires?” Her tone was almost accusing.
“It was my job,” I replied. “They left a trail of bodies that led us right to them. We waited until daylight then dragged them out into the sun one by one.”
They all shuddered in horror, but a crafty smile stole across Katrina’s face. “It was a brilliant idea for me to make you one of us,” she said with smug satisfaction. “You know how Agent Steel operates and you’ll be able to keep us safe.” That calmed the others down a little.
“If we can’t feed on humans, what are we going to eat?” Kevin asked.
I pointed at a distant herd of cattle. “One cow should feed us all. We’ll have to dispose of the carcass when we’re done.”
“You expect us to survive on cow blood?” Pricilla said in disgust. “I’m not going to drink from an animal!”
I pulled my gun and pointed it at her face. “That’s fine. I’ll just kill you now and save Mark and his team the trouble of doing it later.”
“Alexis,” Katrina said in a menacing tone. I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Put the gun away. We all know you can’t use it. I have forbidden you to kill anyone unless I tell you to.”
Bowing to her wish rather than to her will, I slid the gun back into its holster. Pricilla smirked at me, but her grin died when Katrina gestured towards the cows. “Since you are so thirsty, Pricilla, you can take the first bite.”
The others watched in snide amusement as she crossed the road and leaped over the fence. Sneaking across the field like a thief, she reached the herd of sleeping cattle. She chose one on the fringes of the group and leaned in to bite it on the neck. The pain roused it and it started awake with a bellow of fright. Breaking into a run, it bolted across the field with Pricilla clinging to it like a gigantic tick as she frantically drank its blood.
The others descended into shrill laughter at the spectacle. Even Katrina smiled sourly. I was the only one who found no hilarity in the scene.
The cow eventually came to a stop and shivered in terror as we approached it. Pricilla finally drank her fill and stepped back. Her weariness was gone and her face had lost its gauntness. She was covered in blood to her waist. The smell triggered our hunger and we fell on the hapless beast.
While I was hungry, I didn’t feel an uncontrollable need to feed. Since I already stood out too much from the others, I waded in and bit into the cow’s side. Blood pooled in my mouth and I swallowed it down. It tasted far better than I thought it would, but it didn’t give me the same rush that Reece’s blood always had. At least it replenished the energy that I’d used in sprinting so far in one night.
Drinking slowly rather than gulping it down, I waited for the others to drink their fill before I pulled away. Almost completely drained, the cow fell to its knees then toppled onto its side. There was no need to finish it off. It expired from blood loss and terror after a few more labored breaths.
“What are we going to do with it?” Benjamin asked. He swiped his mouth on his sleeve, smearing blood across his cheek. I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and wiped my lips. It came away with only a few smears of blood. The rest didn’t make any attempt to clean their faces. They all looked well fed and were full of energy now.
“You heard Alexis,” Katrina said in a bored tone. “Get rid of it.”
“How?” Kevin queried. They turned to me for guidance.
“We’ll have to carry it into the woods and leave it for wild animals to eat,” I told them.
Katrina waved her hand, leaving the menial task up to us. Orlando and Kevin hefted the cow to their shoulders and followed me towards the distant woods. I kept going until we were several miles away from the farm. “This should be far enough,” I said at last. They dropped the carcass and trotted back towards their leader.
Pricilla was whispering to Katrina as we crossed the field. She didn’t realize that I could hear her. Apparently, my hearing was far more acute than theirs. “She’s dangerous,” she hissed. “You saw how fast she moved when she killed Royce. She would have killed me as well if you hadn’t stopped her. She feels no loyalty to our nest. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kills us all.”
“She can’t kill me,” Katrina reminded her slyly. “I suggest you try to stay on her good side in the future.”
My mother clearly enjoyed the rivalry that she thought was happening between us. What she didn’t realize was that I wasn’t trying to curry favor with her. I’d wanted my gun and Royce wouldn’t give it to me, so I’d taken it from him. Being emotionless meant I no longer had a conscience to hinder my actions.
“Where will we rest for the day?” Kevin asked when we joined them and resumed our journey to wherever Katrina was leading us. I suspected she had no idea where we were going. She’d only immigrated to the US because she’d fallen in love with my father. She’d only lived in one town before my father had been posted to New Orleans. I doubted she knew much about the country at all.
“I’m sure Alexis will be able to find somewhere suitable,” our master replied. That brought hostile glares from the others. I’d only been with them for two nights and I’d already attained a position of importance.
I searched for a location that was remote where we wouldn’t be disturbed during the day. An hour or so before dawn, we came to a farm that had seen better days. The outbuildings were shoddy and weathered and the main house wasn’t much better. “Wait here,” I said to the others. I loped across the overgrown yard that was covered in twelve inches of snow.
Sneaking up to a bedroom window, I peered inside to see an ancient woman asleep in her bed. I didn’t need to search the house to know there was no one else inside. I’d have been able to hear them breathing if anyone else had been there.
A cat lay curled up on the bed beside her. Sensing me, the animal came awake and hissed. I backed away before it could wake its owner. I’d seen what I needed and returned to the others. “We should be safe for the day if we stay in one of these outbuildings,” I reported. It was doubtful the elderly human would venture outside in these snowy conditions.
Katrina gestured for me to lead the way. A quick examination of the buildings made it easy to choose one. The barn was the only structure that didn’t have any boards missing from the walls or roof. The few windows were so thickly encrusted with grime that the sun wouldn’t be able to penetrate inside.
The door was reluctant to open, but I forced the rusty hinges to comply. Rats fled into the shadows, sensing
that we were predators. A quick glance around revealed that the barn was empty. Any hay that had been stored here had long ago turned to dust. It had been decades since the barn had housed livestock. As I’d already guessed, there were no recent signs that the old woman had entered the building.
A ladder leading up to the loft was far too rickety to hold our weight. Katrina leaped upwards and determined that the area was clear of vermin. The rest of her servants joined her, but I had no desire to mingle with them and remained below. Choosing a stall at the far end of the barn, I curled up on my side and used my backpack as a pillow. Again, my sleep was shallow and dreamless. I suspected my ability to dream had died along with my emotions.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eight
Hearing stealthy movement coming from above, I snapped awake. The sun had only just relinquished its hold on the world and darkness was slowly stealing across the sky. Katrina had only been a vampire for eighteen years, but she was still the oldest of our group and had woken first.
Instinct told me she was up to something. My hunch was strengthened when she leaped lightly to the ground. Keeping my eyes open a bare sliver, I watched as she approached me. She stopped a few feet away and stared down at me for several long moments.
Barely breathing, I lay still while she decided my fate. Pricilla’s warning that I was dangerous was weighing on her mind. We all knew that I was even more unnatural than normal vampires. I shouldn’t have survived her bite when I’d been a baby. I definitely should have died when she’d bitten me when I’d been a werewolf. In the end she decided against killing me and returned to the loft.
The others woke a few minutes later. They immediately stripped naked and began to engage in group sex. Rising, I shouldered my backpack and quietly left the barn. Even devoid of emotion, there were some things I didn’t want to be subjected to. Hearing or seeing my undead mother in the arms of one or more men was at the top of that list.
While the others were occupied, I hid behind one of the other buildings and took the opportunity to eat a few cookies. They were already starting to go stale, but I ate them anyway. Catching a whiff of coffee coming from the farmhouse, I found I was craving caffeine with a vengeance. I hoped my ability to ingest normal food also extended to liquids.
Crossing to the house, I heard the nest still engaged in their group activity and figured I had at least a few minutes before they’d finish. The TV was on inside the house. I snuck over to the window to see the old lady sitting in the living room. The cat was curled up on her lap, purring in delight as she stroked its back.
Moving with the new speed that I was rapidly becoming accustomed to, I rounded the house and entered through the kitchen door. Taking a large mug down from the cupboard, I filled it with coffee from the pot. I spooned one sugar into it and added cream. I downed the entire mug in a few seconds and for the first time since drinking my mother’s blood, I felt a brief moment of contentment. Apparently, my caffeine addiction still had power over me even when I was half undead.
Hearing the orgy in the final stages, I quickly washed the mug, dried it and returned it to the cupboard. Leaving the house, I entered the barn just as the group was leaping to the ground.
“Why do you run away every time we have sex?” Katrina asked.
“Do you really expect me to stay and watch?”
“No. I expect you to participate.”
I blinked at her answer, taking in the men’s sly smiles. They were clearly on board with the idea, but the women glared at me jealously. While I wasn’t as beautiful as Katrina, I could concede that I was far more attractive than any of them. “You want me to have sex with you?” My voice sounded as dead as I felt. There was no emotion in my tone and she frowned.
“Not with me,” Katrina said in derision. “I’m not attracted to females, but I’m sure my minions would enjoy taking you.”
I looked them over and shook my head. “I’m not interested.”
“You will be,” she replied with a malicious grin. “Blood and sex are the only forms of enjoyment we have. Soon, blood won’t be enough and you’ll start to crave the sensation of a man’s hands on you. If my servants don’t appeal to you, you have other choices. Humans are fragile, but they can offer you more than just blood.”
A picture of Reece naked and aroused flitted through my mind. For a moment I almost felt something. Then it was gone, leaving me as empty as before. “We should get moving,” I suggested.
“What exactly is your plan?” Tiffany asked. “Where can we go that your boss won’t find us?” It was a valid question. Maybe she wasn’t quite as dumb as I’d thought.
I put some thought into it as Katrina led us away from the barn. “A large city like New Orleans would be safest,” I decided. “Your nest managed to survive there without discovery for nearly two decades.”
“My master lived in New Orleans for over two hundred years,” Katrina corrected me archly before turning away again.
“It was a clever plan to get him to attack us on the night of the full moon,” I said to her back. “He had no idea we were shifters when he sent his minions after us, did he? You used us to kill him so you could take control of the survivors and become their new master.”
She nearly missed a step at my accusation and the others looked at me with wide eyes. Tossing her filthy hair over her shoulder, she glanced back at me and smiled. “Yes,” she admitted. “And my plan worked perfectly. You and your friends killed almost the entire nest.” She gestured at her servants. “Only these few remained. I was the most strong willed and it was easy to bring them beneath my control.” Kevin sent her a bitter look that she didn’t see.
“Then you made Royce and Amanda, trying to recreate your real family,” I deduced.
Moving with shocking speed, she was suddenly standing in front of me with her hand wrapped tightly around my throat. “That is a lie! I do not have a sentimental wish to have a husband and daughter.”
“Then why did you leave me that doll in Bradbury?” It came out sounding hoarse from having my throat half crushed.
Her expression was puzzled and her grip slackened enough for my throat to heal. “What doll?”
“The one that looked just like me,” I reminded her. “You left it where my dog could find it.”
Releasing me, she stepped back with a disturbed expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I could sense that she was telling the truth for once, but it didn’t make sense. Her scent had been all over the doll. There could be no mistake about who had delivered the present.
She seemed almost frightened and I felt confusion whirling around in her mind. She vaguely remembered leaving something for me, but she couldn’t quite recall what it had been. Something strange was going on here and it seemed best to drop the subject entirely. It almost felt like faery magic was involved, but I didn’t think Kurt Jorgen had anything to do with this. Someone else was behind it and I had no idea who they were.
The rest of our group exchanged wary looks, but were wise enough to remain silent. They were well aware that our master was both unbalanced and unpredictable. They were relieved when she resumed her journey.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Katrina gestured for me to join her. “Where does your squad call home?”
“They don’t have a permanent home that I know of. They move from compound to compound depending on the jobs they’re sent to.”
“Where do they stay when they’re between missions?”
“Colorado,” I replied. “They have a base in the mountains about two hours away from Denver.”
She smiled slyly. “Then we’ll make our new lair in Denver. They’ll never think to look for us right beneath their noses.”
I could see a flaw in her plan, but I didn’t bother to point it out. Mark would look everywhere for us, including Denver. She’d already made up her mind, so I kept my mouth shut and fell back to the rear again. Somehow, I’d become the guardian of our small group. It was a position I ha
dn’t sought and it was one that I didn’t really want.
The more I thought about it, maybe going to Denver wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It was an area I was familiar with, which would make my goal easier. I’d made Katrina a promise and I was going to stick to it. I might be banned from doing the deed myself, but one way or another, I would see her dead.
₪₪₪
Chapter Nine
Heading westward, we sprinted until we were exhausted and our energy was nearly depleted. Katrina pushed us to continue until it was almost dawn. By the time we finally neared Denver, we were gaunt and starving again. We caught the scent of deer and detoured to the woods. The small herd sensed danger and scattered. We fell on a doe in a feeding frenzy before she had a chance to escape.
I drank enough blood to take the edge off my hunger then stepped back and watched the others feed. They were more untamed than the animals we’d just hunted. All they cared about was eating, mating and finding suitable shelter. They might have retained their intelligence and cunning, but they’d lost all sense of their humanity. I’d believed that the undead were pure evil, but it was worse than that. Without their souls, they were lost and without purpose. It would be a mercy to end their pathetic lives.
My hand had moved inside my jacket without me even realizing it. It hovered over my gun as I contemplated riddling their animated corpses with bullets. Sensing peril, Katrina broke away from feeding and turned a sharp eye on me. Even quicker than she was, I stared back at her blankly with my arms innocently crossed.
Disturbed by my lack of expression, she looked away first. Realizing how close it was to dawn, she stood. The others abandoned their meal, looking fresh and alert now. The doe was still thrashing weakly, but it would soon die. We only had minutes left to find shelter and we couldn’t leave the animal in this condition. It was obvious that several creatures had been feeding from it. Close examination would determine that something unnatural had been responsible for its death.